Newcity Stage

Theater, Dance, Comedy and Performance in Chicago

“The American Project” Translates Hard-Won Truth into Heartfelt Beauty Presented by the youth and community-focused Albany Park Theater Project, the production is completely sold out for good reason: this is drama that glows red hot with passion and authenticity.

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by Hugh Iglarsh
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Six young people sit closely together on a table under dramatic blue stage lighting, looking in different directions with concerned or apprehensive expressions.

Cast members of “The American Project,” created and performed by Albany Park Theater Project/Photo: Brett Beiner

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It’s with mixed feelings I note that “The American Project” is entirely sold out before opening night. There’s a waiting list for the Albany Park Theater Project production, but not one open seat for the show’s three-week run at the cozy field house in Eugene Field Park. On the minus side, it means that most readers of this review who lack a reservation can experience this powerful show only through my necessarily brief and limited description. On the plus side, the packed houses indicate just how fully this unique troupe–which for almost thirty years has presented high-caliber, youth-centered drama written and performed entirely by local teens–has been embraced by the neighborhood it serves and embodies.

Just as the troupe–led by Miguel Angel Rodriguez, who co-directs this play with Maggie Popadiak–emerges organically from the community, so the show springs naturally from the thirty-four “devisers and performers” who are milling about the in-the-round stage as the audience enters, creating a gleefully frenetic buzz of adolescent energy. It’s refreshing to see the cluster of kids engaging with the audience and each other in real life, rather than staring at their devices. And it’s even better to witness the cast abruptly switch gears as the play begins and summon up a focused group intensity that comes straight from the heart.

A shadow puppet show projects two silhouetted figures on a screen, with puppeteers and musicians visible in the dimly lit background.

“The American Project,” created and performed by Albany Park Theater Project/Photo: Brett Beiner

The show’s creators spent a year crafting this multi-part mosaic of a show, which uses forms ranging from song and movement to puppetry, projected text and images, narrated story theater and dialogue-driven drama to tell the tale of their immigrant-heavy, ICE-harassed neighborhood. These are survival stories about being strong in the face of racism, xenophobia and government oppression, and staying real in a sometimes hostile and rigidly rule-bound world. The overall tone and anxiety level is that of life during wartime.

The evening’s high point—and it is high indeed—is a segment set in a Chicago middle school pushed into crisis mode by the vulture-like presence of ICE. No longer primarily an educational institution, the school has become a sanctuary for the vulnerable youngsters. Homework and low grades, which only increase the already painful tension, are out, replaced by a food pantry for kids suddenly without a parent or stable housing. Teachers, counselors and administrators learn new roles, becoming full-time protectors and advocates, seeking to maintain a calm atmosphere within the school’s walls while chaos reigns outside.

Memorable moments abound such as anodyne loudspeaker announcements telling students not to panic, nothing is wrong, but today will be an indoor recess day; the increasingly muted and strained recitations of the Pledge of Allegiance; a student reading aloud a touching little poem he’s written about the life-giving sun, bringing a moment of pleasure and relief to the hard-pressed classroom.

A boy wearing a Marvel T-shirt sits on a desk, looking down. Other students are seated or bent over nearby. A woman stands in the background, holding a clipboard. The scene is dimly lit with blue and purple tones.

Dylan Ambrocia (foreground) and Nely Gonzalez (background) in “The American Project,” created and performed by Albany Park Theater Project/Photo: Brett Beiner

The school-set play is tightly written and terrifically acted, with a sincerity that more seasoned performers would do well to emulate. What we get is just truth, presented plainly and simply. And I can’t imagine how anyone, even the crustiest MAGA true believer, could respond to this story with anything other than compassion for these kids and anger at the forces arrayed against them, their families and immigrant America as a whole.

“The American Project” is a reminder of just what youngsters are capable of when offered the freedom to express themselves within a nurturing environment. The show is heavier on worry than simple joy, a testament to the times we live in. But there’s an underlying strength and optimism, expressed as a running motif about how these determined young folks are like dandelions growing in cracks in the sidewalk. They neither ask permission to exist nor complain about their situation. They just sink roots in the hard ground while reaching for the light.

Since 1997, the Albany Park Theater Project has helped kids from one highly diverse Chicago neighborhood, many of whom have grown up in adversity, find their voice and speak their truth. It’s the sort of American project that deserves attention and support. This particular play may be sold out, but others will open, and viewers looking for a compelling, profoundly humane theatrical experience should be sure to keep this theater company on their radar.

Albany Park Theater Project’s “The American Project” is on stage at the Laura Wiley Theater, 5100 North Ridgeway, through August 8. Tickets are sold out, but waitlist information and more can be found here.