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Chicago Shakespeare Slam

SLAM is a high school program that celebrates the power of play, community, language, and imagination. It is an ensemble program that provides an opportunity for high school students from schools across Chicago and the wider metropolitan area to come together to build community and play with language. SLAM teams participate in a workshop with CST to learn performance techniques and tools for working with Shakespeare’s text. Back at school, they prepare two scenes to then perform at the Regional Bout. Twelve total teams will then advance to the Final Bout where all teams gather to show support for the entire SLAM community. Friends, family, peers and members of the community are invited to the Final Bout at Chicago Shakespeare Theater to experience and celebrate the journey of these teams! 

2024 Participating Schools


*Schools in bold performed at the 2024 Chicago Shakespeare SLAM Final Bout

Fenton Community High School, Bensenville
Hyde Park Academy, Chicago
Intrinsic Schools – Belmont, Chicago
Kenwood Academy, Chicago
Lake View High School, Chicago
Lincoln Park High School, Chicago
Little Village Lawndale High School, Chicago
Mundelein High School, Mundelein
Niles North High School, Skokie
Oak Park and River Forest High School, Oak Park
O-School, Chicago

Prosser Career Academy, Chicago
Round Lake High School, Round Lake
Senn High School, Chicago
Sullivan House High School, Chicago
Taft High School, Chicago
Thornton Fractional North High School, Calumet City
Tri-Point High School, Cullom
Universal School, Bridgeview
University of Chicago Lab School, Chicago
Warren Township High School, Warren

Everyone felt seen and heard performing the pieces they created

-Student, Niles North High School

“I felt more confident the whole time.”

-Student, Kennedy High School

“Creativity is a vital part of Shakespeare SLAM”

-Student, Little Village Lawndale High School

“My students became more confident to take risks & use their voices”

-Teacher, Round Lake High School

Educator Artists

LEAD SLAM SPONSORS


Allstate

Kimberlee S. Herold