When Patrizia Acerra founded the International Voices Project in 2010, she sought to create a community for Chicago artists and audiences to experience the work of global playwrights. Since the company’s inaugural season, IVP has presented staged readings of contemporary translations at venues across the city, in collaboration with cultural partners and local artists.
Certainly, the virtual festival has brought about new possibilities surrounding who might be tuning in. “For the first time our global work can have a global audience,” Acerra says. “One of the challenges we’re considering is what it looks like to market to a global audience. How do you reach them? That’s something we plan to look at in the coming years as we do more of this work, which we definitely plan to do.”
Crocker notes that the virtual rehearsal process hasn’t been without obvious challenges, such as fickle Internet connections. But he’s also enjoyed the challenges that come from working in a new medium. “I’ve enjoyed the excitement of planning things out and then seeing it crash and burn as I’ve experimented,” he says.
9/2-10/21: Wed 7 PM CDT (see website for complete schedule), ivpchicago.org, F, but donations accepted.
