Chicago Children’s Theatre's The Beatrix Potter Holiday Party is making its annual return, culminating a fall U.S. tour.
Performances at CCT’s West Loop home at 100 S. Racine St. are November 23-December 29. Press openings are Saturday and Sunday, November 23 and 24, at 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.
Kids up to 8 watch with surprise, awe and delight as four adorable Beatrix Potter animal stories spring to life during this clever 60-minute trunk and puppet show. Parents watch the show, and their toddlers, with just as much love as they witness their little ones grow ever more wide-eyed at the magic of live theater.
(left) Felix Mayes and Lily Emerson, and (center) Felix Mayes, in The Beatrix Potter Holiday Party. (right) Lily Emerson meets audience members at the post-show holiday party. Photos by Charles Osgood.
Three charming storytellers unlock four vintage trunks, pull levers and turn cranks to reveal your family's favorite Beatrix Potter animal adventures. In proper English accent and period costumes, the actors weave toy theater magic with Beatrix Potter’s classic narration while recruiting kids to chime in at interactive moments, all accompanied by a veritable one-man-band playing original music on guitar, banjo, cello and toy piano.
This year’s stories are “The Tale of Tom Kitten,” “The Tailor of Gloucester,” “The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher,” and of course, “The Tale of Peter Rabbit.”
After the show, families gather in CCT’s lobby to play with the puppets, take pictures with the cast, enjoy Beatrix Potter-inspired crafts and holiday treats courtesy Eli’s Cheesecake, and celebrate the holidays making new friends with other families from all over Chicago.
Screen and download this b-roll video reel for The Beatrix Potter Holiday Party. Courtesy Chicago Children's Theatre.
(left) Felix Mayes and Lily Emerson in The Beatrix Potter Holiday Party. (right) Audience members enjoying the post-show holiday party. Photos by Charles Osgood.
Now in its ninth season, Chicago Children’s Theatre’s holiday-show-plus-after-party has been the first introduction to live theater for thousands of Chicago’s youngest theatergoers. The Chicago Reader calls it “dazzling, brisk at under an hour, and sweet as can be.”
Join the tradition, dress in your holiday finest, and bring the whole family. Or come as you are with your neighborhood playgroup. Tickets also make wonderful gifts for families with children 8 and under.
The Beatrix Potter Holiday Party runs November 23-December 29 at Chicago Children’s Theatre, 100 S. Racine, in Chicago's West Loop. Performances are Saturdays and Sundays at 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Exceptions: No 9:30 a.m. show Saturday, December 21. Added 2 p.m. show Saturday, December 21, plus added holiday week performances Monday, December 23, Tuesday, December 24, and Friday, December 27 at 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. The Beatrix Potter Holiday Party runs 60 minutes, followed by the holiday party. Recommended for ages 8 and under.
Tickets are $45.25, including fees, and are on sale now at chicagochildrenstheatre.org. Mark your calendar and purchase early, because many performances will sell out. Call CCT Guest Services, (312) 374-8835, or email boxoffice@chicagochildrenstheatre.org to learn about weekday morning matinees and discounted rates for schools, playgroups, birthday parties and scouting groups.
Chicago Children’s Theatre is a “no shushing” theater. It is centrally located in the former 12th District Chicago Police Station, now home to the city’s largest professional theater devoted to children and young families. It’s minutes from I-90 and I-290, as well as downtown and Ashland Avenue. Free, onsite parking is available on the south side of the theater. Free street parking can be found nearby on weekends, or try the Impark parking lot, 1301 W. Madison St.
(from left) Charlie Malave, Felix Mayes and Lily Emerson in The Beatrix Potter Holiday Party.
Access performances for The Beatrix Holiday Party
Sensory Friendly
Saturday, December 7 and Saturday, December 14 at 9:30 a.m.
ASL and Open Captions
Sunday, December 8 at 9:30 a.m.
Audio Description and Touch Tour
Saturday, December 21 at 2 p.m.
*Tickets must be purchased two weeks prior to performance
For more, go to chicagochildrenstheatre.org/access_performances or email access@chicagochildrenstheatre.org.
Felix Mayes and Lily Emerson in The Beatrix Potter Holiday Party
This ninth production of The Beatrix Potter Holiday Party follows Chicago Children’s Theatre’s fall U.S. tour of its traveling production, Peter Rabbit and Friends, which made stops in Arkansas, Missouri, Florida, New York, Texas and Wisconsin.
The original creators of The Beatrix Potter Holiday Party are Chicago Children’s Theatre Director of Production Will Bishop, with Lara Carling, Kay Kron, Grace Needlman and Ray Rehberg. Will Bishop directs. Cast members are Lily Emerson, Felix Mayes and Charlie Malave. Puppets are by Grace Needlman. Original music is by Ray Rehberg and Charlie Malave. Costumes are by Janelle Manno, based on original designs by Jillian Gryzlak. Lighting designer is Becca Jeffords. Sound designer is Charlie Malave. Emilie Wingate is puppet assistant. Anastar Alvarez is production coordinator. Understudies are Magdalena Dalzell, Diego Vazquez Gomez and Quinn Rigg.
