Chicago Children’s Theatre has four plays planned for its 19th Season in 2024-25, opening and closing with two exciting world premieres, Milo Imagines the World and Go Dog Go! Ve Perro ¡Ve!, plus the returns of Manual Cinema’s The Magic City and The Beatrix Potter Holiday Party.
Take advantage of discounted four-play and mix-and-match subscription packages on sale now at chicagochildrenstheatre.org.
Chicago Children’s Theatre’s 2024-25 season boasts the world premiere of Milo Imagines the World, the return of The Beatrix Potter Holiday Party and Manual Cinema’s The Magic City, and the world premiere of Go Dog Go! Ve Perro ¡Ve!
Chicago Children’s Theatre’s 19th season kicks off this fall with Milo Imagines the World, a new musical adapted from Newbery-winning children’s author Matt de la Peña and illustrator Christian Robinson. Performances are October 8 through November 10, 2024. Press opening weekend is October 12 and 13.
Milo Imagines the World is an urban tale about a young boy who uses his imagination to prove that you can’t really know anyone’s story just by looking at them. Audiences will join Milo on a long subway ride with his big sister, where, to pass the time, he imagines the lives of the other passengers as his colorful illustrations spring to life.
This timely new musical, adapted for the stage by Chicago theater artist Terry Guest, with music by Christian Albright and Christian Magby, features exciting hip hop, pop and country music. One of the city’s top directors, Mikael Burke, will make his CCT debut with Milo Imagines the World. This production is recommended for ages 6 and up.
Milo Imagines the World is a rolling world premiere starting at Chicago Chicago Children's Theatre, followed by productions at Children’s Theatre Company in Minneapolis (also directed by Mikael Burke), and the Rose Theater in Omaha.
Audiences and critics will recall Chicago Children’s Theatre’s 2018 smash hit, world premiere musical Last Stop at Market Street, inspired by Matt de la Peña and Christian Robinson’s Newbery-winning book. Since its CCT debut, Last Stop at Market Street has gone on to be one of the top produced plays at TYA theaters across the nation.
Jumping to spring 2025, strap in for a wildly fun, world premiere ride, Go Dog Go! Ve Perro ¡Ve!. This new adaptation of P.D. Eastman’s classic children’s book is by Steven Dietz and Allison Gregory, with compositions by Michael Koerner and Spanish translations by Ana Maria Campoy. Steven Dietz will direct.
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! 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. Performances are March 11-May 3, 2025. Press opening weekend is March 15 and 16.
Chicago Children’s Theatre’s third show is Manual Cinema’s The Magic City, the inaugural production in CCT's West Loop home, The Station, 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. Until Helen starts seeing a new boyfriend, Brandon, that is. Even worse, she's expected to make friends with Brandon's son, Lucas, the most annoying boy in the world. So Philomena retreats into building the biggest tiny city ever: a magic city only for her. Then, one night, Philomena's city of found objects comes to life, and she finds herself trapped inside. Will Philomena find her way out—and will she let her new family in?
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. This production is for ages 7 and up. Performances are January 25-February 16, 2025. Press opening weekend is January 25 and 26.
Manual Cinema inaugurated Chicago Children's Theatre's West Loop home in 2017 with the world premiere of its first all-ages show, Manual Cinema's The Magic City. Photos by Charles Osgood.
Making its annual return and culminating a fall U.S. tour is The Beatrix Potter Holiday Party. CCT’s ever-popular holiday show, a seasonal rite of passage for Chicago families, and countless toddlers’ first live theater experience. Chicago Children’s Theatre’s Director of Production Will Bishop directs.
Watch with delight as little ones grow ever more wide-eyed as four adorable Beatrix Potter animal stories spring to life during this ingenious, 45-minute trunk and puppet show. Afterwards, families from all over the city meet in CCT’s lobby for puppet play, cast photos and to get to know each other over a communal table with Beatrix Potter-inspired craft activities and holiday treats.
The Beatrix Potter Holiday Party is ideal for children ages 8 and under. Performances are November 23-December 29, 2024. Press opening weekend is November 23 and 24.
Felix May and Lily Emerson in The Beatrix Potter Holiday Party in 2023. Credit: Charles Osgood.
Subscriptions to Chicago Children’s Theatre’s 2024-25 season go on sale today at chicagochildrenstheatre.org. Four-play packages start at just $110, with a 25 percent early-bird discount on single tickets through July 27. Or, choose your own three- or two-play subscription package, based on your children’s age ranges and interests.
Email groupsales@chicagochildrenstheatre.org or call CCT Guest Services,
(312) 374-8835, to learn more about subscriptions, single tickets, and discounted group rates for schools, playgroups, birthday parties and scouting groups. Single tickets to CCT’s 2024-25 productions are $30 to $40, and go on sale on August 26.
Chicago Children’s Theatre is a “no shushing” theater. It’s located at 100 S. Racine Ave., at Monroe, in the heart of Chicago's West Loop, minutes from I-90 and I-290, downtown and Ashland Avenue. Free, onsite parking is available on the south side of the building. Free street parking can be found nearby on weekends, or try the Impark parking lot, 1301 W. Madison St.
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.
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.
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. Today, 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 celebrated the opening of its forever home in Chicago’s West Loop community. The building, formerly the 12th District Chicago Police Station, was repurposed into a LEED Gold-certified, mixed-use performing arts, education and community engagement facility. For children, parents, caregivers and teachers, CCT is 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 under-resourced schools each season in partnership with Chicago Public Schools.
In addition to live shows, Chicago Children’s Theatre offers a full roster of performing arts education programs year round 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, Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, The Ralla Klepak Foundation for Education in the Performing Arts, The Shubert Foundation, Polk Bros Foundation, The MacArthur Fund for Culture, Equity and the Arts, Bayless Family Foundation, Rivers Casino/Rivers Gives, The Crown Family, Rea Charitable Trust, ComEd, US Bank, City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE), Illinois Arts Council, Illinois Humanities Council, National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), The Susan M. Venturi Fund in memory of James and Roslyn Marks to Support Theatre Education Access, and Erin and Jason, Ben, Bici and David Pritzker.
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, follow the company on Instagram and Facebook, and subscribe to its YouTube channel, CCTv: Virtual Theatre and Learning from Chicago Children’s Theatre.