Raue Center Receives Grant, Creates New Monthly Community Engagement Series

By Raue Center for the Arts

January 25, 2021 at 9:12 am CST

Raue Center for the Arts is excited to announce it has received a Healing Illinois grant from the state of Illinois! The funds are being used to create Our Voices, Our Town, a new monthly community engagement series that will present the work of artists, local community leaders, and national activists as they explore racial injustice through the medium of the arts. Our Voices, Our Town will offer inclusive and safe spaces to talk, learn, and grow together as a community.

Installments will offer free unlimited streamed events available to everyone at www.rauecenter.org. The first installment of Our Voices, Our Town will be available to stream on February 1, 2021 in honor of the start of Black History Month.

The first installment will feature comedians John DaCosse and Kevin Bozeman; they will explore Bozeman’s career in comedy, his family, and the state of racial tensions in the U.S.

DaCosse, a WGN Radio personality and curator of Raue Center’s Lucy’s Comedy series, boasts over 30 years in stand-up comedy.

Bozeman, a Chicago native, began his stand-up comedy career in 1999 after being inspired by “Def Comedy Jam” and challenged by his roommate to perform at an open mic night. In 2000, Bozeman won the Midwest region of HBO’s Comedy Competition, and in 2005 finished second in the Boston Comedy Competition. In 2010, he was a finalist on NBC’s Last Comic Standing. His current special Clean & Unfiltered can be seen on the Dry Bar YouTube channel.

“Certain questions have taken on renewed, impassioned life since the killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor and the nationwide protests over racial injustice that have followed,” said Richard Kuranda, Executive Director of Raue Center. “How did the comics handle that? Did their act incorporate it? If so, how did the audience react? These are all fascinating perspectives. This program lets us explore the realities we’ve been dealing with and how to heal.”

Raue Center for the Arts

26 N. Williams St.

Crystal Lake, IL 60014

Box Office: 815-356-9212

www.rauecenter.org

[Sponsored] Raue Center teaches world of theater through Sage Studio Sage Studio offers the ultimate learning experience for anyone interested in the world of theatre. All classes are led by working professional actors, directors, and designers (including those from Raue Center’s award-winning Williams Street Repertory) who offer advice and insight into the fast-paced and ever-changing professional theatre landscape, giving students a chance to make important connections and learn from the best. All classes have a maximum class size of 16 students, to ensure personal attention and a hands-on experience. We offer a wide variety of classes in acting, musical theatre, and theatre production, so there’s truly something for every student to explore their passion and build their skills. Our students have gone on to pursue their careers at top colleges and universities, and appear in productions across Chicagoland—including right here with WSR! For more information on the Race Center for the Arts, please visit https://rauecenter.ticketforce.com/.

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