Meta Forest
Theatre ColLaboratory
Carrie: More Info
A panel of volunteer youth planners has been meeting to discuss and plan our upcoming Summer 2026 production. These participants, along with survey respondents, chose their top five pieces to produce. This resulted in the decision of produce cult classic Carrie:The Musical! Discussions regarding the cause(s) this production will benefit are currently leaning towards the organization UNICEF!
Our performances will be Saturday and Sunday, August 8th and 9th, at 3:30 PM. Sign ups begin in April, and rehearsals and other parts of the production process will be ongoing throughout the summer. ALL REHEARSAL LOCATIONS WILL BE TRANSIT ACCESSIBLE! Schedules are determined weekly based on participant availability and production needs.
Role assignments (backstage, onstage and beyond) are based on a combination of participant goals, pre-existing strengths and production needs. These are on a first come first serve basis; for priority, sign up by June 1st!
Our process is intentionally designed to work around our participants' busy schedules; if you can make a few rehearsals, there's a place for you!
There is a $100 fee to help cover production costs including venue rental and performance licensing fees. This is less than half the fee of other similar youth theatre programs in the area. If this is prohibitively expensive, we will work something out!
Who We Are
In 2025, Em Sentury (they/them) was considering their upcoming Master's Thesis project and asked the question "How can I use this assignment to do something good?" From this, question Em began to develop "Tigers for Trans Rights;" a humanist, collaborative, process centered, youth activist theatre project.
Meta Forest Theatre ColLaboratory was born from the desire to continue developing these principles in youth theatre.
We center youth voice and youth choice, emphasizing process as a prerequisite for product, and prioritizing joy and growth over perceived polish or perfection. We strive to accommodate as many young people as possible through individualized attention, extreme flexibility, and a focus on compassionate curiosity.
At Meta Forest Theatre ColLaboratory, all are treated as unique individuals who form integral parts of a supportive community. Join us on our continued mission to use theatre to "do something good!"
Our Previous Projects:
Tigers For Trans Rights
In the summer of 2025, our inaugural production of Preston Max Allen's dark comedy musical We Are The Tigers at Chicago's Bughouse Theater brought together local youth as a collaborative community and raised roughly $875 for the charity Trans Lifeline.