Congo Square Theatre Company (Congo Square), one of the nation’s premier African American theatres, launches its 2021-2022 season with THE CLINIC, introducing the old-school serial radio drama genre to a new, streaming audience. Created, written, acted, and produced by Congo Square ensemble members, THE CLINIC will air in four clever, cliffhanging segments, available for streaming starting today, September 9, for one month only, through October 10, 2021. Tune in by visiting www.congosquaretheatre.org/audio-series; a donation of $10.00 is suggested.
As described by its co-writers (and Congo Square ensemble members) Monifa Days and Javon Johnson, THE CLINIC is “a nod to the old school soap opera-style dramas that follows the journey of Dr. Latisha Bradley who is changing the world with a life-altering discovery that was meant to help all but only helps some. Everyone wants in. Dr. Bradley not only has to deal with changing the future of medicine but betrayal and matters of the heart.”
Directed by Congo Square’s Daniel Bryant, the cast includes fellow ensemble members Aimee K. Bryant, Aaron Todd Douglas, Tracey N. Bonner, Will Sims II, with guest artist Jonathan Perkins.
Also launching this month is the return of the company’s valuable and virtual Congo Square Industry Training Institute (CITI), with ensemble member (and THE CLINIC actress) Tracey N. Bonner leading the four-part "Master the Art of Self-Tape" workshop Monday evenings starting September 12. To learn more about this and other CITI workshops, visit www.congosquaretheatre.org/citi.
The 2021-22 season, a mix of virtual and in-person programming, continues with a second season of the online sketch comedy series Hit ‘Em on the Blackside (launching October 29); a return to live performances with the annual Festival on the Square and Vision Benefit (February 3-5, 2022); and the Chicago premiere of Aleshea Harris’ community healing ritual What to Send Up When It Goes Down (Spring 2022 TBA).
About Congo Square Theatre Company
Congo Square Theatre Company is an ensemble dedicated to producing transformative work rooted in the African Diaspora. We are a haven for artists of color to challenge and redefine the theatrical canon by amplifying and creating stories that reflect the reach and complexities of Black Culture. Congo Square is one of only two African American Actors’ Equity theatre companies in Chicago. Founded in 1999, Congo Square aimed to provide a platform for black artists to perform and present classic and new work that exemplified the majesty, diversity, and intersectionality of stories from the African Diaspora.
Congo Square has risen to become one of the most well-respected African American theatres in the nation. Previously mentored by two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson, Congo Square would go on to cultivate talents such as playwright Chadwick Boseman (Black Panther), who penned the 2006 Jeff nominated play Deep Azure, and playwright Lydia Diamond, who penned the massively successful Stick Fly, a critically acclaimed play that explores race, class, and familial friction. Stick Fly ultimately ran on Broadway and is currently being developed into a full-length series for HBO with Alicia Keys serving as a producer. Congo Square also produced the widely praised Seven Guitars, which would eventually go on to win top honors for best ensemble, best direction, and best production at the 2005 Joseph Jefferson Awards. This would earn the theatre company the distinction of being the first African American theatre company to receive such an honor.
Congo Square’s Educational Programs bring the impact of theater to young audiences. Its outreach programs, CORE (Curriculum Objectives Residency Enrichment), and CAST (Congo After School Theatre), present and teach theater arts by providing classroom and after-school residencies that provide Teaching Artists to build upon already established Chicago Public Schools literature and art curriculums. CORE and CAST impact students and schools located on the South and West sides of the city.
For more information on Congo Square’s 2021-22 Season, visit www.congosquaretheatre.org.