THE DINOSAUR OF LAKE MICHIGAN to Bring Kerfuffle and Rabbit Foot Puppetry to Chicago Parks

This summer, Kerfuffle, the award-winning midwestern theatre and dance company that creates work for the very young (ages 0-6), continues its tradition of bringing high quality performances to Chicago parks with The Dinosaur of Lake Michigan, a co-production with Rabbit Foot Puppetry, as part of the 2026 Night Out in the Parks annual programming.

The Dinosaur of Lake Michigan is an outdoor puppet play designed for very young children aged 3-6 with their caregivers. The play follows an explorer fascinated by the legends of monsters in the Great Lakes. The explorer invites audiences to join her on her treasure hunt for the elusive 'dinosaur of Lake Michigan', also known as a sturgeon. Taking place near Chicago's bodies of water, The Dinosaur of Lake Michigan highlights the importance of community care in light of the ever growing climate emergency. Kerfuffle and Rabbitfoot Puppetry use hyper realistic animal puppets made out of recyclable items, live music, and physical storytelling to bring this participatory play to life.

The play is created in collaboration between Kerfuffle and Rabbitfoot Puppetry, two companies who specialize in bringing original, highly visual work to nontraditional spaces. Both companies have histories of successful Night Out in the Park programs, appealing to families with unique and innovative productions. The project's artists will lead trash puppet-making workshops with young children in August in various Chicago Public Library branches to highlight the importance of upcycling plastic materials.

The Dinosaur of Lake Michigan encourages children and their families to start making small steps towards localized change. The play brings attention to the negative impact humans can have on animals and our natural world, despite positive intentions. Chicagoans have the right to clean air and water, and so do the creatures who inhabit the city. The 'dinosaur' in the title of the play has a double meaning: not only does it refer to the sturgeon, a playful and shy fish that can grow between 7 to 12 feet in length, and live to around 150 years, but also to people may be referred to as dinosaurs, who are stuck in their ways of doing things 'the way it's always been'. The Dinosaur of Lake Michigan hands children power and action to not feel powerless in a world run by dinosaurs.

Community organizations focused on animal rights, environmental justice, and sustainability, including South Side Nature Play, Puppet Zoo and the West Ridge Park Advisory Council, will share educational information and materials at performances. Additionally, compostable trash bags donated by Eco Flamingo, Chicago's first zero-waste general store with eco-friendly products, refills, and a market cafe promoting sustainable, circular, and ethical living, will be available for audience members to take with them should they see litter on the ground on their way home.

'We are so thrilled to be partnering with Night Out in the Parks for the sixth consecutive year,' says Kerfuffle's founding artistic director Ashley Laverty. 'Bringing free theatre to the Chicago parks is incredibly joyful and we can't wait to share our newest piece with families of Chicago.' This production marks the first time Kerfuffle and Rabbitfoot Puppetry have partnered together. "Rabbitfoot Puppetry is thrilled to join Kerfuffle for The Dinosaur of Lake Michigan! This process started about a year ago with mutual admiration and has culminated in a spectacular journey through our city parks. It means so much to be working with a company who values making art for our youngest community members and we are excited to hop along!," says Rachel Hartmann, co-founder of the collective. "We feel this story is particularly important to tell because young people have such a beautiful, natural curiosity about animals, and we want to nurture conversations with them about the best way to care for the world and all its inhabitants", says Kerfuffle Managing Director, Molly Burris.

The cast features five Chicago-based performers: Myanne Zachary as Koda the Explorer, AiRos Sung-En medill as the Musician, and Sharaina (Shay) Turnage, Emilie Wingate and Rachel Hartmann as the Puppeteers. Caroline M. Watson and Chio Cabrera serve as the production's understudies.

The devised play is directed by Alyssa Vera Ramos. Other members of the production team include Josué Esau and Kal Haille (Co-Scenic and Props Designers), Jazmin Aurora Medina (Costume Designer), Emilie Wingate (Puppet Designer). Additionally, Michele Stine (Puppet Movement Director), Madeline M. Freeman (Production Coordinator) and Emma Smith (Assistant Stage Manager).

The performances will take place across nine Chicagoland parks with both morning and evening shows. 

Show Schedule

• Friday, August 21 - Auburn Park at 10:30am

• Saturday August 22 - McKinley Park at 10:30am

• Sunday, August 23 - Clark Park at 10:30am

• Tuesday, August 25 - Humboldt Park at 5:30pm

• Wednesday, August 26 - Lane Beach Park at 5:30pm

• Thursday, August 27 - Sherman Park at 5:30pm

• Friday, August 28 - Marquette Park at 5:30pm

• Saturday, August 29 - Ward Park at 10:30am

• Tuesday, September 1 - Leone Beach Park at 5:30pm

RAIN DATES

• Sunday, August 30 - Clark Park at 10:30am; McKinley Park at 10:30am

• Wednesday, September 2 - Marquette Park at 5:30pm

• Thursday, September 3 - Lane Beach Park at 5:30pm; Sherman Park at 5:30pm

• Friday, September 4 - Leone Beach Park at 5:30pm; Ward Park at 5:30pm

• Saturday, September 5 - Auburn Park at 10:30am

Performances are free to attend with reserved tickets. Tickets must be reserved in advance at kerfuffletvy.com/dinosauroflakemichigan.

ABOUT KERFUFFLE

Kerfuffle is devoted to creating aesthetically and emotionally engaging performances for children ages 0-6 years old. Founded in 2015, Kerfuffle centers young children as major creative partners in the development of new work and shares playful, multi-sensory performances in museums, libraries, parks, and other nontraditional spaces. Children's imagination is at the center of Kerfuffle's process. In order to understand what engages, delights, and surprises children, Kerfuffle's plays are developed through creative drama workshops where young people create stories, characters, and worlds in collaboration with adult artists. Kerfuffle is a registered 501(c)3 organization and is the 2020 recipient of the Zeta Phi Eta-Winifred Ward Outstanding New Children's Theatre Company Award through the American Alliance for Theatre and Education.

ABOUT RABBIT FOOT PUPPETRY

Rabbit Foot Puppetry is a LGBTQIA+ puppetry collective committed to creating bold, original puppet theatre. Rooted in spectacle and driven by imagination, the collective's work fuses the technical precision of puppetry with the joy of play and experimentation. Rabbit Foot Puppetry creates performances for audiences of all ages, centering accessibility, wonder, and meaningful engagement and strives to craft shared experiences that are both thought-provoking and delightfully strange.

The Dinosaur of Lake Michigan is presented as part of the Chicago Park District's Night Out in the Parks series, supported by the Mayor's Office and the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. The Night Out in the Parks program presents cultural events year-round in neighborhood parks throughout the city. The Chicago Park District in partnership with local artists and organizations, presents engaging events and performances that enhance quality of life across Chicago and amplify the artistic and cultural vibrancy in every neighborhood.

Through multiple disciplines, which include theater, music, movies, dance, site-specific work, nature programs, and community festivals, the series aims to support Chicago-based artists, facilitate community-based partnerships and programs, cultivate civic engagement, and ensure equity in access to the arts for all Chicagoans. For more information, please visit www.nightoutintheparks.com. These performances were made possible, by funding in part by the Chicago Parks District's Night Out in the parks series.

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