Children's Theatre of Chicago Expands Roster, Sessions Begin 10/21

Chicago Children's Theatre announces a significant expansion of its theatre arts training classes for kids ages 3 to 13, all held at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn in Chicago's Gold Coast neighborhood.

In addition to being a lot of fun, Chicago Children's Theatre's classes help kids build confidence, overcome their fears, solve problems, boost their creativity, think faster on their feet, be better team players and, ultimately, gain a competitive edge.

The Fall session kicks off October 21st with the following line-up of after school and weekend classes. To register, visit chicagochildrenstheatre.org or call CCT's education hotline, (773) 227-0180 x 15.

Glee Club

Song and Dance for ages 9-13

Mondays 4:30-6 p.m.

Fall: October 21- December 9

Winter: January 27- March 17
Spring: March 24-May 19

$200/session

Chicago Children's Theatre's Glee Club ensemble will learn and rehearse a repertoire of popular songs all set to movement. Under the direction of CCT's musical director and choreographer, students will build their singing and moving chops and have the chance to show them off in a culminating final performance. For singers who move, for dancers who sing, for performers of all kinds, Glee Club offers kids a chance to develop confidence, charisma, and lasting friendships.

Dream Factory

Acting and Story Creation for ages 9-13

Wednesdays, 4:30-6 p.m.

Fall session: October 23- December 11

Winter: January 29-March 19

Spring: March 26-May 21

$200/session

Chicago Children's Theatre's 2013 summer campers had so much fun making amazing new plays, CCT decided to keep at it all year round! In Dream Factory, kids are the creative force. Guided by a CCT staff director, students will dream up characters, settings, and stories and then collaborate to create and rehearse a world premiere short play. The final production will be performed for family and friends on the final day of class. This is the place for any kid who likes storytelling, performing, pretending, silly voices, or making magic out of cardboard. Dream Factory is where wild imagination comes to life.

Tiny Sparks

Story playtime for 3-5 year olds

Saturdays, 11-11:50 a.m.

Fall session: October 26- December 14

Winter: February 1-March 22

Spring: March 29-May 24

$180/session

Welcome to the special class where the tiniest heroes have big adventures. Each session, CCT instructors will lead students through story time as well as playful theatre and movement games. Tiny Sparks gives your littlest performers a chance to play, pretend and set their imaginations wild.

Note: CCT welcomes parents with children ages 3 to 5 years to drop in anytime and test one Tiny Sparks class for free.

Classes are taught by Nicholas Davio, a Chicago-based musician and frequent music director of Chicago Children's Theatre's mainstage productions, Katy Collins, a professional actor and arts educator, and David Amaral, CCT's head of education.

For parents already looking for theatre camps for their kids next summer, Chicago Children's Theatre's always popular Summer Camp is just the ticket. Over the course of two weeks, campers are guided along the process of creating their very own, entirely original theatrical production. Likewise, CCT's Red Kite Project will offer a two-week summer camp experience exclusively for children on the autism spectrum. For more information visit chicagochildrenstheatre.org or call (773) 227-0180 x15.

About Chicago Children's Theatre

In addition to its education program, Chicago Children's Theatre focuses on the production of first-rate professional children's theatre in Chicago. 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.

Chicago Children's Theatre is sponsored in part by ComEd, Goldman Sachs Gives, JPMorgan Chase, Target and United Airlines.