Displaying items by tag: Abbot Hall

Physical Theater Festival Chicago, the city’s annual celebration of contemporary, movement-based performance, announces a bold lineup spotlighting local creativity. Each year, Physical Theater Festival reimagines what a live theater experience can be and do across cultures, languages and genres while showcasing a variety of performing arts, including clown, mime, improv, puppet/object theater, circus and dance. At this festival, the physical theater runs the gamut from innovative street theater, to award-winning and critically acclaimed new dramas, comedies and dramedies.

The festival proudly features homegrown talent, including headliner company Full Out Formula, who recently returned from Adelaide Fringe in Australia with their award-winning show, I Think It Could Work, June 3 - 7; six new short-form acts on Scratch Night, Monday, June 1 and two medium-length works with Made in Chicago on June 2. Physical Theater Festival also adds a robust slate of community workshops, June 4 - 7, each honoring the city’s vibrant performance scene. 

International artists and companies scheduled to perform during the seven-day special event include: the Chicago return of Argentinian’s physical chameleon Luciano Rosso; the United States premiere of Peruvian mask theater ensemble Compañia de Teatro Físico; Korean-American powerhouse Sora Baek and Portland’s all-ages clown duo A Little Bit OFF. Please note: Previously announced performances of Jetlag by Chaliwaté (Belgium) have been cancelled. 

General admission tickets for individual shows at The Dance Center at Columbia Chicago are $40 and tickets at Theater Wit are $36, industry/students/seniors/veterans tickets are $26 at The Dance Center and $23 at Theater Wit. There are two offerings for festival passes: Option one: $189 (general admission) for the "The Whole Shebang”

Festival Pass or $119 (for industry/students/seniors/veterans). Option two: "Just “The Headliners" Festival Pass is $159 (general admission) or $89 (for industry/students/seniors/veterans). Workshop participants may purchase a full workshop pass for $210 for all four sessions. Tickets and passes may be purchased at PhysicalFestival.com.

13TH PHYSICAL THEATER FESTIVAL CHICAGO CALENDAR OF EVENTS

(Information on companies and individual artists may be found at PhysicalFestival.com.)

Monday, June 1 at 7 p.m. 

Scratch Night

Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave.

Scratch Night, a festival favorite, kicks off the local programming by giving emerging Chicago artists a platform to share new short works in progress. Known for its energetic environment, Scratch Night has become a springboard for experimentation and collaboration among the city’s most daring physical theater and dance makers. Among the lineup is a diverse group of performers from multiple disciplines ranging from dance and acro to clown: The Piel Canela Company, THE FLOCK, Sarah Beck, Dawn Heilung, Haven Rawley, Ryan Eykholt and Richie Whitehead, Luke Vertiglio and Emil Holt and Ella Kramer.

Tuesday, June 2 at 7 p.m.

Made in Chicago Night

Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave.

Out of Scratch Night grows the Made in Chicago series—an opportunity for two local artists or companies to expand on work that originated at Scratch Night in up to 40-minute performances. This year’s program includes INSÉKTA with MATADORA and LegLand with The New F-Word.

MATADORA is a devised choreographic work exploring the question: “What does rage look like in the body?” Tracing the transformation of suppressed Latiné rage into a force of dignity and self-possession, the piece blends movement, ritual and theatricality. INSÉKTA, a Venezuelan–Peruvian director, choreographer and performer based in Chicago, creates work at the crossroads of dance, absurdism and Latiné Futurism. MATADORA is supported by a residency with Pivot Arts at the Wirtz Center.

In The New F-Word, award-winning Chicago ensemble LegLand dives into the atmospheric world of fog, its mystery, mood and absurdity. Building on their acclaimed Scratch Night 2025 performance, LegLand fuses comedic discomfort and moody theatricality to ask: “What’s really so cool about sitting in a smoky room anyway?” This new iteration brings audiences a theatrical playground bursting with surreal wit and visual flair.

Wednesday, June 3 and Friday, June 5 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, June 7 at 2 p.m.

I Think It Could Work by Full Out Formula (Chicago)

Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave.

From the mischievous minds of Full Out Formula comes their seminal creation, I Think It Could Work, a daring and playful leap into the unexpected. With bright colors, dazzling acrobatics and unflinching trust, this Chicago-based contemporary circus collective invites audiences into a speculative world where your choices decide their destiny. It's a circus like you’ve never seen before: live, improvised and unforgettable.

Full Out Formula is a circus collective that makes people believe in the possibilities of their own world. It's a sneaky but feral rebellion based in Chicago, founded in 2023 by company members Sierra Rhoades Nicholls, Kevin Flanagan and Liam Bradley.

Wednesday, June 3 at 9 p.m., Saturday, June 6 at 5 p.m. and Sunday, June 7 

at 11 a.m.

Beau and Aero by A Little Bit OFF (Seattle, USA)

Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave.

Multi-award-winning Beau and Aero ask the question, “What if the Wright brothers went wrong?” Beau and Aero is an acrobatic, slapstick, latex-heavy comedy featuring two incompetent aviators on their quest for flight. Pompous pilot Beau and his clueless co-pilot Aero have crash-landed. The unlikely aeronautic duo tries everything to get back into the air - from propellers and parachutes, to balloons of all sizes, but to no avail. Distracted by their own imaginations, and the notably unhelpful contents of their emergency supply crate, the two tumble through hijinks and comedic conundrums, before emerging out the other side. The show blends clown with elements of acrobatics, mime and puppetry, with wordless humor that will tickle audiences of all ages and languages. A strong vintage aesthetic paired with the duo’s ridiculous antics onstage is a nostalgic nod to timeless classics of old American Vaudeville. It’s like Charlie Chaplin meets Amelia Earhart. 

