Our 2024 Winter Mainstage Show: Epic Magic Quest!

Whether it be in a book, a film, or in our imagination, many have imagined going on an adventure to another world. As a child I remember playing in the back yard and picking up sticks as a magic wand, growing the flowers in the garden, or speaking to the many critters in the trees. While never leaving the comfort of what I knew, I traveled to Hogwarts, to Narnia, and beyond. 

In Epic Magic Quest!, we will explore the idea of learning who we are as we craft our own fantastical journeys through the magical world of Whimsia! We’ll learn to talk to animals in the magic forest, invent spells at the wizard wagon, read runes at the ancient ruins, and sing baby dragon eggs to sleep!

As human beings, we learn who we are as we grow up. We learn how to be kind, how to be curious, how to be imaginative, and how to be thoughtful. However, this idea often get’s pushed aside in the neurodivergent and disabled community as society tries to push its own ideas of how to be a person. The reality is there are so many ways to be a human, and the only way we can discover that is to do it in our own time. In Whimsia, you can discover who you are in any way you like because there anything is possible.

So, come on and join us on our magical journey through Whimsia. The quest is waiting for you! 

-Amanda Elena de la Fuente, Winter Show Director

Our 2023 Winter Show: Road Trip

What would you do if you could go anywhere?

Road Trip! follows a fun cast of characters through a North American beach, forest, mountain, and town, exploring the sights, sounds, and sensory wonders of beautiful landmarks across the country.

We created Road Trip! to share with our participants the idea that they can go anywhere. In a society that puts neurodivergent and disabled people in boxes through stigma and inaccessible societal structures, we want to share all the places our audiences can go- metaphorically and physically. We hope our participants can leave this experience exposed to the world beyond their own backyard and with a passion for curiosity and adventure. Drawing upon Seesaw Theatre’s season theme of “possibility,” this production aims to give participants agency over their road trip so that they leave the show knowing they have control over their future and the exciting opportunities that lie ahead.

It is an honor and privilege to experience the creativity of the young people at our shows. We cannot wait to hit the road with you!

-Natalie Tangeman, Winter Show Director

Our 2022 Spring Main Stage: Dino-mite Dig

Our world is constantly changing and in the past couple years it’s changed in ways no one ever imagined before. I find sometimes the most comforting thing, when the path ahead is particularly unpredictable, is to look back at where you’ve come from.

This spring we want to invite our audiences back in time to the world of the dinosaurs! I have loved dinosaurs ever since I can remember—these wild creatures that ranged from the size of my pinky to the size of my house. What would it be like to be a t-rex with its big ferocious teeth and itty bitty arms, or a majestic brachiosaurus with its long neck stretching as long as its tail, or a little velociraptor darting around on tiny claws and decorated with feathers? And still new fossils get discovered today! The possibilities of what their world truly looked like are unlimited.

Our world has changed so much since it was theirs, but some things still hold true—we still have grass and leaves and trees, we still have stars, and we still share this great big world with all sorts of people and animals and plants from creatures the size of a pinky to whales the size of a house.

So let’s go on an adventure back to the past because I think the more we can discover about what our world once was, the more we can imagine all that it can be in the future!

-Rachel Hilbert, Spring Main Stage Director

Our 2021 Winter Show: What's the Buzz?

Love them or hate them, bugs are an integral part of our outdoor (and occasionally indoor) worlds. Some are creepy crawly, some are majestic and delicate, and some are somewhere in between. Every bug is unique in its own special way, and comes from a variety of interesting environments. Whether it be digging in the dirt or soaring through the sky, bugs offer us a variety of rich sensory experiences, and we have a lot to learn from them. This past year has been scary and isolating, but we are excited to give children and their families an opportunity to come out of their cocoons, and truly soar back into making theatre with us. Our season theme this year is transformation, and we cannot wait to transform what we can do with sensory theatre remotely and in person.

This year, Seesaw invites you to see the world through a bug's eyes in our winter production, What's the Buzz? Come sing, dance, dig, burrow, play, and fly with us! We are absolutely buzzing with excitement to see you soon!

