Room to grow

How does a bare white room become the heartbeat of experimental performance in a major city? Links Hall began as an artist collective when local choreographers Bob Eisen, Charlie Vernon and Carol Bobrow decided to breathe a little life into the then shabby Lakeview neighborhood.

Incorporated as a nonprofit in 1978, the organization continued to grow under the guidance of Chicago staples with international acclaim, such as percussionist Michael Zerang. “Links Hall is very much a work space where artists can create,” says Zerang, a former artistic director and current board member at Links. “The audience at Links Hall is as diverse as the people that perform there, and as equally open-minded.”

Dance, theater, live music, literary readings, puppetry, Butoh, and film are all genres that can be seen and experienced in the cozy studio/theater. Situated on the second floor of an old German leftist meeting hall, the organization continues to support those with original and risky ideas. Here the puppetry can be about murder, the modern dances about Elvis, and the live music ranges from techno to Yo-Yo Ma.

As performance venues go, Links presents people who focus on the work rather than the money. In this vein, the ongoing experiments that take place here won’t break your budget; most shows cost around $10.

Poonie’s Cabaret, named after the late Chicago dancer and performance artist Poonie Dodson, showcases funny and daring performance with a GLBT edge, and there’s an open Contact Improvisation practice on Sunday mornings. Along with late-night improvisation jams and tai chi classes two evenings a week, you could spend a fair bit of time in one room and learn a lot.

Meghan Strell, artistic director of Local Infinities Visual Theater, is a frequent audience member, and a former artistic associate. “I see shows at Links Hall because I like the raw and the intimate,” Strell says. “I go looking for stimulation and to run into folks who are looking for the same thing.” When creating work there, Strell feels supported because “the rules are simple and the staff is great. We can focus on developing an idea.” This is a sentiment shared by others; people feel that Links is a place to grow and draw inspiration from the work being cultivated there.

Choreographer (and Time Out Chicago Dance editor) Asimina Chremos headed the organization for four years. In that time she gave it a more formal shape, creating procedures and programming that drew emerging companies and invited established artists to return.

The current executive director, CJ Mitchell, has further diversified the programming. As Brian Torrey Scott, a recent artist in residence, describes him, “He is sincerely dedicated to presenting and supporting new work in all disciplines. His passions and abilities seem to be in harmony.” Owing to Mitchell’s administrative chops, the labors of a four-member staff and active board of directors, Links Hall is blooming.

Located two blocks south of Wrigley Field, the small community of artists at Links Hall sometimes feels overwhelmed by the hordes of hooting baseball fans swarming through the streets (definitely don’t try parking your car around here if there’s a game). We think of Links as a clubhouse for artists and art lovers among beery bars. The membership requirements are simple: Walk through the door and up a flight of steps. Take a workshop, take a class or volunteer to help out at a show. If you want more involvement, there are internships, rental opportunities and residency programs. Join us, we’re waiting for you.

Rachel Damon is a dancer, choreographer and recent graduate of Columbia College Chicago. She is also technical director at Links Hall. For more info on Links’ programs, visit www.linkshall.org.