Tellin' Tales Theatre, The Only Mixed Ability Theatre Group In Chicagoland, Hosts 25-Year Anniversary Performances

Tellin' Tales Theatre has worked to shatter the barriers between the disabled and non-disabled worlds through the power of personal storytelling and theatre.

Starring actors with and without disabilities, the hybrid performances were filmed with a live audience and streamed online culminating in a spectacular event on Saturday, October 23. Utopia25 featured Emcee Art Sims with performances by Artistic Director Tekki Lomnicki and comedian Ben Noble.

In an effort to build community and create a bridge between children and adults with disabilities and those without, Tellin' Tales Theatre hopes to raise funds to continue the groundbreaking theatrical programs and innovative storytelling performances.

Incorporated in 1996, Tellin' Tales Theatre focuses on producing original shows that highlight adult solo performances. Soon after its inception, TTT added Six Stories Up, a workshop program and annual show where middle school children are teamed with adult performer/mentors; together they create an original play based on a theme with a curriculum-based component.

While all of the productions of TTT include one or more performers with a disability, in 2015, a new show - Divercity - was introduced into the Tellin' Tales season that exclusively featured adult solo performers with disabilities. Each summer, a workshop takes place for young adults, which helps them develop their personal narrative skills.

The culmination of their work comes when they present their stories in a reader's theatre performance for the public. Outside of theatrical venues, Tellin' Tales Theatre has visited schools, hospitals and other institutions to share their message of inclusion and to help others to tell their stories. TTT has also produced Fashion Forward, a fashion show/fundraiser that featured models with and without disabilities wearing original fashions by Chicago designers.

In 2016, TTT's 20th anniversary year, it was one of three community organizations selected to have their story told in an original musical theatre work called FREEDOM out of order by Lyric Opera of Chicago as part of Lyric's Chicago Voices initiative. 2021 marks the 25th Anniversary of Tellin' Tales Theatre.