Pages

Showing posts with label The Elephant and The Whale. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Elephant and The Whale. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

ACT OUT: Redmoon FREE Summer Finale in Humboldt Park & Original Video Interview With Frank Maugeri 9/7 #redmoon



Redmoon has been a favorite of ours for decades!   They're an integral part of the Chicago Theatre scene and never cease to amaze.   They're back at it again with a big, FREE finale to their summer series on 9/7.   Be there.   Highly recommended!



Check out our original video interview with Frank Maugeri and others who collaborated on Chicago Children's Theatre's spring production, The Elephant and The Whale right here.   We interviewed Frank as part of our ongoing series on "HOW CREATIVES PARENT AND HOW PARENTS CREATE".

We're so excited to bring you our original video interview with the Co-Directors of The Elephant and The Whale Frank Maugeri (Redmoon) & Leslie Buxbaum Danzig (500 Clown) and with actor, David Catlin (Lookingglass).   All 3 are parents and theatre professionals and they graciously took time out of their busy lives for an interview with us about the show.  They also shared their on insights on "How Creatives Parent and How Parents Create" for ChiIL Mama's long running series on the theme.  (Chicago Children's Theatre's World Premier Collaboration 5/2013)

Redmoon culminates its Summer Park Series - a Night Out in the Parks event 
in the historic Humboldt Park with a special reception open to the public to honor Allstate Insurance Company and it collaborators and supporters on September 7th, 2013. 

"Allstate is proud to be a part of these amazing Summer Park events, which showcase so many talented young Chicago performance artists who are bringing joy and fabulous entertainment to communities across the city," said Vicky Dinges, vice president of corporate social responsibility at Allstate. "Our company is strongly committed to supporting Chicago's vibrant and diverse cultural arts because they deliver positive, life enriching experiences for our youth and Chicagoans of all ages."

The Humboldt Park event begins with an hour-long free drum and poetry workshop, taught in collaboration with the Bucket Boys and poets from Young Chicago Authors (YCA).  Participants are then invited to parade through the park alongside Redmoon's newest machine - the Sonic Boom - a massive, 16 ft. tall transforming mobile boom box conceived by Redmoon's Producing Artistic Director Frank Maugeri.  The parade leads into a community celebration that is a mash up of music by DJ LMS, spoken word poetry, drumming, dancing, and a free meal of pizza and fried chicken.   

The event will also include a special performance by artists from YCA's Division St. Project, a year-long project grounded in non-fiction creative writing and verse journalism.   YCA teaching artist Malcom London and Division St. Project Storyteller Nita Tennyson will share poems inspired by the project, followed by a song by Angie Citali. 

As the conclusion of Redmoon's Summer Park Series, the event will include a special reception to honor the series' key supporters and collaborators, including Allstate Insurance Company, the Pritzker Traubert Family Foundation and the Chicago Park District.

"Mayor Rahm Emanuel's Night Out in the Parks initiative looks for ways to engage people in their communities," said Michael P. Kelly, Chicago Park District General Superintendent and CEO.  "Redmoon was a great example of this. We witnessed how participatory art transforms parks into spaces for creative and positive activities."

Over 8,500 community members participated in Redmoon's Night Out in the Park events.  Under the design and directorial leadership of Maugeri and Artistic Associate Will Bishop, Redmoon and its team of collaborators brought community celebrations to a lineup of 10 public parks on the South and West Sides of the city.  This included Sherwood Park in West Englewood, Columbus Park in Austin and Midway Plaisance Park in Hyde Park. "The Sonic Boom [and the Summer Park Series] is re-establishing the parks in Chicago as a center for culture and community," said Kevin Coval, Artistic Director for the Young Chicago Authors. 

By sharing a poem over the Sonic Boom's 10,000-watt speaker system, dancing to the music of DJ SuchNSuch - or simply joining their neighbors for a meal -community members from throughout the city joined in this spectacle celebration.   "The parade was a great idea... [the kids] who got the opportunity to perform feel like superstars," said Solomon Smith, Meyering Park Supervisor.  "They're still talking about it."

The Park Series has been a part of Redmoon's larger summer effort to create unexpected spectacular events and community celebrations throughout Chicago - all outdoors and all for free.   Since May, Redmoon has brought its contraptions and performers to 24 free outdoor events - from Evanston's Fourth of July Parade, to Pilsen's Low Rider Festival, Boystown's Market Days, and Homan Square and North Lawndale's Peace March and many more.  In total, Redmoon's summer work reached over 55,000 people.

