The Actors Gymnasium Named Inaugural Recipient of $25,000 “Signal Grant” from Celebrity Chef Rick Bayless’ Foundation
EVANSTON, IL, Dec. 17, 2019 — The Bayless Family Foundation has named The Actors Gymnasium as one of two recipients of the inaugural “Signal Grant,” a new grant intended to highlight theaters that are particularly deserving of the Chicago philanthropic community’s support.
According to the foundation, "The grant will be given occasionally to draw focus to a company the foundation believes in and to inspire other donors to give.”
The Actors Gym plans to use the $25,000 award to make critical improvements to its equipment and facilities, which are used by over 1,000 students annually. “We are tremendously grateful for the Bayless Family’s support, which will have an immediate, tangible impact on the quality of our classes and our audience experience,” said Executive Director Murphy Monroe.
In addition to the Actors Gym, the African Diaspora-inspired Congo Square Theatre, located on the Near North Side, was also named as one of the recipients.
Formed in 2017 by Bayless and his wife Deann, the Bayless Family Foundation supports established Chicago theater organizations with a vision for institutional and artistic growth. Since its inception, it has supported five local theaters with multi-year Stepping Stone grants and has awarded more than $500,000 dollars in support of over 25 Chicago-area theatre companies.
About Actors Gym
The Actors Gymnasium is one of the nation’s premiere circus and performing arts training centers, led by master teacher and Circus Ring of Fame artist Sylvia Hernandez-DiStasi. Founded in 1995, it provides educational programs for students of all ages and levels, produces original and daring circus-theatre, and offers award-winning entertainment for corporate and other special events.
Actors Gym is proud to partner with many performing arts organizations throughout Chicagoland and serves as the exclusive provider of circus performing arts training for Lookingglass Theatre.
The Actors Gymnasium Adds Clown Concentration to its Professional Circus Training Program
CHICAGO, IL, Dec. 16, 2019 — The Actors Gymnasium is expanding its nine month Professional Circus Training Program to include a new concentration in clown, giving actors the opportunity to deepen their skill set through intensive training in physical theatre.
The curriculum will be partner-based and draw from techniques across a wide range of disciplines including physical comedy, devising, object manipulation, ensemble theatre making, circus arts, Meisner technique, and Thai massage. It will feature regular performance labs to help physical performers increase their confidence onstage.
Sylvia Hernandez-DiStasi, Artistic Director says “Clowning pushes you out of your comfort zone as a performer and shows you how to make bigger and bolder choices. Having spent a lifetime in the circus, it's become clear to me that many of the most versatile and successful performers have a background in clown. It’s time for Actors Gym to stretch further in this direction and add even more skills to our students' tool kit."
Ms. Hernandez-DiStasi is developing the curriculum in collaboration with Adrian Danzig, who previously served as the Producing Artistic Director of 500 Clown, a renowned, Chicago-based clown theater ensemble that toured nationally.
Mr. Danzig explains how clowning pushes theatre’s emotional range and relevancy: “The clown uses humor to embrace the full spectrum of human experience. The clown we play towards is not naive. It is a 24 hour news cycle clown that carries the weight of the world on its shoulders and has been smashed by it. The clown is resilient. Even when it doesn’t win, it always survives the experience, and the audience sees that it's possible to go through the fire, to transform, and to thrive.”
Since the program began in 2015, graduates have gone on to perform across the country, from Chicago’s top stages (including Lookingglass, Writers Theatre, and The Goodman) to Broadway tours and more.
The application process for next year’s program is now open, with students being accepted on a rolling basis. Prospective students can learn more and apply at www.CircusTheatre.org.
About Actors Gym
The Actors Gymnasium is one of the nation’s premiere circus and performing arts training centers. Founded in 1995, it provides educational programs for students of all ages and levels, produces original and daring circus-theatre, and offers award-winning entertainment for corporate and other special events.
Actors Gym is proud to partner with many performing arts organizations throughout Chicagoland and serves as the exclusive provider of circus performing arts training for Lookingglass Theatre.
The Actors Gymnasium presents “Case Study,” its 2019 Professional Training Program Showcase.
CHICAGO • EVANSTON, IL – For nine months, guided by Co-Founder and Artistic Director Sylvia Hernandez-DiStasi, students have trained intensively with some of America’s top circus instructors. From "Chicago's Queen of Mischief and Mayhem" Molly Brennan, to Cirque du Soleil's Michael Jackson ONE’s Amanda Crockett and the multi-award-winning dance theater, Lucky Plush Productions.
"Case Study" explores the ways in which athleticism, grace, spectacle, and storytelling combine to form the vibrant world of circus theatre.
The culmination of our nine month professional training program, it recognizes the incredible dedication that went into an intensive year of training, and celebrates the beginning of the next phase of these performers’ careers.
