CHICAGO: Congo Square Theatre Company has announced its 2020-21 season, featuring a digital series and a virtual version of its annual festival.

“Congo Square Theatre has spent the past 20 years producing raw, real, and relevant work reflecting and elevating the voices of Black and African Diasporic artists,” said managing director Charlique C. Rolle in a statement. “Even as the unknowns of producing stand before us, we charge forward innovating and iterating as we launch this new season. We are even more committed to creating transformative Black theatre for all versions of the ‘stage’ in these times.”

Congo Square will open its season with a new online series Hit ‘Em on the Blackside, featuring Congo Square’s ensemble in bi-weekly sketch comedy webisodes. The series will run October to December before resuming in March 2021 and running through June. Webisodes, directed by Anthony Irons, will be available for free viewing on the company’s social media accounts. The webisodes will then be compiled into a full show on Congo Square’s website, with part one airing in December and part two dropping in June.

The theatre will also present a digital version of its Festival on the Square (Feb. 4-6, 2021). The festival will include a 10-minute play festival with live readings and “Conversations at the Square,” highlighting Black artists and industry professionals.

The season will conclude with a live production in late spring or summer 2021. Details on the production, which is to speak to the current moment and facilitate healing for the Black community, will be announced at a later date.

Founded in 1999, Congo Square Theatre Company is an ensemble dedicated to producing transformative theatre spawned from the African Diaspora and other world cultures.