Signed American Girl McKenna Book & Take the Challenge Book ($6.95 + $9.95)--Carmen Van Deursen
Signed American Girl McKenna Book ($6.95)--Rita Cangialosi
*we announced our American Girl Doll and signed book winners via Rafflecopter on 3/31 but wish to publicly congratulate them here with our other weekly ticket winner, as well.
Opening day of The Giver, Adventure Stage's latest offering, was fantastic. Newberry Award winning author, Lois Lowry, flew in for the first show and graciously signed books for a lengthy line of fans at the cupcake social after the show. We have fond memories of Gossamer, another Adventure Stage/ Lois Lowry adaptation they produced in Nov./Dec. 2009.
We'd been reading The Giver out loud as a family and it was truly magical to see the book transformed to stage in such an adept way. The baby, Gabriel, was effectively portrayed by a puppet, and the monochromatic, grey, distopia provided the perfect back drop for this cautionary tale. Highly recommended. Recommended for ages 9+. Nobody under 5 will be admitted. Playing through April 26th. Check out a full summary, show dates and details below.
Every performance includes a post-show audience talkback with the
cast. * Please note: Out of respect for our actors and audience members, children under
age 5 are not permitted in the theatre during a performance.
*ENTER HERE FOR YOUR CHANCE AT 4 FREE TICKETS FROM CHIIL MAMA/ CHIIL LIVE SHOWS THROUGH MIDNIGHT TOMORROW 4/3/12. WE'LL ANNOUNCE OUR WINNER ON 4/4.
The Giver at Adventure Stage-winners' choice of any Saturday night performancepending availability (That's April 7, 14 & 21 at 7:30pm.
*Wait for Rafflecopter
to load up right here (if you've gone through RSS feed or are
scrolling down the blog and don't see it, click on the actual page
title and it should pop right up).Entries are easy. Winning
rocks! Please include your whole name as you would like it to appear
on the guest list/box office tickets, so there's no delay in reserving
if you win.
Click the links for entry forms and full show details. Entry is easy, free & totally confidential (no mailing lists or spam), and winning ROCKS! Some are short in time and have low entries, so you have an excellent chance of winning.
**ENDING AT MIDNIGHT TONIGHT 3/21/12...LAURA DOHERTY AT SCHUBAS AND ROCK & POP CIRCUS BY INTONATION
WINNERS ANNOUNCED TOMORROW (THURSDAY) AT NOON FOR LAURA DOHERTY AND ROCK-N-POP-CIRCUS
Laura
Doherty acoustically rocks your kid’s world with breezy folk-pop tunes
from her new CD, Shining Like a Star, which celebrates the many ways
children express themselves and celebrate their uniqueness. Songs such
as "I'm a Tree" and "Vegetable Party" share the wonders of nature,
along with dance tunes such as "Hula Hoop", and "Rocket Ship". Other
songs include hits from Laura's award-winning CD, Kids in the City,
which pays tribute to her kind of town - Chicago! Laura is a long-time
teaching artist in the Old Town School of Folk Music Wiggleworms
program.
*This
show will also feature a special appearance from Chicago Rap Legend
Psalm One and her students in Rhymeschool, a joint program with IMW
focused on hip-hop!
The
family-friendly musical extravaganza will also feature Rock Star Face
Painting, Punk Rock Hair Styling, a musical petting zoo, and more!
Young Rockers Join The Circus!! Chicago’s Intonation Music Workshop presents “Rock-N-Pop Circus”, featuring 10 of its kid rock bands in one show!!
Here
at ChiIL Mama, two of our favorite things are circus and rockin' kids
in bands...so how could we not have free tickets for YOU?! Intonation is doing fantastic work with Chi-Town kids in underserved areas all over the city. Currently
teaching nearly 400 students at 10 sites around the city, IMW provides a
safe and positive environment for kids who have few other options. We
were just at Alhambra Palace for Go Red for Women, and it's a
magnificently magical place that's a fitting showcase for these talented
kids. On
Saturday, March 24th, The Intonation Music Workshop will present its
annual Rock-N-Pop Circus, a Saturday afternoon showcase featuring 10
student bands at Alhambra Palace.
All
the bands in the Rock-N-Pop Circus are comprised of students from IMW
after school music programs around the city. This year’s event will
include performances from Blue Swagg, Chi-Rockers, BluTube, Dangerous
Rockstars, Flamin' Hotz, Neon Park, Pop Tots, Rex, RhymeSchool, and
Scorps!
Rock-N-Pop Circus Saturday, March 24, 1:00-5:00 PM Alhambra Palace 1240 W. Randolph St., Chicago IL
Tickets for adults are $5 in advance, $7 at the door. Kids are $3 in advance, $5 at the door. Children under 5 are free!
The students in the after-school Intonation Music Workshop program -- all between the ages of 6 and 17 -- learn the rudiments of the instruments in rock music, form bands, and begin to play shows for their communities and beyond. Past Intonation bands have performed on stages at Lollapalooza, Millennium Park, and the Bud Biliken Parade, to name a few.
“Arts
programs are disappearing from schools at an alarming rate,” says
Simons, “And organizations like ours are helping fill the gap. Our
workshop exists not only to teach kids music, but also all the other
things that playing music instills in us – confidence, teamwork, the
satisfaction of setting a goal and achieving it.”
Reserve your tickets by clicking here. or click here for your chance to win 4 from ChiIL Mama! Enter through midnight tonight 3/21/12 then check back tomorrow to see if YOU won.
