Wednesday, September 7, 2022

Chicago’s Beloved Holiday Tradition, Lookingglass Theatre Company's THE STEADFAST TIN SOLDIER Returns November 13, 2022 – January 8, 2023

 Lookingglass Theatre Company Announces Chicago’s Beloved Holiday Tradition

THE STEADFAST TIN SOLDIER

Adapted and Directed by Ensemble Member Mary Zimmerman 

 


Lookingglass Theatre Company announces that tickets for the beloved holiday tradition, The Steadfast Tin Soldier, go on sale at 10AM on Friday, September 9! Based on Hans Christian Andersen’s story about a little tin soldier who never gives up, this gorgeous spectacle of music and movement is a classic the whole family will treasure! Adapted and directed by Ensemble Member Mary Zimmerman, The Steadfast Tin Soldier returns November 13, 2022 – January 8, 2023, at Lookingglass Theatre located in the Water Tower Water Works building, 821 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611. 

 

The Chicago Tribune calls The Steadfast Tin Soldier ★★★★ (out of four) a treat for all ages! It’s transformational, truly. Barely more than an hour-long, this is one holiday experience you don’t want to miss.”  

 

Get tickets 

Phone: (312) 337-0665 

In Person: 165 E Pearson, Chicago, IL 60611  

The box office is open (phone and in-person) Tuesday-Friday, 12PM-6PM. 

 

The Steadfast Tin Soldier  

Written and Directed by Lookingglass Ensemble Member Mary Zimmerman   

From the Story by Hans Christian Andersen   

November 13, 2022 – January 8, 2023 

Lookingglass Theatre in Water Tower Water Works 

 

Chicago’s beloved holiday tradition returns to the stage this holiday season, a classic the whole family will treasure! Based on Hans Christian Andersen’s story about a little tin soldier who never gives up, Ensemble Member Mary Zimmerman’s production is a gorgeous spectacle of music and movement that the Chicago Tribune calls “★★★★ A treat for all ages! It’s transformational, truly. Barely more than an hour-long, this is one holiday experience you don’t want to miss.”   

The Steadfast Tin Soldier is recommended for ages 5+. 

 

The Steadfast Tin Soldier Performance Schedule 

Previews  
November 13 & November 15 

 
Regular Run 

November 17, 2022 – January 8, 2023 

 
Please see the performance calendar on the website for full calendar and details. 

About the Artist 

Mary Zimmerman (she/her) (Lookingglass Ensemble Member, Adaptor and Director of The Steadfast Tin Soldier) is a writer and director and has worked with Lookingglass for more than 25 years. For Lookingglass, she adapted and directed The Odyssey, The Secret in the Wings, The Arabian Nights, S/M, Metamorphoses, Eleven Rooms of Proust (Co-production with About Face Theatre), Argonautika and Treasure Island. Mary is also part of the Goodman Theatre artistic team where she adapted and directed Candide, The Jungle Book, White Snake, Mirror of the Invisible World, The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci, Journey to the West and The Odyssey as well as directed The Music Man, Wonderful Town, All’s Well That Ends Well, The Trojan Women, Pericles and Silk. She has twice directed for the New York Shakespeare Festival in the Park. Regionally, her work has appeared at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Huntington Theatre Company, McCarter Theatre, Arena Stage, and Shakespeare Theatre in Washington, D.C. In New York, her work has appeared at Lincoln Center, Second Stage Theatre, Brooklyn Academy of Music, and Circle in the Square Theatre. 

Many of these productions as well as her Arabian Nights, Argonautika, The Secret in the Wings, Treasure Island and Eleven Rooms of Proust have played across the country and internationally. Her adaptation of Ovid’s Metamorphoses which originated at Northwestern and Lookingglass Theatre ran on Broadway for a year and she received the Tony Award for Best Direction of a play.  Opera directing credits include Galileo Galilei at the Goodman (with Philip Glass), Lucia de Lammermoor (Metropolitan Opera, La Scala) and Armida, la Sonnambula, Rusalka (Metropolitan Opera). Zimmerman is a Professor of Performance Studies at Northwestern University and an Artistic Associate at Goodman Theatre, recipient of the 1998 MacArthur Fellowship and recipient of numerous Jeff Awards. 