What makes this program unique? Artistic Director Sylvia Hernandez-DiStasi says, “It gives our students the tools they need to form their own artistic vocabulary. Developing that vocabulary in a collaborative environment helps artists deepen their skills in profound ways they may never have even dreamed of.”
Performance dates are Saturday, June 1 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday June 2 at 3:00 p.m. with a reception to follow. Recommended for ages 13 and up. Tickets are $15 for general admission and can be purchased at actorsgymnasium.org. For group reservations and general questions, please call 847-328-2795. The on-location box office opens 1.5 hours prior to the start of each performance.
Graduating students include Stefan Brundage, David Chervony, Molly Hernandez, Kai Hirota, Amma May, Jordan Reinwald, Arielle Giselle Rogers [Clitora Leigh ((¡)) ] , Michele Stine, Sasha Vulovic, Erin Williams.
Core program instructors include Sylvia Hernandez-DiStasi, Molly Brennan, Amanda Crockett, Flora Bare, Michel Cintra, Jean Claudio, David Corlew, Megan Mallouk, Raheim White, and Oyuna Yadamjav.
About the Professional Training Program:
A nine month intensive training, consisting of 27 hours per week of circus arts, physical theatre, and dance led by award winning master teachers Sylvia Hernandez-DiStasi, Molly Brennan, and Amanda Crockett. The program is intended for performing artists looking to take their circus training and performance to the next level.
About the Actors Gymnasium:
Since 1995, The Actors Gymnasium has dedicated itself to expanding human and theatrical potential through the vital forms of circus arts by providing artistic and educational programs that push the limits of physical, emotional, and creative expression. To that end, Actors Gym has supported the education and development of multi-skilled performers, specializing in circus skills. Actors Gym offers some of the most unique classes in Chicago and has a comprehensive series of courses designed for students of all ages and skill levels. Along with classes, Actors Gym produces original, daring circus-theatre productions, including nine productions a year at Noyes Cultural Arts Center. The Gym also provides award-winning entertainment for private, public and corporate events, and on-site parties are a favorite in the community.
Listing Information
Case Study
Under the direction of Molly Brennan, Amanda Crockett, and Sylvia Hernandez-DiStasi
Opening and press night is Saturday, June 1 at 7:30 p.m. with an additional performance on Sunday, June 2 at 3:00 p.m.
General admission tickets are $15 and can be purchased online at www.actorsgymnasium.org, on site, or by calling 847.328.2795.
All performances are at Noyes Cultural Arts Center at 927 Noyes St., Evanston, IL.
Please note – there is no apostrophe in the company name, The Actors Gymnasium.
The Actors Gymnasium Announces its 10th Annual Winter Circus, All the Time in the World
CHICAGO • EVANSTON – The Actors Gymnasium is proud to announce All the Time in the World, an original circus-theatre production written and directed by Kerry Catlin, with original music by Kevin O’Donnell and circus choreography by Sylvia Hernandez-DiStasi. All the Time in the World runs Saturday, February 16 through Sunday, March 24 at the Noyes Cultural Arts Center, 927 Noyes St. in Evanston.
All the Time in the World is part of the Gym’s annual Winter Circus tradition, which has been loved by thousands of people for the past decade. The Winter Circus at Actors Gymnasium is one of Chicago’s most popular circus shows and features some of the city’s top performers and designers. What’s makes it so special? Artistic Director Sylvia Hernandez-DiStasi says, "Every winter for the past ten years I have looked forward to our Winter Circus. This collaboration with some of Chicago's top performers and designers, combined with the talent of our celebrated Teen Ensemble creates a little homegrown magic. It gives our community a moment to come together and celebrate our humanity in a way that only circus and live storytelling can do."
Opening and press night is Saturday, Feb. 16 at 7:30 PM, followed by an opening night reception. Performance times are Fridays at 7:30 PM, Saturdays at 4:30 PM and 7:30 PM, and Sundays at 3 PM. Running time is approximately 90 minutes with no intermission. Tickets start at $25 and are available online at www.actorsgymnasium.org, or 1.5 hours prior to the performance at the box office. For group reservations and general questions call 847.328.2795. If online sales are sold out, a limited number of tickets will be available at the door the night of the performance.
All the Time in the World is a circus about time. Trudy is a young girl who lives a hectic life with her very busy family, and who also has an imaginary friend. When Trudy’s imaginary friend is suddenly too busy to play with her and leaves to join the circus, she and her parents enter the circus paracosm to find more time and reunite Trudy and her imaginary friend. Featuring original live music, dance, and daring circus acts, All the Time in the World explores what it means to be busy in this day and age, the laws of physics and time, and the pressing need for imagination in our lives.
