Inventive Theatre LAB & Actor Training
The Suitcase Dreams
a Theatre LILA Invention
OVERTURE CENTER FOR THE ARTS
2014
Unpacking stories of great and small adventures, brave departures, wrenching farewells, and the things that travelers choose to carry. Theatre LILA weaves drama, comedy, absurdity, and fantasy with their signature physical style and live music.
TRASH
a Theatre LILA Invention
OVERTURE CENTER FOR THE ARTS
2015
What do you save and what do you throw away?
Our disposable society has created tons and tons of trash. But the things we throw away aren’t always tangible – sometimes they are the chance to change, to risk, to love. Sometimes trash is the byproduct of greed, a source of beauty, or the result of destruction. Sometimes it’s just talk. Sometimes it’s the difference between life and death. Join us as we mine ordinary trash for extraordinary stories.
The Mojo and the Sayso
By Aishah Rahman
A Theatre LILA and Bronzeville Arts Ensemble collaboration
OVERTURE CENTER FOR THE ARTS
2016
How do they add up what a 10 year-old boy’s life is worth to his parents? An African American family’s strength and faith are tested after their young son is shot and killed by a white police officer. With compassion, humor, a touch of fantasy, and a unique facility for language, Rahman’s characters cope with the aftermath of tragedy by looking for meaning and a magic charm, or mojo, that will pull them through this
difficult time.
William Shakespeare's
Romeo & Juliet
a Theatre LILA Invention
OVERTURE CENTER FOR THE ARTS
2019
Love is love. But what if your first true love was someone you'd been told to hate? And what if your first love was someone of the same gender?
Both are forbidden. And yet...undeniable.
Theatre LILA's diverse cast of actors explodes Shakespeare's poetry,
re-imagining it through movement and music to create an unforgettable, immersive theatre experience.
LINES
a Theatre LILA Invention
Overture Center for the Arts
2018
Written by
Melisa Pereyra, Atra Asdou, Olivia Dawson, Aidaa Peerzad, and Malkia Stampley Johnson
Five female playwrights of color, five voices, five lives come together to share fierce, honest stories of LINES—that separate and connect; that need to be crossed, erased, and drawn again; that are invisible and in-between.
Directed by Melisa Pereyra, LINES is a stark, compelling, and uplifting collection of experiences told through poetry, dialogue, movement and music, the original work was commissioned by Theatre LILA and had it's world premiere in April, 2018.
The BED
a Theatre LILA Invention
Play Circle, Memorial Union Theater
2017
We invite you to journey with us into our newest Theatre LILA invention, The BED, an exhilarating dreamscape of stories told through music, dance and poetry.
The BED is the ultimate artistic collaboration between area writers, musicians and designers including; James DeVita, Gwendolyn Rice, AJ Juarez, Erin Crabb, Jason Fassl, Mike Lawler, GW Rodriguez, Jessica Lanius, Shannon Heibler, Gavin Lawrence, Melisa Pereyra and many more.
"The collaborators of Theatre LILA have yet again found a way to create a production that transcends categories, one that is — all at once — a song, a dance, a poem, a play. Whatever you call it, The Bed is a fabulous dream."
Amelia Cook Fontella, ISTHMUS
No Child...
by Nilaja Sun
Performed by Marti Gobel
OVERTURE CENTER FOR THE ARTS
2014
This fast-paced, one-woman play takes us on the emotional journey of Ms. Sun, a teaching artist and struggling actor who tries to inspire the “worst class” in New York City’s Malcolm X High School by casting them in a play. No Child... masterfully demonstrates the impact that one teacher can have, while delving into the broader complexities of the American education system.
Constellations
by Nick Payne
Play Circle, Memorial Union Theater
2018
What if one moment—or one word—shifted the universe, altering your whole life? Walk into the world of Constellations where metaphysics and love intermingle. Through a dizzying series of vignettes, an intimate and imaginative romance unfolds across time and space, charting the limitless possibilities of a single relationship.
