“Museum Performance: Staging A City So Real”
Presented by D. Soyini Madison

The presentation will explore the process of staging Alex Kotlowitz’s book Never A City So Real that was the One Book/One Northwestern selection for 2012-2013.

The performance was entitled A City So Real and portrayed the divergent stories of Chicago neighborhoods and the people who are inspired by them while these people simultaneously enliven these locations with their wisdom, labor, and ingenuity. A collage of scenes staged throughout the galleries of the Block Museum captured the dialogue, imagery, movement, soundscape, and the rich poetic description of Kotlowitz’s prose. In the presentation, D. Soyini Madison, will discuss how audiences traversed through the museum and how they were guided through stylized enactments representing stories of Chicago all under the surroundings and backdrop of the museum galleries and display. The performance became a reflection and counterpoint to the museum art.