Thursday, June 4 and Friday, June 5 at 8 p.m. and Saturday, June 6 at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m.

Los Regalos/The Gifts by Compañia de Teatro Fisico (Peru)

The Dance Center at Columbia College Chicago, 1306 S. Michigan Ave.

The international section of the festival opens with this beloved multi-award-winning show from Peru. A father and his two sons live alone in a house without women.The most routine of tasks such as preparing breakfast, bathing or housework turns into real adventures when tackled by three inexperienced men and their fear of now knowing what they are doing. The journey that the elder brother needs to make in order to leave home, and the fear of saying goodbye to the ones we love, will be the starting point of our story.

The June 4 performance of Los Regalos/The Gifts will be followed by a meet and greet and talk back with the artists and a Peruvian reception sponsored by Tanta Chicago and the Consulate General of Peru in Chicago.

Thursday, June 4 and Saturday, June 6 at 7 p.m.

SELL ME: I am from North Korea by Sora Baek (South Korea/USA)

Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave.

A sold-out hit at the 2024 Edinburgh Festival Fringe and performed in the United States. Capitol Center, this powerful, fast-paced solo piece is inspired by the true stories of courageous North Korean women defectors. On her fifteenth birthday, Jisun, a North Korean girl, decides to sell herself to an old man to buy medicine for her dying mother. After risking her life crossing into China, she learns her body is considered worthless. Will she survive in a merciless foreign land where her very existence is illegal?

Thursday, June 4 - Saturday, June 6 at 9 p.m. 

Apocalipsync by Luciano Rosso (Argentina/France)

Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave.

The Argentine actor from Un Poyo Rojo (Physical Theater Festival 2025), takes audiences on an extravagant journey with his one-man show Apocalipsync. Born during the spring 2020 pandemic, this show offers a reflection on isolation, creativity and a cartoon-like view of our contemporary world. Luciano Rosso brilliantly embodies around forty eccentric and witty characters who accompany him on an endless journey within the solitude of his apartment. On stage, he uses his elastic body to showcase his many talents: dance, clowning, contortion and especially lip sync. It is an exhilarating and hilarious performance about the many inventive ways we find to escape boredom.

​Workshops at the Wirtz Center Chicago 

Abbot Hall, 710 N. Lake Shore Dr., Evanston 

WORK IT! 

Beyond performances, the Festival continues its commitment to artist development through workshops led by visiting artists. A dynamic series of four hands-on workshops will take place June 4 – 7 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., bringing international artists for an immersive exploration of physical theatre, movement, clowning, and storytelling. Designed for multi-level practitioners and curious newcomers alike, the series invites participants to expand their creative range. Join us for this rare opportunity to train across disciplines in a focused, collaborative environment.

 Workshops Sneak Peek:

o Partner Acrobatics - Weight Sharing, Counterbalances & Lifts!

o From Neutral Mask to Melodrama

o Clown, Stage Presence and Acknowledging your Audience

o Write Your Own Solo Show 

Ticket information, full schedule and artist details are available at PhysicalFestival.com.

ABOUT ALICE DA CUNHA, CO-FOUNDER and ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Alice de Cunha is a Chicago-based Brazilian and Portuguese actress, director and producer. She co-directed with Sandra Marquez the multi-award-winning Teatro Vista show The Dream King. Acting credits include Steppenwolf Theatre, Remy Bumppo, Theater 503, as well as House Theater for which she received a Jeff Award for Best Ensemble for United Flight 232.

She is the artistic director and co-founder of Chicago’s Physical Theater Festival, an annual festival committed to present in our city international acts that represent the future of what theater can be and do. She has extensive experience in the international theater festival sector and has worked, among other festivals at CASA (UK), Shortcutz London, TODOS (Portugal) and the Chicago Latino Film Festival. De Cunha is an artistic consultant to Theater Unspeakable and an adjunct professor at Loyola University.

ABOUT MARC FROST, CO-FOUNDER and EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Marc Frost is an actor, deviser, educator and Chicago native who has performed and produced work in Brazil, Ireland, Spain, the United States and the United Kingdom. He created Theater Unspeakable as a platform for original works of devised, physical theater. Based in Chicago, the award-winning company has toured nationally, performing at venues including Lincoln Center Education (NY) and Kennedy Center (DC). He currently teaches at Roosevelt University. Frost is also a proud graduate of the Commercial Theatre Institute’s 14-Week Training Program for Commercial Theatre Producers in New York City.​​

ABOUT PHYSICAL THEATER FESTIVAL CHICAGO

Physical Theater Festival Chicago brings to Chicago audience-beloved, virtuosic live performances from around the world that inspire theatergoers and local artists. Launched in 2014 by Alice da Cunha and Marc Frost, the Festival was founded to introduce a more progressive, physical approach to theater-making in Chicago.

Now in its 13th year, the Festival showcases award-winning, ensemble-created works spanning traditions, while also highlighting outstanding contemporary works from international artists and Chicago companies.

The 2026 Festival partners include Chicago Latino Theater Alliance, International Latino Cultural Center Of Chicago, The Dance Center At Columbia College, Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center, Theater Unspeakable, Consulate General Of Argentina and Consulate General Of Peru.