Collaboraction Theatre Company has opened submissions for The Light, a paid creative studio and live performance summer training program designed to give voice to exceptional Chicago-area youth “artivists” (artists+activists) to illuminate community, connection and positive social change throughout the city.
Collaboraction invests in Chicagoland youth ages 13 to 18 as both activists and artists, and encourages submissions from youth interested in careers in theater, storytelling, spoken word, dance and/or music. Equally important, applicants should have a strong passion to inspire social change around a specific topic, such as racism, body positivity, mental health awareness, homelessness and others.
Youth selected for The Light will train this summer with Collaboraction teaching artists to create original solo and ensemble work that explores the intersection of live performance and social change. Training will lead to live, on-stage performances at popular summer events like Fresh Fest at Navy Pier, Sundays on State and Kidzapalooza. Per Collaboraction’s pay equity policy, The Light members are paid a stipend, $16 per hour, for all rehearsals, studio time and showcases.
The deadline to apply is Thursday, May 1.
To submit, go to https://bit.ly/TheLight25. Auditions will be held Saturday, May 3, 10 and 17 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Youth invited to join The Light will be notified in late May.
The Light's Earl Hester performed at the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Credit: Courtesy Collaboraction
The Light performing at Kidzapalooza in 2022. Credit: Willow James
The Light's Big Ceno serves up spoken word with a side of social justice. Credit: Courtesy Collaboraction
Now in its fourth year, alums of Collaboraction’s The Light have gone on to remarkable success, including two members from the most recent cohort earning full college scholarships, two currently competing on America’s Got Talent, one starring in an Apple TV show, one self-producing and releasing an album on Apple Music, and another attending the CLI Conservatory for elite dance training.
Step into The Light, where Chicago youth illuminate the way.
Starting June 16, youth selected for The Light will meet four times per week at Collaboraction’s new offices at the Kimball Arts Center, 1757 N. Kimball Ave. in Humboldt Park, to build community and prepare for their live performances. Upon completion of the program, members of The Light will leave with paid, professional experience, professional headshots, video documentation of their work, ongoing access to creative tools and consultation with the company’s artistic staff, and potential future opportunities to perform at Collaboraction.
Alumni of The Light, as well as college-aged theater students, are also encouraged to submit an application to join The Luminaries, a youth “elder” ensemble that provides professional college-aged actors with intensive training in performance, research, and multimedia storytelling, equipping them with the skills to create meaningful, socially driven work. To apply, go to https://bit.ly/TheLight25 by Thursday, May 1.
The Light is supported in part by AV Chicago, Circet and the Marc and Jeanne Malnati Family Foundation.
Collaboraction’s 2024 The Light ensemble (right). Photo courtesy Collaboraction.
About Collaboraction
Collaboraction is a 29-year-old, Emmy-Award winning theater arts and media company for social change. The company builds knowledge, empathy, dialogue and action around oppression and inequity through live theater, film, radio and online interactive programs. Across all platforms, Collaboraction uses its KEDA methodology - Knowledge, Empathy, Dialogue, and Action - to spark changes in behavior and attitudes that manifest social change.
Collaboraction’s work includes the three-time Emmy Award-winning The Lost Story of Emmett Till: Trial in the Delta, its House of Belonging event series, The Light Youth Ensemble, live productions of Moonset Sunrise, A Blue Island In the Red Sea and its annual Peacebook Festival. In addition to live performances, community building and video production, Collaboraction centers and presents its work in historically overlooked Chicago neighborhoods like Englewood, Austin and Lawndale.
Collaboraction has broken ground on its new home inside the Kimball Arts Center, 1757 N. Kimball Avenue in Chicago’s Humboldt Park community, right off The 606. Collaboraction’s new “House of Belonging,” slated to open in late 2025, will feature a 99-seat flexible studio theater and a 50-seat lounge with a cafe/bar. The 4,000-square foot space will be a community hub presenting live theater, spoken word, music, dance, films, workshops, youth education and special events, produced by Collaboraction and with guest artists and companies.
To manifest its new home, Collaboraction has launched a $1.5 million House of Belonging capital campaign. To donate, visit collaboraction.org/our-new-house-of-belonging.
To learn more about the company, visit collaboraction.org or follow Collaboraction on Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and Bluesky.
Press play to watch the Collaboraction House of Belonging groundbreaking sizzle reel