Become A gglasspass Member 

See yourself here, Chicago. In the Lookingglass.  

A partnership with one of this city’s leading Black theatre companies. A homegrown holiday hearth warmer. Two original CHI-made works each featuring unconventional central characters. A twirl around five extraordinary homespun districts (from Englewood to Edgewater to Avalon Park and more). And a transcendent summer sunset ritual that draws us all back waterside.   

Distinct. Unique. Reflecting is our function.   

Become a member and come see yourself at Lookingglass. 

The 3-play package includes the beloved holiday tradition, The Steadfast Tin Soldier and two World Premiere productions, Villette and Lucy and Charlie’s Honeymoon. The 2-play package includes both World Premiere productions. Gglasspass members get special access to tickets for our collaboration with Congo Square Theatre Company, What to Send Up When It Goes Down, plus direct access to the artistry!  

Members also get the best seats at the best prices, and enjoy a bounty of benefits including priority seating, no ticket fees, unlimited ticket exchanges, savings when purchasing additional tickets for friends or family, a discount at our online store, and more!  

Visit lookingglasstheatre.org/flex-passes to learn how to book your 2022-23 membership! 


Thank You to Our Season Sponsors  

Allstate Insurance Company 
BMO  
Hearn  
HMS Media  
Shirley Ryan Ability Lab  
Waldorf Astoria Chicago  

 

Become A Scene Maker 

Inside our 190-seat storycastle we work tirelessly to produce unique theatre that leaves YOU changed, charged, and empowered. Theatre making takes meticulous attention to detail and years of work, often unseen. We could not take that initial spark of an idea to the wonder we finally see on stage without you. While you might not be IN the room, you too are an artist and vital to the process. Through your support you play YOUR role in shaping a flourishing, arts-driven tomorrow. Become a Scene Maker, today. 

Become a Scene Maker and support Lookingglass at lookingglasstheatre.org/scene-maker 

 

About Health and Safety  

The health and safety of our audiences, artists, and staff are a top priority and we have invested our resources accordingly. As guidelines are constantly evolving, all policies are subject to change.  

As of September 1, 2022, Lookingglass Theatre Company will no longer require audiences to provide proof of vaccination.  

Lookingglass will follow the community masking guidelines recommended by Chicago Department of Public Health and CDC Community Risk Levels as outlined below (https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/sites/covid-19/home/coviddashboard.html):  

• When Community Risk Level is HIGH (Red) - high quality masks are required at all times indoors and in large groups.  

• When Community Risk Level is MEDIUM (Yellow) - masks are required indoors and in large groups. 

• When Community Risk Level is LOW (Green) - masks are optional. If you are immunocompromised or at higher risk, consider wearing a mask at indoor public settings where vaccination status is unknown. 

We encourage you to confirm our current protocols prior to your visit to the theatre. Please refer to the health and safety page for more information about our current policies and safety measures regarding COVID-19. 

 

About Accessibility 

Lookingglass Theatre offers ground floor seats for all patrons who use a wheelchair or a scooter, or patrons who cannot walk stairs. Assisted listening devices are available at the patron's request. Dates for shows for hearing and visually impaired audiences to be announced. 

 

Bring a group to Lookingglass and save up to 25% off regular ticket prices. 

A trip to Lookingglass is the perfect outing for your school group, office, in-town visit, retirement community, social group, book club, scout troop, religious group, or alumni organization! To book a group, email groups@lookingglasstheatre.org. 

For more information, visit lookingglasstheatre.org/groups. 


About Lookingglass Theatre Company   

Inventive. Collaborative. Transformative. Lookingglass Theatre Company, recipient of the 2011 Regional Theatre Tony Award, was founded in 1988 by eight Northwestern University students. Now in its 35th Season, Lookingglass is home to a multi-disciplined ensemble of artists who create story-centered theatrical work that is physical, aurally rich and visually metaphoric. The Company, located in Chicago’s landmark Water Tower Water Works, has staged 70 world premieres, received 161 Joseph Jefferson Award Nominations, and produced work all across the United States. In 2016, Lookingglass received the MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions and in 2017, was the recipient of the League of Chicago Theatres’ Artistic Achievement Award.    

