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 surely a top pick from our map of things to do with our kids in Chicagoland!
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
Note: The Blue Man Group ended their long-running show at The Briar Street Theater in Chicago in January of 2025.
Beverly Arts Center
2407 W 111th Street
Chicago, IL 60655
Matilda the Musical, Jr.
April 24 – 27, 2025
Anastasia, Youth Edition
May 15 – 18, 2025
Broadway in Chicago
Cadillac Palace Theatre
151 W. Randolph Street
Chicago, IL 60601
Beetlejuice, The Musical
March 11 – 16, 2025
Recommended for ages 13 and up. Parental discretion advised.
Beauty and the Beast
July 9 – August 2, 2025
Recommended for ages 6 and up.
James M. Nederlander Theatre
24 W. Randolph Street
Chicago, IL 60603
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
September 10 – February 1, 2025
For ages 8 and up.
Auditorium Theatre
50 East Ida B. Wells Drive
Chicago, IL 60605
Ballet Folklórico de México de Amalia Hernández
March 1 – 2, 2025
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
March 7 – 9, 2025
Parson’s Dance
April 12, 2025
South Chicago Dance Theatre
May 3, 2025
Hiplet Ballerinas
May 17, 2025
Lover: Taylor Swift Tribute
September 25, 2025
Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas in Concert
October 25, 2025
Costumes encouraged!
Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place
175 E Chestnut Street
Chicago, IL 60611
Titanique
March 25 – May 18, 2025
Recommended for ages 12 and up. Parental discretion advised.
CIBC Theatre
18 W Monroe Street
Chicago, IL 60603
Clue
February 18 – March 2, 2025
Recommended for ages 12 and up.
Kimberly Akimbo
June 10 – June 22, 2025
For ages 12 and up.
Parade
Aug 5 – Aug 17, 2025
For ages 12 and up.
Click here to read about our experience at Broadway in Chicago with kids.
Chicago Children’s Theatre
100 S. Racine Avenue
Chicago, IL 60607
Manual Cinema’s The Magic City
Opens Jan. 25 | Saturdays & Sundays @ 9:30am & 11:30am
Ideal for Ages 7 & Up
GO DOG GO! • VE PERRO ¡VE!
Opens March 15 | Saturdays & Sundays @ 9:30am & 11:30am
Click here to read about our past experiences at Chicago Children’s Theatre.
Chicago Kids Company
Alice in Wonderland
Beverly Arts Center
Final performance on March 7, 2025
Sleeping Beauty
Wright College and Apollo Theater
February 16 – March 28, 2025
Chicken Little
Wright College and Apollo Theater
April 9 – August 1, 2025
Peter Pan
Beverly Arts Center
March 12 – August 8, 2025
Chicago Theatre
175 N State Street
Chicago, IL 60601
Paw Patrol Live
April 5 – 6, 2025
Click here to read about a past performance for kids at Chicago Theatre.
DePaul University Merle Reskin Theatre
60 E Balbo Drive
Chicago, IL 60604
The Chronicles of the Kaleidoscope Visitors
May 15, 2025 – May 31, 2025
Mercury Theater Chicago
3745 N. Southport Avenue
Chicago, IL 60613
Click here to read about our past experiences at the Mercury Theater.
Studebaker Theater
410 S. Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60605
Dreamgirls
March 29 – 30, 2025
Chicago Opera Theater Presents, She Who Dared
June 3 – 8, 2025
The Second City
230 W North Avenue – 4th Floor
Chicago, IL 60660
Youth and Teen Ensemble Shows
March 1, 2025 / 2:00pm, 3:00pm, 4:00pm
Young People’s Theatre at The Greenhouse Theater Center
2257 N Lincoln Ave
Chicago, IL 60614
Bob Marley’s Three Little Birds
February 8 – March 2, 2025
Charlotte’s Web
May 10 – June 2, 2025
Live Theater in the Suburbs of Chicago
Allstate Arena
6920 Mannheim Road
Rosemont, IL 60018
Monster Jam
February 28 – March 2, 2025
Disney Descendants/Zombies: Worlds Collide Tour
August 6, 2025
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.
2025 season features:
Big Noise Theatre in Des Plaines
515 E Thacker St,
Des Plaines, IL 60016
Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! The Musical
February 8 – March 2, 2025
Disaster!
April 25 – May 11, 2025
Cahn Auditorium in Evanston
Northwestern University
600 Emerson Street
Evanston, IL 60201
Drury Lane Theatre in Oakbrook Terrace
100 Drury Lane
Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181
Sister Act
November 12, 2025 – January 11, 2026
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
The Magic School Bus: Lost in the Solar System
February 21 – March 29, 2025
Arthur & Friends Make A Musical!
July 11 – August 10, 2025
Disney’s Finding Nemo
October 10 – January 4, 2026
Click here to read about our experiences at the Marriott Theatre.
Maywood Fine Arts
Thatcher Woods Pavilion
8030 Chicago Avenue
River Forest, IL 60305
McAninch Arts Center (The MAC)
College of DuPage
425 Fawell Blvd
Glen Ellyn, IL 60137
Ada Twist, Scientist & Friends
February 25, 2025 | 9:45am and 11:30am
Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! The Musical!
March 10, 2025 | 9:45am and 11:30am
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
Disney’s Mary Poppins – A Staged Concert
February 20 – March 9, 2025
Morton Arboretum in Lisle
4100 IL-53
Lisle, IL 60532
Be sure to check out their website for more details about their Walking Plays.
North Central College Fine & Performing Arts in Naperville
Wentz Concert Hall at North Central College
171 E Chicago Avenue
Naperville, IL 60540
2024 – 2025 season information coming soon.
