Ignite Passion // Inspire Creativity // Increase Empathy
Youtheatre productions offer a unique opportunity to engage students from PreK through 12th grade in the performing arts. Whether they are historical, cultural, scientific, or literary, Youtheatre productions that are educationally augmented with Teacher Resource Guides, inspire creative learning opportunities that enhance Illinois Priority Learning Standards and achievements. A Youtheatre field trip is the perfect way to infuse your school’s curriculum with empathy, imagination, and high-quality performing arts presentations.
Youtheatre Basics:
- Shows are approximately one-hour long
- Receive one FREE adult ticket for every 15 student tickets
- Teacher Resource Guides are available for each show to aid in making curriculum connections (See listings below)
- Tickets range from $9-$12 (See listings below for details)
- Ticket grants may be available to qualifying schools (please email or call with inquiries)
Accessibility & Inclusivity
Please be aware that during a Youtheatre performance your students may be seated alongside students from other schools. Our Youtheatre audiences are very diverse, and represent a range of ages, grades, school districts, and personal backgrounds. Some may have attended the theatre many times, while for others, this may be their first theatre experience. Additionally, every year the North Shore Center is proud to host students with a range of physical disabilities, as well as cognitive differences during Youtheatre programming. We ask all our patrons, young and old audiences alike, to practice good theatre etiquette, and to be patient, respectful, and welcoming to all audience members attending the performance. We thank you for your compassion and commitment to making the arts accessible to all audiences.
For School Group Reservations:
Youtheatre(at)northshorecenter(dot)org
(847) 679-9501 x 3105
Click here to join our Youtheatre email list
Select “Teacher Email List” when signing up!
Thank you Youtheatre supporters:
Village of Skokie, Jack and Goldie Wolfe Miller Fund, Rice Young Peoples Endowment of NSCPA Foundation, and Rotary Club of Skokie Valley.
2024-25 Youtheatre Season!
Pout Pout Fish
Monday, October 21, 2024 | 10am & 12pm
$9 | Grades Pre-K – 2
Curriculum Connections: Communication and Language Arts, Music, Aquatic Creatures
Themes: Confidence, Adventure, Friendship, Teamwork
Turn the poutiest of frowns upside down in this musical featuring whimsical puppets and live performers in a sweeping oceanic adventure. When Mr. Fish sets out on a quest to find Miss Clam’s missing pearl, he discovers there is more to him than his permanently plastered pout.
This colorful adaptation of The New York Times bestseller is co-conceived, directed, and designed by the acclaimed puppeteers of AchesonWalsh Studios, whose work was featured in Broadway’s The King And I, On the Town, and Radio City’s New York Spectacular. Writing team includes New Victory LabWorks Residency recipients Christopher Anselmo, Jared Corak, Matt Acheson, and Fergus Walsh.
Nat Geo Live: Rise of T. Rex
Monday, November 18, 2024 | 10am
$9 | Grades 3-9
Curriculum Connections: Paleontology, Geology, Environmental History, Biology, Geography
Themes: Prehistory, Exploration, Discovery, Climate Crisis
How did T. Rex become the iconic apex predator of North America 67 million years ago? Paleontologist Dr. Lindsay Zanno is uncovering the answer. Each year she spends several months on expedition, scouring the badlands of western North America in search of clues. Join Dr. Zanno for a fascinating look at how a global climate crisis during the Cretaceous changed the course of evolution for this prehistoric tyrant and its ancestors.
Dr. Lindsay Zanno is Head of Paleontology at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences and an Associate Research Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at North Carolina State University. She is one of the world’s leading experts on the evolution of theropod dinosaurs. Dr. Zanno has a soft spot for the American West, where she has discovered more than a dozen new species, including Siats, one of the largest meat-eating dinosaurs on the continent, and Moros, North America’s tiniest tyrannosaur.
The Peking Acrobats
Featuring members of the Shanghai Circus
Tuesday, February 18, 2025 | 10am & 1pm
$12 | Grades K – 12
Curriculum Connections: Music, Dance, Art, Foreign Language
Themes: Chinese Culture, Traditional Dance, Acrobatics, Pageantry
The Peking Acrobats have been called “incredible,” “breathtaking,” “stunning,” and “quite unbelievable,” to quote but a few of the critics. As a special treat for the fans of THE PEKING ACROBATS, this all new production now features performers from THE SHANGHAI CIRCUS to create a very special Chinese Acrobatic extravaganza unlike any other!
The amalgamation of THE PEKING ACROBATS and THE SHANGHAI CIRCUS offers the unique talents and the very best of both shows, suitable for playing arenas and concerts, fairs, theme parks, festivals, special events and corporate events, and casinos in North America and the world over. With the addition of fresh elements from THE SHANGHAI CIRCUS, the amalgamation of their incredible talents brings a whole new dimension to the ancient artistry of Chinese Acrobatics!