-Winter Director, Zoe Maroko

Our 2021 Spring Mainstage

Growing up, I loved learning about animals. I used to spend hours memorizing facts from World Wildlife Fund’s website and requested a symbolic endangered animal adoption on my birthday year after year. I think it’s a hallmark of childhood to be fascinated with animals. There are so many strange and magnificent creatures with which we share our planet! It can be so exciting to discover the traits that make every species unique, just as every person is special in their own way. The spaces animals inhabit are full to the brim with vibrant colors, intriguing sounds, multitudes of textures, and all manner of ways of moving around. It’s a sensory extravaganza!

For this year’s mainstage, we are excited to dive into the magic of the animal kingdom with A Very Merry Sanctuary! Our world right now can seem a scary and isolating place. There’s no way of knowing what it will look like come Spring. Our season theme this year is Creative Connection. We hope that inviting you to join the neighborhood of our animal sanctuary, in whatever form that ultimately occurs, will help bring community and joy back into all of our lives!

-Lexi Ryan, Spring Director

Our 2021 Winter Event

After being cooped up inside for months, we could all use a little adventure. For both kids and adults, even just a few moments outside in the fresh air (maybe by the waters of Lake Michigan) make all the difference right now. Living in Chicagoland, however, we’re not going to have nice warm sunshine for much longer. But, just because Winter will be cold, that doesn’t mean that it needs to be without adventure!

There are plenty of ways to go on a magical, sensational journey from your own home. A spray bottle can become the spray of the ocean. A blanket in your living room can become your very own mermaid tail. Your imagination, aided by a few creative props, can create a whole magical world for you to experience.

Even in the cold weather, even if we are all stuck at home, we are so excited to bring the adventure and excitement of a magical journey at sea with our show “All Aboard!”

-Ilana Abusch, Winter Director

Our 2020-2021 Season Theme

This is not a normal year for Seesaw Theatre, the schools we work with, or the audiences we create work for. At a time when our usual modes of connection are not possible, we have dedicated this year to the theme of “Creative Connection.”

Seesaw relies on creative connection in our work. An essential part of our model is helping people who may have different preferred forms of communication connect and create with each other in shows and workshops. Now we are aiming to connect through creativity in a time of distance. We are reimagining what it means to share a Seesaw show or workshop and discovering how we can make them the most accessible and enjoyable without the benefit of in-person interaction.

While our typical engagements have been interrupted, we have taken this time to discuss internally how our work in accessible theatre is connected to disability justice. We continue to interrogate who does not have access to creative spaces and how we can be a part of removing those barriers.

In this age of challenges and changes, the need for people to connect remains. “Creative Connection,” will be our guiding concept throughout this year as we remain dedicated to providing the Seesaw experience, true to our mission and original purpose, in innovative ways.

-Michael-Ellen (Mikey) Walden, Artistic Director

Black Lives Matter: Our Statement and Resources for Racial & Disability Justice

Seesaw Theatre condemns police brutality and the long history of institutionalized racism that this country is built upon.

As an organization dedicated to providing safe, inclusive, and autonomous spaces for autistic and otherwise disabled audiences, we must recognize the intersection of race and disability and how that impacts our work and the world at large.

We are a predominately white group at a predominately white institution and have a significant amount of privilege because of this. The movement for justice for Black people, including disability justice, is one headed by Black leaders and activists. We stand with them in solidarity and are taking this time to better educate ourselves on the intersection of Blackness and disability. We are also committed to providing monetary support for organizations that were founded by and advocate for disabled Black people - especially those navigating police encounters and the criminal justice system.

We are sharing the resources and organizations we are looking to at this time in the hope they can be similarly used and shared by you, the friends of Seesaw. They can be found here, as well as on Seesaw’s Facebook and Instagram. Please reach out if you have resources you’d like to add.

We encourage the Seesaw community to take action in any way possible to fuel the continual efforts towards racial justice - to not just say but show that Black Lives Matter.

