Court Theatre Presents 10th Annual Hyde Park Bank High School Performance Festival

Court Theatre proudly presents the 10th Annual Hyde Park Bank High School Performance Festival, featuring the dramatic and design work of area students. The Hyde Park Bank High School Performance Festival will be presented Tuesday, December 6, 2016 at 6:30 p.m., beginning with a scenic design exhibition in Court's lobby, followed by performances. The annual celebration will take place at Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Ave, and is free and open to the public. Doors will open at 6:00 p.m. and a reception will follow the performances at 8:00 p.m.

"The Hyde Park Bank High School Performance Festival celebrates Court Theatre's work in south side high schools. For ten years now, we have had the opportunity to showcase our students for the community. The success of these programs is a testament to collaborative efforts between Court Theatre teaching artists, and the teachers and administrators at our partner schools. This is always a special evening for Court Theatre, as parents, teachers, and friends gather to witness these young artists' talent," said Cree Rankin, Director of Court Theatre's Artists-in-the-Schools program.

The Hyde Park Bank High School Performance Festival is the culmination of Court Theatre's Artists-in-the-Schools program, during which students work with Court Teaching Artists in-class and after school to explore classic texts with a contemporary mindset. A select number of students participating in Court Theatre's educational program will perform scenes and monologues or present scenic design work developed during the fall and winter school semesters. The festival affords students the chance to demonstrate skills learned during these in-school residencies, and also connect with their peers and venture outside their immediate social circles. For many students, this will be the first time they will have performed on a stage of any kind.

Residency schools involved in the festival this year include Kenwood Academy High School, William Rainey Harper High School, Walter H Dyett High School and Wendell Phillips Academy High School.

The 10th Annual High School Performance Festival is sponsored exclusively by Hyde Park Bank. The Hyde Park Bank High School Performance Festival is part of Court Theatre's Education Initiative that includes high school matinees and in-school residencies funded in part by the Polk Bros. Foundation, the Lloyd A. Fry Foundation and Northern Trust.".

For more information or to reserve a free ticket to the Hyde Park Bank High School Performance Festival please contact the Court Theatre Box Office at (773) 753-4472 or via the website at tickets.courttheatre.org.

Now in its 62nd season, Court Theatre is guided by its mission to discover the power of classic theatre. Court endeavors to make a lasting contribution to American theatre by expanding the canon of translations, adaptations, and classic texts. Court revives lost masterpieces, illuminates familiar texts, and distinguishes fresh, modern classics. Court engages and inspires its audience by providing artistically distinguished productions, audience enrichment activities, and student educational experiences.