Theatre Programs for Chicago Schools
Sow the seeds of imagination!
Creative Root offers in-school theatre residencies and after school programs, for Pre-K through high school, to Chicago schools (including Chicago Public Schools) and community organizations. If you are interested in partnering with us, please fill out our request form and let us know more about you, your needs, and how we might be able to work together!
Chicago Playworks at the Theatre School at DePaul University
Chicago Playworks for Families and Young Audiences offers a live theatre experience to students, teachers and parents in the Chicago metropolitan area. It is our mission to provide theatre for children that reflect their experiences in a contemporary, multi-ethnic, urban environment.
Founded as the Goodman Children's Theatre in 1925, Chicago Playworks is the city's oldest continuously operating children's theatre. It has been the first theatre experience for audiences of Chicago's young people for more than a century and was one of the first major theatres for children in the United States. In 1997 and again in 2003, Chicago Playworks was honored by the Illinois Theatre Association with the Children's Theatre Division Award, for its outstanding long-term contribution to children's theatre. In 1980, Chicago Playworks was awarded the prestigious Sara Spencer Award by the Children's Theatre Association of America (now the American Alliance for Theatre and Education).
Where Chicago Playworks Performs
All Chicago Playworks performances take place at The Theatre School on DePaul’s Lincoln Park campus, 2350 N. Racine Avenue, at the corner of Fullerton and Racine. Each show is staged in one of the building’s two theatres:
The Watts Theatre, a 250-seat thrust theatre, with the audience on three sides of the stage
The Healy Theatre, a 90-seat black box theatre
The building was designed by architect César Pelli and opened in 2013.
Through theater, Creative Root brings joy, wellness, and connection to the classroom! Our curriculum is aligned with the Illinois Learning Standards for Fine Arts as well as Social Emotional Standards.
Creative Root programs can be offered during the school day or after school and can be individually customized with our partners' goals and needs in mind.
Below is an overview of our core curriculum offerings for in-school residencies. And any of our classes can be adapted for after school programs.
