Dear Neighbor,
Students from Sullivan High School will tell their stories about how they came to Rogers Park in a special production underwritten by the Roger Park Builders Group at 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 13, at the high school, 6631 N. Bosworth. Doors open at 6:15 p.m.
Register now for tickets, which cost $10 in advance, and $15 at the door. There is no charge for Builders Group members and Chicago Public Schools families and staff. All proceeds benefit Sullivan’s theater program and Friends of Sullivan.
The play is focused on the stories and perspectives of students native to Rogers Park and students who have come to this community from around the world. The wide range of student storytelling will tell the tales of how each performer arrived in Rogers Park, the role they have in the neighborhood, their experiences of moving, and the places they live and the places they go.
The students are working with Lifeline Theatre, which introduced its drama program at Sullivan in early May, making it the first high school in Chicago to participate in and benefit from this program. Drawing from Sullivan’s incredibly diverse student body, members of the theater have guided the young adults in crafting a script that reflects the wide range of experiences each student has had. (See the recent Chicago Magazine story “Welcome to Refugee High.”)
The concept of community is an important theme in the Sullivan play. While focusing on what this means to the individual student, Dorothy Milne, the artistic director at Lifeline Theatre, also has worked to develop the idea of what community and teamwork means within a group.
Sullivan principal Chad Adams has supported developing arts and athletics program at the high school since he came to the school four years ago. Adams hopes to increase school pride through community support and the expansion of extracurricular programs.
The Rogers Park Builders Group has been a key player in the recent success Sullivan High School has had in growing the extracurricular activities. An organization founded to support the positive development and ownership of property in Rogers Park, the group has found many ways to give back to the community, according to founding member Mike Glasser.
Sullivan High School and Rogers Park Builders Group formed a partnership in 2015, collaborating to increase academic performance and enrollment in the high school. Since the partnership began, the organization has built a life skills classroom for the schools “low incidence” program, raised money for new football equipment, and reached out to Lifeline Theatre with the intention of creating a sustainable theater program at the high school.
The June 13 event will include the performance written entirely by the featured Sullivan students, music by the high school band, a celebration of the Sullivan football team’s undefeated season, and a dessert reception prepared by students in Sullivan’s Low Incidence program.
I hope you will join me at 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 13, for this special event. Parking is available in the lot off Greenview.
Sincerely,
Joe Moore