Make/Believe: A Festival for Young Audiences

Curated by Maria Burnham
Playwrights: Kim Z. Dale, FeMelanin, Seth Freeman, Jack Helbig, Margaret Helbig, Carolyn Minor, Corey Pajka, Sonya Sobieski and Lori Taylor

Ghostlight Ensemble continues its Nightlight young audiences series with a curated festival of short plays by playwrights from around the country.

The production features a mix of short plays by local and out-of-state playwrights that were written for audiences 12 and under, but which are also meant to be enjoyed by all ages.

The eight stories that make up this year’s Make/Believe festival are filled with young women who turn convention on its head. From the young heroines in Epic Tales from the Land of Melanin who reclaim their own stories – and the power that comes along with them – to that classic victim of folklore, Little Red Riding Hood, who decides a feminist fairy tale is more her style, the heroines of these plays face the types of figurative monsters modern children will recognize from their own lives.

Selected scripts include:

• Asherella by Lori Taylor; directed by Laila Rodriques. Starring: Cullen Clancy, Noah Glaser, Dani Mohrbach, Joshua Parrack, Toma Lynn Smith, Courtney Tucker and Brennan Urbi.

• Ava's First Escape Room by Kim Z. Dale; directed by Jill Olson Stuck. Starring: Jordan Ehrlich, Sarah Murphy, Will Nicholson and Mo Phillips-Spotts.

• Epic Tales From the Land of Melanin, originally devised by Guadalís Del Carmen, Mariana Green, Brandi Lee, Maya Mackrandilal, Enid Muñoz, Alyssa Vera Ramos, Deanalís Resto, Ana Velazquez and Teresa Zoríc with FEMelanin; directed by Deanalís Resto. Starring: Alexandra Alontaga, Mari DeOleo, Isaura Flores, Sonja Mata and SharainaTurnage.

• Little Red Reboot by Sonya Sobieski; directed by Kristin Schoenback. Starring: Spencer Brady, Tori Delaney, Sarah Ford, Daija Nealy, Nate Perez, Troy Schaeflien and Rita Taylor Wicks.

• The Queen of Cocoa Puffs and the Cap'n Crunch King by Corey Pajka; directed by John Gleason Teske. Starring: Miki Byrne, Colin Martin, Dani Mohrbach and AC Rakatoniaina.

• Scaredy Friends written and directed by Carolyn Minor. Starring: Jazzma Pryor and Kayla White with puppeteer Fay Steddum.

• Snow White, Who Is Also Called Becky, No Rebecca...and the Frog Prince by Jack Helbig and Margaret Helbig; directed by Lizzy May. Starring: Leah Huskey, Jonathan Lee-Rey, Eric Wang and Drea Yan.

• Stinky Bird by Seth Freeman; directed by Jackie Bowes. Starring: Colin Martin, Chase Nuerge, Kaileigh Robinson and Kayla White.

All eight plays will be produced on both days of the festival. Learn more.

This is an expansion of our Nightlight young audiences series, which produces original, adapted and forgotten plays geared toward children and the adults who love them.

Ghostlight is proud to be part of Chicago Theatre Week in 2020, and excited to be able to offer children’s programming as part of this city-wide event to bring affordable performance to residents and visitors alike. Chicago Theatre Week tickets are on sale now. Learn more at Choose Chicago.