Redmoon invites all to the culminating Humboldt Park event to celebrate this extraordinary summer of free spectacle and community building. 

EVENT DETAILS:
Date:  Saturday, September 7, 2013
Location:  Humbolt Park, 1440 N Humbolt Dr.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS: 
4:30pm - Free drumming and poetry workshops for community members
6:00pm - Free community meal and reception
7:15pm - Humboldt Park community parade begins
7:30pm - Redmoon's show begins
8:30pm - Event conclusion 

To RSVP:  
Contact rsvp@redmoon.org 

ABOUT THE SUMMER PARK SERIES
Redmoon's Summer Park Series was part of Mayor Rahm Emanuel's Night Out in the Parks initiative supported by NATO Legacy funds, and was presented thanks to the generous support and civic vision of Allstate Insurance Company, Chicago Park District, The Pritzker Traubert Family Foundation, The 1111 Foundation, The Ebert Foundation, Bacci Pizza, KFC, Dance All Night, and many others.

ABOUT DIVISION ST. PROJECT
A Year-long project grounded in non-fiction creative writing and verse journalism. 15 story finders meet weekly to engage in research and writing inspired by Studs Terkel's Division Street: America. The students are scouting the length of Division Street from the far East to the far West of the city, collecting and re-telling the stories of today's Chicago via anthology, video, recording and/or live performance. Join the movement and walk the miles traveled. 

ABOUT REDMOON
Redmoon's mission is to transform the experience of our urban landscape through spectacular events that disrupt everyday life and promote community, creativity, and democracy. Founded in 1990, Redmoon transforms streets, stages and architectural landmarks, bridging international, economic, cultural and generational boundaries with unique brand of Spectacle: public art form that is equal parts pageantry, gadgetry, puppetry, robust physical performance and visual art.

Saturday, May 11, 2013

The Elephant & The Whale Ticket Giveaway & Original Video Interview With Three of The Creative Masterminds Behind The World Premier #originalvideointerview #giveaway #review #ad





ChiIL Out with ChiIL Mama.   Pop a bowl of popcorn and get ready to see something amazing.  We're so excited to bring you our original video interview with the Co-Directors of The Elephant and The Whale, Frank Maugeri (Redmoon) & Leslie Buxbaum Danzig (500 Clown) and with actor, David Catlin (Lookingglass).   All 3 are parents and theatre professionals and they graciously took time out of their busy lives for an interview with us about the show.  They also shared their insights on "How Creatives Parent and How Parents Create" for ChiIL Mama's long running series on the theme.



We generally try to keep our original videos around 15 minutes, but these three had some seriously sweet gems of info on parenting and great stuff about The Elephant and The Whale, so we're going to go ahead and run it as a longer feature.   I'll also break the material down into shorter 15 minute individual interviews at a later date, to add to our Creative Parenting series.




Win 4 Free Tickets:

ChiIL out with free tickets to Chicago Children's Theatre & Redmoon's stellar collaboration!   Our last giveaway was so successful, we're going to do it again!  Enter now through midnight on 5/13.   This giveaway is short, sweet & hard to beat.    We highly highly recommend you catch this show before it closes May 26th.

Click The Rafflecopter Link Below For Your Chance to Win 4 Tickets To The Elephant & The Whale AND a free pizza party Thurs, 5/16, 6:30 pm.


a Rafflecopter giveaway







ChiIL Live Shows caught the opening weekend of The Elephant & The Whale at Chicago Children's Theatre and we were enormously impressed by this mammoth undertaking.   We've long been fans of Redmoon's mission statement "engineering wonder" and of the fabulous physical comedy and energy of 500 Clown.   These world collided in a BIG way for this show and adults and hard to please tweens and teens will dig this one, too!   Yes, Chicago Children's Theatre is not only for the littles, my friends.   A lot of blood, sweat & prep went into this production, but the end result is pure magic.






Credit for all Production Photos Charles Osgood


Click here for ChiIL Mama's past coverage of The Elephant and The Whale including ticket links, show times and plot points as well as more show footage & stills.

Check back with ChiIL Mama like we vote in Chi, IL... early and often for loads of original content, fabulous happenings and great giveaways.   

