Collaboraction announces Crime Scene Chicago 2014: Let Hope Rise summer parks tour, plus fall world premiere of Have You Seen Our Future?, an explosive new work about the dysfunction of Chicago’s education system

CHICAGO, IL – Collaboraction is thrilled to be invited back by the Chicago Park District to remount and tour the company’s hit production, Crime Scene Chicago: Let Hope Rise, to four city parks in August.

Continuing with the company’s new “incite change” mission, Collaboraction also announces their fall production, the world premiere of Have You Seen Our Future?, an explosive piece of theatre inspired by the dysfunction of Chicago’s education system, premiering September 18-October 26, 2014.

Crime Scene Chicago 2014: Let Hope Rise

Crime Scene, Collaboraction’s theatrical reaction to the violent crime in Chicago, will continue to incite change at a hyper local level as part of the Chicago Park District’s Night Out in the Parks initiative this summer. Crime Scene couples nonfiction source material such as interviews, articles, and online comments with true Chicago crimes to raise critical questions surrounding segregation, poverty, the news media, and popular culture. Artistic Director Anthony Moseley is reconceiving the show for the 2014 summer parks tour to include up-to-the-minute stories of Chicago violence.

Universally lauded by press, the 2013 world premiere of Crime Scene was described as “gripping,” “direct, visceral, youthful and winningly honest” using “elements of history, testimony, song and hip-hop oration.” Along with each park performance, Collaboraction will host a pre-show barbecue, invite neighborhood residents to participate in the Dome of Dance and offer a pre-show showcase of community groups doing a pro-peace performance. Every performance includes opportunities for audience participation, and concludes with a post-show Town Hall meeting to reflect on ways to incite change and combat crime.

Crime Scene Chicago 2014: Let Hope Rise will kick off its summer remount with a weekend of performances at Collabraction’s Wicker Park home on Wednesday, July 30, Thursday, July 31 and Friday, August 1 at 7:30 p.m. Collaboraction is located on the 3rd floor of the Flat Iron Arts Building, 1579 N. Milwaukee Ave in Wicker Park. Tickets are pay-what-you-can. Reserve tickets online at collaboraction.org or call 312.226.9633.

Crime Scene will then hit the road and tour four Chicago parks for four consecutive weekends in August:

Thursday and Friday, August 7 and 8 at Hamilton Park, 513 W. 72nd St., in Englewood

Thursday and Friday, August 14 and 15 at Austin Town Hall, 5610 W. Lake St., in Austin

Thursday and Friday, August 21 and 22 at Loyola Park, 1230 W. Greenleaf, in East Rogers Park

Thursday and Friday August 28 and 29 at Taylor Park, 39 W. 47th St., in Bronzeville

All park performances are free and open to the public. Pre-show barbecue and Dome of Dance tournament begins at 5 p.m. Showtime is 6:30 p.m.

Coming Fall 2014 – Have You Seen Our Future?

In fall 2014, Collaboraction presents the world premiere of Have You Seen Our Future? Conceived and written by Sarah Moeller, with co-writers Adam Seidel and Michele Stine, this new work promises to be an explosive piece of theatre inspired by the dysfunction of Chicago’s education system.

Constructed from extensive research, Have You Seen Our Future? tackles the key issues of inequities, standardized testing, cultural barriers, and more through the eyes of students, teachers, parents and administrators. The result will be a unique, interactive theatre piece designed to entertain and inform the audience, as well as motivate dialogue.

Have You Seen Our Future? will debut September 18 – October 26, 2014 at Collaboraction on the 3rd floor of the Flat Iron Arts Building, 1579 N. Milwaukee Ave in Wicker Park. Press opening is Thursday, September 25 at 7:30 p.m. Show times are Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., Sunday at 3 p.m. Industry nights are on Monday, October 6 and 20. Have You Seen Our Future? will run approximately 90 minutes, followed each night by a facilitated discussion. Tickets are $15-$30. Purchase tickets online at collaboraction.org or call 312.226.9633.

About Collaboraction

Collaboraction (collaboraction.org) celebrates its 18th year as a Chicago-based arts organization and has recently moved its theater and operation headquarters to the historic Flat Iron Arts Building, 1579 N. Milwaukee Ave., in the heart of Wicker Park. By incorporating innovative artists and interdisciplinary collaboration, Collaboraction creates groundbreaking theatrical and art-based experiences.

The overwhelming response to Crime Scene in 2013 was the first step in Artistic Director Anthony Moseley’s new vision for Collaboraction to be used as an artistic tool to explore critical social issues in an effort to create dialogue and incite change. To do so, Collaboraction collaborates with artists, community leaders, health professionals and citizens from throughout the city to create original theatrical experiences that push artistic boundaries and explore critical social issues with a diverse community of Chicagoans. More recently, Collaboration’s world premiere This is Not a Cure for Cancer was an immersive live theater experience that used the same provocative, docudrama style conceived via Crime Scene to attack cancer, its treatment and the way we live.

Collaboraction has worked with more than 2,500 artists to bring more than 60 productions and events to more than 50,000 audience members. Presenting such smash hits as 2010’s Chicago premiere of 1001 by Jason Grote, 2008’s world premiere of Jon by George Saunders and directed by Seth Bockley, and 2007’s critically acclaimed production of The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow: an instant message with excitable music by Rolin Jones, as well as the annual SKETCHBOOK Festival, Collaboraction has worked with more than 2,500 artists to bring more than 60 productions and events to more than 50,000 audience members.