Alliance Theatre's THE BIRTHDAY OF THE WORLD to Launch National Tour

The Alliance Theatre and Writers Theatre will present the national tour of THE BIRTHDAY OF THE WORLD, an original, multi-sensory theatrical experience created for 0-5 year-olds and their families. Commissioned by the Alliance Theatre’s Bernhardt Theatre for the Very Young and currently playing to sold-out audiences in Atlanta (September 5 – October 26), the production is set to travel to Chicago and New York this fall as part of a unique initiative that brings immersive Jewish storytelling to public audiences in addition to synagogues, classrooms, and professional development spaces.

Created and directed by Jonathan Shmidt Chapman and inspired by the beloved book The Birthday of the World by Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen, THE BIRTHDAY OF THE WORLD is a story about how the world was born—and how it needs your help to be filled with light again. Drawing from Jewish folklore, this immersive performance brings a timeless and timely story to life through gentle storytelling, visual wonder, and sensory play.

"I am thrilled that we have the opportunity to share this piece with hundreds of children, families, and educators on a national tour, spreading the timely message of how we can mend our broken world by seeing the light in each other,” shares creator and director Jonathan Shmidt Chapman. “Together with Jewish United Fund Chicago, we will bring the show to Jewish early childhood programs across the Chicagoland area. In partnership with the Paradigm Project, we will also present the show at a national Jewish early childhood educator conference -- creating professional development programming around the show to inspire Jewish educators to use sensory theater techniques in their school and family programs. I hope the impact of the BIRTHDAY OF THE WORLD tour will be felt for our audiences long after the production leaves town."

THE BIRTHDAY OF THE WORLD will be presented at Writers Theatre in Glencoe, IL for public performances on November 1 & 2, welcoming families to experience this beautiful and intimate production. "We have long admired the brilliant and trailblazing work for young audiences the Alliance Theatre has produced,” says Bobby Kennedy, Writers Theatre’s Director of Artistic Development. “THE BIRTHDAY OF THE WORLD is a delightful gift of a show, and we are thrilled to play a part in bringing it to families on Chicago’s North Shore. We know they are going to love it.”

From October 27–31, the production will tour Jewish Early Childhood Centers across Chicagoland in collaboration with Jewish United Fund (JUF) Chicago. These performances are part of the JUF Artist-Educator Fellowship, a hands-on professional development experience led by Chapman that invites Jewish early childhood educators to explore sensory theater as a tool for bringing Jewish stories to life in their classrooms.
The tour and accompanying training activities are presented in partnership with The K’ilu Company, with generous support from The Covenant Foundation.
Following its Chicago run, the production will travel to Sleepy Hollow, NY, to be featured at the Paradigm Project’s National Jewish Early Childhood Conference. Over 200 early childhood educators and leaders from around the country will experience the production as a model of innovative Jewish storytelling, paired with a workshop by Chapman on integrating sensory theater techniques into the classroom—particularly as a method for animating Jewish children’s books.

PUBLIC PERFORMANCES – WRITERS THEATRE

November 1-2, 2025

Writers Theatre
325 Tudor Court, Glencoe, IL