This play covers the history of Chicago from its days as a frontier outpost to the modern day, told through the eyes of the Irish, African-American, Eastern European, and Latino immigrants who came here and made the city their own.

As with Chicago itself, variety is half the fun here. The play is divided into seven scenes, with each segment having its own tone and style. We start out with a Second City-style meeting of DuSable with the Native Americans (complete with a musical number), then move to a dramatic story of an Irish family who escaped The Famine and helped build the city - only to watch it all go up in flames. We then jump ahead to an African-American family who come here as part of the "great migration" during World War I, watch a story of two immigrants from Poland - as opposite as they can be - who discover Chicago together during the Jazz Age, and end with the fairy tale setting of a Mexican girl who came to work here in 1943 and became a courageous labor leader. You'll laugh, you may cry (we've actually seen it happen), and you'll walk out with a new appreciation for the "yes we can" spirit that built the Midwestern Metropolis.

Chicago: A Cultural Mosaic is available year-round, and also available as a "field trip show" at the Greenhouse Theater in Chicago. To make a booking for your group for one of those performances, follow this link to the Cinema Academy site and book online!

With - Sharriese Hamilton, Brandon Thompson, Matt O'Brien, Carlos Rogelio Diaz, Madelon Guinazzo, Carey Burton, Adam El-Sharkawi, and Jessica Thigpen

Running time - 50 mins
Best for - grades 3-8
Available - year-round
Fees - from $750