We’re heartbroken for the teaching artists, performers, and administrators who have thought of Emerald City Children’s Theatre as an artistic home throughout its 24 years in operation.

​We’re also grateful.

We’re grateful to the founders, to all of the administrators from 1996 up to 2020, to the performers and to the teaching artists and to every member of the Emerald City Children’s Theatre family that brightened a child’s day, opened a child’s eyes, or paved a child’s path.

We’re so grateful to Emerald City for the work they’ve done, the attitudes they’ve shaped, and the future they’ve made possible for children and for children’s theatre.

Through their Chicago theatre camps, productions, classes, and community engagement programs, Emerald City Children’s Theatre serves over 60,000 students every. single. year. The loss of this organization is a great one. It’s a loss that will continue to ripple through students, parents, teachers, teaching artists, performers, administrators, and community members long after the doors close.

Emerald City was founded by Karen and Alyn Cardarelli in 1996, the same year I performed in my first community theatre production at Theatre for Young Audiences in Sheboygan, WI. I was ten years old. I had no idea that “Theatre for Young Audiences” was a whole movement, not just the name of our local children’s theatre. I had no idea that in Chicago, two amazing people had just birthed a company that would help to shape my life and my career.

​Even before Cassandra and I moved to Chicago in 2010, Emerald City was on both of our lists of teams we’d love to be part of. They had a reputation for producing great theatre that respected the intelligent minds and artistic hearts of children. Their cleanly-designed, brightly-colored, and lively-patterned sets, props, and costumes demonstrated a high production value. Their attention to artistic detail showed that their team cared about the experience of their young audiences just as much as Steppenwolf, The Goodman, and Lookingglass did their adult counterparts.

As Cassandra and I have built Compass Creative Dramatics and developed our summer theatre camp programming, we’ve been fortunate to do so within the Chicago children’s theatre community--a community that would not be as vibrant or as well-rounded without the last 24 years of Emerald City’s cornerstone organization. We’ve trained teaching artists who have gone to work with Emerald City as well as the other way around, and we’ve worked as performers and administrators alongside members of the Emerald City administration over the nearly ten years we’ve lived in Chicago.

Cassandra and I are hurting for the Emerald City administrative team. We know what it is to pour your heart and your energy (and, honestly, sometimes your tears) into an organization, and we can imagine the devastation of closing your doors. Of knowing that it is children who are being left behind.

We know how life-altering children’s theatre work can be. Participating in children’s theatre as a preteen and a teenager gave me my “safe space.” And during our time offering theatre camps at Compass Creative Dramatics, we’ve been approached by so many students and parents who share their struggles and their gratitude for this programming.

As co-founders ourselves, we feel especially for Karen and Alyn Cardarelli, whose dedication and determination brought Emerald City Children’s Theatre to life. Without their vision and determination, Emerald City could not have grown to serve so many students across the 24 years they have been producing plays, hosting theatre camps, and teaching classes in Chicago.

Emerald City’s winter theatre camp finished up yesterday. Their final production, Corduroy, closes tomorrow, Sunday, January 5th. Our hearts are with the Emerald City team today and over the next few weeks as they wrap up the great work they’ve accomplished.

To the Emerald City team, both past and present: thank you. Thank you for your bravery, your tenacity, and your dedication. Thank you for your warmth and for the growth you’ve enabled in the Chicago children’s theatre community.

We will do our best to work together with the other Chicago children’s theatres to fill the enormous shoes you’ve left behind.

Because the work you did, and the people you served, and the greatness you achieved—they matter.

Thank you for everything.

- Cathlyn, Cassandra, and the whole Compass family

Before joining the administrative team as Artistic Director, Wyatt Kent toured with us as Uncle Henry and The Wizard in The Wizard of Oz, Mr. Orvendellis in The Jumping Jacks & The Beanstalk, and Starkey the Pirate in Peter Pan. He's delighted by the dancing cows in The Jumping Jacks & The Beanstalk (really, who wouldn't be?!) and says that right now, Jacks is probably his favorite Compass play.

#1 What kinds of teams did you belong to when you were growing up?
I was trotted along in a number of youth sport leagues when I was elementary aged (soccer, basketball, baseball) but none of it really stuck. By the time I was out of high school I wished it had. I really enjoy recreational team sports, it turns out! In high school I did lots of non-athletic activities but being a part of the speech team was my biggest priority. "Duo" (basically a two-person, 10-minute play) and poetry were my main events.

#2 Soup or salad?
At home, soup. In a restaurant, usually salad.

#3 What's one play that kids should check out:
Where Have All The Lightning Bugs Gone? by Louis E. Catron. It was a play that my mom introduced me to when I was young, I think she did it in high school. It is a one act play that for some reason stuck with me for a long time.

