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In 2001, at age 26, Ellyzabeth Adler had the creative inspiration to adapt T. S. Eliot’s The Wasteland into a dance-theater performance. Her unique blend of dance, physical theater, visual media, and original music intrigued audiences, press, and colleagues, who wanted to see more performances in this style. “Adler gently joins artistic forces, even to the point of making the exposed-brick walls of the space speak.” This production led Adler to start the company, and here we are, 25 years later. On February 6, 2002, CDE was incorporated and recognized by the government as a Not-for-Profit.
Adler was inspired by the German Expressionist movement's unification of all art media to create radical change in humankind and social justice activism, and wanted to build a place where artists, audiences, and even kids could come together around these principles. |
Above: The Wasteland Jim Contreras, Melissa Lawson, Blake Montgomery, Alison Farnum
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Below: Architecture of Memory Virginia Van Lieshout
Below: "Filmstrips 101" audience members
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Artistically, CDE aimed to create work and unite artists in a multidisciplinary sphere.
Notable early works include: Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper, poetry-inspired pieces based on Rumi’s Touch and Mirrors, Original plays: Ever Your Own, Edgar, How We Grew Breasts Without Really Trying, and Chicago Stories 2004, the first Full Circle Festival brought together artists in social justice storytelling and ran for 5 years with 50+ companies before a hiatus. Unraveling Bill, inspired by Sergeant William Blake’s death and veteran stories, evolved into Unraveling Veterans with The Veterans Art Museum in 2014. 2014, CDE partnered with Ebenezer Lutheran Church at its Community House, securing space for multi-arts performances and rehearsals, which allowed us to refine our social justice theater focus. Highlighted works included: Vagina Monologues, Chicago Premiere of Nambi E. Kelley’s Xtigone, and Piece of My Heart 2017, CDE expanded with the Danztheatre Playwright Festival and Body Passages residency. 2018, CDE received the MacArthur Award for International Collaborations, creating Mycelia about the Arab Spring. 2020-21, due to COVID-19, we paused online programs but renovated the auditorium. 2021, we celebrated 20 years with remounts of key works and sharing the arts community resilience. 2024, collaborations included Panther in the Sky and Funny, Like An Abortion. |
"7 Stories Under 6 Feet Tall"
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Student writes an empowering word
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Davon Suttles at Webster Elementary
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Adler prioritized arts education and performances equally from the start. In 2002, the arts education initiative launched with 7 Stories Under 6 Feet Tall, where 10 kids adapted children’s books for the stage, making costumes and backdrops. Adler believed that the arts sparked imagination and social-emotional growth beyond memorization. She integrated arts into schools and community centers, making programs affordable and accessible. In 2014, a curriculum focused on early childhood education that combined social-emotional learning, arts, literacy, and comprehension was introduced, emphasizing consistent instruction. The Kids Project Summer Camp started in 2017 as an affordable childcare program that encourages arts and play. During the 2020-21 pandemic, CDE supported families with a learning pod, fostering community. Community partners and teachers help advance this mission; in 2021, a ‘Teach the Teachers’ program was launched with mentorship and resources. Over the past 25 years, the organization has partnered with 57 schools and 17 social groups, and has conducted 43 workshops and tours in Chicago Parks.
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Administratively, during 2020-2023, we analyzed the loss of spaces, assessed the needs of the artistic community, and evaluated the loss of partners who used the community house, which opened new spaces and opportunities for CDE to help the artistic community.
2024 new dance floor from The Saints Foundation and The Bayless Family Foundation, ArtsMidwest, to support the relaunch of the Body Passages Artists Residency program, and seed money from The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation to support subsidized rehearsal and performance rentals, including marketing support. |
2025- The Playwright’s Cohort was launched, led by longtime CDE collaborator Timothy David Rey, to support playwrights in their often solitary work. The Driehaus Foundation renewed its support with a $100,000, two-year grant, and the Illinois Arts Council awarded CDE a grant to renovate the Visual Artists Solarium, which created subsidized space for six artists. CDE hired Davon Suttles as the new Assistant Artistic Director, bringing their expertise in the arts and tap-dance background to support the subsidized rentals and artists' residency programs.
2026, CDE hired J’nae Howard as Community Engagement Director to further the grassroots expansion and connection to the city.
As CDE moves into our 25th year, we have not only survived COVID but are thriving. In May 2026, Ellyzabeth Adler teamed up with filmmaker Hart Ginsburg of Digital Tapestries to create “Architecture of Memory,” which premiered 25 years to the date of the opening of “The Wasteland” in 2001. The rentals program is exceeding everyone's expectations to be the home for visual art, dance, music, theater, and now circus arts. With funding from Innovation 80, we have begun an intergenerational dance class, “Forever In Motion,” and “Passages,” an artist residency program pairing under-25-year-old artists with 55-plus artists to create work around the rites of passages. Our dedication to arts education, artists, and creating social justice, multidisciplinary work is unwavering and growing stronger as we continue to build commUNITY through the arts “one story, one voice, one person” at a time, onstage and in the classroom.
2026, CDE hired J’nae Howard as Community Engagement Director to further the grassroots expansion and connection to the city.
As CDE moves into our 25th year, we have not only survived COVID but are thriving. In May 2026, Ellyzabeth Adler teamed up with filmmaker Hart Ginsburg of Digital Tapestries to create “Architecture of Memory,” which premiered 25 years to the date of the opening of “The Wasteland” in 2001. The rentals program is exceeding everyone's expectations to be the home for visual art, dance, music, theater, and now circus arts. With funding from Innovation 80, we have begun an intergenerational dance class, “Forever In Motion,” and “Passages,” an artist residency program pairing under-25-year-old artists with 55-plus artists to create work around the rites of passages. Our dedication to arts education, artists, and creating social justice, multidisciplinary work is unwavering and growing stronger as we continue to build commUNITY through the arts “one story, one voice, one person” at a time, onstage and in the classroom.
PAST CDE EVENTS & PERFORMANCES
WATCH PAST PRODUCTIONS
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WATCH OUR KIDS IN ACTION
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1650 W FOSTER AVE
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