At 8 pm on the nights of December 9-11 the MDC Wolfson parking garage at 500 NE 2nd Avenue will be transformed for Where Home Is, an interactive game playing night of theatrics that celebrates immigration.
“My great-great grandmother came to Chicago in 1905 to make her life better in Slovokia. She went on a boat to a foreign land by herself without knowing any English,” explained Juraj Kojs on the inspiration behind Where Home Is. “I’ve been thinking about her a lot over the last ten years and what she went through.”
Out of that admiration came Where Home Is which Kojs described as, “a game based experience. There are lots of activities that are game like that lead audiences. You can’t lose, but you have to play. We created a country in the garage using the escalators and the different floors. You meet a large group of performers that are artists, musicians, and dancers. Through the navigational experience audiences can feel what it’s like to be in a new country.”
Kojs himself immigrated to the US as a student in 1997 from the country that was once known as Czechoslovakia. Moving to a new country has been a wonderful experience for Kojs and he hopes Where Home Is will remind attendees everyone in this country has forefathers who were once immigrants. “People will get to sing and play at this. I want it to make people access memories of their own families and heritage. Hopefully it will make immigration be something we celebrate.”
Miami especially is a city of immigrants and Where Home Is was able to make use of rare film footage of Cuban immigrants being processed at the nearby Freedom Tower. Kojs is hopeful this current strange moment and place we live in will inspire empathy and open hearts.
“In this pandemic world it’s important to engage. We got used to our solitude and isolation. Introspection is good, but we have gotten discouraged to explore. This is an opportunity to have fun and get out with other people.”
For more info on the MDC Live Arts event and the chance to buy tickets click here.
