HELP OUT: The Actors Gymnasium Invites the Community to Celebrate 30 Years Under the Big Top

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Exclusive Event with Midnight Circus 

Honors the Past and Supports the Future

Here at ChiIL Mama and ChiIL Live Shows, we've adored both The Actors Gymnasium and Midnight Circus for decades. My own son and daughter grew up doing circus arts and were cast in numerous Actors Gymnasium youth circus shows over the years. Come on out and celebrate 30 years of AG and help out at the same time. The celebration isn’t just about looking back—it’s about paying it forward. All proceeds from the evening benefit the Actors Gymnasium's Student Scholarship Fund, ensuring that young artists can access their world-class training—regardless of financial circumstances.

The Actors Gymnasium, one of the nation’s premier circus and performing arts schools, invites the community to its 30th Birthday Bash happening Friday, September 19, 2025, at Tallmadge Park in Evanston, IL, under the big top!

This one-night-only event features an exclusive performance by Midnight Circus, followed by a birthday bash with drinks, dancing, and surprise performances—all set under an iconic circus tent. 

“For 30 years, we’ve helped people learn to fly,” says Murphy Monroe, AG Executive Director, “This event celebrates our history by investing in our future—through the students whose talent, drive, and potential inspire us every day.”

Evening Highlights Include:

VIP Reception (6:00 PM): Early entry to the show, drinks, bites, alumni mingle, and more

Midnight Circus Exclusive Performance (7:30 PM)

Birthday Bash (9:00–11:00 PM): Live music, exclusive 30th anniversary beer from Illuminated Brew Works, and a meet-and-greet with Midnight Circus performers, AG alumni, teen ensemble, and more!

Tickets are available now at https://givebutter.com/AG30thBirthdayBash

Can’t attend? Make a tax-deductible donation to the Scholarship Fund at checkout

Actor’s Gymnasium serves more than 1,000 students annually and is a cultural cornerstone of Evanston’s arts scene. This celebration is a chance to support their future—one daring performance at a time.

About Actors Gymnasium

Founded in 1995, the Actors Gymnasium is one of the nation's premier circus and performing arts training centers. Known for its original and daring circus-theatre productions, Actors Gym teaches thousands of students and welcomes tens of thousands of spectators annually.

Actors Gym partners with theaters nationwide and is proud to be a part of many of the nation's best physical theater productions. The Gym's Professional Circus Training Program is not just a training ground but a robust pipeline for career circus/theatre artists. These artists, who have honed their skills at the Gym, go on to grace stages and circus rings in Chicago and worldwide.

Actors Gym provides award-winning entertainment for corporate events, parades, halftime shows, and other special events. It also serves as the exclusive circus performing arts training provider for Lookingglass Theatre. Our collaborations with Lookingglass Theatre include Lookingglass Alice, Icarus, The Little Prince, Moby Dick, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Hardtimes, Luna Muda and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.

Under the leadership of the legendary Circus-Ring-of-Fame artist and performer Sylvia Hernandez-DiStasi, the Gym is committed to breaking down barriers in circus arts. This commitment not only makes circus arts more accessible but also showcases the power of circus to expand human potential, inspiring all who witness it.

The Actors Gymnasium Presents LITTLE RED For Its Annual Winter Circus March 1, 2025 – March 30, 2025

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The Actors Gymnasium Announces Casting for 

LITTLE RED

its Annual Winter Circus

An original circus theatre production created and directed by Heidi Stillman 

with circus choreography by Sylvia Hernandez-DiStasi

March 1, 2025 – March 30, 2025 

at the Noyes Cultural Arts Center in Evanston

Recommended for ages 5+

Here at ChiIL Mama and ChiIL Live Shows, we've long been fans of The Actors Gymnasium and their excellent shows and training programs for children through adults. Chicago is lucky to have such a fabulous resource. My own son and daughter were cast in their annual youth circus shows for years. And now my son is back and assistant stage managing for Little Red. We'll be catching this one on opening night, March 1st, so check back soon after for our full review.

The Actors Gymnasium is proud to announce LITTLE RED, an original circus theatre production created and directed by Heidi Stillman, with circus choreography by Artistic Director Sylvia Hernandez-DiStasi. The show features Kat Hoil, Madie Doppelt, Kaitlyn Andrews, Kylie Anderson, and Julie Matolo, as well as members of the Actors Gym’s Teen Ensemble.