#4 Top five favorite snacks:
Cheez-its
Chips and fresh guacamole
Potato chips of all sorts
A really good apple
Snack stick from Gene’s Sausage Shop

#5 Villain or hero?
As much as I want to be cool and say villain, hero. 

#6 What’s something you do to relax?
I enjoy playing board games! (and enjoy figuring out the rules to board games almost as much . . .)

#7 What’s your favorite kind of cookie? How do you prefer to eat it?
If I had to choose one, ginger snaps. Just eat them! 

#8 What’s your favorite thing to do in Chicago in the winter?
Complain about "dibs" with friends.
. . .
No, in seriousness I love walking around busy areas during the holiday season. I enjoy the hustle and bustle (as long as I’m not trying to actually accomplish something) as well as the lights of the city. Chicago at night can be really special.

#9 Why do you live in Chicago?
The theatre is the short answer! The longer answer is: I like being within a day’s drive of my family and I think Chicago is a comfortable place to live. I love exploring and I have yet to run out of new things to see and experience. 

#10 Tell us about your pet.
Perry the Rescue Terrier! He’s a darling dog full of personality that my girlfriend got as a senior dog from PAWS. It’s been great to watch him grow less and less fearful as he has had a stable environment over the last year. He even likes to play with other dogs now!

​#11 What would you do if someone gave you a million dollars, no strings?
I’d like to design out a dream theatre space and use the money to establish a resident company.* 

*Usually, theatre companies hire different artists for each show they do. They might work with the same actor, designer, or other artist a bunch of times over the years, but they hire the artists for one show at a time, or a couple of shows at a time. Usually. With a resident company, the theatre uses (mostly) the same artists throughout all of their shows. That doesn't necessarily mean that there are parts for all of the resident actors in every show, but usually the shows get picked specifically for certain members of the resident acting company. Resident companies used to be pretty popular, but they're expensive to maintain, so they're pretty rare now.

#12 What’s the household chore that you would avoid forever if you could?
Taking out the trash is fine. You know what I hate doing? Putting a new trash bag in after you take the old one out. I have no idea why, I just don’t like it. 

#13 How do you like to spend a rainy day?
Avoiding getting wet. I hate having wet feet and no matter what, I always feel unprepared for it. A rainy day where I have nothing to do and nowhere to go is great, but they never seem to get scheduled that way.

#14 Morning person or nightowl?
Night, but for certain kind of projects I’ve found sleeping on it and resolving things in the morning to work well for me. ​

#15 What’s your favorite day of the week when you are teaching a performance residency?
I really like Tuesdays. They are frenetic but structured, everyone gets to be introduced to what their piece of the play is going to look like, and I love getting to know all the actors again in the context of their character groups.

#16 What’s your favorite holiday? How do you celebrate it?
I like New Year’s Eve. I haven’t always done the best job of it, but I like to try to either be in a new place or do some sort of new event to ring in the New Year. I think it is fun to be a part of the celebration in a new city. People are in a good mood, and the next day is usually sleepy and relaxed.

#17 What did you want to be when you grew up?
When I was young I wanted to be a teacher! I really enjoyed school and told my teachers that I wanted to work in the school when I grew up.

#18 Cake or pie?
Pie!​

#19 What’s your favorite kids’ movie?
The Iron Giant. Does that count as a kids’ movie? (note: we think so!) It’s just a beautiful movie with an incredibly heartfelt message. I cry pretty much every time.

#20 Tell us all of the towns you’ve lived in.
Orlando, FL; Auburn, NE; Scottsbluff, NE; Ogallala, NE; Columbus, NE; Lincoln, NE; Tempe, AZ; and Chicago, IL.

​From the time I was old enough to write a letter, I had a dedicated penpal. 

She. was. the. coolest. 

She lived in San Diego, right near the ocean. She loved animals and science. She had beautiful, loopy cursive writing that was hard to read and made me squint and it danced with phrases like “your good newsy note,” “a wreath and my little tree,” and the shortened “tho’.”

She was my Great Aunt Barbara.

Aunt Barbara and I exchanged letters a few times a year. I sent her school photos and she sent me newspaper clippings about the pandas at The San Diego Zoo. When I began doing theatre in sixth grade, she started sending me clippings about acting, too: children’s theatre productions, the local professional theatre scene, and the struggles of union actors in the small San Diego market.

In the late 2000’s my Aunt Marji gave Great Aunt Barbara an “email machine,” but mostly Barbara and I continued to write. 

In her letters, she always told me how proud she was of the work I was doing in theatre and made sure I knew she enjoyed hearing from me. “I’ve just reread your letters from June on,” she wrote one December, “You write great letters!” 
​
She never missed sending me a birthday card, always with a long “newsy” note, and often including a memory of my birthday in the early 1990s that we spent together. “I’ll always remember the year I was in Sheboygan for the big event, and you were getting your first skis. You had to get out and try them on right that moment. Such fun!”​

​In the letter that accompanied my 2010 birthday card, she noted that there would be a total lunar eclipse on my birthday—"quite a celebration!” 

