Child’s Play Touring Theatre

Child’s Play Touring Theatre is a nationally recognized non-profit arts-education touring theatre company based in Chicago that has been empowering children through creative arts education programs since 1978. Founded by June and Victor Podagrosi, CPTT was the first theatre company where professional actors take original works written by children and perform them on stage, sharing, encouraging, and validating the creativity of children through original works of theatre, music, and dance adapted from literature written by young authors.

Since its founding, Child’s Play Touring Theatre has performed in 40 states from Alaska to Florida and Maine to California, reaching an audience of over 4.5 million people and performing the works of over 30,000 young writers. The company has performed at notable venues including the Goodman Theatre, Smithsonian Institution, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Ravinia, Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, The Field Museum, Museum of Science and Industry, and at events such as the International Children’s Festival at Wolf Trap.

The organization offers a variety of educational programs for students and teachers including writing workshops for students in schools and after-school programs, summer camps for children and teens, and professional development workshops for educators. The Peace of the Puzzle workshop, part of their peace initiative, provides a master class that incorporates themes of character, respect, responsibility, trust, and empathy. Teacher workshops are designed to help educators integrate Child’s Play’s drama-based writing techniques into their own school curriculum.

Productions include New Voices, The Great Green Adventures of R-Man and Earth Kid (a comic book style show based on stories written by children about saving the planet), Kids in Charge, Peace by Piece, Global Energy: The Musical (addressing complex scientific issues on energy and conservation), and Kids for President (produced in election years since 1988). Artists-In-Residence programs provide expanded curriculum with final performances. The company is entirely self-funded through donations and sponsorships and relies primarily on volunteer support. Child’s Play continues to inspire young people to read, write, and think creatively while demonstrating that children’s voices can be heard, examined, and treasured on the professional stage.