The Red Kite Project: Celebrating 15 years in 2023
Chicago Children’s Theatre’s Red Kite Project is offering three new opportunities for families with youth on the autism spectrum to participate in live theater and theater making this summer and fall.
Red Kite Project photos courtesy Chicago Children Theatre
Events include the Red Kite Friendship Tour, a series of free, sensory-friendly live theater experiences traveling for seven performances around the city, July 11-August 15, the return of Camp Red Kite, a three-week summer performing arts day camp, July 24-August 11 at the company’s West Loop home, followed in the fall by a new series of Red Kite classes and workshops, held after school and weekends at Chicago Children’s Theatre, starting in October.
CCT’s Red Kite Project, celebrating its 15th anniversary in 2023, has become a national model for creating special performances, camps and classes for children with autism and other special needs. All Red Kite Project experiences are specially designed, dynamic, shared arts experiences that encourage self-expression, social engagement, creative exploration, and above all, FUN!
Chicago Children’s Theatre is located at 100 S. Racine St., in the heart of Chicago’s West Loop, and has free, on-site parking.
Learn more about all Red Kite programs at chicagochildrenstheatre.org/red-kite-project.
The Red Kite Friendship Tour, July 10-August 15
The Red Kite Adventure Tour stopped at Navy Pier for a free public performance in June. Photo courtesy Chicago Children Theatre.
This July and August, Chicago Children’s Theatre will bring its first-ever, free Red Kite Friendship Tour to five Chicago Park District locations around the city, plus two stops in Skokie and Oak Park.
Each event is a 30-minute, unique sensory-friendly experience led by three specially trained theater artists who guide kids and families through upbeat music, dance and interactive, multi-sensory drama activities.
The Red Kite Friendship Tour is designed with youth on the autism spectrum, but can be enjoyed by all children and their families. Pick the Red Kite Friendship Tour stop nearest you. No need to register, just show up! All events are free.
Monday, July 10, 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Eckhart Park, 1330 W. Chicago Ave., West Town
Tuesday, July 11, 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Mt. Greenwood Park, 3721 W. 111th St., Mt. Greenwood
Tuesday, July 18, 4 p.m. and 5 p.m.
Skokie Library, 5215 Oakton St., Skokie
Monday, July 24, 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Mann Park, 3035 E. 130th St., Hegewisch
Tuesday, July 25, 10 am and 1 p.m.
Norwood Park, 5801 N. Natoma Ave., Norwood Park
Saturday, August 3, 9:30 a.m.
Whirlwind Coffee, 513 W. Madison St., Oak Park
Tuesday, August 15, 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Piotrowski Park, 4247 W. 31st St., Little Village
Chicago Children’s Theatre’s Red Kite Friendship Tour park performances are presented as part of the Chicago Park District’s Night Out in the Parks series, supported by the Mayor’s Office and Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.
Red Kite Project experiences are specially designed, shared arts experiences that encourage self-expression, social engagement, creative exploration, and above all, FUN! Photos courtesy Chicago Children’s Theatre
Camp Red Kite, July 24-August 11 at Chicago Children’s Theatre
Camp Red Kite is a dynamic theater day camp for young people on the autism spectrum. During three fun-filled weeks campers ages 8-22 explore drama, music and visual arts. Each day, campers rotate through engaging arts classes with their peers, growing their sense of community, imaginative thinking and self-confidence.
Camp Red Kite is led by a trained team of theater artists, administrators and CPS diverse learner teachers dedicated to creating a safe, welcoming and engaging environment for youth on the autism spectrum. Their camp experience culminates with a family reception and live performance of an original work devised by the campers over the course of the three week session on Friday, August 11 at 12 p.m.
Camp Red Kite runs July 24-August 11, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. at Chicago Children’s Theatre, 100 S. Racine St.
Camp is nearly full, but spaces are still available. For more information or to register your child, visit chicagochildrenstheatre.org/red-kite-classes-camp or email redkite@chicagochildrenstheatre.org. Financial assistance is available.
Red Kite Project Fall 2023 Classes
Press play to watch Chicago’s Yuri “The Human Beatbox” Lane work with a Red Kite Beatbox workshop student on her beatboxing skills.Video courtesy Chicago Children's Theatre
Starting in October, Chicago Children’s Theatre will offer four Red Kite Classes for ages 8 to 15:
Red Kite Storyhoppers
Session 1: October 1-29: Sundays, 10:30-11:30 a.m.
Session 2: November 5-December 10: Sundays, 10:30-11:30 a.m.
For ages 4-7 with a caregiver
This highly-interactive drama class will get the whole family moving and imagining. Bond with your little one through creative drama, music and multisensory activities, while supporting your child’s motor development, communication skills, self-confidence and blossoming creative spirit.
Red Kite Workshop: Acting and Movement
October 3-31: Tuesdays, 4:30-5:30 p.m.
