There will be bubbles. So many bubbles….
At LITTLE JAMS: A Parking Lot Performance, an all-new, in-person, outdoor music fest for kids and families, opening Saturday, May 15 at Chicago Children’s Theatre, 100 S. Racine in Chicago’s West Loop.
Entire families are invited to come and shake their sillies out at this highly interactive revue featuring acts from Chicago Children’s Theatre’s favorite live musicians and performers. Performances are Saturday and Sunday mornings at 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., May 15-June 6.
LITTLE JAMS is a fast-paced, hour-long celebration all about family fun, local artists, and generating as much joy as Chicago Children’s Theatre’s outdoor parking lot can hold. Dance and sing along to favorite kiddie hits and original new music in a fun festival atmosphere complete with food trucks and an awesome bubble spectacle powered by more than a half dozen industrial strength bubble machines.
Ralph Covert, of Ralph’s World and The Bad Examples fame, will help kick off the run for both Saturday shows on May 15 as special opening guest artist.
The LITTLE JAMS regular players rock star line-up (at press time) features Ariana Burks (Alice in Wonderland: Alice’s Rock and Roll Adventure), Nick Davio (Leo Lionni’s Frederick, Red Kite, Brown Box), Lily Emerson (creator of Adventure Sandwich), Yuri “The Human Beat Box” Lane, and CCT teaching artist Xavier Roe (Hip Hop Dance Moves with Xavier on CCTv.)
Building on last fall’s sold-out success of The Beatrix Potter Drive-In Music Experience, CCT’s first outdoor, socially distanced event for families, Chicago Children’s Theatre is bringing back its outdoor drive-in car pod set-up for LITTLE JAMS, but adding a limited number of walk-in pods for families who prefer to arrive on foot, bike or CTA.
Tickets, $55 per pod, car or walk-in, are on sale now at chicagochildrenstheatre.org/event/littlejams.
Advance reservations only. No walk-up sales. Space is extremely limited to maintain social distancing, so please reserve early. Each pod can accommodate up to six people, not including lap children under 18 months. All attendees must agree to adhere to CCT’s social distancing guidelines.
Gates open one half hour before show times. Bag chairs and blankets are welcomed and encouraged in both pod options. Tickets include a surprise item of joy. A LITTLE JAMS Social Story will be posted on Chicago Children’s Theatre’s website to prepare children, including those with special needs, for what to expect at their LITTLE JAMS experience.
For more information, email communications@chicagochildrenstheatre.org.
LITTLE JAMS music artists include Ariana Burks (left) and Nick Davio
Lily Emerson (left) and Yuri "The Human Beatbox" Lane
Xavier Roe
REMINDER FOR PARENTS PLANNING FOR SUMMER:
REGISTER NOW FOR IN-PERSON AND/OR VIRTUAL SUMMER CAMPS AT CHICAGO CHILDREN’S THEATRE
Enrollment is also open for Summer Camps, both virtual and in-person, at Chicago Children’s Theatre. Send your kids to an array of one- and two-week in-person Summer Camp adventures like Acting for the Camera: Cut to Commercial (June 23-25), Musical Theatre Camp: The Least Popular Trolls (July 12-23), Camp Red Kite for children on the autism spectrum (August 9-20) and GirlProv! Improv for Empowerment (August 16-20). Prefer to stick with virtual learning? Register your child for Camp Red Kite Online (June 28-July 9), Online Acting for the Camera: Sci-Fi Edition (July 12-16) or Online Adventure Camp: When Pets Ran the World (August 9-13).
Visit chicagochildrenstheatre.org/camps for full Spring and Summer schedules, including camp descriptions, suggested age ranges, all Covid safety precautions, and registration fees. Capacity is limited so please reserve early. Financial aid is available.
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 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. CCT 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 January 2017, the company celebrated the opening of its new, permanent home, Chicago Children’s Theatre, The Station, located at 100 S. Racine Avenue in Chicago’s West Loop community. The building, formerly the Chicago Police Station for the 12th District, was repurposed into a beautiful, LEED Gold-certified, mixed-use performing arts, education and community engagement facility that now welcomes all Chicago families.
CCT provides tens of thousands of free and reduced-price tickets to under-resourced schools each season in partnership with Chicago Public Schools. CCT also continues to grow its performing arts and STEAM education programs, offering classes, workshops, winter and spring break camps, and summer camps for ages 0 to 13.
In 2019, Chicago Children’s Theatre won the National TYA Artistic Innovation Award from Theatre for Young Audiences/USA. In addition, Chicago Children’s Theatre has garnered six NEA Art Works grants, and in 2017, became the first theater for young audiences in the U.S. to win a National Theatre Award from the American Theatre Wing, creators of the Tony Awards.
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.
