Chicago Children's Theater Listings Note: Dates listed are performance beginning and end dates. Please call for specific performances dates and times within those ranges, as not all performances take place on a daily basis. NOW PLAYING The following children's plays are taking place this month in the Chicago area. Scroll down to see other theater productions that are coming soon.

Alice In Wonderland at Beverly Arts Center
May 21 through August 22, 2008
Chicago Kids Company Theatre for Children (CKC) presents a musical version of "Alice in Wonderland", a modernized re-telling of the classic fairy tale. Follow Alice down the Rabbit Hole into a land of wonder! Meet the Cheshire Cat, the March Hare, the Mad Hatter, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, the Queen of Hearts, and many more. This musical version of the favorite fairy tale features six original songs, including a sing-along with Alice. The show runs one hour with no intermission, and is for kids aged 2 - 12. Beverly Arts Center, 2407 W. 111th St. (at Western), Chicago. (773) 205-9600. www.ChicagoKidsCompany.com .

The American Girls Revue
Ongoing
Don't miss this enchanting production. Written by Broadway playwrights, this lively show brings the stories of the American Girl characters to life through 10 original songs. Watching it will help girls discover the possibilities they each have...and be inspired to make this moment in history their own! Performance times vary; Call for information. Tickets $28.00 per person. For ages 6 and up. At American Girl Place, 111 E. Chicago Ave., Chicago. Call (877) 247-5223 to make your reservations.

Bitty Bear's Matinee: The Family Tree
Ongoing
Based on the book Bitty Bear's Family Album, this original musical performance tells the story of Bitty Bear and her friends (the Bitty Bunch) creating a gift for her parents on their anniversary. This delightful performances engages children with Bitty Bear, Bitty Kitty, and Bitty Puppy through audience participation. Performance times vary; call for information. Tickets are $15 per person. For ages 3 to 6. At American Girl Place, 111 E. Chicago Ave., Chicago, IL 60611. Call (877) 247-5223 to make your reservations.

Global Warming! What's a Kid to Do?
July 3 - August 2, 2008
Kidworks Touring Theatre Co. presents "Global Warming! What's a Kid to Do?" at 40 branches of the Chicago Public Library, as part of their "Read Green, Live Green" Summer Reading program. Kidworks brings global warming myths and facts to life with an eye-opening new performance on climate change, geared for children aged 4 -12. Audience members participate in a live documentary-style TV show, traveling to the Arctic, Antarctica, Australia, the Amazon, and back to Chicago. Children volunteers play penguins, monkeys and Great Barrier Reef fish, as the actors inspire children to recycle and make a difference for the planet, including energy-saving take-home tips. At various Chicago Public Libraries, visit www.kidworkstheatre.org for details.

Honk!
July 14 - July 19, 2008
It's springtime and momma and papa duck can't wait for their new brood - but there's an unusually large egg this year. It cracks open and out comes an ugly duckling that lets out a strange sounding…HONK! Ugly is ridiculed by the other animals and is almost driven into the eager mouth of the Tom Cat. Ugly escapes by the skin of his beak - but the adventure doesn't stop there. Come see what other journeys Ugly encounters and how he finds out he isn't really ugly, he's beautiful. The Metropolis Performing Arts Centre, 111 W. Campbell St., Arlington Heights. (847) 577-2121. www.MetropolisArts.com.

Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile
June 13 - July 13, 2008
The Primm family is busily moving into their new house on East 88th Street, when suddenly they hear SWISH, SWASH, SPLASH, SWOOSH. A search reveals a crocodile in their bathtub! His name is Lyle, he only eats Turkish caviar, and he quickly becomes a treasured member of the family. This story has been read by loyal fans since 1962, and is now a new musical by the composer of Lifeline's "Click, Clack, Moo" and the adaptor of "Rikki Tikki Tavi." This production is appropriate for children ages five to ten, and runs about one hour with no intermission. Lifeline Theatre, 6912 N. Glenwood Ave., Chicago. 773-761-4477. www.lifelinetheatre.com.

A Rabbit's Tale
July - August, 2008
Millennium Park will play host to giant puppets when A Rabbit's Tale comes to the stage of the Jay Pritzker Pavilion this summer. Created by Chicago's award-winning puppet artist, Blair Thomas and set to a live piano performance of Modest Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition, this delightful story tells the tale of a young boy's voyage through a magical forest and the many characters he meets along the way. Presented by Fast Fish Puppet Theater, this original puppet play featuring enormous Bunraku (Japanese)-style puppets, can be seen Wednesdays at 3 p.m. on July 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 and August 6 and 13; and on Sundays at 11 a.m. on July 13, 27, August 3, 10 and 24, 2008. Millennium Park, 312.742.1168. www.millenniumpark.org.