2 days left *ending at midnight Thursday night!! 3/22/12
Check out ChiIL Mama like we vote in Chi, IL...early and often. We have 4 free tickets to all Beat Kitchen Concerts for kids and great family friendly theatre and kindie shows all over Chi-Town!!
Sage was elated to meet author, Mary Casanova, at American Girl Place in Chicago!
Author, Mary Casanova and ChiIL Mama's real American girl gymnast, Sagezilla
book signing, American Girl Doll Place, Water Tower-Chicago
ChiIL Mama's got some exciting news. We're extending our McKenna, American Girl Doll of the Year give away and our American Girl SIGNED books give aways till March 31st. We rarely extend give aways, but we have a fabulous, photo filled author feature, and some very special American Girl highlights and we need a little extra time to do them justice. We've been bursting at the seams with so many awesome events.
This is great news for our readers as you're welcome to enter like we vote in Chi, IL...early and often. These two contests absolutely will end at midnight on March 30th, with our winner announced the 31st!
**Click on our side bar pixs or links below for entry forms and your chance to win!**
Current Give Away Round Up Nationwide:
Kindie CD give away (enter through midnight tonight 1/14)
Enter for your chance to win ChiIL Mama's ChiIL
Kindie Collection featuring Suzi Shelton, Bari Koral, & Little Miss
Ann!! This amazing set of 4 CDs and a DVD, includes 3 of the
best women rockin' out for little kids today. One lucky reader will
be sent:
Anna and the Cupcakes-Bari Koral's brand new CD-just released 2/14/12
Walk With Me-Little Miss Ann's new CD-released 1-15-12
Suzi Shelton's: No Ordinary Day, Music for Kids, and DVD Suzi Shelton LIVE at Southpaw!!
American Girl Doll *SIGNED McKenna Books Give Away (1 signed McKenna Book & Take The Challenge Book/ 1 signed McKenna book) *autographed by author, Mary Casanova
Hope you had a happy leap day! The kids had a blast yesterday, figuring out they'd both just be celebrating their 2nd actual birthdays if they were born Februrary 29th. Then they figured how old they'll be the next time they experience a 2/29--12 & 14 respectively.
Today March comes in like a lion...so we have the lion's share of awesome, family friendly theatre tickets for YOU!
*Enter at the bottom of this post for 4 tickets to Lost & Found at Actor's Gym, Taming of the Shrew at Chicago Shakespeare and The Giver at Adventure Stage.
What reviewers are saying about Lost & Found: A Recycled Circus...
"The caliber of their circus arts is truly top notch. This colorful extravaganza combines all of our favorite elements...We were quite impressed with the cast..."- ChilL Live Shows
"...thrilled by the performances of the cast. The show features a tender and sweet storyline throughout with many moments of hilarity and humor. Lots of ideas are at work here, from an innovative reference to our tech-obsessed culture to an old fashioned boy gets girl tale." - Green Parent Chicago
"This sweet, small circus combines performances by professional artists, a spirited ensemble of semiprofessional teens, and a gang of precocious child actors. In less expert hands it could've ended up a cloying, chaotic mess. But somehow director Larry DiStasi and his team of talented collaborators have woven these disparate elements into an energetic, entertaining, totally satisfying gallimaufry. The props by Bruce Rogers and Mike Sullivan and the costumes by Elizabeth Wislar are delightful. The teen acrobats are dazzling. David Caitlin is at once hilarious and moving as a technology-distracted dad, while the other adult performers-led by Lindsey Noel Whiting, Will Howard, and Chris Mathews-give the show a heartfelt through line. And the kids (all children of Lookingglass Theatre ensemble members) are total scene-stealers." - Chicago Reader
Playing Now through March 11 Get your tickets today! Shows are selling out fast! For tickets, click here, or call 1-800-838-3006
Enter like we vote in Chi, IL...early
and often! Then spread the word, for more chances to win.
Here's what ChiIL Mama's got for you:
Lost & Found at Actor's Gym-4 tickets for Friday, March 9th at 7:30pm
Taming of The Shrew at Chicago Shakespeare Theater-4 tickets-winners' choice of show times/dates pending availability (3/17 on)
The Giver at Adventure Stage-winners' choice of any Saturday night performancepending availability (That's April 7, 14 & 21 at 7:30pm.
*Wait for Rafflecopter
to load up right here (if you've gone through RSS feed or are
scrolling down the blog and don't see it, click on the actual page
title and it should pop right up).Entries are easy. Winning rocks! Please include your whole name as you would like it to appear on the guest list/box office tickets, so there's no delay in reserving if you win.
Apples, Peaches, Lemonade & Jonas Friddle at Beat Kitchen Sunday at noon-Melissa P.
Check back with ChiIL Mama like we vote in Chi, IL...early and often. We have some GREAT ticket give aways coming your way soon including 4 free tickets to:
Theatre:
Lost & Found at Chicago Actor's Gym
Short Shakespeare-Taming of The Shrew at Chicago Shakespeare
The Giver at Adventure Stage Theatre
Kindie Concerts:
Beat Kitchen-
3/4 Jeanie B! & The Jelly Beans
3/11 Super Stolie & The Rockstars
3/18 **Human Tim + Robot Tim
3/25 **Little Miss Ann Band
Family Grounds Cafe- 3/17 Rolie Polie Guacamole
We also have possible tickets in the works for Ellis Paul's family show 3/17 at 1pm at S.P.A.C.E. in Evanston! *Check ChiIL Mama's YouTube Channel (searchable archive) for over 130 original videos including *live show footage from some of your kindie favs, **band interviews, theatre interviews, toy and game reviews and more.
