Make/Believe 2022: A Festival for Young Audiences

Curated by Maria Burnham
Playwrights: Rachel Atkins, Eric Braman, Adam Eugene Hurst, Steven San Luis, Sarah Lina Sparks, Lori Taylor and Angelle Whavers
Directors: Maureen Azzun, Carina Lastimosa, Kaeli Meno, Tuesdai Perry, Rebecca Rose Schilsky, Eileen Tull and Joel Willison
Actors: Jean E. Mueller-Burr, Gwyneth Clare, Nick Conrad, Adeera Harris, Jacynta Harris, Reid Henry, Sophie Hernando Kofman, Andi Muriel, Joselle Reyes and Lexy Hope Weixel

Ghostlight Ensemble brings its popular Make/Believe festival back to the stage in 2022 with seven short plays by playwrights from around the country to be presented live, outdoors in July.

This year’s curated festival features a mix of new and previously performed plays from past Make/Believe festivals, written by both local and national playwrights. The plays, as always, have been written for audiences 10 and under, but are meant to be enjoyed by all ages.

The seven stories that make up this year’s festival are filled with young people, plants and a puppy who must face great obstacles to discover who (or what) they’re meant to be. From the Filipino-American girl who is trying to find her way home in Sunshine and the Sea of Lost Things to the littlest fish in the ocean proving all sizes matter in Krill’s Quest, the protagonists in these plays face the types of struggles modern children will recognize from their own lives.

Selected scripts include:

• Asherella, written by Chicago playwright Lori Taylor, is a take on Cinderella where the heroines are African-American females and the person rescued is a young white male. Asher lives at home with his cruel stepmother and cruel stepbrothers. With the help of The One, an African-American magical being who is the source of all Black Girl Magic, Asher is able to escape his cruel family and live in the castle with the ruler of the queendom.

• Best Friends, written by Dallas playwright Adam Eugene Hurst, is the story of Brooklyn a dog that wants nothing more but to play and be best friends with Chops. But Chops, a well-worn stuffed animal dog toy, wants nothing to do with that.

• A Blue Hydrangea, written by Oregon playwright Eric Braman, takes place in the backyard of The Great Gardener Carole, as a hydrangea bush wakes up from its winter slumber. What has always been a fully pink hydrangea bush suddenly has a head of flowers that is blue. The flowers explore the concepts of identity, acceptance and vulnerability as they wait in fear of Carole’s judgement.

• Can You Hear the Mermaids Singing?, written by Seattle playwright Rachel Atkins, is a tale of grief and swimming. Two sisters navigate the deep waters of the local pool and their relationship in the wake of their mother’s death. Here be mermaids.

• It's Poppin', written by Georgia playwright Steven San Luis, is the story of a young kid who is afraid of moving to a new city and finds themself talking to a blue balloon that is afraid of being let go. Together they find the courage to embrace the unknown ahead of them.

• Krill’s Quest, written by New Jersey playwright Angelle Whavers, is a journey by the tiniest fish in the ocean to save Princess Horseshoe Crab. Along the way our little heroine Krill learns that what has always been seen as her greatest weakness is actually her biggest strength.

• Sunshine and the Sea of Lost Things, written by California playwright Sarah Lina Sparks, follows a young mixed-race Filipino girl, Sunshine, who is stranded on a ship in the Sea of Lost Things. Joining her on the ship are two heroes, Peter and Anagolay, who must navigate her home — wherever that home may be — before she is lost at sea forever.

All seven plays will be produced on each day of the festival at the new NorthCenter Town Square – an outdoor space in the heart of the NorthCenter neighborhood. Some seating will be available, but audience members are encouraged to bring their own chairs and picnics. The show is free, but donations are always appreciated.

Make/Believe is made possible, in part, by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency and by support from the NorthCenter Chamber of Commerce.

Make/Believe is part of our Nightlight young audiences series, which produces original, adapted and forgotten plays geared toward children and the adults who love them.

Details
Where: NorthCenter Town Square, 4100 N. Damen Ave., Chicago
When: Saturdays, July 16, 23 & 30, 2022
What time: 2:30 p.m.
How Much: Free. Donations accepted.
(By donating more, if you are able, you help offset the cost for those who can’t afford to give.)