Our Summer Show on September 15th!

Hi beautiful Chicago. How are your hearts? For our late summer show (summer itself was late this year, so it all balances out!) we are bringing you one of the best lineups we have ever had. Some of the most generous, insightful people and most skillful storytellers are gathering to tell you their stories. Scroll down just a little to see the lovely peeps joining us on September 15th! 

If you’ve been to Here, Chicago, you know this event exists to connect people with a diverse range of professions, life experiences, and perspectives, to let us find common ground through the universal arts of dinner and stories. At every seasonal installation, we feature a giant potluck dinner, and in addition to our invited tellers, 4 open-mic spots that attendees use to compete in our story slam. Please see here to learn more about how the whole thing works!

If you haven’t been, the event is somewhat challenging to describe in its fullness. The link just above will give you the stats and mechanics, but the main thing that has been happening at this event for over 7 years– the thing that keeps people filling up our theaters, and that keeps us all volunteering hours to produce the event– is a little more ineffable. At this show, friendships are made and alliances are built and the cross-pollination of ideas and creative inspiration happens. And there is a lot of joy.

Even more so if you are with us. So on Sunday, September 15th, we’d love it if you’d head on down to Stage 773 with a casserole in hand or $11 in your pocket, and make something beautiful with us.

Liz Komos is an actor and improviser here in Chicago, IL. She was born with a physical deformity and chronic illness. Growing up as a square peg in a world of round holes, she developed a passion to live earnestly and with a deep appreciation for every moment. Yet while appreciating all that is, she tirelessly seeks to improve upon and alter the landscape for other artists with disabilities. It is her goal is to create more access and awareness for others to express their true selves through art, while also bringing light to the world with comedy. Liz sits on the board of Allprov (allprov.org) as well as Second City’s first ever Accessibility Advisory Board. She has traveled and performed at many comedy festivals in the US, and is the Producer of the Who Dis?! Variety Show benefiting mental health, chronic illness, and disability services in Chicago, Illinois. 
.

Azka Sharief is 6 years old and a first grader. She is a very happy and merry girl. She is also the Creator of Azka’s Mystery Podcast, which debuted at WBEZ this spring with The Stealer of The Diamonds. You can listen to it here! The podcast features mystery stories that Azka writes and tells herself. She is also involved in the podcast production, selecting the music and sound effects. When she’s not working on the podcast, she does coloring and makes cards for her family. She wants to become a famous podcasting star when she grows up. She wants the world to keep listening to podcast and be happy. (Azka told WBEZ she wanted as many people as possible to listen to her podcast, and she has an email account so she can hear from her fans… so get on it, fans! AzkasWish@gmail.com.)

Perfecto Diaz (yes, that is his real name) loves talking in the third person. He loves to write and tell lots of pun jokes. And no, his jokes are not perfecto (insert hilarious laughter mixed with boos). Perfecto has always wanted to be on the stage to share his stories, but has been very busy working at a mortgage company, helping others live the American dream of owning a house (one could say the perfect house… okay, he’ll stop now). Perfecto is originally from Chicago and grew up in Wicker Park. He is Mexican/Puerto Rican and thus loves both tacos and arroz con gandules (and would still love them even if he wasn’t Mexican and Puerto Rican). He is mostly a writer, but recently took live storytelling classes for the first time and hopes to continue this new art for many years to come.
.
.

Le Zhong is a Management Consultant by profession, taking a two year break to fully experience life and follow her heart. Her professional experience was focused on large scale transformations in Fortune 500 companies, such as mergers, turnarounds, and changes in global footprint. She has served as Managing Director at Price Waterhouse Coopers, as a Principle in Results Delivery at Bain & Company, and as Manager at Deloitte. She has a PhD in Learning & Organizational Change from Northwestern University. In her free time, Le loves to travel, read, cook, sail, paint, and spend time with wonderful people.

Rick Bolnick is a Clinical Psychologist who just turned 70. In his 60s, he decided to take some risks for the first time in his life and try some new things. He took an Improv class and then went on to co-found the performing ensemble Improv Bus, which tours and performs frequently and recently opened for Jimmy Carrane at The Second City. He went on a Men’s Group Weekend, and liked it so much that afterwards he joined a Men’s Group. He reconnected with friends from his elementary school, signed up for a Current Events class, joined a Humanistic Jewish Congregation, agreed to teach a 4th/5th grade Sunday School class, and joined a choir! And a few months ago, when coming to support a friend at Here Chicago, he impulsively submitted his name, got chosen to tell, and suddenly there he was telling his first live story in front of 100 strangers. Next thing he knew, he had won Audience Favorite! More recently, Rick took the risk to participate in a medical trial to stop a health condition from progressing into Cancer/ Multiple Myeloma. That, too, was a risk worth taking, as after three months, his lab numbers are all normal.