Lookingglass continues to expand its artistic, financial, and institutional boundaries under the guidance of Artistic Director Heidi Stillman, Executive Director Rachel L. Fink, a 29-member artistic ensemble, 22 artistic associates, an administrative staff, and a dedicated board of directors led by Chair Diane Whatton.   

For more information, visit  lookingglasstheatre.org.     

Engage with us on social media: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn. #LookingglassTheatre 


November 13, 2022 – January 8, 2023 

Lookingglass Theatre in Water Tower Water Works 

 

Chicago’s beloved holiday tradition The Steadfast Tin Soldier returns to the stage, adapted into a spellbinding spectacle of movement and music. 

Previews  
November 13 & November 15 

Sunday & Tuesday 7:30PM 

 
Regular Run 

November 17, 2022 – January 8, 2023 

Tuesdays 1:30PM & 7PM* 

Wednesdays 1:30PM & 7PM 
Thursdays 1:30PM* & 7PM 
Fridays 1:30PM* & 7PM 
Saturdays 2PM & 7PM 
Sundays 1PM & 6PM 

Christmas Eve 10:30AM & 2PM 

 
*Tuesday Matinee December 20 & 27 only. Wednesday Matinee November 23 only. Friday Matinee November 25, December 23, and December 30 only. January 7 Matinee at 2PM. No evening performances Saturday November 19 or December 31.  

No shows on Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year's Day. Please see the performance calendar on the website for full calendar and details. 



Tuesday, August 30, 2022

OPENING: Leonardo! A Wonderful Show About A Terrible Monster at Chicago Children’s Theatre September 10 - October 16, 2022

 ChiIL Mama’s ChiIL Picks List

MANUAL CINEMA’S NEW ALL-AGES SHOW 

LEONARDO! A WONDERFUL SHOW ABOUT A TERRIBLE MONSTER

COMING DIRECT FROM EDINBURGH AND NYC TO LAUNCH CHICAGO CHILDREN’S THEATRE’S 18TH SEASON, SEPTEMBER 10-OCTOBER 16, 2022

Leonardo! A Wonderful Show About A Terrible Monster is ideal for ages 3 and up. 

Hundreds of illustrated puppets, fuzzy Muppet-style puppets, hilarious actors on live cameras, and a live music soundtrack bring the popular children’s books by Mo Willems to life in a new Manual Cinema show that is...

“more like seeing a movie than attending a play…just one of this interactive production’s charms,” using “paper cutouts, fuzzy puppets, an energetic cast and funny songs to tell a story that is seamlessly projected onto a huge screen hanging over the stage.”  -The New York Times

Leonardo is a terrible monster. He tries so hard to be scary, but he just…isn’t. Then Leonardo finds Sam, the most scaredy-cat kid in the world. Will Leonardo finally get to scare the tuna salad out of someone? Or will it be the start of an unlikely friendship.



The plot thickens when Leonardo and Sam meet Kerry and Frankenthaler, an even scaredier-cat and her monster friend. Kerry and Sam need to make a big decision: will they just be scaredy cats or can they become friends?


Leonardo! A Wonderful Show About A Terrible Monster is directed by Sarah Fornace, co-director of Manual Cinema, the Chicago-based, internationally-acclaimed multimedia artist collective known for their mind-bending fusion of shadow puppetry, video projection, DIY cinema, green screen techniques, original music, and immersive sound.

Performances are September 10-October 16, 2022

at Chicago Children’s Theatre, 100 S. Racine in the West Loop. 

(Free parking adjacent to the theater.)

Hundreds of illustrated puppets, fuzzy Muppet-style puppets, hilarious actors on live cameras, and a live music soundtrack bring the popular children’s books by Mo Willems to life in a new Manual Cinema show the whole family will enjoy.

Leonardo is a terrible monster. He tries so hard to be scary, but he just…isn’t. Then Leonardo finds Sam, the most scaredy-cat kid in the world. Will Leonardo finally get to scare the tuna salad out of someone? Or will it be the start of an unlikely friendship?

The plot thickens when Leonardo and Sam meet Kerry and Frankenthaler, an even scaredier-cat and her monster friend. Kerry and Sam need to make a big decision: will they just be scaredy cats or can they become friends?