The cast includes David Corlew, Kathleen Hoil, Megan Mallouk, Lindsey Noel Whiting, and members of Actors Gym’s Teen Ensemble.
The creative team includes Kerry Catlin, writer and director; Kevin O’Donnell, composer and sound designer; Sylvia Hernandez-DiStasi, circus choreographer. Other team members include Sully Ratke, costume designer; Isaac Schoepp, rigging designer; Tracy Walsh, dance choreographer; Kristof Janezic, lighting designer; Catherine Allen, production manager; Jamie Crothers, stage manager; Damian Portz, assistant stage manager; and Griffin DiStasi and Emma Isaacs, production assistants.
About writer and director Kerry Catlin:
Kerry Catlin wrote and directed the first production of All the Time in the World at Actors Gym many years ago. Last spring, she adapted and directed The Odyssey with the Spring Youth Circus. She has worked with Lookingglass Theatre Company as co-director of the
Outreach and Education department, Master Teacher, and Director of Lookingglass Young Ensemble. She teaches English, Research, and Drama in the Chicago Public Schools. Currently, she is teaching at Walter Payton College Prep where she teaches AP Language and Composition, AP Capstone, and serves as director and producer with Payton Players. Kerry is proud to serve on the Board of Directors for The Actors Gymnasium.
About the Actors Gymnasium:
Since 1995, The Actors Gymnasium has dedicated itself to expanding human and theatrical potential through the vital forms of circus arts by providing artistic and educational programs that push the limits of physical, emotional, and creative expression. To that end, Actors Gym has supported the education and development of multi-skilled performers, specializing in circus skills. Actors Gym offers some of the most unique classes in Chicago and has a comprehensive series of courses designed for students of all ages and skill levels. Along with classes, Actors Gym produces original, daring circus-theatre productions, including nine productions a year at Noyes Cultural Arts Center. The Gym also provides award-winning entertainment for private, public and corporate events, and on-site parties are a favorite in the community.
Listing Information
All the Time in the World
Written and Directed by Kerry Catlin
Circus Choreography by Sylvia Hernandez-DiStasi
Composer and Original Music by Kevin O’Donnell
Opening and press night: Saturday, February 16 at 7:30PM
Performances are Fridays at 7:30PM, Saturdays at 4:30PM and 7:30PM, and Sundays at 3:00PM
Tickets start at $25 and can be purchased online at www.actorsgymnasium.org, on site, or by calling 847.328.2795.
All performances are at Noyes Cultural Arts Center at 927 Noyes St., Evanston, IL.
Please note – there is no apostrophe in the company name, The Actors Gymnasium.
Founder of Actors Gymnasium, Sylvia Hernandez DiStasi, to be inducted into Circus Ring of Fame
Evanston, IL — On January 13, 2019, Sylvia Hernandez DiStasi, the founder of Evanston's cutting edge Actors Gymnasium training facility, will be inducted into The Circus Ring of Fame along with other members of her acrobatic family who performed internationally together as the celebrated Hernandez Troupe.
The annual Ring of Fame ceremony, taking place in Sarasota, Florida, recognizes those who have made a significant contribution to the art and culture of the circus. This year, DiStasi is looking forward to gathering with her mother and brothers to receive the award. They will be honored for their much-loved acrobatic work, especially the teeterboard performances in which they catapulted each other high into the air, flipping, and flying, and landing on one another's shoulders. The Hernandez Troupe was active through the 1970s and ’80s, including a three-year stint with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey from 1989-91.
Hernandez believes that what set her family troupe apart was the open, friendly, playful quality of their performance as well as their technical prowess. "Our act brought the audience in," she says. "We had so much fun and we made eye contact with the audience. We practiced intensively, so our risk was effortless, but we would sometimes miss tricks on purpose to build suspense, and then ask the audience's forgiveness. We would high-five each other after a really good trick. Other troupes were more serious."
Hernandez left the circus in 1990 and co-founded the Actors Gymnasium in 1995. At the January 13 ceremony, Hernandez is looking forward to seeing people she hasn't been in touch with for years, representatives of generations of "traditional circus families"—actual genetic families. "These days it's different, circus companies will hire the best acrobats from around the world and put them together in a group."
Does she think that the closeness of blood ties makes for a more trusting bond? After all, members of these ensembles doing risky athletic feats must rely on each other for their safety. "No," she says, confidently. "The beautiful thing about working in a physical way is that it generates an emotional connection, too. If you aren't already a family, you become one."
Through her work at the Actors Gymnasium, Hernandez fosters those bonds of connection among her students. "I recently participated in a 14-year reunion of former members of my teen ensemble," she says. "It is a beautiful thing to see the instantaneous recognition of that bond years later. Circus training makes us more human."