League of Chicago Theatres and Siskel Film Center Screen MY AMERICA, TOO Today

The League of Chicago Theatres and the Gene Siskel Film Center will present a screening of MY AMERICA, TOO (Taking Theater to the Streets) followed by a panel discussion hosted by Chicago director by Derrick Sanders. This collection of short films, commissioned by Baltimore's Center Stage Theatre, will be presented at the Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State St. in Chicago, today, February 20 at 12 p.m. Tickets, priced $6 - $11, are available at www.siskelfilmcenter.org/myamericatoo.

Ten writers, including Lydia R. Diamond, Larissa FastHorse, Neil LaBute, Kenneth Lin, Elyzabeth Gregory Wilder, Kwame Kwei-Armah and Hana Sharif, were commissioned by Baltimore's Center Stage Theatre to create plays set around the kitchen table, inspired by recent events in communities like Sanford, FL; Cleveland, OH; Ferguson, MO; Staten Island, NY; Baltimore, MD; and Charleston, SC. Six of the plays were filmed as pieces of street theater, guerrilla-style, at pivotal locations across the country bringing into searing focus topics that currently face the nation-and certainly Chicago.

Chicago Director/Filmmaker Derrick Sanders will host a post-show panel discussion. Joining the panel will be Baltimore Center Stage Artistic Director Kwame Kwei-Armah and playwright Lydia R. Diamond.

"We are thrilled to be able to screen these six short films together and discuss them with the audience afterward," said Derrick Sanders. "We hope the films will be a catalyst for discussion of the issues we face in Chicago."

Chicago theatre is a leader in the U.S. with more than 250 theatres throughout Chicagoland, comprising a rich and varied community ranging from storefront, non-union theaters to the most renowned resident theatres in the country, including 5 that have been honored with Regional Tony Awards, and the largest touring Broadway organization in the nation. Chicago's theatres serve 5 million audience members annually and have a combined budget of more than $250 million. Chicago produces and/or presents more world premieres annually than any other city in the nation. In the 2014-2015 season, Chicago theatre companies produced more than 100 world premiere productions and adaptations. Each year, Chicago theatres send new work to resident theatres across the country, to Broadway, and around the world.

Since 1972, the Gene Siskel Film Center of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago has presented cutting edge cinema to an annual audience of 80,000. The Film Center's programming includes annual film festivals that celebrate diverse voices and international cultures, premieres of trailblazing work by today's independent filmmakers, restorations and revivals of essential films from cinema history, and insightful, provocative discussions with filmmakers and media artists. Altogether, the Film Center hosts over 1,500 screenings and 100 filmmaker appearances every year. The Film Center was renamed the Gene Siskel Film Center in 2000 after the late, nationally celebrated film critic, Gene Siskel.

The League of Chicago Theatres is an alliance of theatres which leverages its collective strength to promote, support, and advocate for Chicago's theatre industry locally, nationally, and internationally. The League of Chicago Theatres Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the art of theatre in the Chicago area through audience development and support services for theatres and theatre professionals.

For a comprehensive list of Chicago productions, visit the League of Chicago Theatres website, www.chicagoplays.com. Half-price tickets are available year-round at www.hottix.org. Additional information about Chicago Theatre Week is available at www.chicagotheatreweek.com.

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