FORT WAYNE, Ind.—The Jesters program of the University of Saint Francis will present its annual spring performances on March 11 and 12 at the USF North Campus Auditorium, 2702 Spring St.
The Jesters will perform “That Jester Thing” at 6 p.m. Saturday, March 11 and 3 p.m. Sunday, March 12. Tickets are $10 and are available for purchase at the door or can be ordered in advance by calling USF Creative Arts at 260-399-8064. (Payment cannot be taken over the phone.)
The Jesters is an interdisciplinary performing arts group for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), ages 8 through senior citizens. “That Jester Thing” will use music, dance, theater, improvisation and visual art to tell an original story about managing chaos through meaningful work and purposeful play. The show also reveals how the historical court jester was often the monarch’s most useful adviser.
Each year, Jester teaching artists and participants co-create an original, interdisciplinary performance that is relevant to participants’ lives and highlights performers’ strengths. Participants collaboratively select a playlist, develop storylines and characters and participate in casting decisions. This focus on co-creation is the key to the program’s success.
Sponsored by USF since 1978, the Jesters program is made possible with funding provided by the AWS Foundation, the M.E. Raker Foundation, the Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne, the James Foundation, Inc., Foellinger Foundation, Plymouth Benevolence Fund, Stucky Foundation, Arnold Foundation, the Indiana Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts.
For more information on Jesters, contact Jesters Director Allison Ballard at aballard@sf.edu.
Founded in 1890 in the Catholic Franciscan tradition, the University of Saint Francis offers more than 60 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs through the College of Health Sciences and the College of Arts, Sciences and Business. In addition to its traditional programs, USF designs focused curricula for working adults in Fort Wayne, Crown Point and online. USF Downtown houses the music technology program while offering enhanced internship and networking opportunities for students. The University of Saint Francis, recognized as an NAIA Five-Star Champion of Character institution, has 18 athletic programs boasting two individual and four team NAIA national championships. Approximately 1,900 students from a broad geographic region attend USF.