LITTLE RED is part of Actors Gym's annual Winter Circus tradition, which is one of Chicago's most popular circus shows.

Inspired by the 17th-century fairytale, Little Red Riding Hood, LITTLE RED is a captivating movement piece exploring the thrilling and mysterious journey of Little Red facing the biggest, baddest foe of them all - The Wolf.  But who is the Wolf? And who is Little Red? Discover the answers—and the questions—in this circus tale of innocence, fear, and transformation. LITTLE RED created and directed by Heidi Stillman and Sylvia Hernandez-DiStasi coming to Actors Gym this Spring!

Production Details

LITTLE RED

Runs: March 1st - March 30th, 2025

Opening and press night: Saturday, March 1, 2025

Performances are Saturdays at 4:30 PM and 7:30 PM, and Sundays at 3:00 PM

Director: Heidi Stillman

Circus Choreographer: Sylvia Hernandez-DiStasi

Production Associate: Griffin DiStasi

Stage Manager: Olivia Sullam

Production Manager: Erin Gautille

Costume Designer: Mara Blumenfeld

Lighting Designer: Hannah Wien

Sound Designer & Composer: Rick Sims

Set & Props Designer: Natsu Onada

Dance Choreographer: Jacinda Ratcliffe 

Tickets start at $25 for adults and can be purchased online at www.actorsgymnasium.org/shows

All performances are at Noyes Cultural Arts Center at 927 Noyes St., Evanston, IL.

About the Artists

Heidi Stillman (creator, director): is a writer, director, and an ensemble member of Lookingglass Theatre Company, where she has served twice over the years as Artistic Director. Some of her favorite shows she has written and directed at Lookingglass include: Cascabel (with Tony Hernandez and Rick Bayless), Hephaestus: A Greek Mythology Circus Tale (also at The Goodman Theatre), The Brothers Karamazov, and Hard Times (also at the Arden Theatre in Philadelphia). Directing work at Lookingglass includes: Act(s) of God, Death Tax, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, Trust, and Hillbilly Antigone. Additional writing credits with Lookingglass include The Old Curiosity Shop and The Baron in the Trees. Heidi recently directed Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress at Childrens Theatre Company in Minneapolis. She directed Minita Gandhi’s Muthaland for Silk Road Rising, Victory Garden’s Ignition Festival, and at 16th Street Theatre. She wrote (with Caroline Macon) and directed The Year I Didn’t Go to School at Chicago Childrens Theatre. Her adaptation of The Book Thief premiered at Steppenwolf Theatre Company. Heidi lives in Evanston, and her children performed in many Winter Circuses over the years. 

Sylvia Hernandez-DiStasi (Artistic Director & Circus Choreography): is Artistic Director of The Actors Gymnasium. She also serves as master teacher and director of The Professional Circus Training Program and is a faculty member at Northwestern University’s Department of Theatre. Sylvia is a second generation circus performer who grew up touring with various circuses, including Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey. In 2019, she and her family, The Hernandez Troupe, were inducted into the Circus Ring of Fame for their monumental contributions to the world of circus. Sylvia is an ensemble member of the Tony Award-winning Lookingglass Theatre Company, where she has worked on over 20 productions. She has received 4 Joseph Jefferson Awards for her work with Lookingglass (Lookingglass Alice, Hard Times, Baron in the Trees) and Marriott Theatre (All Night Strut), and a total of 5 Joseph Jefferson nominations. In 2018, she won a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award and a Robby Award, both for designing the acrobatic/aerial choreography of the South Coast Repertory staging of Moby Dick. Other theater credits include The Lyric Opera, Writer’s Theatre, Steppenwolf, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Chicago Children’s Theater and The Goodman. Sylvia is the recipient of The 3Arts Award for Design (2014), and also received an Award of Honor for Outstanding Contributions by The Illinois Theater Association.

Kat Hoil (Ensemble): Kat Hoil is an award-winning, multi-disciplinary artist based in Chicago. They have worked with such companies as Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Audacious Machine Creative, Northbrook Theatre, The Chicago Park District, Everleigh Entertainment (Chicago), The Lincoln Center (New York City), Constellation Immersive (Los Angeles), and The Grand Shanghai Theatre (Missouri)

Madie Doppelt (Ensemble): Madie Doppelt is a Chicago-based theater and circus artist who proudly calls Actors Gymnasium her artistic home. An alum of both the Teen Ensemble (2016) and Professional Training Program (2022), Madie has been in many shows on the sprung floor across the years, most recently including CIRCUS QUIXOTE (2023). Other recent acting credits include CORDUROY (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre), FEFU AND HER FRIENDS and EURYDICE (Snails on a Bike Theatre Collective), and DRY LAND (The Theatre School at DePaul University).

