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 Curious Theatre Branch Programs In addition to producing an average of five original company plays each year, Curious Theatre Branch is committed to discovering new ways to work with others and foster the talents in other artists. Through our programs, we strive to be an accessible resource to Chicago-area artists who are creating new work. Now in it's 15th year of operation, Curious Theatre Branch has the resources, so we want to instill a spirit of generosity and community, as opposed to competition, in other, smaller, younger companies and artists. |
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The Rhinoceros Theater Festival The annual Rhinoceros Theater Festival of original theater, our most public program, regularly hosts the most critically acclaimed small theater companies and performing artists working in Chicago. What we hope to accomplish with the Rhino Fest is three-fold. We want to provide contemporary writers/artists/performers who have new work they want to show with an opportunity to make it happen and have it be seen by critics. We also want to make artists aware of each other and each other's work in order to develop and maintain the community of people who are making original theater in Chicago. In addition, we want to build a more extensive and experienced audience for new work in Chicago. A festival provides an excellent entree for a public, which tends to be intimidated by original theater, to come out and see it. View Rhinoceros Theater Festival Reviews |
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Scaffold Project The annual Scaffold Project is a quasi-apprenticeship program which features the work of first-time playwrights. Curious Theatre Branch solicits and selects scripts from new writers and chooses the best candidates based on the readiness of the script and the potential benefit to the writer. Then, company members advise, shepherd, and provide a figurative "scaffold" for the new writers throughout the artistic and administrative process of putting on their plays, helping them with everything from casting to directing to set building to sending out press releases and postcards. The 2nd Annual Scaffold Project took place in January/February of 2002. Three new playwrights were invited to participate and each completed a full six-week run of their show. Curious School Project Curious Theatre Branch also provides support for Chicago's artistic community through the Curious School Project. The Curious School offers classes in performance, writing process, essence and body work, as well as peer review sessions. Classes are formulated as workshop-based tutorials in which the Curious approach is presented/taught and new work and new artists are cultivated. Specific classes have yielded new plays that went on to be performed in the Rhinoceros Festival and other venues. The Curious School serves a wide range of aspirants - Midwestern college students, working artists who are looking for a community of support, and even the occasional trial lawyer who is looking to hone his/her performance skills. The workshops are organized around a sliding scale fee and are held at the Lunar Cabaret. Contact jenny@curioustheatrebranch.com for information. Lunar Salons Lunar Salons are informal evenings which feature new works in progress. The Salons provide an opportunity for writers to hear feedback about their work. The Lunar Salons are a refreshingly low-stakes way to try something new in front of a supportive, but not uncritical audience. Anyone can participate, and the pass-the-hat mentality keeps the coffee flowing. The Lunar Salons take place approximately every two months, or whenever the spirit moves us. |
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Website produced by OnTrack |
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Rhinoceros Image credited to Vernon Tonges |
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© 2005 Curious Theatre Branch |
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