A spokesperson says---
“...new dramas, comedies and dramedies from around the world that inspire theatergoers and local artists to reimagine what a live theater experience can be and do across cultures, languages and genres. Showcasing a variety of genres, including Clown, Mime, Improv, Puppet and Object Theater, Circus, Dance and Street Theater, award-winning and critically acclaimed new dramas, comedies and dramedies, the Physical Theatre Festival also includes workshops and post-show discussions building a connection between audiences and artists..."
13TH PHYSICAL THEATER FESTIVAL CHICAGO CALENDAR OF EVENTS
(Information on companies and individual artists may be found at PhysicalFestival.com. Workshops, post-show discussions and classes will be announced in April.)
Performances at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave.
Monday, June 1 at 7 p.m.
Scratch Night
Scratch Night is a curated theater showcase of works-in-progress featuring innovative local theater makers. Scratch Night features six previews of original contemporary, visual and physical theater by different Chicago artists to foster their development. Produced by local curators, Scratch Night aims to provide a social space for community, conversation and collaboration.
Tuesday, June 2 at 7 p.m.
Being Made in Chicago Night
Being Made in Chicago will spotlight two new works from Chicago-based artists and companies who have previously performed at Scratch Night. Join us as we celebrate the creativity and resilience of our local physical theater community right in sweet home, Chicago!
Wednesday, June 3, Friday, June 5 and Saturday, June 6 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, June 7 at 2 p.m.
Los Regalos/The Gifts by Compañia de Teatro Fisico (Peru)
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 3 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.
Wednesday, June 3 at 9:00 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)
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 at 7 p.m. and Friday, June 5 at 7:30 p.m.
SELL ME: I am from North Korea by Sora Baek (South Korea/USA)
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)
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.
Performances at The Dance Center At Columbia College, 1306 S. Michigan Ave.
Thursday, June 4 and Friday, June 5 at 8 p.m. and Saturday, June 6 at 2 and 6 p.m.
Jetlag by Chaliwaté (Belgium)
Jetlag is, above all, an emotional journey—one that is constantly out of step.
Moving between airports, from crowded transit zones to the confined cabin of an airplane, a man struggles to keep his loneliness at bay. Caught between exhilaration and confusion as he travels from one place to the next, space and time begin to blur, and he dreams of a new beginning. Yet as he moves forward in his quest, he comes to realize that things may not unfold as he had hoped.
