CHICAGO -Chicago Slam Works proudly presents its premiere and innovative season of three original performances showcasing Chicago's vibrant slam scene. The slam poetry movement began in Chicago over 25 years ago and has spread, inspiring poets and writers the world over. This innovative season brings the art form back home with three world premieres: "Two Sides" on Tuesday, April 3, "Dead or Alive" on Friday, May 25 and "In Any Tongue" on Saturday, July 21. All performances are at 8 p.m. at the Vittum Theater, 1012 N. Noble. Prior to the first performance, patrons may purchase a "Slam Pass", which includes all three performances as well as tickets to the world-famous weekly "Uptown Poetry Slam" and the high-energy monthly "Encyclopedia Show".
"For decades, Chicago's slam community has been reshaping how poetry is viewed, presented and received," said slam poetry founder and CSW Board President Marc Smith. "And now, through this subscription series, it is our goal for performance poetry to establish a toehold in the 'legit' theater domain, setting the pace for others to follow until high level professional performance poetry productions are commonplace throughout the country."
CSW's premiere season begins Tuesday, April 3, when poets and storytellers face off in "Two Sides". The evening will pair Chicago's best storytellers with the city's finest poets to tell their true, poignant and sometimes hilarious stories. Featured poets include Dan "Sully" Sullivan, Jamila Woods, Kristiana Rae Colon, Reggie Eldridge, Shelley Geiszler Randall and Molly Meacham. Storytellers include Samantha Irby, Shannon Cason, Scott Whitehair, Bill Hillmann, Cara Brigandi and Janna Sobel. "Two Sides" is directed by CSW Artistic DirectorJ. W. Basilo.
The season continues on Friday, May 25 with "Dead or Alive Battle Royale for Slam Poetry Supremacy for All Eternity". Great poets of history including Walt Whitman among have challenged Chicago's finest performance poets to a winner-take-all slam poetry match live on stage. Audience members participate by voting on the ultimate winner of living verses passed poets.
The season concludes on Saturday, July 21 with "In Any Tongue" featuring Germany's best slammers, including 2011 German National Slam Team Champion Andrea Herrmann, collaborating with Chicago's Speak Easy Ensemble. Performers will translate, interpret and choreograph each other's work, building a tableau of verse presented simultaneously in English and in German.
In addition to the three-performance season, "Slam Pass" holders can also attend a performance of the "Uptown Poetry Slam" and the "Encyclopedia Show". For over 25 years, Marc Smith has hosted the "Uptown Poetry Slam", where the international slam poetry movement began. This exciting and boisterous evening celebrates poetry and poets - both up-and-coming and established. The "Uptown Poetry Slam" runs every Sundays at 7 p.m. at the Green Mill Jazz Club, 4802 N. Broadway.
The "Encyclopedia Show" is a live variety extravaganza hosted by performance artists Robbie Q. Telfer and Shanny Jean Maney. The show brings artists and experts from many disciplines to use their individual talents to present a different verbal encyclopedia entry each month. The show cultivates accidental knowledge and irreverent loving kindness. The show strives to chafe against logic and proof, find meaning in obfuscation, and wrest truth from fact once and for all. The Encyclopedia Show is performed the first Wednesday of the month at 7:30 p.m. at the Vittum Theater, 1012 N. Noble.
Chicago Slam Works' premiere season begins with "Two Sides" on Tuesday, April 3, followed by "Dead or Alive" on Friday, May 25 and concluding with "In Any Tongue" on Saturday, July 21. All performances are at 8 p.m. at the Vittum Theater, 1012 N. Noble. Prior to the first performance, patrons may purchase a discount "Slam Pass", which includes all three performances as well as tickets to the world-famous weekly "Uptown Poetry Slam" and the high-energy monthly "Encyclopedia Show". The "Slam Pass" is $40. Tickets to individual performances are $18.50 or $12 for students. Tickets are available by visitingwww.chicagoslamworks.com or calling 866-811-4111.
