Elmhurst Residents Star in Six Stories Up in Haunted Chicago October 13-22
Can a bunch of middle school kids solve Chicago's problems? Find out in Tellin' Tales Theatre's Halloween musical written and performed by middle school students and their adult mentors with and without disabilities - including Molly Weisman and Tekki Lomnicki of Elmhurst. Six Stories Up in Haunted Chicago finds kids on a ghost tour that takes a turn toward the scary when they stop at Resurrection Cemetery.
They meet famous Chicago ghosts who have a lot to say about the current state of our city. These spirits include Al Capone, John Belushi, Resurrection Mary, Malcolm X, opera singer Mary Garden and playwright Lorraine Hansberry.
The result is a hilarious and often moving musical peppered with personal stories told by students and adults with cerebral palsy, blindness and dwarfism, as well as their non-disabled peers. Six Stories Up in Haunted Chicago is geared toward adults and children age 9 and up and runs Friday-Sunday, October 13-22, at Filament Theatre, 4041 N. Milwaukee, in Chicago. Friday and Saturday shows are at 7:30pm and Sunday shows are at 2pm. Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for students. Information and tickets are available at www.tellintales.org.
Molly Weisman of Elmhurst appeared in Six Stories Up in the Treetops and Six Stories Upside Down as a middle school student apprentice; this is her first experience as one of the mentors. She serves on the Board of Tellin' Tales Theatre and is also very active in Best Buddies which links kids with and without disabilities in schools across the country. She takes on a number of roles in Six Stories Up in Haunted Chicago. She is mentoring Asha Andrews-Hutchinson of Chicago who portrays playwright Lorraine Hansberry.
Tekki Lomnicki is co-founder and artistic director of Tellin' Tales Theatre which is in its 21st year of operation. She plays Resurrection Mary in this production and is the mentor of Josefat Oviedo of Chicago. She began producing the Six Stories Up shows in 1998 after the late Chicago first lady Maggie Daley asked her to create a dramatic vehicle for kids with and without disabilities for the After School Matters program.
The show length is approximately 90 minutes with one intermission. The Filament Theatre is ADA accessible and sign language interpretation and audio description will be provided at the Sunday, October 15 show.
The mission of Tellin' Tales Theatre is to shatter barriers between the disabled and
non-disabled worlds through the transformative power of personal story. They bring together children and adults from both communities to share their stories in theatrically innovative productions and programs to promote awareness, understanding and acceptance. The website is www.tellintales.org.