Children's Theatre of Evanston

The Children's Theatre of Evanston, a youth theatre and theatre school, was created in the fall of 1925 when Winifred Ward, theatre professor at Northwestern University, saw a need for a children's theatre connected to both the University and the Evanston school districts. Winifred Ward, Dean Ralph Dennis of the Speech School at Northwestern and Alexander Dean, head of the University Theatre, were the principal founders of the theatre. Winifred Ward, the director of the theatre from 1925-1950, directed the first show, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, on November 6, 1925.

From the description of Children's Theatre of Evanston records, 1925-1976 [manuscript]. (Scottsdale Public Library). WorldCat record id: 457240959

The Children's Theatre of Evanston, a youth theatre and theatre school, was created in the fall of 1925 when Winifred Ward, theatre professor at Northwestern University, saw a need for a children's theatre connected to both the university and the Evanston school districts. Winifred Ward, Dean Ralph Dennis of the Speech School at Northwestern and Alexander Dean, head of the University Theatre, were the principal founders of the theatre. Winifred Ward, the Director of the theatre from 1925-1950, directed the first show, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, on November 6, 1925.

Under Ward's tutelage the Theatre produced four plays each season designed for children in the third through the eighth grade. University students acted in these shows with younger children playing age-appropriate roles. The child roles were double cast. Ward directed almost all of the plays until the late 1930s with student assistants. Students, mostly those enrolled in graduate school, also directed, designed and stage managed the shows. These plays were performed at the junior high schools in Evanston.

The classes that Winifred Ward taught at Northwestern University in creative dramatics and children's theatre fed into and supported the activities of the Theatre and the creative dramatics programs in the Evanston intermediate and elementary schools. During the summer months, The Children's Theatre of Evanston would often produce a play as the cumulative project of summer workshops. This idea continued throughout the years, especially in the 1970s when these summer productions were part of the Theatre 65 School, producing two plays each summer, created by the Shakespeare in the Parks and Plays on Wheels programs. These shows toured throughout Evanston schools and parks throughout the summer.

Many leaders of children's theatre received their education at Northwestern and worked with the Children's Theatre of Evanston. Some of these students who went on to teach at other universities and work at other children's theatres include: Geraldine Brain Siks, Ann Flagg and Xan Johnson. Other students who continued working with The Children's Theatre of Evanston and the Evanston school districts after graduation include: Anne Thurman and Jane Dinsmoor Triplett.

The Children's Theatre of Evanston premiered many plays during their fifty two years. They worked closely with Charlotte B. Chorpenning, playwright at the Goodman Theatre, commissioning and premiering many of her plays. Other plays were selected by the help of the audience. At the end of each season, Winifred Ward would ask the children in the audience what plays they would like to see in the next year. Ward also used a Children's Board, made up of child representatives from each school, to suggest plays, report reactions to the plays and help advertise upcoming shows. For a list of the plays produced by season, see Series 1, Organizational History.

The Children's Theatre of Evanston rarely left the Chicago area to tour. However, in their 18th Season, they performed The Emperor's New Clothes in Washington D.C., sponsored by The Children's Museum of Washington. They performed Grandmother Slyboots in 1944, at the first national Children's Theatre Conference, that was held in Evanston. When the Children's Theatre Conference again came to Evanston in 1956, they performed The Boy Knight of Reims . In the 1970s many shows were toured locally to each of the public schools so that every child in Evanston could experience live theatre.

In 1950 Winfred Ward retired and Rita Criste became Director until 1967. In 1950 a second series of shows were introduced for children age four through second grade. These shows used seventh and eighth grade students as actors and technicians. Each of these shows were double cast, typically, with one cast from each school. Under Criste's leadership three shows were produced each year for the older children and three shows for the younger children.

In 1967 Rita Criste retired and Jane Dinsmoor Triplett became the Director. That year the Theatre changed its name to Theatre 65. When the company first began, there were two separate school districts in Evanston which later became the Evanston Community Consolidated School District Number 65. The change in name to Theatre 65 reflected the investment and association between the school district and the company; the plays that Theatre 65 produced were part of the schools' curriculum. In 1971 The Evanston District 65 withdrew funding for the Theatre. They continued to operate with the support of private donations and grants. In 1975 Theatre 65 became a part of Kendall College and the Communication Arts Center where the staff offered adult classes in various areas of theatre. Theatre 65 closed in 1976.

From the guide to the Children's Theatre of Evanston Records, 1925-1976, (Arizona State University Libraries Child Drama Collection)

A pioneer institution in children's drama, the Children's Theatre of Evanston (IL) was founded in 1925 by Winifred Ward, Assistant Professor of Oratory at Northwestern University and Supervisor of Drama Education at Evanston's elementary schools; Ralph Dennis, Dean of Northwestern's School of Speech; and Alexander Dean, head of the University Theatre Department. The purpose of the Children's Theatre was to train University, secondary, and junior-high students in the production and performance of drama while providing the children of Evanston with rich theatre experiences.

To these ends, Ward and succeeding directors Rita Criste (1950-1967) and Jane Triplett (1967-1976) developed supplementary Children's Theatre conferences, workshops, and classroom activities which integrated pre-existing “creative dramatics” programs at the public schools with academic scholarship in drama and the practical experience of producing, performing, and viewing children's plays.

Conceived and initially financed as a Speech program, the Theatre held its first two seasons at the University's Annie May Swift Hall, with staff support from the School of Speech's Thalian Dramatic Club. In 1927 Ward and Dennis reorganized the Theatre as a collaboration among the Evanston Public School districts and Northwestern University. Performances moved from Swift Hall to the auditorium of Haven Middle School (District 75), 2417 Prairie Avenue, and in 1929 to Nichols Middle School (District 76), 800 Greenleaf Road. Over the next forty years the Theatre's financial sponsorship shifted gradually from the University to Public School District 65, so that by 1966 the Children's Theatre-by this time officially renamed “Theatre 65”-received only staff and administrative guidance from the School of Speech. In 1966 the Theatre also acquired its own building at 1316 Oakton Avenue.

However, in 1971 School District 65 cut the Theatre from its operating budget, forcing the Theatre to seek financial support from the government and individual donors. Educators from both the University and the public schools established the Association for Children's Theatre (ACT) in 1972 to raise funds for Theatre 65; their aggressive membership campaign failed to cover the Theatre's increasing production costs. The Theatre closed in 1976 after its fiftieth season. In 1980 Northwestern revived the Children's Theatre as a University arts program, presenting Mainstage, Tour, Summer, and Participatory productions to the Evanston community. Northwestern Theatre Professor Anne Hardy Thurman directed the Children's Theatre until her retirement in 1985.

From the guide to the Records of the Children's Theatre of Evanston, 1925-1986, (Northwestern University Archives)