Chicago Shakespeare Theater Presents 'Leaping Leopold!'

Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) announces its eighth annual collaboration with The Chicago Chamber Musicians (CCM) on a program for young audiences and their families. Leaping Leopold! The Mozart Show by Bruce Adolphe is an interactive concert designed to introduce families with children ages four and up to the joys of live performance. The hour-long interactive concerts are Saturday, November 8 and Sunday, November 9, 2008 at 10:00 and 11:30 a.m. at Chicago Shakespeare Theater on Navy Pier. At 11:00 a.m. on both days, performers are available for autographs and pictures in the Theater's lobby, while young musicians demonstrate and answer questions about the featured instruments. Tickets to Leaping Leopold! The Mozart Show are $15-18 and can be purchased by calling Chicago Shakespeare Theater's Box Office at 312.595.5600 or by visiting the Theater's website at www.chicagoshakes.com/leaping.

Leaping Leopold! The Mozart Show brings Mozart's father Leopold, performed by composer Bruce Adolphe, to Chicago Shakespeare Theater where he boldly states "I turned my son into a genius, and I can turn anyone into a musician!" Leopold shows off his incredible teaching powers by inviting members of the audience to try their hand at playing some of his son's music. Masterpieces of the chamber repertoire are interspersed throughout Leopold's lessons where he guides the audience through Mozart's music, from chases and dances and knocking on the door, to the headaches of trying to get notes to express certain feelings. The interactive performance illustrates how everyone can play a role in music—whether as a musician, a composer, a teacher or a listener.

Composer Bruce Adolphe is well-known to Chicago families through Witches, Wizards, Spells and Elves: The Magic of Shakespeare, a co-commission of CST and CCM performed at Chicago Shakespeare in 2003 and 2007; the Grammy-nominated My, What Big Ears You Have! performed at Chicago Shakespeare in 2006; and Tyrannosaurus Sue: A Cretaceous Concerto, a co-commission of CCM and the Field Museum for the unveiling of Sue in 2000. He is Director of Family Concerts for the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and his works for young people have been performed by over 70 orchestras and ensembles.

Recipient of the 2008 Regional Theatre Tony Award, Chicago Shakespeare Theater offers a broad spectrum of theatrical experiences year-round, engaging and entertaining audiences from all walks of life and from around the world. The 38-play canon of William Shakespeare form the core of CST's work and Subscription Series, complemented by other dramatic works—from traditional classical theater to new classics that resonate with Shakespeare's timeless insights into the human condition. CST also strives to bring some of the best theater the world has to offer to its World's Stage Series to present new cultural expressions and experiences for Chicago audiences and artists alike. Chicago Shakespeare is committed to making theater an expansive, ever-changing and lifelong relationship. For family audiences, CST presents a convergence of abridged Shakespeare productions, timeless fables and fairy tales, interactive music concerts and musical theater created with families in mind. CST's education outreach program, Team Shakespeare, helps Shakespeare come alive for students and teachers in classrooms throughout the Midwest. Through a 48-week season encompassing more than 600 performances, CST leads the community as the largest employer of Chicago actors. CST attracts 225,000 audience members annually, including 20,500 subscribers and nearly 50,000 students and teachers.

Founded in 1986, The Chicago Chamber Musicians is committed to building an internationally recognized chamber music institution in Chicago. CCM presents a critically and popularly acclaimed subscription series; an award-winning annual series of contemporary chamber music; a touring program; the annual Family Concerts presented by Target; a remarkable set of community service programs; and a nationally syndicated radio series on the WFMT Radio Network. A staunch advocate for new works, CCM has commissioned 14 works over 12 seasons, and has received two ASCAP-Chamber Music America Awards for Adventurous Programming. CCM's recordings include the Grammy Award-nominated Chamber Works for Winds and Strings by Mozart. Among CCM's numerous awards are the ABBY Award for Arts Management Excellence and the 2007 Chamber Ensemble of the Year Award from the Illinois Council of Orchestras. Highlights of the 2008-2009 season include an appearance at the Barns at Wolf Trap, recording Brahms' chamber music, and the online launch of CCM's 22-year live concert archive. Annually CCM shares the joy of chamber music with more than 5,000,000 radio listeners, audience members and students throughout Chicago and beyond.

Leaping Leopld! The Mozart Show is recommended for children age four and up. Performances are Saturday, November 8 and Sunday, November 9, 2008 at 10:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Tickets are $15 for students (ages 12 and younger) and $18 for adults. For further information and to purchase tickets, call the Chicago Shakespeare Theater Box Office at 312.595.5600, or visit the Theater's website at www.chicagoshakes.com/leaping.

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