Chicagoans Shine in Tellin' Tales Theatre Presents: Divercity

Chicago's Tellin’ Tales Theatre goes virtual to present Divercity, running for two weeks – May 7- 23— on Vimeo. The show is directed by Tekki Lomnicki, Artistic Director of Tellin’ Tales Theatre. All of the solo performers are writers, actors and advocates with disabilities from Chicago and suburbs, Indiana and Georgia. Chicagoans include Brian Heyburn, Whitney Hill, Michele Lee, Ben Saylor and Nate Woogen.

The original stories range from hilarious to touching and everything in between. Tickets and information are available at www.tellintales.org. The show can be viewed any time during the two-week run. Ticket holders will be emailed a link to watch the video and a separate link for a Zoom talk back after each performance. Closed captioning and audio description will be available.

“Though Tellin’ Tales has had to pivot due to the pandemic for the second year in a row, the virtual platform actually works well for performers with disabilities due to transportation issues. It also creates an intimacy that facilitates going deep within to share our experiences. This show proves that though we aren’t able to be together in person, we can stay connected through our stories. I am confident that whether or not viewers have a disability, that they will connect to these stories,” says Tekki Lomnicki, Artistic Director of Tellin’ Tales Theatre.

Stories were developed and directed in a six-week Zoom Master Class taught by Lomnicki. The disabilities of the performers include blindness, dwarfism, spinal injury, mental illness, cerebral palsy, Muscular Sclerosis and Spina Bifida.

The mission of Tellin' Tales Theatre is to shatter barriers between the disabled and non-disabled worlds through the transformative power of personal story. We bring together children and adults from both communities to share their stories in theatrically innovative productions and programs to promote awareness, understanding and acceptance.

Divercity is partially supported by grants from the Illinois Arts Council, Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and the Paul M. Angell Family Foundation.