Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
1-hour dance lessons to taped music, followed by dancing to live orchestras, every
Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evening from 6 to 9:30pm and Sunday afternoons
from 2 to 5pm, weather permitting. The festival also presents folk dance from
Scandinavia, Israel, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and others at various venues
throughout the city.
Grant Park, 601 S. Michigan (between Harrison and Balbo, across from
Columbia College). For complete information on what's scheduled, call the Chicago Department of
Cultural Affairs at
&
312/744-6630.
Free admission. Subway/El: Red Line to Jackson.
3 Theater
Chicago Playworks for Families and Young Audiences
Ages 3 &
up.
How can the 35,000 kids and adults who flock to see this company's per-
formances each year be wrong? Founded in 1925 as Goodman Children's Theatre,
Chicago Playworks later became part of DePaul University and is one of the first
important children's theaters in the United States. The company presents three
shows per season, which runs from October through April. Located in the historic
Merle Reskin Theatre, built in 1910 as the Blackstone Theater, kids can cozy up
in plush red seats and marvel at the sparkling chandeliers and grand scale of the
surroundings. If you're a Chicago resident, you might want to try the season tick-
ets, which entitle you to two free admission tickets to the Chicago Children's
Museum at Navy Pier. Ask about the Ice Cream Social package, offered three times
a year, which gets you into an after-show ice cream bar and features discussion and
an autograph session with the cast at the nearby Hilton Chicago. Shows run from
October to May, usually Tuesday and Thursday at 10am and Saturday at 2pm.
Merle Reskin Theatre, 60 E. Balbo Dr.
&
312/922-1999.
http://theatreschool.depaul.edu. Tickets $8
and up. Subway/El: Red Line to Jackson.
The Children's Theater Fantasy Orchard
Ages 3 & up.
Performing in the
Mercury Theater, a small, modern theater in Lakeview's hot Southport Avenue
area, Children's Theater Fantasy Orchard presents fairy and folk tales from
around the world. Founded in 1990, the company now performs for 30,000
kids annually. Some 30 actors and technicians come up with new productions
each year. In doing so, the company tries to depict universal struggles and truths
as they stoke kids' imaginations. In 2003 the schedule included
Three Cinderella
Stories,
featuring African, Asian, and Spanish Cinderellas.
At Mercury Theater, 3745
N. Southport.
&
773/325-1700.
www.kidtheater.com. Tickets $10 for adults, $5 for kids. Subway/
El: Brown Line to Southport.
Emerald City Theatre Company
Ages 2 & up.
From Tarzan and Jane to
Dr. Seuss classics, this relative newcomer to the kids' theater scene produces
shows for kids ages 2 and up. The company is currently performing at the
Apollo Theater, a modern theater with 400 seats—although that has changed
from time to time throughout the years. Emerald City Theatre Company was
Value
Calling a Cab
Taxis are easy to hail in the Loop, on the Magnificent Mile and the Gold
Coast, in River North, and in Lincoln Park, but if you go much beyond these
key areas, you might need to call a cab. Try one of these cab companies:
•
Flash Cab
(
&
773/561-1444
)
•
Yellow Cab
(
&
312/TAXI-CAB
or 312/829-4222)
•
Checker Cab
(
&
312/CHECKER
or 312/243-2537)