Sing Along Mary Poppins
June 22, July 27, August 31, 2008
11 a.m. Chicago Kids Company, Theatre for Children, and the Wilmette Theatre present "Sing Along Mary Poppins," an event for the whole family, joining the 1964 film starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke with a live cast of actors from Chicago Kids Company, for three Sundays this summer. Songs include A Spoonful Of Sugar, Chim Chim Cher-ee, Step In Time, Let's Go Fly A Kite and, of course, Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. This co-presentation continues the two organizations' commitment to family programming on Chicago's North Shore. (847) 251-7424. Wilmette Theater, 1122 Central Ave., Wilmette. www.wilmettetheatre.com.

That’s Weird, Grandma
Open run
A critically acclaimed assortment of scenes and songs adapted by the ensemble from Chicago public school students. After teaching creative writing in the CPS system, BOM’s ensemble of actors, comedians, musicians and playwrights selects and adapts some of the thousands of stories generated by children for stage presentation. The result has been an audience favorite – a show that is ‘safe’ for all ages, yet very much appreciated by an adult audience. “That’s Weird, Grandma” changes each week according to audience votes (switching 2-3 sketches in and out each performance), and each show runs about one hour. (312) 409-1954. The Neo-Futurarium, 5153 N. Ashland, Chicago. www.barrelofmonkeys.org

COMING SOON

The Giver
October 8-31, 2008
Back by popular demand! In a utopian community where there are no choices-where everyone has his or her place in the world assigned according to gifts and interests-the time has come for 12-year-old jonas to become the new Receiver of memory. He will be the one to bear the collective memories of a society that lives only in the present, where "Sameness" is the rule. But Jonas soon recognizes the losses and discovers the lie that supports his community. He decides he will change his world-but he cannot predict how that change will come about, or what that schange will mean for himself and the "newchild" Gabriel, whom he has resolved to protect. At Metropolis Performing Arts Centre, Arlington Heights October 8-17, 2008 - (847) 577-5982; Apple Tree Theatre, Highland Park October 20-18, 2008 and The Gorton Community Center, Lake Forest October 29-31, 2008 - (847) 432-8223. www.appletreetheatre.com/.

Holes
November 16 - December 18, 2008
Fourteen-year-old Stanley Yelnats is convicted for a crime he didn't commit and sentenced to Camp Green Lake - where nothing is green and no lake is in sight. He blames his rotten luck on the Yelnats family curse, which traces back to his "no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealin'-great-great-grandfather." Supposedly to build character, the camp boys spend their days digging huge holes under the brutal desert sun. But as Stanley discovers the real reason behind all those countless holes, fate begins to point him toward his true destiny. Adventure Stage Chicago at Vittum Theater, 1012 N. Noble St., Chicago. (773) 342-4141. www.adventurestage.org.

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
February 2-24, 2009
Set in Mississippi at the height of the Depression, this is the story of one family’s struggle to maintain their integrity, pride, and independence in the face of racism and social injustice. The Logan family owns their own land, something unheard of for a black family in 1930’s Mississippi. Over the course of an important year, Cassie Logan discovers why owning land is so crucial, and learns to draw strength from her own sense of dignity and self-respect. Apple Tree Theatre, Highland Park, February 2-7, 2009 and The Gorton Center, Lake Forest February 11-13, 2009 - (847) 432-8223; Metropolis Performing Arts Centre, Arlington Heights, February 17-24, 2008 - (847) 577-5982.

Katrina: The Girl Who Wanted Her Name Back
April 5 - May 21, 2009
This exciting new work follows Katrina, a young girl from New Orleans forced to face the powerful hurricane that shares her name. Separated from her beloved father during the storm, Katrina must journey to safety with only ghosts, sweet N'awlins music and her own bravery as companions. Despite enormous obstacles, Katrina is determined to reclaim her name and recover the magic and fire that lie within the city and herself. Featuring live jazz music and non-stop action, KATRINA: THE GIRL WHO WANTED HER NAME BACK is an exuberant celebration of one of America's most historical cities. Adventure Stage Chicago at Vittum Theater, 1012 N. Noble St., Chicago. (773) 342-4141. www.adventurestage.org.

The Devil's Arithmetic
April 14 - May 1, 2009
Set in Mississippi at the height of the Depression, this is the story of one family’s struggle to maintain their integrity, pride, and independence in the face of racism and social injustice. The Logan family owns their own land, something unheard of for a black family in 1930’s Mississippi. Over the course of an important year, Cassie Logan discovers why owning land is so crucial, and learns to draw strength from her own sense of dignity and self-respect. Apple Tree Theatre, Highland Park February 2-7, 2009 and The Gorton Center, Lake Forest February 11-13, 2009 - (847) 432-8223; Metropolis Performing Arts Centre, Arlington Heights February 17-24, 2008 - (847) 577-5982.