Stories
Everything you need to know about Storycatchers.
Welcome to our blog. Our newsfeed. Our point of view on everything that’s important to what we do. Scroll through to find something that interests you.
A Time of Evolution for Storycatchers Theatre
A Message from our founder Meade Palidofsky Dear Storycatchers friends and colleagues - I hope this message finds you well. Since 1984, when I founded Storycatchers Theatre, we have developed a powerful practice of working with young people in the juvenile justice...
Behind the Music of Life’s Game
The youth of Firewriters Ensemble of the Illinois Youth Center - Chicago are eager to share their stories and artwork with audiences again. "Life's Game" will be open to the public for two performances on May 20 and 21. We can't wait until then to learn more about the...
Word Warriors Rally Together
Before our recent Word Warriors staged reading, a youth ensemble member asked to give a welcome speech to the audience. It had been a hectic week, with several youth authors released from the facility unexpectedly days before the first performance. Without fail, the...
Support Black Futures – Shop with Storycatchers
Storycatchers staff and youth compiled a list of 28+ Black-owned businesses that value representation and community. We’re celebrating brick and mortar options for Chicago locals and great online shops for our out-of-town followers.
An Afternoon of ‘Storycatchers Firsts’ at Warrenville
Seventeen months into my time at Storycatchers and I finally attended a live performance by the Word Warriors at the Illinois Youth Center - Warrenville. I entered the facility for the first time with Storycatchers coworkers, ID and vaccination card in hand, ready to...
History in the Making.
To celebrate Meade Palidofsky’s legacy is to admire and uphold the imagination, faith, persistence, and transformation she continuously bestows on Storycatchers Theatre young people, alumni, and supporters. Many of us have been impacted by the myriad of milestones...
Donor Spotlight – Susan Bass Noel
Susan has been a close friend to Storycatchers since 2010, when she attended one of our performances at the Illinois Youth Center in Warrenville. She recalls being impressed by our partnership with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, which integrated singers and musicians...
40+ Simple Ways You, Your Families, and Your Friends Can Support BLM
George Floyd. Keep saying his name. We have experienced too much loss, too much rage, and too much anxiety in the past year. And it’s just simply the truth that individuals like Breonna Taylor, Rayshard Brooks, Kwame Jones, Steven Demarco Taylor, Anthony McClain, and...
For the Love of Money: 4 Ways to Build Generational Wealth to Make the Black Community Proud
I am Jazmine Clark, a native of Chicago’s Englewood community and on staff with Storycatchers as the Executive Assistant and Recruitment Associate for Changing Voices. I took an interest in working with our Changing Voices Ensemble to tackle the problem of financial...
Let’s Celebrate Illinois’ “Controversial” Criminal Justice Reform Bill
As a result of consistent and compelling lobbying by the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus, Governor J.B. Pritzker has the history-making task of signing a criminal justice reform bill into law that, among many changes, will: Eliminate the cash bail system statewide...
Storycatchers’ Secret to Preparing Young, First-Time Voters
The 2020 Presidential Election is the opportunity for the young people we work with to gain another critical life skill – participating in our democracy. The Storycatchers Changing Voices ensemble is gearing up to be the newest generation of voters. Voting for the...
Incarcerated Youth/Arts-Based Nonprofit Debuts Anthem [PRESS RELEASE]
Media Contact: Elizia Artis, Community Engagement Manager elizia@storycatcherstheatre.org | 408.390.0135 544 W. Oak Street, #1005 Chicago, IL 60610 Chicago, IL - In partnership with Steppenwolf Theatre Company’s audio production team and Chicago Beyond, the...
The Inspiration Behind YOU CAN’T KILL OUR SONG
We all felt the pain when through the window of our media, we watched a white policeman push his knee into George Floyd's neck, for an eternity. And we realized we were witnessing a murder by the police. Again. I can’t breathe. The world held its breath with him and...
About the New Music in I AM NOT YOUR HOMIE
When COVID-19 responses started closing facilities in mid-March, Storycatchers Theatre staff made the decision to shift all programming to virtual meetings and performances. This pivot came on the heels of preparation for the final performance of the musical I AM NOT...
The Show Goes On.
This time period is often described as unprecedented, uncertain, the new normal. Many have adapted to the current circumstances – social distancing, wearing masks to grocery shop, and finding a fine balance between keeping up with current events and keeping up with...
Leaving Zacatecas – A Walk Across the Border
Written by Alvaro P. - A member of the Firewriters Ensemble ––– Damon was our first son together. I walked across the border, Never asking ‘if’ or ‘whether’ I walked away from Zacatecas To find mi hermano it was easy, facil I had no papers, no big deal --- LEAVING...
The Very Model of a Modern Major General
We missed seeing J. in our Storycatchers program for a few weeks - he was busy doing other things. He is part of a special group of young men at the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center called the Ambassadors. They're long-term residents of the facility who are...
The Magic of Ensemble – How Did We Get Here?
The members of the Temporary Lockdown Ensemble stood united at the curtain call, radiating pure joy. They were so proud of themselves, and deservedly so, for the performance they had just given of “Conscience Versus the Double Life.” The teachers of the Nancy B....