NOW Arena in Hoffman Estates
5333 Prairie Stone Parkway
Hoffman Estates, IL 60192
OVO by Cirque Du Soleil
February 13 – 16, 2025
Overshadowed Theatrical Productions in Medinah
900 Foster Avenue
Medinah, IL 60157
Paramount Theatre in Aurora
23 East Galena Blvd.
Aurora, IL 60506
Click here to read more about Paramount Theatre in Aurora.
Rialto Square Theatre in Joliet
102 N. Chicago Street
Joliet, IL 60432
Dragons & Mythical Beasts
February 18, 2025 | 6:00pm
Blippi: Join the Band Tour
April 13, 2025 | 2:00pm
Rosemont Theatre in Rosemont
5400 N. River Road
Rosemont, IL 60018
The Wiggles – Bouncing Balls Tour
June 21, 2025 | 6:00pm
Steel Beam Theatre (St Charles)
111 W Main Street
St. Charles, IL 60174
Into The Woods Jr.
Mar 6, 2025 – Mar 9, 2025
WeGo Community Theatre in West Chicago
Wheaton Academy Fine Arts Center
900 Prince Crossing Road
West Chicago, IL 60185
101 Dalmations Kids
February 21 – 22, 2025
at Norton Creek Elementary School, 2033 Smith Road
West Chicago, IL 60185
Little Mountain Community Theatre
800 Porter Street
Lemont, IL 60439
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
Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater
Northeastern Illinois University Auditorium
5500 N. St. Louis Avenue
Chicago, IL 60625
Giordano Dance Chicago
Harris Theater at Millennium Park
205 E. Randolph Street
Chicago, IL 60601
McAninch Arts Center (The MAC)
College of DuPage
425 Fawell Blvd
Glen Ellyn, IL 60137
YAMATO – The Drummers of Japan
February 23, 2025 | 7:00pm
Click here to read about previous experiences at The MAC.
Ruth Page Center for the Arts
1016 N Dearborn Street
Chicago, IL 60610
The School of Ballet 5:8
11545 183rd Pl | Suite 101
Orland Park, IL 60467
Ballerina Ball
February 22, 2025
Classical Music and Music Concerts
Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra
Elmhurst Christian Reformed Church
149 W Brush Hill Rd
Elmhurst, IL 60126
A Grand Tour
March 16, 2025 | 3:00pm
Northbrook Symphony Orchestra
Sheely Center for the Performing Arts
2300 Shermer Road
Northbrook, IL 60062
Orchestra occasionally hosts family performances. See the lineup.
First Presbyterian Church of Evanston
1427 Chicago Avenue
Evanston, IL 60201
Santiago Cañon Valencia Cello Recital with Victor Santiago Asunción
October 25, 2024
Old Town School of Folk Music
Old Town School of Folk Music
4544 N Lincoln Avenue
Chicago, IL 60625
Justin Roberts & the Not Ready for Naptime Players
March 8, 2025 | 10:30am at Maurer Hall
The Okee Dokee Brothers
March 22, 2025 | 10:30am at Maurer Hall
Campanella Children’s Choir
North Shore United Methodist Church
213 Hazel Avenue
Glencoe, IL 60022
Chicago Sinfonietta
Wentz Concert Hall at North Central College
171 E Chicago Avenue
Naperville, IL 60540
Auditorium Theatre at Roosevelt University
50 East Ida B. Wells Drive
Chicago, IL 60605
See the program schedule for concerts. Chicago Sinfonietta offers children’s pricing on tickets and advises that concerts are suitable for ages 6+.
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
Into the Woods Jr.
June 27-29, 2025
BAM Theatre
Madden Theatre at North Central College
171 E Chicago Avenue
Naperville, IL 60540
Children’s Theatre of Western Springs
Children’s Theatre of Western Springs
4384 Hampton Avenue
Western Springs, IL 60558
Little Women
March 14 – 16, 2025
Spongebob the Musical, Youth Edition
April 11 – 20, 2025
CYT Chicago
College of Lake County – James Lumber Center
19351 West Washington Street
Grayslake, IL 60030
The Wizard of Oz
February 28 – March 2, 2025
Music Makers Theatre
Lyons Township Performing Arts Center
4900 S. Willow Springs Rd.
Western Springs, IL 60558
Oak Park and River Forest High School
201 N Scoville Avenue
Oak Park, IL 60302
Ovation Academy for the Performing Arts
Madison Street Theatre
1010 Madison St.
Oak Park, IL 60302
The Magic Treehouse: Dinosaurs Before Dark KIDS
February 21 and 22, 2025
Legally Blonde JR
April 17-19 and 24-26, 2025
Spotlight Theater
Hanover Park Park District
1919 Walnut Avenue
Hanover Park, IL 60133
SHREK the Musical
February 21-23, 2025
Spring Avenue Recreation Center
A new theatre performance area in Glen Ellyn is being built! We’re looking forward to performances there and will update this as we get more information.
Stage Door Fine Arts Theatre
The Community House
415 W. Eighth Street
Hinsdale, IL 60521
Finding Nemo
May – June 2025
Alice by Heart
June 2025
WeGo Community Theatre
Wheaton Academy Fine Arts Center
900 Prince Crossing Road
West Chicago, IL 60185
101 Dalmatians Kids
February 21 – 22, 2025
Shrek The Musical
July 17 – 19, 2025
High School Musical Jr.
November 2025
Wheaton Park District Children’s Playhouse
Wheaton Park District Community Center
1777 S Blanchard Street
Wheaton, IL 60189
The Wizard of Oz Youth Edition
March 20-23, 2025
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