**Final footage footnote:  It took me longer than I'd hoped to don my editor's hat and finish the interview above.  There were so many insightful comments in the interviews that I tried to chop it to about 20 minutes for days, and finally surrendered, and decided that this needs to be published as a longer piece... at least once.
   
We also got caught up in crazy busy parenting land over here, with two kids in and out of their own performances with CircEsteem, 2 Roller Derby halftime shows, a school variety show and 2 gymnastics team showcases.   And I had a 4 day International film fest to cover, and a German filmmaker to interview.

Thanks for your patience.   It's worth the wait!   






SPECTACLE IN MINIATURE TELLS THE TALE OF A GIANT FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN THE LARGEST ANIMALS ON OUR PLANET, APR. 10-MAY 26 AT THE RUTH PAGE CENTER  


This all-new family fable features sea voyages, wild mechanical objects, circus songs, panoramic paintings, exquisite shadow puppets and an innovative sound design. Performances through May 26, 2013 at Chicago Children's Theatre's new home, the Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn, Chicago.

The Elephant and The Whale is recommended for all ages.



Schedule through May 26:  Tuesday at 10 a.m.; Wednesday at 10 a.m. and 12 p.m.; Thursday at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.; Friday at 10 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.; Saturday at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m.; and Sunday at 11 a.m. and 2p.m. 

Run time is approximately 60 minutes with no intermission.



FREE PIZZA PARTIES ON THURSDAYS & ART PARTIES FRIDAY

As if you need any more reasons to see this show...

Note:  Family-friendly 6:30 p.m. Thursday shows are preceded with a free pizza party starting at 5:45 pm.  Thursday evenings are $25 for dinner and show. On Friday evenings, families are encouraged to kick off their weekend at the 6:30 p.m. show, and stay after for a fun post-show craft party.  Friday evenings are $25 for show and party.

Regular single tickets are $26 for children, $36 for adults. To purchase, visit chicagochildrenstheatre.org or call (872) 222-9555. For discounted school, scout, playgroup, extended family and other group rates, visit GroupTix.net or call (773) 327-3778



Disclaimer:  Thanks to the fabulous folk at Chicago Children's Theatre for giving us family 4 packs of tickets to share with our readers.   All opinions are our own.

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

ACT OUT ENDING: There Is A Happiness That Morning Is #review


Catch it while you can.  Happiness is fleeting and Theatre Oobleck's remount is ending this weekend after an extension through April 7th.   The show's upstairs at The Biograph Theatre-Victory Gardens.   

We'll be back at The Biograph for the press opening of The Whale on the 15th--not to be confused with The Elephant and The Whale (at CST-Chicago Children's Theatre).   We're covering their opening Friday the 12th and have some sweet video interviews and a 4 ticket giveaway in the works!

We sat in on an early rehearsal of The Whale, just 3 days in and had an excellent talk back with the actors.   I love to see a piece evolve.   This show has a Mormon (who has friends who went to serve in Africa... like a certain hit Broadway musical), a snarky teenage girl, school papers by an estranged child (like Dream of the Burning Boy), and a gay, obese protagonist who is already a challenge to play in an authentic, truthful way that won't evoke ire.   I'm so intrigued to see where they go with this show!

Back to There is a Happiness, it was an interesting segue to go from Completeness at The Wit on Friday to this show on Saturday.   It was a nerd love fest of a weekend.   This show's a bit more intellectual and esoteric, so less accessible unless you're a true disciple of William Blake's works.   The scenario is a hoot and the characters' responses provide an interesting dynamic, and lend fresh eyes to staid literary staples.  It's certainly worth a look.



Of course Dillinger didn't experience much happiness after seeing a show at The Biograph with The Woman in Red (Ana Sage)  that infamous day in 1934, so my husband and I left our daughter, Sage Ani, at home and had a great time with another woman in red, our long time friend, Cath.




No theatre goers were harmed in the making of this feature.








 



More Happiness!
There Is a Happiness That Morning Is

  "a not-to-be-missed remount" - "soul shaking" - "Killer."
Yes, that one, has been extended until April 7th!
Tickets available here
More info here

There Is a Happiness That Morning Is

by Mickle Maher

“. . . richer, funnier, and more heartbreaking than ever… If the American theater harbors a precedent for Mickle Maher’s astonishing 2011 play There Is a Happiness That Morning Is, I’ve never found it . . .”


