Free Street Theater Archive

Archive Home  |  Performances  |  Stories  | Newsletters | Press |  Videos

Learning to Breathe in a Box

Chicago Reader
ARTS & CULTURE | THEATER CRITIC'S CHOICE March 17, 1994
Learning to Breathe in a Box
By Maura Troester

Gang threats, drug-addicted parents, drive-by shootings: we know
the circumstances of low-income teens in Chicago because the
media cover such things on a daily basis. What we don't know is
what all this does to a kid's soul. TeenStreet's Learning to Breathe in
a Box tells us. The 12 members of the ensemble, Free Street
Theater's youth troupe from all over Chicago, do more than a bit of
soul mining--they conjure up their own spirit through poetry, dance,
and rhythm. The poems they write aren't pretty, their dances aren't
joyful: Learning to Breathe in a Box is about death, fear, and
irrefutable faith. But the group, working with director Ron Bieganski
and percussionist Winston Damon, creates a beautiful collage of raw
emotion. Their ensemble acting is impressive; the effect is
overwhelmingly sad. If it seems too sad to be true, stick around for
the postshow discussion and get the lowdown from the sources.
Pulaski Park, 1419 W. Blackhawk, 772-7248. Through March 26:
Fridays, 7 PM; Saturdays, 3 PM. $8.

Art accompanying story in printed newspaper (not available in this archive) photo/Dan Rest.
​
https://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/learning-to-breathe-in-a-box/Content?oid=884017