PORTAGE PARK — The Filament Theatre Ensemble will celebrate Earth Day and the arts with a barn dance and the performance of a crowd-sourced play developed on Twitter and Facebook.
Earth Fest will kick off at 7:30 p.m. April 17 with the Filament Barn Dance featuring the Golden Horse Ranch Band in the ensemble's home, 4041 N. Milwaukee Ave.
The Filament Theatre Ensemble will perform Sustain 36, a zero-waste 36 hour community-supported play, as part of its Earth Day celebration. (Filament Theatre Ensemble)
The Golden Horse Ranch Band's polkas, waltzes, contra, swing and square dances will bring back the era of old-time barn dances. Dancers who have no clue how to swing like thunder and dip the oyster will be taught the moves by third-generation barn dance-caller Annie Coleman, organizers said.
Tickets are $8 for teens and $12 for adults.
Starting at 8 a.m. April 18, the Filament Theatre Ensemble will begin to craft Sustain 36, a zero-waste 36-hour community-supported play.
Theater lovers can follow along with the #sustain36 hashtag on Facebook and Twitter and suggest titles and watch a group of actors, directors and playwrights collaboratively create a new play that will be performed at 8 p.m. April 19.
All props, services or support needed to create the show will be requested from community members via social media — "a potluck for plays," organizers said.
Community members who loan an item or participated in the creation of the project can attend the show at for free. Tickets are also available for $20.
In addition, Filament will host a roundtable discussion for theater professionals on sustainable show design at 7:30 p.m. April 20.
For more information, email info@filamenttheatre.org or call 773-270-1660.
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