For ages 8-15
This lively theater workshop engages campers in acting, movement and dance. Through ensemble building activities and movement-based theater games, campers will build confidence in expressing their creative side, while practicing social emotional skills and having a ton of fun. In the final workshop, the campers will get the chance to share some of their favorite parts of class with their families.
Red Kite Workshop: Beatbox
November 7-December 12: Tuesdays, 4:30-5:30 p.m.
For ages 8-15
This music workshop, taught by Yuri “The Human Beatbox” Lane, will get kids beatboxing and making music with their whole body in no time. Build confidence in expressing your creative side, while practicing social emotional skills (and having a ton of fun)! In the final workshop, campers will share some of their favorite parts of class with their families.
Learn more about the following classes and register at chicagochildrenstheatre.org/red-kite-classes-camp or email redkite@chicagochildrenstheatre.org. Financial assistance is available.
Watch and learn more about Chicago Children's Theatre's Red Kite Project
Visit chicagochildrenstheatre.org for more information about the company's 2023-24 season of live, public performances, launching this fall with the world premiere of Mesmerized: A Ben Franklin Science & History Mystery (September 23-October 15, 2023), followed by the returns of The Beatrix Potter Holiday Tea Party (November 4-December 31, 2023) and A Year with Frog and Toad (April 13-June 9, 2024).
Follow the company on Instagram and Facebook, and subscribe to its YouTube channel, CCTv: Virtual Theatre and Learning from Chicago Children’s Theatre.
About Chicago Children’s Theatre
“The Chicago theater scene is legendarily vibrant, so naturally a number of companies tailor productions to younger audiences. The cream of the crop is Chicago Children’s Theatre.” – Chicago Tribune
Chicago Children’s Theatre, 100 S. Racine St. in Chicago’s West Loop, is Chicago’s destination for the best plays, musicals, classes and performing arts camps for young audiences.
The company was founded in 2005 with a big idea: Chicago is the greatest theater city in the world, and it deserves a great children’s theater. Today, Chicago Children’s Theatre is the city’s largest professional theater company devoted exclusively to children and young families.
In 2017, following 11 years of itinerancy, Chicago Children’s Theatre celebrated the opening of its forever home in Chicago’s West Loop community. The building, formerly the 12th District Chicago Police Station, was repurposed into a LEED Gold-certified, mixed-use performing arts, education and community engagement facility. For children, parents, caregivers and teachers, CCT is a convenient, welcoming community hub, centrally located in the city, with free, onsite parking.
Chicago Children’s Theatre has established a national reputation for the production of first-rate children’s theater with professional writing, performing, and directorial talent and high-quality design and production expertise. In 2019, the company won the National TYA Artistic Innovation Award from Theatre for Young Audiences/USA. Chicago Children’s Theatre has also garnered six NEA Art Works grants, and in 2017, was the first theater for young audiences to win a National Theatre Award from the American Theatre Wing, creators of the Tony Awards.
In tandem with its live productions, Chicago Children’s Theatre offers a full slate of Access services for patrons with disabilities, including ASL interpretation, open captioning, touch tours and sensory friendly performances. CCT also provides thousands of free and reduced-price tickets to under-resourced schools each season in partnership with Chicago Public Schools.
In addition to live shows, CCT offers a full roster of performing arts education programs for ages 0 to 14. Visit chicagochildrenstheatre.org/family-programs for information on classes, workshops, winter, spring break and “school’s out” camps, and summer camps. Due to popular demand, in addition to its home in the West Loop, CCT camps and classes have expanded to new locations including Menomonee Club Drucker Center in Lincoln Park. Chicago Children’s Theatre also provides live theater experiences, classes and camps for children with autism and other special needs via its Red Kite Project, celebrating its 15th anniversary in 2023.
Chicago Children’s Theatre is supported by Goldman Sachs, Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, The Ralla Klepak Foundation for Education in the Performing Arts, The Shubert Foundation, Polk Bros Foundation, The MacArthur Fund for Culture, Equity and the Arts at Prince, Bayless Family Foundation, The Crown Family, Rea Charitable Trust, ComEd, US Bank, City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE), Illinois Arts Council, Illinois Humanities Council, National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), The Susan M. Venturi Fund in memory of James and Roslyn Marks to Support Theatre Education Access, and Erin and Jason, Ben, Bici and David Pritzker.
Chicago Children’s Theatre is led by Co-Founders, Artistic Director Jacqueline Russell and Board Chair Todd Leland, with Board President Armando Chacon.
For more, visit chicagochildrenstheatre.org, follow the company on Instagram and Facebook, and subscribe to its YouTube channel, CCTv: Virtual Theatre and Learning from Chicago Children’s Theatre.
About the Chicago Park District’s Night Out in the Parks series
Chicago Children’s Theatre’s Red Kite Friendship Tour is presented as part of the Chicago Park District’s Night Out in the Parks series, supported by the Mayor’s Office and 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 100 local artists and organizations, present 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 nightoutintheparks.com.