Kaitlyn Andrews (Ensemble): Kaitlyn is a multidisciplinary performer– while working primarily as a circus artist these days, she has over a decade of experience as an actor, clown, and theatre maker. With her theatrical background Kaitlyn has a keen eye for storytelling in her circus work. She is drawn to creating experiences that evoke reaction from her audiences, whether humorous, horrifying, or melancholic– her work carries a large range of expression. Kaitlyn is a graduate of the Theatre program at Northwestern University, and of the Professional Circus Training Program at The Actors Gymnasium where she majored in aerial rope. She is a founding and former member of BIPOC Circus Alliance (formerly BCAM). Primarily as a circus artist Kaitlyn performs aerial rope, and partner acrobatics. Previously as a theatre artist she has performed with Neo-Futurists (The Arrow, Tangles & Plaques), The Ruffians (Burning Bluebeard), and is an emeritus of PlayMakers Laboratory (That’s Weird Grandma). Recent acting credits include The Becomers which is now available for streaming. When not performing in full length shows, you can catch Kaitlyn in the air at various events around Chicago! She is so thrilled to be part of this year’s Winter Circus at Actors Gymnasium

Kylie Anderson (Ensemble): Ky Rambo (professionally: Kylie Anderson) (they/them) is a physical actor and circus artist represented by Stewart Talent. Ky is a company member at Avalanche Theatre and a founding company member at Bramble Theatre Company but has worked with a medley of other theaters in Chicago including Redtwist, Remmy Bumppo, Steppenwolf, and Lookingglass Theatre. Ky has a BFA in Drama with an emphasis in Acting from the University of Oklahoma, but has also trained at Stella Adler’s Studio in New York City, NY for physical theatre, attended the School at Steppenwolf (class of 2019) in Chicago, IL, and you might have even seen them here at The Actor’s Gym, having studied aerial arts and clown in the Pro Training class of 2021 and 2024. Excited to make their Actor’s Gymnasium Circus School and THEATRE COMPANY debut alongside their talented friends, Ky would like to thank their husband Austin, their mom Carol, and literally anyone and everyone who has ever encouraged them to keep chasing their dreams. 

Julie Matolo (Ensemble): Julie Matolo (she/her) is an accomplished dancer, acrobat, aerialist, stunt performer, actor, choreographer and teaching artist. She is based out of California and Chicago. Her artistic goals have led her to travel, tour and perform in the majority of our fifty states, in addition to Canada, Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina and throughout Europe.

Chicago: Most recently performed in Portal (The Lookingglass Theatre/Night Out in The Parks). Champion (The Lyric Opera of Chicago), The Cat in the Hat (Northbrook Theatre), Midsummer Night's Cirque (Dominican University), BHM Cabaret, Solidarity (Bipoc Circus Alliance), Principal Dancer (The Joel Hall Dancers).International Tours: MARVEL Universe Live, MARVEL Universe Live 2 (Feld Entertainment), Multiple Shows in dance and aerial (Royal Caribbean Productions).Regional: Cirque du Beautiful (On the Fly Productions), Oklahoma (Opera San Luis Obispo), Clara's Trip/A Cirque and Dance Nutcracker (Caroline Calouche & Co.).

Film: Dhar Mann Studios Teaching Artist: Chicago Public Schools. And Choreographer to local area High Schools and Youth Companies/Ensembles.

Julie is eternally humbled and grateful to be part of the incredible team of 'Little Red'!

About Actors Gym

The Actors Gymnasium is one of the nation’s premiere circus and performing arts training centers, led by master teacher and Circus Ring of Fame artist Sylvia Hernandez-DiStasi. Founded in 1995, it provides educational programs for students of all ages and levels, and produces original and daring circus-theatre.The Actors Gym also offers award-winning entertainment for corporate and other special events.

Actors Gym is proud to partner with theatres across the country to bring powerful circus theater productions to life and serves as the exclusive provider of circus performing arts training for Lookingglass Theatre.