The Red Kite Project
If your family is interested in attending a performance, please contact Katie Hench, Red Kite Program Registrar at 312-321-6551 or via email at katieh@chicagochildrensmuseum.org
If you are attending the production, don't forget to download the Social Story and Red Kite Passport. The Social Story will give you and your child more information before attending the production. The Red Kite passport should be printed and brought with you to the performance.
Watch the video: Click to watch a snippet of the Red Kite Documentary generously funded by the Children's Brain Research Foundation
Read the Chicago Tribune's article about The Red Kite Project.
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Families with children challenged by complex disabilities are often marginalized in the cultural community, left without access to the arts.
Since its inception in 2006, Chicago Children's Theatre has demonstrated a passionate commitment to creating meaningful educational programs for Chicago area youth and families. Such programs have included collaborations with the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, Chicago Park District, Chicago Public Library, Chicago Public Schools, Children's Memorial Hospital and Chicago Children's Museum, to name a few. Chicago Children's Theatre also offers Student Matinee and Scholarship programs, which furnish underserved students and schools with deeply discounted or complimentary tickets to its productions. To date these programs have reached over 10,000 children in Chicago.
Now, Chicago Children's Theatre is proud to announce the development of a new education initiative, The Red Kite project, which is the brainchild of Artistic Director Jacqueline Russell. Russell's ten-plus year commitment to serving children with special needs, and children with autism in particular, led her to participate during summer of 2006 in a special hands-on workshop with London's Oily Cart company, a unique organization exclusively focused on serving the very young and children with complex disabilities. In continuing dialogue with Oily Cart, Chicago Children's Theatre has developed the framework for a pilot program that couples the work of both companies. The Red Kite project, a seven month development workshop and co-production, will culminate in the realization of an interactive, multi-sensory installation performance for children with autism at Chicago Children's Museum. The installation will be available to Chicago families during autism awareness month, April, of 2008. If you are interested in having your family participate as audience members of this piece, please contact us Katie Hench, Registrar at katieh@chicagochildrensmuseum.org or 312.321.6551.
Chicago Children's Theatre is pleased to partner with the Pritzker Pucker Foundation to make The Red Kite project a reality. As Project Development Supporter, the generosity of this foundation provides half of the funding required for the workshop phase of this initiative. Chicago Children's Theatre will rely on individual and corporate contributions to fund the remaining half of the development. Click here to support The Red Kite project.
Partners
Chicago Children's Theatre
Chicago Children's Theatre has evolved as both a professional and personal response to the lack of a Chicago company dedicated exclusively to providing high-quality, professional year-round children's programming. Since its founding, Chicago Children's Theatre has rigorously pursued its mission to enrich our communities through diverse and significant theatrical programming that engages and inspires the child in all of us.
After the success of its launch production of A Year With Frog and Toad in January 2006 at Goodman Theatre, Chicago Children's Theatre charged ahead with its 2006/2007 Inaugural Season. The first full season of production programming included four plays: Ray Bradbury's Dandelion Wine at Steppenwolf Theatre, 4-Ish at Harris Theater, Go, Dog. Go! under the Big Top in Grant Park, and Honus and Me at Goodman Theatre. There has been tremendous critical and popular support of Chicago Children's Theatre and its audience continues to grow. In just over one year more than 40,000 youth and families have attended its productions.
Oily Cart
In the international theatre community, the London based company Oily Cart stands alone in its commitment to developing theatrical work for children with complex disabilities and the very young. Since 1981, Oily Cart has challenged traditional definitions of theatre and audience through its creation of multi-sensory, highly interactive productions that address these significant and often overlooked demographics.
Using its own original scripts, the company draws upon a vast array of theatrical styles and techniques. From acrobats to automata, didgeridoos to digital images, hip hop to hydro pools, actors to aromatherapy, Oily Cart uses whatever is necessary to engage audiences that other theatre just can't reach.
The Oily Cart aesthetic transforms everyday environments into wonderlands that youth and families physically enter, encouraging a shared exploration of the imagination.
There are few offerings that address the special needs of these young people.