The 2021 Diaspora Monologues, I Went Looking for Joy, may seem blasphemous in these times. Yet, to look for, find, and hold on to joy is perhaps the most radical act of strength, resilience, and healing. We are asking you to ponder on JOY. Submit a video of your creative response to the theme: looking for joy in a time of…
Fehinty African Theatre Ensemble’s annual Diaspora Monologue showcase is back and virtual! Honoring Juneteenth, this FREE event is a platform to showcase Chicago’s creative community reclaiming joy.
SUBMISSION RULES
All submissions must be 10 minutes or under. Submit short stories, scripts, music videos, poetry, spoken word, monologues, speeches, dance, performance art, scenes, skits, short narrative films, art films, trailers, or any other performance in a video under 10 minutes total.
Submissions do not have to be intricately produced, but we must be able to see and hear you clearly.
Send all submissions to info@fehintytheatre.org via WeTransfer.com.
Include the featured artists’ names and social media handles in the description with each submission.
Submissions are due June 5th. Selections will be announced June 2021.
February 21 – March 8, 2020
The 2020 Diaspora Monologues, VA-NA-KU-LA, will explore Pidgin, Creole, Patois, African American vernacular and other language innovations of the African diaspora. The series will feature works that speak to and through the linguistic flora that mark identity, community, resistance, solidarity, and creative agency across the diaspora.
All events and performances take place at the Green Line Performing Arts Center, 329 E Garfield Blvd, Chicago, IL
Dem Beats
Fridays at 8pm | Feb 21, Feb 28, Mar 6 | Tickets $20/$25 at door
Chicago DJs host Friday night dances that journey through the music of the diaspora– reggae, dancehall, afro-beat, afro-pop, hip hop and more.
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Fatty Bum Bum
Saturdays at 8pm | Feb 22, Feb 29, Mar 7 | Tickets $20/$25 at door
A new play by Nikkita Duke written in Nigerian pidgin, Fatty Bum Bum is a social commentary on marginalization and self-preservation as Emediong, a young woman ridiculed because of her weight, is forced to stand up for herself when her usual bus conductor insists on charging her more than other riders. Directed by Matthew Dada.
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Word Dey!
Sundays at 3pm | Feb 23, Mar 1, Mar 8 | Tickets $20/$25 at door
Original stories, poetry, spoken word, and personal narratives from the community reflecting how language shapes identity and inspires creativity.
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Come Shop: Fehinty Marketplace
Fridays at 7:30pm, Saturdays at 5:30pm & Sundays at 1:30pm (Feb 21-Mar 8) | Free and open to the public
Come early to shop in the marketplace before the event or performance to support local entrepreneurs’ art, decor, food, accessories, clothing, and more.
ABOUT DIASPORA MONOLOGUES
Diaspora Monologues is Fehinty’s annual performance series exploring Diaspora as a dynamic concept that intersects varying social worlds, generating tensions and transformations. Each year, the program features monologues broadly conceived as oral history, personal narratives, spoken word, music, dance or movement pieces exploring the Chicago Diaspora space.
Fehinty African Theatre Ensemble 