CHICAGO – The late playwright August Wilson left a gift to the world in the form of his “American Century Cycle,” a series of plays each individually set in a decade of the 20th Century, focusing on the black experience. Chicago’s Goodman Theatre presents Wilson’s “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone,” now through May 19th, 2024 (click here).
Podtalk: Director Emily Esperanza Invites Us to ‘Make Out Party’
CHICAGO – I’m not going to tell you anything about ‘Make Out Party,’ a new film directed by Emily Esperanza, that is making its World Premiere this weekend – March 30th and 31st, 2018 – in the Windy City (info below). You’ve got to go yourself, and experience the wild ride of true collaboration and vivid creativity, produced right here in Chicago.
A World Premiere in Chicago
Photo credit: Full Spectrum Features
Emily Esperanza is a director, artist, and curator currently living in Los Angeles. Her recent video works, grouped under the title “Wretched Woman,” investigates stillness, duration, atmosphere, and archetype, which specifically relates to representations of femininity. In 2016, Esperanza toured “Wretched Woman” across the country, and had showings in Brooklyn, Seattle, Chicago, and Oakland. Emily is the founder and curator of Wretched Nobles, an immersive monthly film/video series and shorts program. Her artist’s statement about the film is…
“It is my hope is that ‘Make Out Party’ will speak to all kinds of people. We need more cinema that puts characters we’re not used to seeing in front of the front of the camera lens. We need to re-work archetypes and challenge the status quo. Cinema is a powerful agent of change I believe can be used to radically upset the structures that be.”
In the following Podtalk, Emily Esperanza talks about the roots and realization of her 24 minute dream, or as she puts it, “inviting all to participate, free from judgment or danger.”
By PATRICK McDONALD |