Making magic in "Aladdin'
Take a magic carpet ride to Arabia this weekend when the Christian Youth Theater of Northwest Cook County presents the classic tale of "Aladdin" at the Prairie Lakes Theater, 515 E. Thacker St., Des Plaines.
Seventy-eight children will present the musical story of a peasant boy, a princess, the sultan's greedy adviser and the hilarious genie of the lamp which was played so well by Robin Williams in the Disney animated version of this story. This inspiring tale combines action, humor and a love story to make a show suitable for all ages.
It will be presented Friday and Saturday evenings, along with matinees on Saturday and Sunday.
Christian Youth Theater is an after-school theater arts education program for children ages 6 to 18. Begun in California in 1981, it now has branches all over the country. Locally, classes meet at Christian Liberty Academy in Arlington Heights and The Chapel Barrington in Barrington Hills, but the group does not affiliate itself with a specific church.
"Our aim is to develop character one child at a time through learning teamwork, theater skills and how to deal with personalities," said Missy Bergquist, Northwest Area Coordinator for CYT.
Three sessions and a week-long summer camp are conducted each year and toward the end of each session, a fully staged musical production is presented. Parents play an integral part with each one required to serve on a production committee.
"These kids are an inspiration to me," Bergquist said. "It always amazes me that we have teenagers willing to give up their Friday nights and Saturday mornings to do a CYT show. Even those college-bound kids who need to work to pay for college put that aside to be in the show. They have made great friends here and choose to be with us."
And this year cast members also had to sacrifice Halloween trick-or-treating to be present for their last dress rehearsal.
In the Chicago area since 1997, CYT now has students who have been in the program through most of their school years who will graduate next spring and move on to college, according to Bergquist.
Some students are planning to pursue theater-related majors due, in part, to their participation in CYT.
Katie Matz of Hanover Park, for instance, plans to study theater at Columbia College or Roosevelt University in Chicago or at Bethel College in Indiana. Kevin Holmen of Hoffman Estates is also planning to study theater at Bethel College.
"But their experience in CYT can help with most any career -- especially ones where they need to show creativity and innovation," Bergquist added.
Others planning to graduate next spring include Joey Conerty of Arlington Heights, Pete Almeida of Marengo, Nora Kreml of Elgin and Jackie McNamara of Algonquin.
If you go
What: "Aladdin," a musical presentation by Christian Youth Theater
Where: Prairie Lakes Theater, 515 E. Thacker St., Des Plaines
When: 7 p.m. Friday, 2 and 6 p.m. Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday
Cost: $9-$12 in advance and $11-$14 at the door
$9 in advance and $11 at the door for children, teens and senior citizens
Call: (847) 516-2298