-Seesaw Theatre
Ilana Abusch, Erin Claeys, Sami Devries, Faith Douglas, Emma Flanders, Zach Forbes, Rachel Hilbert, Juliet Huneke, Julia Laurenson, Molly McCarthy, Susie McCollum, Molly McDermott, Maddie Powell, McGuire Price, Lexi Ryan, Hope Valls, Mikey Walden, and Samantha Zhang.

Seesaw Saturdays

Hello! My name is Molly McCarthy, and I am Seesaw's new Outreach Director for the 2020-2021 season.  I am excited to announce that I have some updates regarding Seesaw's plan to continue to reach our audience in these unprecedented times. 

Here are some things to look out for: 

• We will be sharing content every Saturday at 2pm central in a new initiative called "Seesaw Saturdays!" 

• Be sure to keep an eye on our social media to keep in touch and see what we're up to each Saturday!  Like our page "Seesaw Theatre" on Facebook and follow us on Instagram @seesawtheatre.nu 

• This content, as well as information on our upcoming season, will be available soon on our website here

• Lastly, we want your feedback! Fill out this form if you would like to give feedback on content you've seen or would like to see in the upcoming weeks!

We’ll be starting with an at-home workshop this Saturday (May 2nd) at 2pm CST. Wishing you all the best in these uncertain times!

-Molly McCarthy, Outreach Director

Our 2020 Spring Mainstage

Put on your smock and roll up your sleeves! We are so excited to create an interactive art gallery for our spring production: Outside the Lines! 

When thinking about what kind of adventure we wanted to create this spring, I was interested in giving our audience members agency that didn’t require them to follow the plot. I immediately thought about the creativity and freedom of making art, as well as the rich sensory experiences that come along with different art forms. From feeling the silky clay on a pottery wheel to watching a photo develop, the world of art invites people to wake up their senses and imaginations!

This will not just be an arts and crafts class, but rather a theatrical experience that will encourage audience members to use all of their senses to explore art-making in a unique way. We hope you will join us to imagine, create, and fill our gallery!

-Ellie Levine, Artistic Director

Our 2020 Winter Event

When I was a kid, I was famous for my inability to sleep. I am told that many a night my parents would come back from a night out and find me sitting with my babysitter on the couch, way past my bedtime. I would refuse to stay in my room and until my babysitter would just give up and let me stay awake until my parents got home. In my defense, the night can be scary! It is dark and there are weird noises that you’ve never heard before. You’re supposed to relax but with all of that going on, relaxing is much easier said than done. 

But it doesn’t have to be so scary! In the night there are also magical animals that come out to play, such as owls and raccoons. There are beautiful sounds, such as crickets. And everything is guided by the soft, peaceful glow of the moon. I am so excited to explore what is fun, beautiful, and safe about the night, from sunset to sleep. Hopefully, after seeing all the good there is in the night, we all will feel a little bit safer and happier as we’re tucked into our beds at the end of the night. 

We are so excited to bring the wonder and magic of the night to classrooms around the Chicagoland area with our show “Me & the Moon!”

-Erin Claeys, Winter Event Director

Our 2019-2020 Season Theme

I am thrilled to announce Seesaw Theatre’s theme for the 2019-2020 season: Exploration! As our executive board was discussing our hopes for the upcoming year, the word exploration permeated many discussions. We are excited about infusing a sense of exploration into all facets of our work. 

I love the concept of exploration for many reasons. Exploration is essential for creation. In order for something to come into existence, someone must be willing to dive headfirst into the unknown and explore. Exploration is necessary for innovation. It is easy to become satisfied once you have established something that works. But with a fiery sense of exploration and an insatiable curiosity, innovation will continue to improve upon the original. 

For these reasons, and many more, I am so excited to center our season programming around exploration. Our shows and workshops will give audience members the agency to become explorers -- investigating and engaging with unique adventures. As an organization, we will examine our processes in order to continue exploring how we can innovate and improve our practices.  

We can’t wait to kick off our year of exploration!

Ellie Levine, Artistic Director