Oak Park 7th Grader in Six Stories Up in Defiance Nov. 12-21

Henry Kephart, a 7th grader at Gwendolyn Brooks Middle School in Oak Park, is lost in a video game that goes terribly wrong! He is part of the cast of Tellin’ Tales Theatre presents Six Stories Up in Defiance – a Video Game Musical. The show was filmed live and runs Virtually from November 12 – November 21 on Vimeo. Running time is approximately 60 minutes. Tickets are available at https://www.simpletix.com/e/six-stories-up-in-defiance-tickets-80307

What makes the Six Stories Up productions unique is that six middle school students and six adult mentors write and star in a play following a different theme each year. The students tap into their own lives and experiences for inspiration. The cast includes members with and without disabilities. Since its inception in 1996 marking 2021 as its 25th anniversary, Tellin’ Tales Theatre has worked to shatter the barriers between the disabled and non-disabled worlds through the power of personal storytelling.

Henry Kephart and his mentor Stephen Donart of Chicago, the program director for Tellin’ Tales Theatre, worked together on their vignette which was later combined with five others and fashioned into a full production by Donart and Tellin’ Tales Theatre artistic director Tekki Lomnicki. Original music, innovative sets and costumes were added.

This was Kephart’s first theatrical experience; he enjoyed meeting new people and participating in a performance. His other interests include baseball, ultimate frisbee and chess club.

The cast for Six Stories Up in Defiance – a Video Game Musical includes middle school apprentices Henry Kephart (Oak Park), Ashley Kruzel (Long Grove), Jordyn Norberg (Highland Park), Paloma Sagel-Vidal (Chicago), Tiernan Tijalli (Glencoe), Naomi Reid (Baltimore, MD) and adult mentors Tekki Lomnicki (Chicago), Stephen Donart (Chicago), Nadia Stodder (Glenview), Mary Hobein (Woodridge), Kim D. Smith (Chicago) and Robert Teverbaugh (Chicago).

About Tellin’ Tales Theatre:

Founded in 1996, Tellin’ Tales Theatre was conceived by Tekki Lomnicki, Michael Blackwell, and Nancy Neven Shelton to promote and support a society where people of all abilities are accepted and equal, regardless of perceived ability. The mission of Tellin’ Tales Theatre is to shatter barriers between the disabled and non-disabled worlds through the transformative power of sharing personal narratives. For more information, please visit www.tellintales.org.