CMU School of Drama


Thursday, December 03, 2020

Walkie Talkies brings together history, nature, and storytelling

Theater Preview | Chicago Reader: Aztec deities. Sistine Chapel replicas. Ancient mulberry trees. Ground Michelle Obama probably walked on. These are the elements that await within the latest adventures proffered by Chicago Children’s Theatre. Let it be said that if the CDC were to visit CCT, they’d approve of the 15-year-old company’s latest three productions. All are wholly outdoors and all will spur kids and their families to explore worlds completely inaccessible via computer screens. They are also marvelously engaging, no matter your chronological age.

1 comment:

Katie Pyzowski said...

This is the kind of theatre that shouldn’t stop after the pandemic. I would totally do a guided tour that incorporates story. I used to go for walks listening to a podcast that tells a fictional story. These stories also incorporate historical story telling too, and I think that’s wonderful – especially since they are informing the listener of stories that are not often told. I think that’s even more important given that these stories are being targeted towards children that won’t learn about these stories in school. I thought it was very clever, and a very good move, that Cardenas told her story to her kids first as a way to make sure her story would land. I think this is a strategy that is very effective when used properly. I had my roommate, who is a carpenter but not someone with lots of TD training, vet my plates for a school project to make sure they are understandable to someone who wasn’t a part of the technical design process.