February 18-March 13, 2026
Best enjoyed by Preschool-Grade 6
Student Matinees
An interactive experience! Pull back the curtains and there you are—surrounded by old sofas, crazy lampshades, piles of blankets, and towering towers of cardboard boxes! It’s like the coolest attic you’ve ever seen, where everything’s up for grabs. Use whatever you want to build…whatever you want—the tallest fort, the longest fort, tons of cozy little forts… Quick, someone hands you a flashlight—what will you do? In Forts! you make it all happen.
Conceived and Directed by Julie Ritchey
Created in Collaboration with Eleanor Kahn, Jeffrey Levin, Christian Libonati, Andrew Marikis, and Carley Walker
Set Design by Eleanor Kahn
Sound Design by Jeffrey Levin
Lighting Design by Joel Zishuk
Original Lighting Design by Carley Walker
Facilitation Design by Andrew Marikis
Originally produced by Filament Theatre at 4041 N. Milwaukee, Chicago, IL under Founding Artistic Director Julie Ritchey and Founding Managing Director Christian Libonati. www.filamenttheatre.org
About the Show
- This production is an immersive experience designed for young audiences to encourage creative play, teamwork, and exploration.
- Forts! provides an intimate opportunity for students to collaborate outside of the traditional classroom environment.
- We know that teachers are the best judge to determine the right fit for their unique group of students. We recommend Forts! for students in preschool-grade 6.
- Each performance has a capacity of 35 people including adults. There must be 1 adult for every 6 students. A ratio of 1:5 is recommended for younger ages.
- Field trip performances occur on select weekdays at 10am or 11:30am. If there is a better start time for your group based on school schedules, feel free to communicate that in your field trip request form. Depending on bookings, we may be able to accommodate different performance times.
Forts! Field Trip Pricing
Option 1
- $400 for a full performance buyout (up to 35 people) OR
- $350 per buyout for 3 or more performances
Option 2
- $20 per ticket (including adults) with a minimum of 15 tickets
Extend the Experience
in person or virtual
Workshops & Residencies
CTC transforms the classroom through multi-disciplined interactive workshops that spark creativity, encourage collaboration, and inspire action. Professional teaching artists facilitate engaging and inclusive learning opportunities for students while personalizing each experience to the needs and interests of your students and the learning goals of your classroom.