Theatre School at DePaul to Host One Theatre World 2015 Conference, 5/7-9

The Theatre School at DePaul University will host the One Theatre World 2015 national conference, May 7 through May 9, 2015, produced by Theatre for Young Audiences/USA (TYA/USA). TYA/USA is a national service organization whose mission is to promote the power of professional theatre for young audiences through excellence, collaboration, and innovation across cultural and internal boundaries. Founded in 1965 as ASSITEJ/USA, TYA/USA is the only theatre organization in the United States which has the development of professional theatre for young audiences and international exchange as its primary mandates.

One Theatre World is TYA/USA's national festival which facilitates interchange among theatres and artists in order to promote quality theatre for young people; encourages dissemination of information on a national level; and provides professional development and networking opportunities through workshops, performances, seminars, and master classes.

"We are so glad that we are able to host this!" says John Culbert, Dean of The Theatre School at DePaul University. "Our new building allows us to connect with the profession in new and meaningful ways. Plus, the work of TYA/USA is so closely aligned with our own programming goals in Chicago Playworks - to share the best of our great theatre city with young people, and to bring international voices and stories to life in highly imaginative productions."

The conference will feature a workshop and keynote by the internationally renowned company Punchdrunk, sponsored by The Children's Theatre Foundation of America. Nathan Allen (Founder/Artistic Director of The House Theatre Chicago) will present a master class on ethics for popular theatre. Pasek & Paul (composers for NBC's Smash and the Tony-nominated team behind family-friendly musicals A Christmas Story and James and the Giant Peach) will be featured, as well as the acclaimed playwright Suzan Zeder (Mother Hicks, Wiley and the Hairy Ape, Aviatrix) in a conversation moderated by director and Northwestern University professor Rives Collins. A discussion regarding the impact of TYA criticism will feature panelists Chris Jones (chief theatre critic for the Chicago Tribune), Ada Grey (Ada Grey Reviews For You), and Raven Snook (journalist and contributor New York Magazine, Time Out New York, The Village Voice). The International Theatre for Young Audiences Research Network has invited three scholar/practitioners from the Americas (South America, Central America, and Canada) to draw on their research and artistic practice for a session on the theme "Dare, Dream, Do the Unexpected."

The Children's Theatre Foundation of America will be joining One Theatre World to present the 2015 Orlin Corey Medallion Award, which honors recipients for their significant achievements for the enrichment of children in the United States and Canada through nurturing artistic work in theatre and the arts. In addition, readings from a new play by Ike Holter (Theatre School alumnus, 2015 Young Playwrights for Change winner, and the Chicago Tribune's 2014 Chicagoan of the Year in Theater) will be featured.

Conference participants will also have access to a series of vendor events and performances from Chicago's leading theatres for young audiences, including work by Adventure Stage Chicago, Chicago Children's Theatre, Emerald City Theatre, and Theater Unspeakable at the Chicago Humanities Festival. Chicago Playworks for Families and Young Audiences will present Eric Pfeffinger's The Day John Henry Came to School where American folklore meets contemporary technology. This production is directed by Theatre School faculty member and TYA/USA Vice President Ernie Nolan. "Chicago Playworks was founded as the Goodman Children's Theatre in 1926, and the school's celebrated history as a pioneer of children's theatre in the Midwest makes this intersection between the school and the One Theatre World conference that much more exciting," explains Nolan.

Sponsors of One Theatre World 2015 (at the time of this release) include Kaiser Permanente, Music Theatre International, The Children's Theatre Foundation of America, The Theatre School at DePaul University, Adventure Stage and the National Endowment for the Arts - Art Works.