Creative Arts Exchange (CAE)
a program dedicated to extending performing arts programing to our neighboring high school communities in Chicago
WHY
LPP’s primary mission is to build a sustainable paradigm for the performing arts that is dedicated to upending the poverty mentality endemic to the arts. The company also aims to connect and engage with historically underserved communities across Chicago by bringing a direct-learning performing arts-based program to students in the community.
WHAT
Lucky Plush’s CAE is a no-cost Direct Learning performing arts initiative aiming to serve more than 300 high school students from three different Chicago Public Schools. The program is rooted in LPP’s unique ensemble practices and designed for these schools’ participation over the course of three years, with hopes of further expansion.
WHO
This year, CAE will partner with public 4-year high schools.
Lucky Plush champions our diverse ensemble (⅔ non-white, ⅓ immigrant, ⅓ LGBTQ) and regularly seeks out professional development opportunities on social justice topics such as bridging cultural gaps, instilling equitable practices in curriculum, addressing cognitive bias, and more. We are thereby confident that our capabilities, compounded with our additional training prior to the start of the CAE, will prove to be priceless when partnering with student bodies with diverse backgrounds like those seen in our partner schools.
HOW
Session 1: Creation
LPP leads students through a process that begins with individual dreamscaping and cultimates in collective action. The curriculum builds upon LPP’s devising process in which personal storytelling is connected to broader social narratives and is then mapped into performance prompts that incorporate movement, dialogue, and song. Through the process, students learn new tools for creative problem-solving as they navigate individual and collective goals within a unique performance score.
Session 2: Experience
The program culminates in a field trip where students from participating schools attend a full-length Lucky Plush performance. After the show, LPP’s ensemble members and artistic director lead a discussion relating LPP’s devising process and performance to Session 1’s curriculum. Students then divide into groups for Q&A sessions and further communication with individual LPP artists.
Session 3: Application
In this phase, Corporate Volunteers collaborate with LPP to develop a symposium which applies LPP’s creative practice and problem solving techniques to the actualization of students’ life goals and career objectives as they prepare to transition out of high school. Volunteers bring their wisdom and business expertise to the seminar, and share their own experiences with career-building.