There’s nothing quite like live theater, especially when it can be enjoyed with the whole family. There are so many great options of children’s theater in the Chicagoland area. Live performances are a beautiful way to experience music and stories together in and around Chicago while supporting local artists.
We’re lucky to be surrounded by countless local performances both in the city and the suburbs that are tailored just for kids. From professional children’s theater with adult performers to productions for kids with young actors, we have a fantastic line-up of shows for you to check out with your family in the year ahead. This is one of our favorite things to do with our kids!
As the season goes on, be sure to refer back to this list for updates as theaters continue to announce their plans. We keep this article updated throughout the year with the latest shows and performances.
Below you will find live theater in Chicago and the suburbs, dance performances, classical music, and shows for kids at children’s theater schools and high schools.
Live Theater for Kids in Chicago
The Diary of Anne Frank
Beverly Arts Center
2407 W 111th Street
Chicago, IL 60655
April 4-14, 2024
In this transcendently powerful new adaptation by American playwright Wendy Kesselman, Anne Frank emerges from the pages of history with words that strike at the very heart of human hope.
Kesselman’s adaptation incorporates newly discovered writings from Annes’ diary, as well as survivor accounts, interwoven to create a contemporary impassioned story that captures the claustrophobic realities of the lives of the people persecuted under Nazi rule —their fears, their laughter, their grief, and their hope.
Recommended for ages 12+. Click here to purchase tickets.
Briar Street Theatre in Chicago
3133 N. Halsted Street
Chicago, IL 60657
Blue Man Group
Ongoing dates; check the calendar online.
Read our Blue Man Group review!
Broadway in Chicago
Cadillac Palace Theatre
151 W. Randolph Street
Chicago, IL 60601
James M. Nederlander Theatre
24 W. Randolph Street
Chicago, IL 60603
Auditorium Theatre
50 East Ida B. Wells Drive
Chicago, IL 60605
Peter Pan
James M. Nederlander Theatre
March 26 – April 7, 2024
Trinity Irish Dance Company
Auditorium Theatre
March 3, 2024 | 3:00pm – 6:00pm
Click here to read about our experience at Broadway in Chicago with kids.
Chicago Children’s Theatre
100 S. Racine Avenue
Chicago, IL 60607
A Year with Frog & Toad
April 13 – May 26, 2024
Click here to read about our past experiences at Chicago Children’s Theatre.
Chicago Kids Company
Apollo Theater
2550 N. Lincoln Ave.
Chicago, IL
Beverly Arts Center
2407 W. 111th Street
Chicago, IL 60655
Little Red Riding Hood
Apollo Theater
January 24 – May 8, 2024
Beauty & the Beast
Beverly Arts Center
January 17 – April 27, 2024
Chicken Little
Apollo Theater
March 20 – May 24, 2024
Jack and the Beanstalk
Beverly Arts Center
May 1 – 24, 2024 & June 28 – July 26, 2024
Sleeping Beauty
Apollo Theater
June 20 – August 2, 2024
Chicago Theatre
175 N State Street
Chicago, IL 60601
Paw Patrol Live
March 16 & 17, 2024
Click here to read about a past performance for kids at Chicago Theatre.
Mercury Theater Chicago
3745 N. Southport Avenue
Chicago, IL 60613
Click here to read about our past experience at the Mercury Theater.
Studebaker Theater
Fine Arts Building
410 S. Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60605
Dog Man: The Musical
January 31 – February 25, 2024
Recommended for ages 5+
Young People’s Theatre
The Greenhouse Theater Center (Chicago)
2257 N Lincoln Ave
Chicago, IL 60614
The Diary of Anne Frank
February 16 – March 4, 2024
* Recommended for ages 9+.
Last Stop on Market Street
May 11 – June 2, 2024
Live Theater in the Suburbs of Chicago
Allstate Arena
6920 Mannheim Road
Rosemont, IL 60018
Monster Jam
March 1-3, 2024
Alphabet Soup Productions in Chicago’s Suburbs
Shows at various times and locations throughout Chicagoland including: Cicero, Des Plaines, Downers Grove, Naperville, Palos Hills, Romeoville and Schaumburg. Check their website for the current schedule.