Leonardo! A Wonderful Show About A Terrible Monster returns for its hometown debut after summer runs in Edinburgh and at New York’s New Victory Theater. There, the New York Times raved Leonardo! is “more like seeing a movie than attending a play…just one of this interactive production’s charms,” using “paper cutouts, fuzzy puppets, an energetic cast and funny songs to tell a story that is seamlessly projected onto a huge screen hanging over the stage.”

Leonardo! is directed by Sarah Fornace, co-director of Manual Cinema, the Chicago-based, internationally-acclaimed multimedia artist collective known for their mind-bending fusion of shadow puppetry, video projection, DIY cinema, green screen techniques, original music, and immersive sound.

In 2017, CCT was thrilled to present the world premiere of Manual Cinema’s The Magic City as the inaugural production in its now “forever home” at Monroe and Racine in Chicago’s West Loop. In 2018, Manual Cinema was named Chicago Tribune “Chicago Theater Artists of the Year.” Their national profile jumped again in 2021 thanks to their shadow puppet animation sequences in the critically acclaimed horror film Candyman, produced by Jordan Peele.

But Leonardo? He’s not scary.  


Leonardo! A Wonderful Show About A Terrible Monster is ideal for ages 3 and up. The show will delight audiences whether or not they have read the books, but there are plenty of easter eggs to delight fans of Mo Willems.

Performances are September 10-October 16, 2022, Saturdays and Sundays at 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Single tickets are $25-$36, fees not included. Mark your calendar, because these shows will sell out.

Or, guarantee your seats, save money and see three great plays – Manual Cinema’s Leonardo!, The Beatrix Potter Holiday Tea Party and The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show  – by purchasing a two- or three--show subscription to CT’s 2022-23 season, starting at just $37.

Subscriptions and single tickets are on sale now at chicagochildrenstheatre.org. Email boxoffice@chicagochildrenstheatre.org or call (312) 374-8835 to learn more about discounted rates for schools, playgroups, birthday parties and scouting groups.

Chicago Children’s Theatre is a “no shushing” theater. It is centrally located at 100 S. Racine Ave., at Monroe, in Chicago's West Loop, in the former 12th District Chicago Police Station, now home to the city’s largest professional theater devoted to children and young families.]

Chicago Children's Theatre is minutes from I-90 and I-290, as well as downtown and Ashland Avenue. Free, onsite parking is available on the south side of the building. Free street parking can be found nearby on weekends, or try the Impark parking lot, 1301 W. Madison St.

BOO! Behind-the-scenes of Leonardo! A Wonderful Show About A Terrible Monster

Leonardo! A Wonderful Show About A Terrible Monster is created by Manual Cinema, and is inspired by the books “Leonardo, The Terrible Monster” and “Sam, The Most Scaredy-Cat Kid in the Whole World” by Mo Willems. The production is directed by Sarah Fornace, from an adaptation by Sarah Fornace and Drew Dir, with music, lyrics and sound design by Ben Kauffman and Kyle Vegter. 

The cast features Leah Casey (Kerry, puppeteer), Lily Emerson (narrator, character voices, guitar and vocals), Julia Miller (Sam, puppeteer) and Lindsey Noel Whiting (Leonardo, Puppeteer). 

The creative team includes Drew Dir, 2D paper puppet and prop design; Lizi Breit, hand and rod puppet design; Mieka Van der Ploeg, costume and wig design; Trey Brazeal with Nick Chamernik, lighting design; Megan Alrutz, dramaturgy; Maydi Díaz, stage manager and board operator; and Mike Usrey, technical director 

Manual Cinema is an Emmy award winning performance collective, design studio, and film/ video production company founded in 2010 by Drew Dir, Sarah Fornace, Ben Kauffman, Julia Miller and Kyle Vegter. Manual Cinema combines handmade shadow puppetry, cinematic techniques, and innovative sound and music to create immersive stories for stage and screen. Using vintage overhead projectors, multiple screens, puppets, actors, live feed cameras, multi-channel sound design, and a live music ensemble, Manual Cinema transforms the experience of attending the cinema and imbues it with liveness, ingenuity, and theatricality. The company was awarded an Emmy Award in 2017 for “The Forger,” a video created for The New York Times and named Chicago Theater Artists of the Year in 2018 by the Chicago Tribune. In 2020 Manual Cinema celebrated their ten year anniversary and had their South American premiere at the Santiago a Mil festival. Their shadow puppet animations were featured in the 2021 film remake of Candyman, directed by Nia DaCosta and produced by Jordan Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions. 