“The most remarkable mix of poetry and drama you are ever likely to see.”


MAHER’S MOST POWERFUL PLAY TO DATE… SOUL SHAKING


an enjoyably lunatic endeavor


“Goosed by precise, masterful performances, Maher’s text is almost endlessly engaging and frequently hilarious.”


“FUNNY, WITTY, LITERATE, and PROFOUND… It’s the actors who make it a slam-dunk”




JANUARY 31-MARCH 10, 2013
EXTENDED THROUGH APRIL 7
Thursday-Saturday at 8pm
Sunday at 3pm
(no shows Thursdays March 28 & April 4)
INDUSTRY NIGHT: MONDAY APRIL 1st at 8pm
VICTORY GARDENS BIOGRAPH THEATER
2433 North Lincoln Avenue, Chicago
773.871.3000
$15 suggested donation*
More if you got it,
free if you’re broke.

Theater Oobleck revives Mickle Maher’s comedy in rhymed verse told via two lectures on the poetry of William Blake: one given in the morning by Bernard, a middle-aged, barely published poet of scant scholarship, on the Songs of Innocence, and the other in the afternoon by his lover, Ellen, a reputable Ph.D., on the Songs of Experience.

Having engaged the evening before in a highly inappropriate display of public affection on the main lawn of their rural New England campus, the two undergraduate lecturers must now, in class, either apologize for their behavior or effectively justify it if they want to keep their jobs.
Featuring Diana Slickman, Colm O’Reilly, and Kirk Anderson.


The script of There Is A Happiness That Morning Is is also available as part of the book of Oobleck plays More If You’ve Got It. Purchase it directly from us.

*Quick ticket explanation: You can get your “more if you’ve got it, free if you’re broke” tickets (as per Theater Oobleck tradition) by calling the box office 773-871-3000. For on-line tickets, click on the link above, then click on the day you want. Then in the next screen you indicate how many tickets you want. Then in the NEXT screen you are given the option of a “Regular Price” (that would be $15), a $10, or a $1 ticket.



Check out this audio link to an interview with Mickle Maher about how he wrote the play.   Then go already.   This weekend is your last shot at Happiness!   
Happiness playwright Mickle Maher talks about the power of public sex, the actor’s prerogative, and why the play was almost about mummies in this half-hour podcast from Talk Theatre in Chicago. Includes bonus stale bread metaphors!
How does a play get written? In particular, how does a verse play about two college English teachers lecturing on the poetry of William Blake to save their jobs after having public sex on the campus green get written? Mickle Maher joins Anne Nicholson Weber to talk about the genesis of his play, There Is A Happiness That Morning Is, which is currently being remounted by Theater Oobleck at Victory Gardens; and about drafts and redrafts, writing in verse, and finding one's voice as a writer.
Listen: (MP3) Time: 31:53



Thursday, October 11, 2012

ACT OUT: 2012-13 Season Begins TODAY In New Digs for Chicago Children's Theatre





ITINERANT NO MORE, CHICAGO CHILDREN’S THEATRE’S 2012-13 SEASON TO BE STAGED IN ONE CONVENIENT LOCATION: THE RUTH PAGE CENTER FOR THE ARTS


THREE
FAMILY-FRIENDLY SHOWS ON TAP FOR 2012-13:
HAROLD AND THE
PURPLE CRAYON
, BUD, NOT BUDDY AND THE
PREMIERE OF
THE ELEPHANT & THE WHALE WITH
REDMOON


Woo hoo!   Harold and the Purple Crayon opens today!!  Check it out.   This book was one of my kids' childhood favs and I remember it from my early days, too.   We can't wait to see what magic Chicago Children's Theatre and director, Sean Graney, have planned for the musical adaptation.   Get your tickets today for this Chicago premier!   Ages 3 and up...and up....and up.

ChiIL Mama was thrilled to meet with Jacqueline Russell, Frank Maugeri and other key production staff for the upcoming season at Chicago Children's Theatre.   We're beyond stoked to see our favs play so well with others.   The collaboration between Redmoon's Frank Maugeri and Chicago Children's Theatre on The Elephant & The Whale is bound to be epic!

We hope to have more original video interviews here at ChiIL Mama/ChiIL Live Shows and we'll have loads of updates as each show opens.   Right now we're so excited to see Harold and the Purple Crayon opening this weekend.   Our readers will get a sneak peek at the early production sketches for this season's sets, costumes and so much more.


