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 find something that interests you.
Thanks for your interest in our youth.
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....
Jawaun Joins Mayor Lightfoot’s Chicago Youth Council
We are thrilled to share that Jawaun Stamps, a 19-year-old Changing Voices Ensemble Member and Peer Mentor, was appointed to Mayor Lightfoot’s Youth Council as a youth advocate. He was one of 23 young people from across the city selected for the council. It's hard to...
Storybox #2 – Stone Temple Baptist Church in North Lawndale
Storycatchers installed a second Storybox in Chicago – this one is in the city’s North Lawndale neighborhood. Stone Temple Baptist Church is a neighborhood pillar, and its pastors welcomed the addition of a Storybox to their newly revitalized community garden space...
What is Case Management and Why is it Critical to Our Work?
It can be easy to forget all the factors that go into being successful at work. When we discuss job skills we often consider time management, communication, and technological skills. However... What happens when you can't take public transit to work for fear of who...
A Memo to Mayor Lightfoot
Mayor Lightfoot sent out a city-wide request for feedback about how to improve Chicago’s education system. Our young adults in Changing Voices, all of whom who have been through the public school system, wrote this memo about what her priorities should be.
About our Musical Week with Samora Pinderhughes
He sat in the middle of the rehearsal room behind a 76-key keyboard. He’s not a big guy, so he was mostly covered up by the keyboard, its speaker, and the snapback on his head sporting the words ‘Peace King.’ “Can I play a song for you?”
Skills for Chicagoland’s Future
Introducing a new partner and a new program to provide our Changing Voices youth with the job readiness and future planning skills they need to succeed.
Introducing Edmund Buck!
We're thrilled to welcome alumnus Edmund Buck to our Board of Directors! When asked why he joined the Board, Edmund responded, "Learning of an opportunity for me to join the Board of Directors of Storycatchers Theatre filled me with great pride and joy. I am an...
A Note From Cheri
January 15, 2019. It’s Tina’s first session with us. She is a 17-year-old Latina girl, with long hair with raspberry-colored streaks. She is quiet, respectful, pale, somber. She looks like she hasn’t slept in days. On her first Inside/Outside sheet, she writes that...
3 Panels in 6 Days: Youth on the Mic
Storycatchers is in the community in a big way this week. Victory Gardens. The Holocaust Museum. At a board member’s residence. Learn what our staff and youth are doing to inspire and create real change.
Finding the Light in Your Darkness
Read about the success of the Changing Voices Ensemble’s first performance of their original show, “The Light in My Darkness.” Program Manager Cristina White shares how the youth have inspired her to make changes in her own life.
Court-Involved Youth Premiere Play at New Arts Space [Press Release]
Light in My Darkness will be presented as a staged reading of works-in-progress at the new Washington Park arts space Green Line Performing Arts Center. Green Line is a much-needed $5.5 million professional theater on Chicago’s South Side.
The Lives You May Not Know
On a cold January evening, about fifty people and two Storycatcher’s teaching artists converged in the middle of Chicago’s American Writer’s Museum on Michigan Avenue. Audience members and experts had a conversation on the impact of performing arts programming in prisons.
Holiday Stories From Our Youth
2019 is off to an energetic start for Changing Voices! Our youth returned from a two week break focused and ready to work. During their time off, they wrote letters and stories about their loved ones and hopes for the new year. Enjoy their words. From...
Sarge’s Story – An Ensemble Doesn’t Forget
A moving five minute must-read that will help you understand how giving youth a voice through stories is powerful, lasting and necessary.
What you need to know about #storyboxchicago.
Did you miss it? Did you miss the 60 people coming together to dance, sing, paint, write, tell stories, read books, and build Chicago’s first Storybox. It will be one of many. View our photos and video to see what the excitement was all about.
4 Great Reasons You’ll Love Our New Website
“I am my own story.” The number one rule of marketing is “It’s not about the company, it’s about the customer.” In this case, the customer is you (the reader) and our youth. Simply put, we think we’ve designed a website that makes it easier for you experience how...
What You Missed in Austin
On August 26th, the new Changing Voices ensemble at the Austin Career Education Center had their first staged reading after months of writing their personal stories. If you were there, you'd understand why it was one of my favorite experiences as a teaching artist....