When Monday morning rolled around, PlayMaker’s Laboratory's actors began rehearsing for their benefit fundraiser.
“My name is Don and I am an evil scientist, haha,” said actor Taylor Gallaway, who was performing a story called, “Don and the Three Mimes," written by a student at Dixon Elementary School.
PlayMakers Laboratory actors created this scene from her story.
“I worked with her and she was hysterical,” says Brandon Cloyd, PlayMakers Laboratory executive artistic director. “And so we knew we had to put in some music and some groove in there and she loved it.”
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly Chicago Catch-Up newsletter here.
For 25 years, PlayMakers Laboratory, which used to be called Barrel of Monkeys, has been doing six week residencies at dozens of Chicago Public Schools, workshopping with third, fourth and fifth graders to help them create stories. Playmakers’ professional actors then take those stories and turn them into school performances.
“I think that we really try to empower them to tell their stories,” says Noah Appel, an actor who has worked with PlayMakers Lab for five years. "...and to show that all of their ideas are good ideas and to have the confidence to produce their own art and their own writing .”
Performer Marianna Gallegos joined PlayMakers Lab earlier this year.
Local
"All ideas are good ideas," she said. "And, we can all write and I think that’s really special to know that we all have stories,and we are all relevant.”
PML celebrates its 25th anniversary with two fundraising shows at The Neo-Futurists Theater Monday night. Proceeds benefit their arts education initiatives.