Chicago Children’s Theatre (CCT) and Artistic Director Jacqueline Russell are delighted to announce the company has a new home and will be an Artist
In-Residence at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn St., Chicago for the entire 2012-2013 season.



In addition to welcoming its audience to one convenient destination all
season, Chicago’s #1 presenter of top-quality professional
children’s theater is thrilled to confirm three wildly imaginative productions for 2012-2013 – the Chicago premiere of a new musical version of
Harold and the Purple Crayon, directed by Sean Graney
(Oct. 11-Nov. 4, 2012),


an adaptation of the Newberry Medal winning novel
Bud, Not Buddy,
directed by
Derrick Sanders (Jan.12-Feb. 24, 2013),

and the world premiere of The Elephant & The Whale, created by Frank Maugeri, co-directed by Maugeri and Leslie Buxbaum Danzig, with a script by Seth Bockley and music by Kevin O’Donnell, produced in association with Redmoon (Apr. 10-May 26, 2013).
After seven years of being itinerant, we are so looking forward to our new
residency at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts because it gives Chicagoland families one consistent location to experience a full season of exceptional theatrical programming,” said Chicago Children’s Theatre Artistic Director and Co-Founder Jacqueline Russell. “Ruth Page was home for our 2010 smash hit Jackie and Me so we can’t wait to bring our audience back for three consecutive productions sure to delight children of all ages.”

Also new for 2012-2013: The performance schedules for all three
productions include family-friendly 6:30 pm Thursday shows, proceeded
by pizza parties in the Ruth Page Center’s multi-purpose room
starting at 5:30 pm. On Friday evenings, families are encouraged to
kick off their weekend by wearing their PJs to the 6:30 pm show, and
stay after for a fun post-show PJ Party with members of the cast.

In addition to its three-play season at the Ruth Page Center, Chicago
Children’s Theatre will take its season-opener Harold and the Purple Crayon on a regional tour after its downtown run, with performances November 7-11 at the Beverly Arts Center, 2401 W. 111th
St. in Chicago’s Beverly neighborhood, and November 14-18 at the
North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 N. Skokie Blvd. in
Skokie.



2012-2013
Family Membership Passes on sale now


For complete season information, visit chicagochildrenstheatre.org
or call (773) 227-0180 x 11.
For group inquiries, contact GroupTix at (773)
327-3778
or visit GroupTix.net.



More about Chicago Children’s Theatre’s 2012-2013 season:



Harold and the Purple Crayon
A Chicago Children’s Theatre Chicago premiere

Based on the books
by
Crockett
Johnson



Text by Don Darryl Rivera, Lyrics by Robert Burgess, 
Music by Auston James
Directed by Sean Graney

October 11-November 4, 2012 
Recommended for ages 3 and up

Also touring to The Beverly Arts Center, 2401
W. 111
th St., Chicago, November 7-11
And the North Shore Centre for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd.,
Skokie, November 14-18


Harold and the Purple Crayon teaches young audiences that anything is possible with a crayon and a bigimagination. Meet Harold, a curious four year old boy who, armed with his trusty purple crayon, has the power to create a world of his own simply by drawing it. This imaginative musical uses breathtaking animation, inventive puppetry, and original music to bring Harold’s
purple-hued world to life; it is perfect for introducing young children to theatre while simultaneously captivating their older companions.



Harold and the Purple Crayon will be helmed by CCT Artistic Associate Sean Graney, who directed the company’s productions of The Hundred DressesHonus and Me,and Hana’s Suitcase.

**Graney, Founding Artistic Director of The Hypocrites, is the
recipient of a Career Development for Directors Program award from
the National Endowment for the Arts and Theatre Communications Group, the winner of two non-Equity Joseph Jefferson Awards, and was named Chicago’s Best Avant-Garde Director by Chicago
Magazine 
and 2004’s Chicagoan of the Year: Theater by the Chicago
Tribune.



Bud, Not Buddy
Based on the Newberry winning novel by Christopher Paul Curtis
Adapted by Reginald Andre Jackson
Directed by Derrick Sanders


January 12-February 24, 2013
Recommended
for ages 8 and up


Bud, Not Buddy
follows the journey of a young African-American orphan as he searches for his
father. Clues kept in a suitcase lead him to adventures in
Depression-era Michigan, where he finds community among a group of
jazz musicians and, ultimately, an unexpected sense of home.




