Summer Job Training for Youth
Black Ensemble Theater Cultural Center, 4450 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60640
About
Summer Job Training for Youth is connected with the Black Ensemble Theater and its educational and community-focused work in theater arts. The program is part of a broader environment that includes theater, film, technology, and other performing arts spaces within the Free to BE Village.
• Schedule: Box office hours are Monday through Friday 10 am–6 pm, and Saturday 11 am–5 pm.
The Black Ensemble Theater was founded in 1976 by actress, producer, and playwright Jackie Taylor, who also serves as the founder in the leadership team. The theater’s mission is to eradicate racism and its damaging effects on society through the use of theater arts and community engagement. Since its founding in 1976, the Black Ensemble Theater has grown from a small community-arts organization to an internationally renowned arts institution and is recognized as one of the most diverse theaters in the country, producing award-winning educational outreach programs. The Free to BE Village is described as an immersive performing arts hub and experiential community-building project that dismantles bias by cultivating cross-cultural understandings and interpersonal connections, and it functions as a neighborhood revitalization strategy in collaboration with local community partners, businesses, cultural institutions, and civic leaders. Within the current facility, a new 150-seat flexible studio theater space will allow the theater to produce additional original plays, cabaret-style performances, and other events, and will offer additional opportunities to support the Black Playwrights Initiative.
Last updated April 18, 2026.
• Schedule: Box office hours are Monday through Friday 10 am–6 pm, and Saturday 11 am–5 pm.
The Black Ensemble Theater was founded in 1976 by actress, producer, and playwright Jackie Taylor, who also serves as the founder in the leadership team. The theater’s mission is to eradicate racism and its damaging effects on society through the use of theater arts and community engagement. Since its founding in 1976, the Black Ensemble Theater has grown from a small community-arts organization to an internationally renowned arts institution and is recognized as one of the most diverse theaters in the country, producing award-winning educational outreach programs. The Free to BE Village is described as an immersive performing arts hub and experiential community-building project that dismantles bias by cultivating cross-cultural understandings and interpersonal connections, and it functions as a neighborhood revitalization strategy in collaboration with local community partners, businesses, cultural institutions, and civic leaders. Within the current facility, a new 150-seat flexible studio theater space will allow the theater to produce additional original plays, cabaret-style performances, and other events, and will offer additional opportunities to support the Black Playwrights Initiative.
Last updated April 18, 2026.
Is this your business? There is no cost, but you will be asked to sign up or log in.