Port of Entry

Call for 18-25 year-old performers & storytellers 

Albany Park Theater Project is seeking 18-25 year-old BIPOC storytellers and performers who have deep connections with the immigrant stories of Chicago to join the ensemble of Port of Entry, an immersive performance about immigrants and refugees from all parts of the world living side by side in a single apartment building.

We are looking for:

• BIPOC storytellers and performers age 18-25 years old
• Commitment to telling the real-life stories of immigrants and refugees
• A genuine curiosity in creating and performing as part of an ensemble
• All roles involve movement, physical performance, and choreography – but you do not need prior dance or movement experience
• Professional experience in theater or performance is not required – we care more about what you bring as a person than what you’ve done before as a performer. If everything else above sounds like you, we encourage you to come to our open workshop to see if this might be a good fit!

Performing in Port of Entry requires  talking, hearing, standing; walking; climbing; dancing;  and lifting and/or moving objects up to 25 pounds.

About Port of Entry
Port of Entry is an immersive performance that invites audiences to step inside the real-life stories of immigrants and refugees from all parts of the world creating new homes  side by side with one another in a single apartment building in one of the country’s most diverse immigrant communities: Chicago’s Albany Park.

Port of Entry is co-created by APTP and New York-based Third Rail Projects (Then She Fell), hailed as one of the foremost companies creating site-specific, immersive, and experiential performance. In Port of Entry, performers and audience members share space and interact with one another without a fourth wall.

Each performance of Port of Entry welcomes just 28 audience members into an iconic Chicago courtyard apartment building meticulously recreated within a 1929 warehouse. With each step through this 3-story immersive world, guests experience the struggles, joys, and triumphs of people from around the globe forging new lives alongside one another. The multiple themes and storylines in Port of Entry center on cultural pride, food traditions,  intergenerational tension, family separation, border crossing, straddling  multiple cultures, employment insecurity, preserving family histories and connection with ancestors.

The premiere season of Port of Entry in Summer 2023 was co-created with and performed by APTP’s high school-aged ensemble. To meet audience demand, support our teen ensemble, and offer opportunities and build relationships with young Chicago artists, we are forming an ensemble of 18-25 year olds to alternate performances this fall and winter with the high school-aged cast.

Learn More:
Interested? Please join us for an open workshop with Albany Park Theater Project and Third Rail Projects. At this workshop, you’ll get a sense of the way we work and what it takes to perform in Port of Entry. You’ll also get a tour of the 12,000 square-foot immersive space where we perform Port of Entry, and learn more about the opportunity and expectations.

This workshop is required for anyone who wants to be considered to perform in Port of Entry. If you are interested but not available on September 24, please still fill out the interest form. Capacity is limited.
A light meal will be provided at the end of the workshop. We will provide water for all participants.

When: September 24th 12- 5 pm
Where: 3547 W Montrose Ave
Transit Options: 78 Montrose Bus,  82 Kimball Bus or Kimball Brown Line.

Please wear closed toed shoes and clothing you can easily move around and are comfortable in.

To sign up for the workshop on September 24th, complete this interest form.