About Face Theatre Opens Its 29th Season with the RE/GENERATION Studio Series

About Face Theatre’s Re/Generation Studio workshop series returns to kick off the company’s 2023-2024 season from November 30 through December 16, 2023 at The Den Theatre.

Re/Generation Studio will include three full weekends of readings, performances, meetups, and workshops featuring up-and-coming LGBTQ+ theatre artists from Chicago and around the country. Each weekend will feature a reading of a new play paired with audience activities to help bring the world of the play to life. Workshop topics will include playwriting, directing, community building, drag, and self-care, along with youth meetups for theatre-loving emerging creatives looking for a queer-friendly space to connect and share.

All events and workshops are free and open to the public. Attendees can register through About Face Theatre’s website, https://aboutfacetheatre.com, or in-person at the event. Early registration is encouraged as some events may reach capacity.

Director Mikael Burke and casting director Catherine Miller are serving as the artistic producers of the series, while AFT Artistic Director Megan Carney and Green Room Collective member Pen Wilder co-curated the play readings. Workshops and meetups will be led by Megan Carney; Mikael Burke; playwright/performers Terry Guest, Omer Abbas Salem, and WIll Wilhelm; performer and intimacy choreographer Courtney Abbott; drag performer Quyen Tran, and AFT Education Manager Dionne Addai. The series will feature plays by August Forman, Liz Haas, and Emilio Williams.

“Re/Generation Studio is all about taking the risk of coming together and sharing experiences,” says co-curator Pen Wilder. “The perspective I gained through last year’s workshops as an artist, a playwright, and a person was invaluable. Every great play was once a new play, and being there for so many different beginnings, middles, and ends is something really special. I’m thrilled to be involved and look forward to what this season’s Re/Generation Studio holds.”

About Face first premiered Re/Generation Studio in February 2023. It was envisioned as a space for reconnecting and re-imagining after the social and creative isolation of the pandemic. The first iteration of Re/Generation Studio included five play readings and workshops, featuring a wide variety of playwrights, directors, actors, and audience members. The overwhelmingly positive response to these workshops proved that Chicago’s creative communities are eager for a chance to rebuild community bonds and engage in collective dreaming and creating.

About Face Theatre has a long history of building community and engaging with our audiences through touring shows, educational workshops, and play readings. AFT’s education programs first started in 1999 with About Face Youth Theatre. Re/Generation Studio is part of the company’s continuing evolution to respond to the needs of its community to advance LGBTQ+ equity.

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