Putting the "art" back in heart

The Albany Park Theater Project (APTP) consists of a group of dynamic, passionate teenagers who take on the task of bringing real-life human drama, triumph and pain to the stage.

Albany Park is one of the most culturally ethnic and diverse communities in Chicago. It is a working-class area with immigrants looking for a brighter future for themselves and their families. The various groups include include large numbers of German, Swedish, Korean, Filipino, and Guatemalan immigrants.

As stated on www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org, Albany Park is a gateway community for aspiring middle-class ethnic groups. What APTP has so eloquently done is taken the stories, memories, and rich history of these immigrants and created outstanding performances for all to learn from and enjoy.

The APTP was founded and is co-directed by David Feiner and Laura Wiley, who won the 2003 Susan F. Berkowitz Award for Outstanding Service to Children.

Feiner and Wiley created APTP to encourage young people to better themselves and their communities, as well as to teach them to be positive active citizens. This groundbreaking group was even featured this June in the New York Times.

So far, the APTP has taken 50 stories from immigrants in the community and brought them to the stage. The cast is multiethnic, which often brings a multiethnic audience.

According to their Web site, www.aptpchicago.org, not only does the APTP give teens the opportunity to showcase their talents to show the stories of the immigrants, but it also has a college preparation and planning program.

The teens over the years who have been involved in the APTP have gone on to pursue higher education at numerous colleges and universities across the country, including Northeastern Illinois University.

Also on their Web site are the goals of the project: to create dynamic, original theater, to help teenagers reach their goals, and to contribute to Albany Park through being the only performing arts organization representing it.