Join Us for A JUNETEENTH Celebration!
Mark your calendars for a day of art, culture, and community at our annual Festival on the Square on June 19th/Juneteenth, 2024 in collaboration with Urban Juncture. Festival on the Square is Congo Square Theatre’s FREE annual event in the spirit of the original Congo Square in New Orleans, Louisiana. Enjoy the company of fellow Congo Square supporters who share a commitment to the vibrancy of our community - it is a day of diverse art and community of local BIPOC Businesses!
Event Highlights
🎭 Live Readings & Musical Performances 🎶
Come together to promote and preserve Black theatre with moving stage readings and music!
🎉 2:30pm | Welcome!
🎭 2:30pm | Reading of Anna by Pen Wilder
Join us for a reading of this year's Samuel G. Roberson Next Up Fellowship winner, Pen Wilder.
🎶 3:15 pm | Tiny Desk performance
Join us for a musical performance by a local Chicago artisan.
🛍️ 4-7pm | Take a tour of Boxville!
Shop with local BIPOC businesses in the Summer Season Opening of the Boxville Market Place! Plus, enjoy award announcements, refreshments, and community!
Meet PEN WILDER, OUR 2024-2025 NEXT UP FELLOWSHIP RECIPIENT
ARTIST STATEMENT:
My focus continues to be on living as a marginalized person and finding strength and joy through art and community in what is otherwise a world turned against us. Equipped with only my words, they are my weapons in the fight against injustice and for liberation for all oppressed peoples. By becoming a storyteller of people both like and not, I am the vessel that is shining the spotlight on how we are all human, and to be alive is to be authentic.
I am primarily a playwright and poet, though I find fulfillment in other forms of writing such as fiction, and other creative avenues such as music. I have also previously worked as a teaching artist focusing on LGBTQIA+ education for youth and other groups. Most recently I have worked with About Face Theatre, as a contracted playwright, dramaturg, and teaching artist.
We look forward to celebrating with you on JuNETEENTH!
