Made In Chicago: Chicago Children's Theatre

CHICAGO (CBS) -- On Made in Chicago, a unique theater company that caters to very young tastes.
　
Since it launched in 2005, Chicago Children's Theatre has been providing a unique experience for young audiences.

"We certainly are the only professional theater in Chicago that is dedicated to full-time programming for children and families."

The company's artistic director, Jacqui Russell, says they're teaching children, sometimes as young as three or four, about the magic of theater. "In 'The Elephant and the Whale' - the show we have running right now, there's this great moment where the whale starts...spewing water onstage and pretty soon, he's spraying the audience and the kids are just squealing with delight."

And Russell says they also are expanding shows designed specifically for children with autism. "It's a series of , interactive multi-sensory performances - we call them adventures.It's for ten children at a time. It's very intimate."

For the actors, there are special challenges and rewards. "Kids really let you know how they feel. And if they're having a good time or if they're bored, or if they don't understand something, there's an interaction that happens that you don't really get in theater with grownups."

Chicago Children's Theater at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts at 1016 N. Dearborn, cultivating lifelong theater fans by reaching them when they're young.

For more information on the Chicago Children's Theatre, visit chicagochildrenstheatre.org.

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• Made In Chicago