Popular reading in the classroom, author Christopher Paul Curtis’ Bud, Not Buddy was the winner of the 2000 Newberry Medal and the Coretta Scott King
Award. In 2010, Jackson's stage adaptation won the Distinguished Play Award from The American Alliance for Theater and Education.


Award-winning director Derrick Sanders – Founding Artistic Director of Congo Square Theatre Company, a Chicago Tribune Chicagoan of the Year in 2005, winner of multiple Joseph Jefferson Awards and Black Theater Alliance Awards, and director of CCT’s 2010 world premiere Jackie
and Me
– has a national reputation, having directed at countless Chicago, regional and New York theaters. He is known for his many collaborations with the legendary August Wilson, including in Chicago his award-winning
productions of Joe Turner’s Come and Gone and Seven
Guitars
for Congo Square.  His Off-Broadway directorial debut, Wilson’s King
Hedley II
for Signature Theatre, received two Lucille Lortel and Audelco nominations. He was also a part of August Wilson’s World premiere productions of Radio Golf and Gem of the Ocean on Broadway and at the Huntington Theatre, Mark Taper Forum and the Goodman.


The Elephant & The Whale
A Chicago Children’s Theatre world premiere, presented in association
with Redmoon 
Created by Frank Maugeri


Co-directed by Frank Maugeri and Leslie Buxbaum Danzig
Script by Seth Bockley

Music by Kevin O’Donnell

April 10 –May 26, 2013 
Recommended for all ages

CCT’s seventh season will conclude with a world premiere collaboration with
Redmoon’s Frank Maugeri to create The Elephant & The Whale,
an all new family fable featuring sea shanties, wild mechanical
objects, theatrical clowning, hand painted imagery, exquisite shadow
puppets and an innovative sound design. This new work is conceived by
Maugeri with an original story and songs by
Seth Bockley
with composer
Kevin O’Donnell.


Co-directed by Leslie Buxbaum Danzig (of 500 Clown),
this epic tale invites audiences of all ages to discover the majesty
of the largest animals on our planet, and a story of friendship
conquering the sea itself. 

The year is 1901. On the largest steamship in the world, a captive
African Gray Elephant is bound for America. Mid-Atlantic, the boat
encounters a massive blue whale. What happens next is a love story
spanning species, time zones and many nautical miles. The performance will feature a live band and three performers who crank contraptions, pedal panoramic painting apparatuses, operate wild puppets and manipulate shadow sequences all while they sing shanty-like songs to weave this original and epic tale.  


Redmoon Co-Artistic Director Frank Maugeri
during his 15 year tenure with the company has created countless spectacle
productions and events seen around Chicago. Highlights include serving
as director, co-creator, and designer of the recent Astronaut’s Birthday,
a large-scale animated, graphic novel projected on the Museum of
Contemporary Art’s 80-foot façade; co-creation and design of the
critically acclaimed The Feast: an intimate Tempest
at Chicago Shakespeare Theater; seven of the famed All Hallow’s Eve
ritual celebrations in Logan Square; over a dozen annual family-friendly Winter
Pageant 
performances; Once Upon a Time
(Jeff Award, After Dark Award) with its subsequent tour to France;
Laika's Coffin and Cape and Squiggle for the Chicago Humanities Festival at MCA; Boneyard Prayer; and Redmoon’s longest running production The Cabinetits remount and tour of Brazil.


Seth Bockley
the critically-acclaimed writer and adapter, is a playwright in
residence at the Goodman Theater and book writer for the new musical
February House.  He is also an artist in residence at the University of Chicago, and was a recipient of Theater Communications Group's New Generations
Grant for which he spent two years with Redmoon as Directing
Apprentice.


Leslie Buxbaum Danzig (co-director)
co-created Lucky Plush Productions’ The Better Half,
which premiered at MCA Chicago and tours in 2012-2013 throughout the
US.  She was resident 
director with 500 Clown for 10 years, directed Redmoon’s Hunchback at New Victory Theater (NYC), and is Program Curator for the Gray Center for Arts and Inquiry at University of Chicago. 

