Collaboraction Theater Company will offer a sneak peek at its new home in Humboldt Park with Sunday Family Magic Matinee with The Magical Myster AJ, one of the greatest family magicians Chicago has ever seen.
Sundays at 1 p.m., through December 28, families are invited to step inside Collaboraction's new space in the Kimball Arts Center, 1757 N. Kimball Ave. in Humboldt Park, to enjoy The Magical Myster AJ’s interactive, hour-long performance.
Get set for a fast-paced flurry of magic, circus, gut busting laughs, and absurdity, guaranteed to enchant kids aged 4-10. Tada! It’s funny for adults, too. Tickets are $25. Note: No show Sunday, December 14. For tickets and information, visit collaboraction.org.
Photos courtesy AJ Sacco
Sacco, named “Best Magician in Chicago” by the Chicago Reader three years in a row, has been entertaining crowds since his first shows in nursing homes at the tender age of nine. He honed his skills doing magic at restaurants during his teen years. Today, Sacco has performed in nearly 20 different countries, he entertains at trade shows, corporate events and weddings, and is one of the OG members of the famed Chicago Magic Lounge.
While other magicians might have cut out the children's magic by now, Sacco is a popular performer on children's stages as well. He doesn’t use live animals, nor does he pretend to be all powerful. Rather, Sacco’s approach is to empower his young audiences to help him get through his show, by any silly means necessary. He loves the challenge of entertaining the increasingly knowledgeable youth, forging the next generation of magic fans.
“AJ has performed with Collaboraction at the Collaboraction Tent at Kidzapalooza for the last seven years and we are excited to welcome and grow AJ’s family magic in our new space," said Collaboraction Artistic Director Anthony Moseley.
For more, visit ajsacco.com.
Collaboraction’s new House of Belonging
Collaboraction is a 29-year-old nonprofit theater company and arts organization that uses performance, dialogue, and storytelling to advance equity and justice in Chicago. For the past three decades, the organization has created hundreds of original productions and community programs such as Trial in the Delta: The Murder of Emmett Till, Encounter Englewood, Crucial Conversations, Peacebook Festival, and The Light youth program. Its work has been recognized with three Emmy Awards for social impact media and multiple civic honors for advancing inclusion in the arts.
Today, in what used to be a pet store, Collaboraction boasts a sleek, 4,000-square foot space including a new 99-seat flexible studio theater plus a 50-seat cabaret with a cafe/bar in Humboldt Park’s Kimball Arts Center. There, Collaboraction has already begun activating both of its spaces with live theater, spoken word, music, dance, films, family shows, improv classes, workshops and special events, produced by Collaboraction and with guest artists like AJ Sacco.
Collaboraction Theatre’s new home in the Kimball Arts Center is easy to get to, and offers free parking and nearby street parking. For CTA riders, the 82 Kimball-Homan bus stops right in front of the building. The theater is also a short walk from the Kimball Avenue stop on the 72 North and 73 Armitage bus lines. For bikers and pedestrians, the Kimball trailhead on The 606 leads directly into the Kimball Arts Center.
Collaboraction will officially celebrate the Grand Opening of its new House of Belonging in February 2026. For more, visit collaboraction.org or follow Collaboraction on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and Bluesky.