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2023/2024: FALL/WINTER
​​​​​​STUDENT MATINEES

Transport students into a world of imagination, cultivating a love for theater, dance, and music by attending one of our student matinees in our performing arts campus. Each performance includes an opportunity for students to ask questions of the artists and supplemental educational resources to engage students pre and post show. 

Student Matinees cost $10 per ticket, for both students and adults.

Please download and fill out the School Bus Resource document and Student Matinee request form below. 



View the student matinee schedule below!

THE WOMEN OF CHICAGO'S BLACK RENAISSANCE


Music
MICHELLE CANN, PIANO
THE WOMEN OF CHICAGO'S BLACK RENAISSANCE

Grades PreK - 12
Wednesday, January 17, 2024 at 10:30 AM

Michelle Cann makes her Wallis recital debut in a program of works by African American women composers. Sharing her passion for what she calls the “fantastic and beautiful music” of Florence Price, Cann will also play a suite by Margaret Bonds, the first African American to perform with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and works by Irene Britton Smith and Betty Jackson King. Be inspired as a world-class pianist introduces you to nearly-forgotten gems of Chicago’s Black Renaissance!

BOTH AND (A PLAY ABOUT LAUGHING WHILE BLACK)


Theater
BOTH AND (A PLAY ABOUT LAUGHING WHILE BLACK
Grades 9 - 12
Thursday, January 25, 2024 at 10:30 AM

Don’t miss this rare and extraordinary piece of theatre, conceived, written, and performed by Carolyn Ratteray. Through clowning, poetic text, and a tour-de-force performance, Both And (A Play About Laughing While Black) deeply investigates the nucleus of Black joy. As her mother is dying, Teayanna finds herself in a netherworld between life and death as she struggles to help her mother cross over. The journey reveals the wisdom of the ancestors, invokes the legacy of the Middle Passage, and unfolds the surprising secrets within her mother’s purse. This unique and powerful story, rich with humor, raw honesty, and passion, becomes a brilliant meditation on how to reconnect with joy.

A.I.M BY KYLE ABRAHAM


Dance
A.I.M BY KYLE ABRAHAM
Grades 9 - 12
Friday, February 9, 2024 at 10:30 AM *SOLD OUT*

The celebrated contemporary dance company, A.I.M by Kyle Abraham, renowned for its groundbreaking choreography, captivating performances, and consistent boundary-pushing, is thrilled to present a world premiere of Andrea Miller’s latest work specially commissioned by Abraham. Miller's newly commissioned work delves deep into the importance of human presence, embodiment, feeling, uniqueness, identity, and the role of bodily expression in a digitized world. The work invites audiences into a space of ritual, practice, and meditation, challenging our relationship with technology and exploring the subtleties of human interaction. This journey through movement, emotion, and exploration invites everyone to witness the intersection of tradition and innovation in the world of contemporary dance with A.I.M by Kyle Abraham.

ALPHABET ROCKERS


Music
ALPHABET ROCKERS
Grades K - 5
Monday, February 12, 2024 at 10:00 AM & 12:30 AM

ALPHABET ROCKERS make music that makes change. Founded by Kaitlin McGaw (she/her) and Tommy Shepherd (he/him/they), this intergenerational group creates brave spaces to shape a more equitable world through hip hop. Audiences will explore elements of hip hop together, have shared moments to express and uplift affirmations, reflections and get our bodies MOVING in celebration and joy!

ALPHABET ROCKERS


Dance
AXIS Dance Company
​​​​​​​
Grades K - 5
Thursday, April 18, 2024 at 10:30 AM

Provide your students with the exciting experience of enjoying a live AXIS performance. AXIS dancers showcase artistic repertory, provide educational information on disability, share personal dance history, and introduce the audience to an integrated dance experience. Program includes an interactive Q & A session after the performance and an Activity Guide for teachers!

See Activity Guide >> HERE

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