Chicago Children’s Theatre Debuts “Access Weekend” at Jabari Dreams of Freedom
CHICAGO, IL – Chicago Children’s Theatre continues its commitment to serving all Chicago children, including providing access services for those with disabilities, by designating Saturday and Sunday, April 23 and 24 as the company’s first-ever “Access Weekend.”
This special performance weekend of Jabari Dreams of Freedom, CCT’s new “love letter to Chicago’s children,” will be presented with access services for children on the autism spectrum, children who are blind or have low vision, or children who are deaf or hard of hearing.
CCT’s Access Weekend kicks off Saturday, April 23 at 2 p.m. with a Sensory-Friendly performance of Jabari Dreams of Freedom for children on the autism spectrum. This performance will provide a safe, welcoming, judgment-free environment for families, where nobody need worry how a child might react during the show. Children will be greeted by specially trained, caring CCT staff and artists whose mission will be to make each child feel comfortable, safe and welcome. The show will be modified as well in terms of sound and light, and a quiet room will be provided nearby.
Next, on Saturday, April 23 at 4:30 p.m., Chicago Children’s Theatre will host a pre-show Touch Tour of the Jabari set for patrons who are blind or have low vision. CCT staff will guide participants onto the set to touch, feel and gain an important, tactile sense for the layout, traffic patterns, props, and even costumes.
The Touch Tour is a precursor to the 6 p.m. show, which will be Audio Described in real time via personal headsets, again orienting users to the action on stage as it happens.
In addition, the Saturday, April 23, 6 p.m. performance will feature live American Sign Language interpretation.
Access Weekend continues Sunday, April 24, when both the 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. shows will feature Open Captioning, a new service at CCT. Similar to closed captioning on TV, Open Captioning is a display of all of the text and sounds heard during a production as they happen, discretely projected on the set.
Thanks to its growing commitment to access, Chicago Children’s Theatre is a partner in Chicago’s ADA 25, an initiative commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act that joins together a network of organizations recognized for making a game-changing commitment to services for people with disabilities.
Chicago Children’s Theatre is presenting the world premiere of Jabari Dreams of Freedom, a new play for young audiences by award winning Chicago actress and playwright Nambi E. Kelley, April 5-May 1 at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn St., Chicago.
In her new “love letter to Chicago’s children,” Kelley introduces audiences to Jabari, a young boy from the south side of Chicago, scared and confused by the turbulent, sometimes unjust world around him. A gifted artist, Jabari escapes to the Civil Rights era through his colorful paintings where he interacts with children from the past – including a young Barack Obama.
Filled with powerful, timely and uplifting themes and characters, Jabari Dreams of Freedom, is recommended for ages 9 and up. Tickets are $10-$39. Run time is 75 minutes including post show Q&A session.
To purchase tickets or for more information about Access Weekend at Chicago Children’s Theatre, visit chicagochildrenstheatre.org or call (872) 222-9555.
Photo Captions:
(Top, from left) Chicago Children’s Theatre presents Jabari Dreams of Freedom by Nambi E. Kelley, April 5-May 1, 2016. Saturday and Sunday, April 23 and 24 is the first-ever Access Weekend at Chicago Children’s Theatre, when performances will be presented for Chicago families requiring access services. (Bottom, from left) 13-year-old actors Philip Cusic and Cameron A. Goode alternate in the role of Jabari; Philip Cusic as Jabari; Cameron A. Goode as Jabari.