Manual Cinema has been presented by, worked in collaboration with, or brought its work to Chicago Children’s Theatre, The Metropolitan Museum of Art (NYC), BAM (NYC), Arts Emerson, Yale Repertory Theatre, The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, The Kennedy Center (DC), Under the Radar Festival (NYC), La Monnaie-DeMunt (Brussels), The Noorderzon Festival (Netherlands), The Kimmel Center (Philadelphia) The O, Miami Poetry Festival, The Tehran International Puppet Festival (Iran), Davies Symphony Hall (SF), The King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Saudi Arabia), The Ace Hotel Theater (LA), The Hakaway International Arts Festival (Cairo), The Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and elsewhere around the world. They have collaborated with StoryCorps (NYC), Erratica (London), The Belgian Royal Opera (Brussels), Hubbard Street Dance (Chicago), Pop-Up Magazine (SF), Nu Deco Ensemble (Miami), New York Times best-selling author Reif Larsen (NYC), three time Grammy Award-winning eighth blackbird (Chicago), NPR’s Invisibilia, Topic Magazine, Grammy Award winning Esperanza Spalding and The New York Times. Learn more at manualcinema.com.

Mo Willems is an author, illustrator, animator, playwright, and the inaugural Kennedy Center Education Artist-in-Residence, where he collaborates in creating fun new stuff involving classical music, opera, comedy concerts, dance, painting, and digital works with the National Symphony Orchestra, Ben Folds, Yo-Yo Ma, and others. Willems is best known for his #1 New York Times bestselling picture books, which have been awarded three Caldecott Honors (“Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!,” “Knuffle Bunny,” “Knuffle Bunny Too”), two Theodor Geisel Medals, and five Geisel Honors (“The Elephant & Piggie” series). Willems’s art has been exhibited around the world, including major solo retrospectives at the High Museum (Atlanta) and the New-York Historical Society (NYC). Over the last decade, Willems has become the most produced playwright of Theater for Young Audiences in America, having written or co-written four musicals based on his books. He began his career as a writer and animator on PBS’ Sesame Street, where he garnered six Emmy Awards (writing). Other television work includes two series on Cartoon Network: Sheep in the Big City (creator + head writer) and Codename: Kids Next Door (head writer). Willems is creating new TV projects for HBOMax, where his live action comedy special Don’t Let the Pigeon Do Storytime! currently streams. His papers reside at Yale University’s Beinecke Library. For more, visit pigeonpresents.com.

Leonardo! A Wonderful Show About ATerrible Monster was commissioned by The Kennedy Center for Performing Arts with additional support from Chicago Children’s Theater and Utah Presents.


Playing next at Chicago Children’s Theatre in 2022-23

Later this fall, Chicago Children’s Theatre’s popular holiday show, The Beatrix Potter Holiday Tea Party, returns for its seventh season, November 19-December 24, 2022. 



A seasonal rite of passage for Chicago toddlers, this mesmerizing, interactive trunk and puppet show brings four adorable Beatrix Potter stories to life, followed by a festive holiday spread of juice, cookies and chocolate milk. 



Next spring, CCT will present The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show by Jonathan Rockefeller, creator of Disney’s Winnie the Pooh. 



Kids love this bright, bold spectacle production with 75 larger-than-life puppets that bring four Eric Carle favorites – “The Very Busy Spider,” “10 Rubber Ducks,” “Brown Bear, Brown Bear” and “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” – from the page to the stage. 



The Chicago Tribune called it “incredible work…Eric Carle’s books are brought beautifully to life.” Chicago Parent wrote “be wowed by the live action colorful world.” Jerrell L. Henderson directs. Performances are April 10-June 4, 2023.

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 14.

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 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 Accession, 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.

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