Kevin O’Donnell (composer) is a Chicago-based musician; he has worked in Chicago theater for the last 10 years, during which time he has been
nominated for 19 Jeff Awards (receiving 8), and 2 consecutive After
Dark Awards (Outstanding Season).  He has worked around the
country, both in theatre and as a musician, having recorded and
toured with Andrew Bird, Kelly Hogan, Nickel Creek, and many others. 


About The Ruth Page Center for the Arts, Chicago Children’s Theatre’s
home for 2012-2013

The Ruth Page Center for Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn St., is located just
steps from Michigan Avenue’s Magnificent Mile. The historic 1927
building in which The Center resides sits on a lovely tree-lined
street in the heart of Chicago’s Gold Coast neighborhood, near the
CTA Red Line and the Clark, Broadway and Division bus lines. Under
the aegis of The Ruth Page Foundation, the Ruth Page Center for the
Arts has for over 40 years committed its resources to supporting
dance and theater in Chicago through its initiatives and programs.
Among these is its Artist In-Residence program where emerging and
established artists and organizations can have a home, office space,
rehearsal space, collaborative programming, and performance
opportunities. Lookingglass Theater and Chicago Shakespeare Theater
have both called the Ruth Page Center home before moving on to
establish their own venues. In addition to Chicago Children’s
Theatre, the 2012-2013 Ruth Page Artist-In Residence program includes
ShawChicago Theatre Company, River North Dance Chicago, CDI/Concert
Dance Inc, DanceWorks Chicago and the Ruth Page Civic Ballet.
Chicago’s top dance companies also perform at the Ruth Page Center
as part of its Subsidized Theater Rental Program. For more
information, visit
ruthpage.org.


About
Chicago Children’s Theatre


Chicago Children’s Theatre focuses on the production of first-rate
children’s theatre in Chicago, with top writing, performing and
directorial talent and high-quality design and production expertise.
Chicago Children’s Theatre aspires to enrich our community through
diverse and significant theatrical and educational programming that
engages and inspires the child in all of us.



Launched in 2005, Chicago Children’s Theatre strives to provide affordable
and accessible theatre for families and area school children. To
enhance the impact of any given production’s themes, Chicago
Children’s Theatre offers educational materials and programs for
families and educators.

This summer, Chicago Children’s Theatre is expanding
its operations with the launch of the company’s first-ever Summer
Theater Camp, July 16-27, 2012 at
Franklin Fine Arts Center in Chicago’s Old Town neighborhood.
Guided by artists and arts educators with extensive experience in the
Chicago theater industry, CCT summer campers will learn to create
their own stories and work as a team to turn those stories into one
big theatrical adventure. For more information and to register visit
chicagochildrenstheatre.org/summercamp
or call 773.227.0180.

In addition to its mainstage programming for families, schools and
groups, Chicago Children’s Theatre will also continue
its Red Kite Project in 2012-2013, creating multi-sensory, interactive theater programming tailored specifically to the needs and interests of children on the
autism spectrum. CCT’s Red Kite Project
also includes Camp Red Kite, an annual summer arts camp tailored specifically to the unique interests and needs of children on the autism spectrum. For
the most up-to-date information on every
Red
Kite 
development, including the upcoming summer session of Camp
Red Kite
, June 25-July 13 at Chicago’s Cleveland Elementary School, call
773.227.0180 x15 or visit www.theredkiteproject.org.
Led by Artistic Director Jacqueline Russell,
and Board Chair Todd Leland, the company is supported by a committed Artistic Council of
Chicago-based actors, directors, musicians and designers, and a
dynamic Board of Directors comprised of dedicated individuals from
the fields of entertainment, philanthropy and business. Officers
include David Saltiel, President; J. Scot Pepper
and Jacqueline Tilton,Vice Chairs; Lynn Lockwood Murphy, Vice Chair and Secretary; and David Chung,Treasurer.


Chicago Children’s Theatre’s 2012-2013 season is made possible in part by
the generosity of its sponsors:  ComEd
is the Official Lighting Sponsor. Goldman
Sachs Gives is the Official Season Sponsor.
JPMorgan Chase is the Official Education Sponsor. Target
is the Official School Field Trip Sponsor. United
is the Chicago Premiere Sponsor as well as the Official and Exclusive
Airline Sponsor. 

For more information about Chicago Children’s Theatre visit
chicagochildrenstheatre.org
or call 773.227.0180.

Google Analytics