ADA TWIST, SCIENTIST & FRIENDS Comes to McAninch Arts Center October 24

The McAninch Arts Center (MAC) in Glen Ellyn, IL will present TheaterWorksUSA’s Ada Twist, Scientist & Friends on Friday, October 24, 2025 at 7:00 p.m. The new musical is based on three bestselling children’s books by Naperville author Andrea Beaty, with illustrations by David Roberts: Rosie Revere, Engineer, Iggy Peck, Architect, and Ada Twist, Scientist.

The show follows Ms. Greer’s classroom of inventive thinkers—Rosie Revere with her ambitious dreams, Iggy Peck with his unstoppable passion for architecture, and Ada Twist with boundless curiosity. When a class field trip goes off course, the trio must solve problems through teamwork and creativity. Memory Tourist praised the production as “one of [TheaterWorksUSA’s] best works yet…a heady hour of learning, but also very entertaining.”

Ada Twist, Scientist & Friends features a book by Lauren Gunderson, music by Bree Lowdermilk, and lyrics by Kait Kerrigan. The creative team includes Peter Flynn (direction), Marcos Santana (choreography), Lloyd Kikoler (orchestrations), Dan Garmon (original music direction), Anne Mundell (set design), and Jenifer Caprio (costume design).

Andrea Beaty is the author of the bestselling Questioneers series as well as I Love You Like Yellow, Happy Birthday, Madame Chapeau, and One Girl. Her newest book, Billie Jean Peet, Athlete, will be released this fall.

Since 1961, TheaterWorksUSA has been a leader in theater for young and family audiences, presenting over 140 original plays and musicals nationwide. Alumni of the company include Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez (Frozen), Daphne Rubin-Vega (Rent), Jerry Zaks (The Music Man), Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (Dear Evan Hansen), and Miguel Cervantes (Hamilton).

Tickets

The McAninch Arts Center, 425 Fawell Blvd., will present Ada Twist, Scientist & Friends at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, October 24, 2025. Tickets are $19–$24 for adults and $17–$24 for youth. Recommended for grades K–4.