Collaboraction's 7th Annual PEACEBOOK Festival At Kehrein Center For The Arts To Feature Top Chicago Artists

Collaboraction, an ethno-diverse, social justice theater company that uses theater and digital media to incite change and grow equity in Chicago, has a turbo-charged 26th season of art and social activism lined up for 2022-23.

For a pre-season appetizer, join Collaboraction for a free screening of its 2021 virtual production Encounter Englewood, a highlight of the Chicago Onscreen Film Festival, Friday, September 1 at 7:30 p.m. at Hamilton Park, 513 W. 72nd St. in Englewood.

Five neighborhood artists and activists - Chelle Rashad of Imagine Englewood If, jazz legend Ernest Dawkins, Joy Smith of Joyful Soundz, principal of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Academy of Social Justice Jasmine Thurmond, and Lyana Funches and Pha'tal of Think Outside the Block - get their long overdue close-up in Collaboraction's acclaimed docu-video showcasing the life and vibrancy of Englewood.

For full festival information, visit chicagoonscreen.com.

Collaboraction's 2022-23 season officially launches with its 7th Annual PEACEBOOK Festival, a day of workshops, meals, panels and performances for peace, Saturday, October 8, 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Kehrein Center for the Arts, 5628 W. Washington Blvd. in Chicago's Austin community.

This year's theme is "The future, past and present of healing theater," or theater that heals. The day will boast three different shows, each featuring a fresh, diverse line-up of Chicago artists and social justice warriors, all sharing work that reveals their personal perspectives on peace.

The three line-ups are Future (1 p.m) featuring Collaboraction's youth ensemble The Light, The Example Setters, The Happiness Club, Jeronimo Speaks and Matthew LaChapelle.

Past (3 p.m.) showcases Aztec Dance Chicago, Brickheadz Crew, Oba William King and Sandra Delgado.

The evening program, Present (7 p.m.) features Antoine Brewer, F.U.R.Y., M.A.D.D Rhythms, Emcee Skool and Pilar Audain.

In addition, Collaboraction will host a free community meal and panel discussion at 5 p.m. PEACEBOOK tickets are $30/$15 for activists, artists, teachers, students, seniors, veterans and CollaborActivists. For tickets and information, go to collaboraction.org.

Now flip to Saturday, November 5 on your calendar and mark it Chicago's most fun, must-attend theater gala: Collaboraction's Utopian Ball.

This year's annual celebration of Collaboraction's art and social justice mission includes a cocktail hour, table serve dinner, performances by Collaboraction artists, a live band, awards, a raffle, dancing, and more. Hosted by Collaboraction Producer Carla Stillwell and friends, The Utopian Ball starts at 6 p.m. at Venue One, 221N. Paulina St., Chicago. Tickets - $250 per person or $2,500 for a table of 10 - are on sale now at collaboraction.org with an early bird discount of $200 per ticket until September 1.

Next, fast forward to February 2023, when Collaboraction returns to The DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center for a fully-realized, in-person production of Trial in the Delta: The Murder of Emmett Till. This groundbreaking play, originally co-produced with NBC5 Chicago, was filmed in February 2022 at NBC's studios, then staged two-shows only as a live, immersive production on a minimal set at DuSable Museum.

Next February, Collaboraction and DuSable Museum will re-team to present a fully-staged version of Trial in the Delta: The Murder of Emmett Till. Adapted by Collaboraction company members G. Riley Mills and Willie Round, Trial in the Delta is the first-ever theatrical version drawing directly from the actual, recently unearthed 1955 trial transcript of the two men found not guilty of murdering Emmett Till. The play is brought to vivid life docu-drama style, with the audience co-mingled "in the courtroom" alongside actors portraying Emmett Till's mother, other family members, and witnesses for the defense and prosecution. The result is an immersive reenactment of what actually occurred in that 1955 rural Mississippi courtroom, the site of one of the most monumental injustices of the U.S. legal system in the 20th century. Dates, cast and the ticket on-sale date are TBA.

Just this week, the original NBC5/Collaboraction tele-play Trial in the Delta: The Murder of Emmett Till, spearheaded by award-winning NBC5 anchor Marion Brooks, was added to NBC's Peacock international streaming service. It's also available to view on NBCChicago.com, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire and the NBC5 Chicago app.

In more digital theater news, earlier this month Collaboraction's virtual production Oh Colonizers by producer Carla Stillwell won "Best in Overall Creativity and Originality" in the Gumbo Lab Radical Imaginings Ten-Minute Film Festival. Oh Colonizers is Stillwell's response as a black woman to that fateful day, January 6, 2021, in which she reveals the historical connection to the capitol insurrection, aka"Honkey Kong 2021," to the U.S. Civil War.

Also adding to the festival win column are Collaboraction company member Willie Round and G. Riley Mills, who won five awards including "Best of the Fest" for their short film Broke Down Drone at New York City's Chain Film Festival earlier this month. Before heading to a successful life on celluloid, Broke Down Drown began as a live theater short as part of Collaboraction's 2019 PEACEBOOK Festival.

"Post pandemic Collaboraction, starting our 26th season, is an evolved non-profit producing hybrid, award-winning digital content such as Oh Colonizers, Encounter Englewood and Trial in the Delta that is rooted in our transformational live performances as a catalyst for social change," said Collaboraction Executive Artistic Director Anthony Moseley.

Want to spark social change in Chicago and beyond? Become a CollaborActivist and meet up in the Co-Lab for as little as $1 per month!

Becoming a CollaborActivist member not only supports Collaboraction's work, which hires hundreds of artists to create social change work, but also offers access to community and content to support your growth as an agent of social change.

CollaborActivist memberships include exclusive access to the Co-Lab, a digital portal at collaboraction.org which allows members to create a profile, connect with other members, attend virtual workshops and meet-ups, and screen members-only video content with more than 40 videos including:

Trial in the Delta - An 18-minute overview of the project plus videos of testimonies of Mamie Till, Mose Wright, Carolyn Bryant, closing arguments and the audience Crucial Connections.

Peacebook 2021 - 13 videos of the 2021 PEACEBOOK performances including Karen Olivo, Ameena Matthews, PHENOM, Molly Brennan and more.

Moonset Sunrise - video of the complete performance of Collaboraction's innovative piece of "healing theater" featuring Pilar Audain, Coco Elysses, Sandra Delgado and the band The Wild Onion.

The Light 2022 Parks Tour - videos of each of The Light's new pieces sharing their change perspectives on various social justice platforms.

Lift Every Voice - Award-winning play by G. Riley Mills and Willie Round adapted into a Zoom video exploring racial tension at a high school, based on real events.