For more, visit chicagochildrenstheatre.org, follow the company on Instagram and Facebook, and subscribe to its YouTube channel, CCTv: Virtual Theatre and Learning from Chicago Children’s Theatre.
Coming soon to Chicago Children’s Theatre
First up in 2025, Chicago Children’s Theatre welcomes back Manual Cinema’s The Magic City, the inaugural production in CCT’s West Loop home back in 2017.
Manual Cinema’s first all-ages show, loosely adapted from Edith Nesbit’s 1910 novel “The Magic City,” introduces Philomena and her big sister Helen, who love building miniature cities out of books, toys and household objects. Then, one night, Philomena's city of found objects comes to life, and she finds herself trapped inside. Will Philomena find her way out?
Brought to life through Manual Cinema's magical fusion of actors, puppets, miniatures, and live music, The Magic City returns to encourage kids to build bridges rather than walls. Performances are January 25-February 16, 2025. Press opening weekend is January 25 and 26. This production is for ages 7 and up.
Jumping to spring 2025, one of the most beloved children’s books of all time, Go Dog Go! is soon to be a joyous, inventive, bilingual musical romp, debuting at Chicago Children’s Theatre!
Strap in for Go Dog Go! Ve Perro ¡Ve!, a wildly fun, world premiere ride, adapted from P.D. Eastman’s classic children’s book by Steven Dietz and Allison Gregory. Come along with these delightful dogs as they drive, swim, play baseball and make their way to the big dog party — all in a lively blend of English and Spanish. Like a pop-up book that comes to life, Go Dog Go! Ve Perro ¡Ve! is a heart-warming spectacle of music, color, language and delight, appealing to all ages.
Nationally acclaimed playwright and director Steven Dietz will direct. Compositions are by Michael Koerner with Spanish translations by Ana Maria Campoy. Performances are March 15-May 18, 2025. Press openings are Sunday, March 16 at 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m.
About Chicago Children’s Theatre
“The Chicago theater scene is legendarily vibrant, so naturally a number of companies tailor productions to younger audiences. The cream of the crop is Chicago Children’s Theatre.” – Chicago Tribune
Chicago Children’s Theatre, 100 S. Racine St. in Chicago’s West Loop, is Chicago’s destination for the best plays, musicals, classes and performing arts camps for young audiences, students and families.
The company was founded in 2005 with a big idea: Chicago is the greatest theater city in the world, and it deserves a great children’s theater. Nineteen years later, Chicago Children’s Theatre is the city’s largest professional theater company devoted exclusively to children and young families.
In 2017, following 11 years of itinerancy, Chicago Children’s Theatre opened its forever home in Chicago’s West Loop community. Formerly the 12th District Chicago Police Station, the building was repurposed into a LEED Gold-certified, mixed-use performing arts, education and community engagement facility. For children, parents, caregivers and teachers, CCT is now a convenient, welcoming community hub, centrally located in the city, with free, onsite parking.
Chicago Children’s Theatre has established a national reputation for the production of first-rate children’s theater with professional writing, performing, and directorial talent and high-quality design and production expertise. In 2019, the company won the National TYA Artistic Innovation Award from Theatre for Young Audiences/USA. Chicago Children’s Theatre has also garnered six NEA Art Works grants, and in 2017, was the first theater for young audiences to win a National Theatre Award from the American Theatre Wing, creators of the Tony Awards.
In tandem with its live productions, Chicago Children’s Theatre offers a full slate of Access services for patrons with disabilities, including ASL interpretation, open captioning, touch tours and sensory friendly performances. Chicago Children’s Theatre provides live theater experiences, classes and camps for children with autism and other special needs via its Red Kite Project. CCT also provides thousands of free and reduced-price tickets to weekday student matinees to under-resourced schools in partnership with Chicago Public Schools.
In addition to shows, CCT offers a full, year-round roster of performing arts education programs for ages 0 to 14. Visit chicagochildrenstheatre.org/family-programs for information on classes, workshops, winter, spring break and “school’s out” camps, and summer camps. Due to popular demand, in addition to its home in the West Loop, CCT camps and classes have expanded to new locations including Menomonee Club Drucker Center in Lincoln Park.
Chicago Children’s Theatre is supported by Goldman Sachs Gives, Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, The Ralla Klepak Foundation for Education in the Performing Arts, Polk Bros Foundation, The Joyce Foundation, The MacArthur Fund for Culture, Equity and the Arts, Bayless Family Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, Camp Out for Kids, Crown Family Philanthropies, PwC, Rivers Gives, US Bank, Thomabravo, Illinois Arts Council Agency, City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE), Arctos Foundation, the Leland Family, Nancy and Erwin Aulis, the Gaito Family, Meridith and Ron Kaminski, the Knowles/ Wortendyke Family, Michael and Barbara Kraetsch, the Melendes Family, the Neveux Family, Erin and Jason, Ben, Bici and David Pritzker, Abigail and Jason Sussman, Susan M. Venturi Fund in memory of James and Roslyn Marks and the Waller Family.
Chicago Children’s Theatre is led by Co-Founders, Artistic Director Jacqueline Russell and Board Chair Todd Leland, with Board President Armando Chacon.
For more, visit chicagochildrenstheatre.org.