James & the Giant Peach
January – March 2024
Alice in Wonderland
April – July 2024
Drury Lane Theatre in Oakbrook Terrace
100 Drury Lane
Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181
A Christmas Carol
January 24 – March 17, 2024
The Little Mermaid
Novemeber 6, 2024 – January 12, 2025
Guardian Angel Players in La Grange Park
St. Louise Parish Center
1125 Harrison Avenue
La Grange Park, IL 60526
Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire
10 Marriott Drive
Lincolnshire, IL 60069
James and the Giant Peach
February 16 – March 30, 2024
Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus
July 12 – August 11, 2024
Click here to read about our experience at the Marriott Theatre.
McAninch Arts Center (The MAC)
College of DuPage
425 Fawell Blvd
Glen Ellyn, IL 60137
Click here to read about previous experiences at The MAC.
Metropolis Performing Arts Center in Arlington Heights
111 W Campbell Street
Arlington Heights, IL 60005
The Music Man
February 2 – 11, 2024
Recommended for ages 6+.
Morton Arboretum in Lisle
4100 IL-53
Lisle, IL 60532
Walking Plays
July 13, 14, 20, 21, 27, 28, 2024
More details will be posted soon; be sure to check their website.
North Central College Fine & Performing Arts in Naperville
Wentz Concert Hall at North Central College
171 E Chicago Avenue
Naperville, IL 60540
TheaterWorksUSA’s “Cat Kid Comic Club: The Musical”
April 6, 2024
The Let’s Go Science Show
April 20, 2024
NOW Arena in Hoffman Estates
5333 Prairie Stone Parkway
Hoffman Estates, IL 60192
Cirque Du Soleil
March 22-24, 2024
Overshadowed Theatrical Productions in Medinah
900 Foster Avenue
Medinah, IL 60157
Willy Wonka
January 19 – February 3, 2024
Paramount Theatre in Aurora
23 East Galena Blvd.
Aurora, IL 60506
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
November 8, 2023 – January 14, 2024
Billy Elliott
February 7 – March 24, 2024
Click here to read more about Paramount Theatre in Aurora.
Rialto Square Theatre in Joliet
102 N. Chicago Street
Joliet, IL 60432
Dinosaur World Live
February 6, 2024
Story Pirates
May 11, 2024
Sesame Street Live! Say Hello
May 15, 2024
Rosemont Theatre in Rosemont
5400 N. River Road
Rosemont, IL 60018
Disney Princess: The Concert
March 10, 2024
WeGo Community Theatre in West Chicago
Wheaton Academy Fine Arts Center
900 Prince Crossing Road
West Chicago, IL 60185
Tarzan
July 18-20, 2024
Frozen
November 2024
Little Mountain Community Theatre
800 Porter Street
Lemont, IL 60439
Peter Pan
July 19 – 21, 2024
Frozen Jr.
June 28, 2024
Firefly Family Theatre in Glen Ellyn
Firefly Family Theatre performs in-person and pre-recorded shows. Right now, they are offering various shows at libraries across the suburbs. Check their website for the current schedule.
