Kendra Kempen's Contact Details

Kendra Kempen's Company Details

A.B.L.E. - Artists Breaking Limits & Expectations

Chicago, Illinois, United States • 7 Employees
Performing Arts

We believe everyone is ABLE to connect, to contribute, to create. We are A.B.L.E. - Artists Breaking Limits & Expectations. Our mission is to provide artistic experiences through which individuals with Down syndrome and other developmental differences can discover their own unique voices, and develop the confidence and skills to share who they are and what they are truly ABLE to do!Supported by a staff of teaching artists and volunteer facilitators, actors work together and support each other to create a performance piece, while building lifelong skills that will help both onstage and in their day-to-day lives, including communication, concentration, cooperation, and creativity.A.B.L.E. started in the fall of 2010 as the Teen Drama Troupe at GiGi's Playhouse Chicago. Inspired by the rapid success of this program, a group of core teaching artists branched out and founded A.B.L.E. in 2014 to expand creative opportunities for the disability community. The group spent a season with Chicago Children's Theatre before obtaining federal 501c3 status in 2016. In addition to their core ensemble based program for teens ages 14-21, A.B.L.E. also runs performing skills sessions for adults, and partners with schools and community organizations to lead workshops and residencies. A.B.L.E. has produced 14 stage plays ranging from classic stories to original pieces devised by the ensemble. In 2016, the ensemble performed Twelfth Night at Chicago Shakespeare Theater as part of the Shakespeare 400. A.B.L.E.'s first independent feature film, The Curse of the Tempest Jewel, was featured on the CBS Evening News, in the Chicago Onscreen Local Showcase, and received the Award of Merit from The Accolade Global Film Festival. Their second film, The Spy Who Knew Me, premiered in 2017, and is currently available for private screenings at schools and community centers.