Harris Theater Gives Back at the Holidays

Last season, performing to sold-out audiences, the dancers of Harris Theater resident company Hubbard Street 2 brought to life the adventures of a young boy named Harold who, equipped with his purple crayon and infinite imagination, choreographed his own adventures in Harold and the Purple Crayon: A Dance Adventure– an hour-long interactive performance, based on the 1955 classic children's book Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson.

Harold and the Purple Crayon: A Dance Adventure returns to the Harris stage this weekend, back by popular demand. When the curtain rises, more than 300 children and their families will be in attendance to help Harold choreograph his next adventure, as they experience the joy of live, interactive performance, free of charge, as part of the Theater's Access Tickets Program.

Launched in January 2009 at the height of the recession, the Harris Theater developed its Access Tickets Program to ensure that the arts remained a vital part of the community during challenging economic times and beyond. Funded through the generous support of Harris Theater patrons, this acclaimed program pledges to provide a minimum of 10% of all Harris Theater Family Series tickets free of charge to children and families that do not have the financial means or access to attend live performances.

"The Harris Theater believes that all families should have the ability to benefit from the inspiration and powerful healing effects of music and dance, regardless of their financial means," said Michael Tiknis, President and Managing Director of the Harris Theater. He continued, "We developed the Access Tickets Program to ensure that Chicago's next generation of arts lovers has the ability to attend high-quality, interactive and educational programs that are perfect for the whole family. It has been our privilege to partner with 23 local health and human service organizations in the distribution of more than 2,500 complimentary tickets since the launch of the program just three years ago."

This season, the Access Tickets Program will provide 1,250 complimentary tickets, including the more than

300 children and families affiliated with nine different Chicago-area health and human service organizations who will attend this weekend's performances:
· Better Boys Foundation- Providing life-improving experiences for North Lawndale area youth and their families

· Celestial Ministries- Serving children in the North Lawndale community with incarcerated loved ones

· Center on Halsted-Creating a unified front and a focal point for Chicago's LGBT community

· Children's Memorial Hospital- Providing high-quality programs in virtually every known pediatric specialty

· Cool Classics!- Uses classic books to connect children to a unified world of reading, art, culture and ideas

· Gilda's Club Chicago- Providing social and emotional support for families whose lives have been touched by cancer

· Mercy Home for Boys and Girls- Saving the lives of hurting, neglected and abused children

· Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago's Caring for Kids Program- Offering special events opportunities for youth ages 7-17 who have a physical disability

· USO of Illinois Discovery Kids- Serving the U.S. Armed Forces personnel and their families

Additional Access Tickets Program partners include:

· Access Living- Promotes the empowerment, independence and inclusion of people with all types of disabilities

· Boys and Girls Clubs of Chicago- Offering after-school and summer programs for over 17,000 Chicago area youth

· Chicago West Community Music Center- Enhancing the quality of life of Chicago's Westside and West Suburban youth and their families through fine arts education

· La Casa Norte- Providing comprehensive services to transform the lives of youth and families confronting homelessness

· Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly- Bringing children and elderly together in friendship and celebration of life

· Starlight Children's Foundation Midwest- Improving the quality of life for children with chronic and life-threatening illnesses and life-altering injuries

Due to the tremendous success of the Access Tickets Program, the Harris Theater expanded the program in October 2010 to include the Teen Arts Exploration Project. This program provides

local schools and arts education organizations complimentary tickets and arts enrichment activities around Harris Theater Presents performances, making it possible for individuals focusing in the performing arts to attend performances by world-class artists and ensembles. Since its inception, the Teen Arts Exploration Project has served over 350 teens at the following organizations:

· Benito Juárez Community Academy- A premier neighborhood school striving to nurture social and intellectual development

· Center on Halsted-Creating a unified front and a focal point for Chicago's LGBT community

· Chicago Academy for the Arts- Preparing young adults for life through academic education and professional arts training

· Chicago High School for the Arts- Chicago's first public high school for the performing and visual arts

· Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras- Advancing and inspiring the musical and personal development of young musicians

· Jazz Institute of Chicago- Preserving the historical roots of Chicago's music through engaging new audiences

· Metropolitan Area Group for Igniting Civilization (MAGIC)- Providing free string musical instruction to children in Chicago's Woodlawn and surrounding neighborhoods

· Merit School of Music- Providing high quality music education to students in the metropolitan Chicago area

· Midwest Young Artists- Offers a full-curriculum pre-college music school providing students with the opportunities to perform and compete in world-class competitions

· Music Institute of Chicago- Providing a foundation for lifelong enjoyment of music by offering the highest quality music education for students of all ability levels and ages

Tickets to Harold and the Purple Crayon: A Dance Adventure, presented Saturday, December 3 and Sunday, December 4 at 2 pm, are $15 each and are on sale now at the Harris Theater Box Office located in Millennium Park at 205 E. Randolph Dr., by calling 312-334-7777 or online at www.harristheaterchicago.org.