CST Family Series Continues with The Carnival of the Animals and The Story of Babar

On the heels of its acclaimed world-premiere family musical The Emperor's New Clothes, Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) continues the 2010/11 CST Family Series with another joyous musical event for the entire family. From the Courtyard Theater stage, audiences embark on an adventure through the animal kingdom with The Chicago Chamber Musicians (CCM) in their ninth annual CST collaboration, The Carnival of the Animals and The Story of Babar, the Little Elephant, on November 6 and 7, 2010. These spirited concerts, performed at 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. each day, are appropriate for all ages and most enjoyed by children four and up. Later this season, from January through March, the CST Family Series will draw to a close with Short Shakespeare! Macbeth, a 75-minute abridged production of Shakespeare's Macbeth.

Chicago Shakespeare and CCM's The Carnival of the Animals and The Story of Babar, the Little Elephant run November 6 and 7, 2010, at 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. in CST's Courtyard Theater. Tickets are $15-$18 with special discounts available for groups of 10 or more. All patrons receive a 40% parking discount at Navy Pier garages. For more information or to purchase tickets, contact Chicago Shakespeare Theater's Box Office at 312.595.5600 or visit the Theater's website at www.chicagoshakes.com.

Camille Saint-Saëns' The Carnival of the Animals turns a parade of marching animals into a lively musical romp, where the tales of donkeys, turtles and swans are told through charming melodies. In Francis Poulenc's The Story of Babar, the Little Elephant, a curious elephant leaves the jungle for the big city. Whimsical tunes tell the story of Babar's travels, where he learns to wear a suit, drive a car and read books before returning to the jungle to become king of the elephants. Between concerts each day, interactive exhibits staged in the CST lobby will give children a chance to explore the instruments representing the animals-musicians will be available for autographs and young performers will demonstrate their craft and answer questions about the featured instruments.

Five of CCM's Ensemble Artists will play in the November concerts: Jasmine Lin (violin), Dennis Michel (bassoon), Rami Solomonow (viola) and CCM founding members Gail Williams (horn) and GRAMMY winner Larry Combs (clarinet).

Founded in 1986, The Chicago Chamber Musicians is a society of musicians and music devotees committed to building an internationally recognized chamber music institution in Chicago. Since its inception, CCM has launched a critically and popularly acclaimed subscription series; an award-winning annual series of contemporary chamber music; a touring program; the annual Family Concerts; and a remarkable set of community service programs. A staunch advocate for new music, CCM has commissioned 17 works, and has received two ASCAP-Chamber Music America Awards for Adventurous Programming. CCM's recordings include previously unrecorded works from composers such as John Harbison, David Diamond and Bruce Adolphe as well as works from the chamber canon including the GRAMMY-finalist Chamber Works for Winds and Strings by Mozart. Among CCM's numerous awards are the 2006 ABBY Award for Arts Management Excellence and the 2007 Chamber Ensemble of the Year Award from the Illinois Council of Orchestras. Annually, CCM shares the joy of chamber music with more than 5,000,000 radio listeners, audience members and students throughout Chicago and beyond.

The Carnival of the Animals and The Story of Babar, the Little Elephant run November 6 and 7, 2010, at 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. in Chicago Shakespeare's Courtyard Theater. Tickets are $15-$18 with special discounts available for groups of 10 or more. All patrons receive a 40% parking discount at Navy Pier garages. For more information or to purchase tickets, contact Chicago Shakespeare Theater's Box Office at 312.595.5600 or visit the Theater's website at www.chicagoshakes.com.

About the CST Family Series

Chicago Shakespeare Theater's CST Family Series presents a wide range of affordable programming especially for families. As part of CST's commitment to making theater and live performance accessible to all ages, offerings year-round include Short Shakespeare! adaptations of Shakespeare classics, summer musicals of imaginative children's tales and classical music concerts in collaboration with The Chicago Chamber Musicians. These programs reach more than 35,000 patrons each season-making Chicago Shakespeare one of the largest providers of family programming in Chicago. CST has also championed the creation of new family productions, commissioning and producing two world-premiere summer musicals to great acclaim: How Can You Run with a Shell on Your Back?, about students in detention who bring a modern twist to Aesop's fables, and last summer's The Emperor's New Clothes, based on Hans Christian Andersen's classic tale.

About Chicago Shakespeare Theater

Recipient of the 2008 Regional Theatre Tony Award, Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) offers a broad spectrum of theatrical experiences year-round, engaging and entertaining audiences from all walks of life and from around the world. Since moving to its state-of-the-art facility on Navy Pier in 1999, CST has garnered great acclaim under the leadership of Artistic Director Barbara Gaines and Executive Director Criss Henderson, including three Laurence Olivier Awards and more than 30 Joseph Jefferson Awards. Next season, Chicago Shakespeare will celebrate its 25th anniversary.

The 38-play canon of William Shakespeare forms 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. Through a 48-week season encompassing more than 600 performances, Chicago Shakespeare leads the community as the largest employer of Chicago actors. CST also contributes to an international community of creative exchange through its World's Stage Series, which affords Chicago audiences prime opportunities to experience the cultural and artistic traditions of some of the world's iconic theater troupes as well as sending some of CST's best works abroad. Chicago Shakespeare is committed to making theater an expansive, ever-changing and lifelong relationship. For family audiences, CST Family presents abridged Shakespeare productions, timeless fables and fairy tales, interactive music concerts and world-premiere musical theater created with families in mind. CST's education outreach program, Team Shakespeare, has served over 1 million students and teachers throughout the Midwest, introducing the Bard's legacy to a new generation of theatergoers.

 

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