Acting Out Awareness presents SparkArt, a workshop series for artists interested in creating social justice theatre. Each event in the series partners with a Chicago-based non-profit and showcases the work they are doing. The evening will feature a presentation and curriculum designed to get artists involved in creating pieces around the organization's mission. The event is free and open to the public but pre-registration on AOA’s website is required.

SparkArt was started by AOA as a way of bridging the gap between artists and social activist organizations. As stated by Andrea Sutherland, Head of the Acting Out Awareness Artistic Partnership Program: “ after hearing far too many people say they were ‘interested’ in a certain issue but didn’t know how to help, we set out to try something new. SparkArt is a safe space designed to connect artists with orgs, giving  them a chance to use theatre as a means of exploring social justice issues.”

Since the 1980s, Amnesty International estimates as many as 100,000 cases of enforced disappearances in Sri Lanka. The families of the disappeared continue to seek answers regarding their missing loved ones. No one has been held accountable for these crimes. To commemorate the disappeared and their loved ones, Amnesty International and Acting Out Awareness present a night of storytelling, food, and music in a quest for answers to these important cases.

Join us for a drink! We'll be showcasing four of the awesome short plays that Chicago area playwrights created specifically for AOA camps in Panama to teach youth about water sanitation, disease prevention, and leadership skills. We have an amazing group of local actors that are joining us on one of their very few off nights to help us bring these plays to life for our local audience. Join us for a drink, see our work up close, and get to know others who are riled up about the same causes we are! There will even be a thrilling game of Jeopardy with awesome prizes!