She was quite a lady. 

When Aunt Barbara passed away in 2012, her generosity enabled me to begin Compass Creative Dramatics with Cassandra. Barbara's legacy has allowed us to serve thousands of children across the United States.

Aunt Barbara would have been so proud of the work we’ve accomplished. She valued education—she received her bachelor’s degree in 1939 when only 3 women out of 100 graduated from college, and she went on to get a teaching certificate, too.

She worked in Washington, DC throughout World War II. Later, after she had returned to California, she worked with two different school districts and then with underserved teens, assisting them with job placement. When that program ended in 1971, she again turned her attention to serving children: this time, by organizing an outpatient clinic for kids with serious diseases.

She was a fantastic lady. 

During her lifetime, she changed the world around her. I like to think that through her gift to me after her death, she continues to do so.

To that end, I’m honored to announce our official new scholarship:

The Barbara Kenyon Creativity & Bravery Scholarship

Throughout our time with Compass Creative Dramatics, we've made it a personal mission to not let any child's family finances get in the way of participating in theatre camp. Every summer, kids in Bedford, IN, Sheboygan County, WI, and Chicago attend camp for free because that's important to me and Cassandra. We want all kids to have the opportunity to stretch their creativity and bravery muscles through theatre if they want to.

Auntie Barbara would have wanted it that way, too.

I hope you’ll help support my Aunt Barbara’s dedication to children and education by making a pledge to help a child attend theatre camp.

As I move on from Compass Creative Dramatics this month, my heart is warmed knowing that Aunt Barbara and I will both remain a part of the Compass family, continuing to stretch kids' creativity and bravery muscles, even from a distance.

Thank you.

With so much love for all of our Compass family, including you--

​​Because Cassandra and I both “wear many hats” at Compass, we’ve worked over the last twelve months to assemble the administrative team that will lead Compass Creative Dramatics into a new decade:

​And of course Cassandra Quinn, Executive Director and owner.

​Over the first few weeks of 2020, Macy will be introducing you to each of the team members. Keep your eyes on our blog and social media for interviews and photos! In the meantime, you can check out the team’s bios on our staff page.

And I might still show up here and there as a guest blogger or a substitute teacher. Who knows? ;)

​Friends, I’ve learned so much throughout my time with Compass—about running a business, about selling a service, about working with a team, and about myself. When Cassandra and I started Compass in 2012, I was 25 years old. Cassandra and I have, in a way, grown up with Compass. We’ve certainly both stretched our creativity and bravery muscles and are so much stronger than we were when we met in 2008. I’m so grateful for Cassandra’s friendship, patience, love, and leadership throughout our adventure. 

I’m officially hanging up my Compass hat today, but it’s my birthday on Friday and this year, for my birthday, I want you to meet someone. 

So hang tight--I’ll be posting one last time on Friday with an introduction I want to be sure you see.

After that, I’m onto the next adventure. (eek!)

I'll miss Compass and all of you! Meeting our students and their families has been an incredible joy over the last seven years. If you want to keep up with me, you can find me at www.instagram.com/borrowedcats

With love,

By Cathlyn Melvin          ||          Holidays, Arts Scene

Does your preschooler run around the house pretending to be Buzz Lightyear? Let them explore outer space playing "Magic Elevator" at theatre class.

Does your fourth grader shut her door so she can belt “Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love you, tomorrow!” at the top of her lungs without eye rolls from her brother? (I was that kid. That was me.) At summer theatre camp, she'll be rewarded for singing loudly.

Is your teen aching to perform? Give her the opportunity to find the kids who share that passion at summer camp.

Everyone loves for their interests to be noticed.

Your student might also be super into Minecraft, or coding, or other digital activities. Their are so many cool hobbies for kids in Gen Alpha.

But there's a lot to be said for face-to-face, guided social activities like theatre that make kids feel like they're part of something bigger. ​

One of my favorite things about living in a big city is that you don’t have to look far to find someone trying to do good. Sometimes you'll find a Little Free Library, sometimes something as big as a foundation building or as small as a trash can full of collected litter, sometimes thought-provoking displays of art.

I love public art. The colors, the shapes, the accessibility, and the glimpse into someone else’s viewpoint.

On her instagram account, Chicago Mom Leyla Tran shares photos of public murals (along with her adorable son Luke). Search #lukeandwalls to see murals from across Chicago and beyond -- and check Luke’s favorites on Leyla's blog here.

Where have you seen public art in your own city?

- Cathlyn