Creating human-centered experiences in the city of Chicago.

Mission

(X) Collective is a group of theatre artists whose mission is to be in conversation and collaboration with our communities through service, reciprocal relationship-building, and community experiences.

We believe that communities do not exist just by happenstance - they are the divine result of humans coming together. We believe in the potential of those individual humans and are dedicated to their wellness and wholeness.

We believe that our wellness and wholeness as humans are directly tied to our relationships, and we believe in the power of community experiences to cultivate relationships.

An experience, though often intangible, has deep value. An experience can shape a thought, create a memory, birth a future changemaker, or shift the trajectory of a community.

What We DO

WE CONNECT

We work with individuals and organizations by providing consulting services to support community engagement efforts.

  • In a cultural landscape where resources are increasingly difficult to find, we understand that organizations are stretched thin, with many staff members often taking on the work that used to be managed by full teams.

  • Even so, the need for community engagement is not only still relevant but crucial to business survival:

    • Businesses involving communities see +12% revenue.

    • 72% of local businesses gain more customer recognition through community events.

  • (X) Collective works with organizations to connect the dots and think creatively about how to engage their communities — whether it’s their consumers, audience members, staff, or the humans they serve.

WE SERVE

We support community-based organizations by partnering to create community experiences in service of their mission and goals.

We feel it is increasingly important to find innovative methods of sharing resources and amplifying those that are deeply rooted in their direct work for the Chicago community.

  • (X) Collective will strive to structure every collective experience and program as a co-production with a local community organization in Chicago.

  • Beyond engaging (featuring an ad in the playbill or bringing a representative to a talkback), (X) Collective is committed to investing our time and resources.

  • (X) Collective members will also volunteer hours to community partners.

WE BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER

We bring people together by producing the following forms of community experiences: 

  • Live performance (plays, musicals, dance, spoken word, concerts, etc)

  • Community conversations

  • Community service events

  • Communal gatherings (dinners, game nights, networking events)

WHAT WE VALUE

  • Antiracism and anti-oppression.

  • Endless learning.

  • Relationships over transactions.

  • Accountability (to ourselves and to our communities)

  • Community and humanity over product and labor.

  • Depth and connection over urgency.

  • Innovation over tradition.

  • Creativity, play, and joy.

How do we define “Community”?

Community = Relationships

Relationships are the energetic core of communities. They are the glue. They are the reason people keep showing up. They are the biggest (and yet ironically the most intangible) value that communities create. Relationships are the community’s soul and source of life. Without relationships, the community is an empty shell.

— Fabian Pfortmüller, Together Institute

We define community as a group of humans that come together, motivated by relationships. So many definitions of community exist – geographic, identity, social, professional, familial, interest-based, goal-based. George Hillery, in a 1995 publication, found 94 different definitions of community (and that was 20 years ago – we’ve only grown more complex). We define community as a group of humans that come together, motivated by relationships. If the desire and action of relationship is present, community exists.

RECOGNITIONS

We feel it is crucial we acknowledge those who have nurtured us and influenced us:

Ready to collab with us?

let’s connect