Evanston Performer Voices His Truth in Divercity show - May 13-22

Tellin’ Tales Theatre presents Divercity performing live– May 13-15 at the Greenhouse Theater, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave, Chicago and virtually— May 13-22 on Vimeo. The Saturday evening live performance will include sign language interpretation, audio description and an after-show talk back. The virtual show includes closed captioning and audio description. The theme is “Voicing our Truths.”

Divercity is directed by Tekki Lomnicki, co-founder and artistic director of Tellin’ Tales Theatre, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary. All of the performers are writers, actors and advocates with disabilities, from Chicago, Evanston, Rock Island, Indiana and Ohio. They include Jack Gehringer of Evanston (more info about him below).

Stories range from failed vegan cheese making and discovering one’s inner goddess to a fateful train ride in Romania. Live tickets are available at Greenhousetheater.org or 773-404-7336 and virtual tickets can be purchased at Tellintales.org. Ticket holders will be emailed a link to watch the video one-hour before the show. Closed captioning and audio description will be available.

“I am excited to be back live and yet offer a virtual version for our audiences across the country.” says Tekki Lomnicki, artistic director of Tellin’ Tales Theatre. “Throw away any preconceived notions you have about disability because these performers demonstrate that though they are different in appearance and physical ability, they show how alike we all are when we share our stories.”
Stories were developed and directed in a six-week Zoom Master Class taught by Lomnicki. The disabilities of the performers include blindness, dwarfism, brain injury, mental illness, cerebral palsy and Muscular Sclerosis.

About Jack Gehringer:
Gehringer, who recently obtained his Bachelors in Social Work, made his debut performance (one of 6 middle school apprentices) with Tellin' Tales Theatre in 2003 in Six Stories Up in Pediatrics. He returned to the Six Stories Up stage in 2006 starring as the evil side of George Bush’s conscience in Six Stories Up in the Ozone. As a high schooler, he got involved in the the young adult writer's workshop. As an adult he came back to Tellin' Tales Theatre as a young Stephen Hawking in “Six Stories Up in Equality” (2014), and as a mentor in Six Stories Up in Climate Change (2018). He has also volunteered to be a speaker at Shriners Hospital, speaking to parents and families of children with Spina Bifida. He is a member of the Spina Bifida Association and participated in Teal on the Hill on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC to lobby for upcoming disability-related legislation

The mission of Tellin' Tales Theatre is to shatter barriers between the disabled and non-disabled worlds through the transformative power of personal story. We bring together children and adults from both communities to share their stories in theatrically innovative productions and programs to promote awareness, understanding and acceptance.

Divercity is partially supported by grants from the Illinois Arts Council, Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and the Paul M. Angell Family Foundation.