A PERSEPHONE PAGEANT

An outdoor family performance weaving together mythic tales of nature gods and true stories of environmental justice, A PERSEPHONE PAGEANT creates an immersive spectacle about the Great Lakes, their history with Chicago, and the great victories and challenges associated with their preservation. In A PERSEPHONE PAGEANT we find ourselves in a mythical world that directly parallels our own: Persephone as Lake Michigan, Demeter as Land, and Hades as Man's Creations. What happens when Man's Creations usurp and consume the water, and we the people disrupt the relationship between water and land?

A PERSEPHONE PAGEANT was presented in 2017 by Chicago’s Night Out in the Parks, the University of Chicago’s Performance Lab, and the Ragdale Foundation, in special partnership with Chicago’s Persephone Project. The performance was presented for free at Rainbow Beach Park, Smith Park, and Walsh Playground Park, with additional performances at the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts and the Ragdale Foundation.

Directed by Jessica Thebus and Gabriel Thom Pasculli with pageant design and production by Tria Smith, original text by Sarah Ruhl and Morgan McNaught, dramaturgy by Regina Victor, music by Mark Messing, choreography by Kristina Isabelle, costume design by Kristy Leigh Hall and Sue Haas, puppet and element design by KT Shivak, Jackie Valdez, and Evan Barr.

Performed by Nigel Brown, Cooper Forsman, Alex Rodriguez, Katie Mazzini, McCambridge Dowd-Whipple, Dana Murphy, Kelly Nesheim, Claire Bauman, Anastacia Narrajos, Lauren Torian, Regina Victor, Stephanie Pasculli, Gabriel Thom Pasculli and Mark Messing. Participant support from Cynthia Castiglione. Production team includes stage manager Dina Klahn, associate producer Sam Virgilio, and assistant director, Julia Santha.