Dance Performances
Athenaeum Center for Thought and Culture
2936 N. Southport Avenue
Chicago, IL 60657
Broadway Through the Years
April 28, 2024
A&A Ballet’s Cinderella
May 18, 2024 | 3:00pm
World Ballet Stars
June 16, 2024
Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater
Northeastern Illinois University Auditorium
5500 N. St. Louis Avenue
Chicago, IL 60625
Flamenco Passion
June 7 – 9, 2024
Giordano Dance Chicago
Harris Theater at Millennium Park
205 E. Randolph Street
Chicago, IL 60601
UNLIMITED | Season 61
April 5-6, 2024 | 7:30pm
The School of Ballet 5:8
Lincoln-Way West High School
21701 Gougar Road
New Lenox, IL 60451
Toy Maker
May 25 – 26, 2024
Classical Music and Music Concerts
Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra
Elmhurst Christian Reformed Church
149 W Brush Hill Rd
Elmhurst, IL 60126
Various Concerts
March 10 and May 4, 2024
Northbrook Symphony Orchestra
Sheely Center for the Performing Arts
2300 Shermer Road
Northbrook, IL 60062
Virtuoso Violins
March 24, 2024
Fiesta Mexicana
June 9, 2024
Shows for Kids at Children’s Theater Schools and High Schools
Academy of Music & Art
Mario Parente Theatre
1S325 Ardmore Avenue
Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181
Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella Youth Edition
June 7 – 9, 2024
BAM Theatre
Madden Theatre at North Central College
171 E Chicago Avenue
Naperville, IL 60540
Seussical & Sweeney Todd (Double Feature)
March 15 – 16, 2024
Children’s Theatre of Western Springs
Children’s Theatre of Western Springs
4384 Hampton Avenue
Western Springs, IL 60558
James and the Giant Peach, Jr.
James and the Giant Peach, Jr.
April 19 – 28, 2024
Children’s Theatre of Western Springs
4384 Hampton Avenue
Western Springs, IL 60558
Based on one of Roald Dahl’s most poignantly quirky stories, Roald Dahl’s James and the Giant Peach JR. is a brand new take on this “masterpeach” of a tale. Featuring a wickedly tuneful score and a witty and charming book, this adventurous musical about courage and self-discovery is destined to be a classic.
When James is sent by his conniving aunts to chop down their old fruit tree, he discovers a magic potion that grows a tremendous peach, rolls into the ocean and launches a journey of enormous proportions. James befriends a collection of singing insects that ride the giant piece of fruit across the ocean, facing hunger, sharks and plenty of disagreements along the way.
CYT, Chicago
Batavia Fine Arts Centre
1250 W Wilson St.
Batavia, IL 60510
You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown
February 29 – March 10, 2024
Disney’s The Little Mermaid
May 16 – May 19, 2024
The Spongebob Musical
May 23 – May 26, 2024
Eisenhower Junior High School
1410 75th Street
Darien, IL 60561
The Little Mermaid Junior
May 2 – 4, 2024
Footlight Players
Park Junior High School
325 N. Park Rd.
La Grange Park, IL 60526
The Spongebob Musical
May 17 – 19, 2024
Ghostlight ETC
923 Curtiss Street
Downers Grove, IL 60515
Mary Poppins, Jr.
June 15 & 16, 2024
School of Rock
June 27 – 29, 2024
Lombard Park District
Sunset Knoll Recreation Center
820 S. Finley Road
Lombard, IL 60148
Mean Girls Jr.
March 22-24, 2024
Marquee Youth Stage
619 W Main Street
St. Charles, IL 60174
Music Makers Theatre
Lyons Township Performing Arts Center
4900 S. Willow Springs Rd.
Western Springs, IL 60558
Finding Nemo Kids (Grades K-3)
May 17 – 18, 2024
Finding Nemo Jr. (Grades 4-9)
May 17 – 18, 2024
Ovation Academy for the Performing Arts
Madison Street Theatre
1010 Madison St.
Oak Park, IL 60302
James and the Giant Peach, Jr.
April 12 – 21, 2024
Stage Door Fine Arts Theatre
The Community House
415 W. Eighth Street
Hinsdale, IL 60521
SpongeBob, the Musical
January – February, 2024
Seussical, the Musical
May – June, 2024
Wheaton Park District Children’s Playhouse
Wheaton Park District Community Center
1777 S Blanchard Street
Wheaton, IL 60189
Disney Newsies Jr.
March 14 – 17, 2024
Many times after taking in the beauty of a live performance, kids are inspired to learn the craft themselves! If that’s the case in your family, we have the perfect listing of kids theater and drama classes for you. And, don’t miss our Events Calendar filled with great options for making the best, fun-filled family memories!
1 Comment. Leave new
Thanks so much. I have signed up for a few plays to take my Grand Daughter! Mary Ellen Gavin