Enter a Living Sanctuary for Black Girlhood
Join Red Clay Dance Company for Freedom Square: The Black Girlhood Altar, an evening-length dance-theater work created by Founding Artistic Director Vershawn Sanders-Ward.
Inspired by The Black Girlhood Altar, the acclaimed mixed-media installation by A Long Walk Home artists Scheherazade Tillet and Robert Narcisco, the production honors the lives, stories, and enduring legacies of missing and murdered Black women and girls.
Why This Work, Why Now
An investigation by Invisible Institute and City Bureau found that Black girls and women ages 10–20 represented nearly one-third of Chicago’s missing-person cases from 2000 to 2021, despite comprising only 2% of the city’s population.
But statistics cannot hold the fullness of a life. They cannot preserve someone’s laughter, relationships, dreams, or the people who continue to carry their memory.
Freedom Square begins where the statistics end.
Through Afro-contemporary dance, storytelling, original music by Jamila Woods, digital media, and immersive theatrical design, the stage becomes a living altar. Rather than reducing Black women and girls to what happened to them, the work holds them in their full humanity and transforms remembrance into healing and collective action.
Opening-Night Post-Show Discussion
Following the performance on Thursday, October 1, audiences are invited to stay for a special post-show discussion held in partnership with Northwestern University’s Black Arts Consortium. Moderated by Northwestern University Professor and Director of SLIPPAGE: PERFORMANCE | CULTURE | TECHNOLOGY Thomas F. DeFrantz, the conversation will feature Vershawn Sanders-Ward and members of the creative team exploring the creation of Freedom Square, the realities facing missing and murdered Black women and girls, and the role of art in remembrance, healing, and collective action.
The Black Arts Consortium (BAC) within Northwestern University's School of Communication cultivates an interdisciplinary approach to Black Arts, connecting a broader community of scholars, practitioners and community members through research, pedagogy, practice, and civic & community engagement.
Performance Information
Thursday, October 1, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, October 2, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, October 3, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets range from $42–$50. Discounted tickets are available for students, seniors, and groups of 10 or more. Service charges apply.
Freedom Square: The Black Girlhood Altar is presented in partnership with Northwestern University's School of Communication. This program is also partially supported by grants from the Illinois Arts Council Agency and the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.