THE PEKING ACROBATS with THE SHANGHAI CIRCUS offers more than a glimpse into the fascinating traditions of the Orient. It consists of sensational Chinese acrobatics, comedy, balancing feats, and much more. A truly Oriental spectacular and a show for all ages, the grace and precision of the acrobats are the triumph of years of dedicated training and discipline. Chinese Acrobatics are, in fact, more than just a series of stunts. Most of these acts clearly demonstrate the achievement of perfection through finding harmony between mind and body – an ancient concept in the Orient. The art form has been transformed from its simple “folk art” roots to the spectacular entertainment event we see today, by centuries of tradition.
THE PEKING ACROBATS new partners, THE SHANGHAI CIRCUS, have been entertaining audiences of all ages for over thirty years in the United States including two six-week Broadway engagements. Recognized as being among the best acrobatic shows that introduces young people to the magic of theatre, these acrobats were awarded Best Variety Show in Branson, MO, due to their continual demonstration of the highest caliber of professional, trained athletes, jugglers, and contortionists. Their acts often trace their origins to traditional harvest festivals down through the centuries. It is no wonder the New York Times reported, “THE SHANGHAI CIRCUS is providing entertainment in abundance!”
The tremendous response of the audience is a testament to the popularity of their unique brand of artistry, which transcends time to delight people of all ages.
Alphabet Soup Productions: Elephant & Piggie’s “We Are In A Play!”
Friday, February 21, 2025 | 10am & 12pm (10am performance is sold out!)
$9 | Grades Pre-K – 3rd
Curriculum Connections: Literature Based, Music & Dance, Social and Emotional Learning, Problem Solving.
Themes: Theatre, Decision Making, Responsibility
Get ready for a musical experience, ripped from the pages of Mo Willems’ beloved, award-winning, best-selling children’s books, that will leave audiences doing the “Flippy Floppy Floory” dance all night long! In Elephant & Piggie’s “We Are in a Play!”, Gerald and Piggie take to teh stage in a rollicking adventure that is perfect for young audiences.
An elephant named Gerald and a pig named Piggie are best, best, “bestus” (a world Gerald and Piggie made up that means “very best”) friends, but Gerald worries that something could go wrong that would end their friendship. Piggie is not worried at all. She’s even happier and more excited than usual. That’s because she and Gerald are invited to a party hosted by the Squirelles, three singing squirrels who love to have a good time. And so begins a day when anything is possible.
JazzReach: Big Drum/Small World
Tuesday, March 18, 2025 | 10am & 12pm
$9 | Grades 3 – 6
Curriculum Connections: Social Studies, Arts Education, Geography
Themes: Music, Artistry, Jazz, World Music, Concert Etiquette
This immersive globally theme multi-media program features performances of all new commissions by prominent, internationally recognized jazz composers hailing from countries as diverse as, West Africa, Israel, Cuba, Puerto Rico, India, and the United States.
The program also features fun, short video interludes that offer biographical background on each of the project’s composers and commentary on the various ways that both the American jazz tradition and their individual cultural heritages have informed and inspired their respective visions and artistic sensibilities.
The objectives of Big Drum / Small World are to promote the value of creating collaboration and the unique way that jazz provides a forum to explore our differences, share ideas, and discover common ground.
Steve Trash Science Show: Science of Ecology
Wednesday, April 09, 2025 | 10am & 12pm
$9 | Grades 1 – 5
Curriculum Connections: Science, Ecology, Climate Change, Environmental Studies
Themes: Natural Resources, Recycling, Earth, Renewable Resources, Water Cycle
Kids Will Learn – What are the magic words? Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Why is there no away in nature?
Specifically tailored to the educational school audience, this show is an excellent blend of eco-entertainment and eco-education featuring curriculum-based study guides that relate directly to the content of the show, and awesome green-themed magic tricks, music, and funny stuff created by PBS TV STAR – Steve Trash
If you would like to see more Youtheatre programming like these, please consider supporting the North Shore Center.
Charlotte’s Web
Monday, October 07, 2024 at 10am & 12pm
$9 | Grades K-5
Curriculum Connections: Communication and Language Arts, Literature Based, Music, Relationships & Family
Themes: Friendship, Communication, Perseverance, Coming of Age, Loyalty, Sacrifice
Charlotte’s Web is based on E.B. White’s loving story of the friendship between a pig named Wilbur and a little gray spider named Charlotte. Wilbur has a problem: how to avoid winding up as pork chops! Charlotte, a fine writer and true friend, hits on a plan to fool Farmer Zuckerman. She will create a “miracle.” Spinning the words “Some Pig” in her web, Charlotte weaves a solution which not only makes Wilbur a prize pig but also ensures his place on the farm forever.
This treasured tale, featuring madcap and endearing farm animals, explores bravery, selfless love and the true meaning of friendship.
