Chicago, IL Events

In her first moments in Chicago, Amal encounters young people and artists. As she travels across Navy Pier, she discovers the power of art to create connection.

In partnership with Chicago Shakespeare Theater with Navy Pier featuring Uniting Voices, A.B.L.E. (Artists Breaking Limits and Expectations), Chicago Children’s Museum and the Syrian Community Network.

This is a past event. Explore more HERE.

Amal’s lost homeland is alive in her thoughts. Memories of war rise to the surface and visions of home appear. If she follows them where will they lead?

In partnership with Tammam Azzam, Finn Ross, Fray Studio and Syrian Community Network (SCN).

This is a past event. Explore more HERE.

All of Chicago is invited to walk alongside Amal as she strolls through Chicago’s beautiful Riverwalk.

This is a past event. Explore more HERE.

Little Amal joins students at the Jordan Community Elementary School for lessons and games, and local partners share a host of resources for newcomer families.

In partnership with Chicago Refugee Coalition, Chicago Public Schools, the Center for Childhood Resilience at the Lurie Children’s Hospital, the Karam Foundation, Madonna Mission, Inner-City Muslim Action Network, Syrian Community Network, and MedGlobal.

This is a past event. Explore more HERE.

Amal will sail down the Chicago River from the Franklin-Orleans Bridge / Wolf Point, to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Bridge (Lake Shore Drive) as the sunsets.

This is a past event. Explore more HERE.

With the help of Chicago children, Amal learns how to make a very special soup. All they need is a dollop of theatre, a dash of music and a sprinkle of imagination…

In partnership with Chicago Children’s Theatre, Civic Orchestra of Chicago, CircEsteem and The Syrian Community Network.

This is a past event. Explore more HERE.

Finding a place to sleep for the night, Amal curls up under the night moon. Dreams of her journey awaken in her as she battles visions of storms and unruly cities…

In partnership with Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival.

This is a past event. Explore more HERE.

Chicago Children’s Theatre aspires to enrich our community through diverse and significant theatrical and educational programming that engages and inspires the child in all of us. The vision of Chicago Children’s Theatre is to be Chicago’s premier professional theatre company dedicated to creating awe-inspiring theatrical productions and programs for our communities through inclusion and accessibility while inspiring young people and families to lead lives of adventure, courage, and curiosity.

The Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival is the largest event dedicated to the artform in North America. In the heart of winter, the Festival spans 12 days and dozens of Chicago venues, sharing 100+puppetry activities with 14,000+ guests annually. The Festival includes performances, symposium, Catapult artist intensive, workshops, the Free Neighborhood Tour, and more. Since its launch in 2015 by Festival Founder & Artistic Director Blair Thomas, the Festival has highlighted artists from nations including Iran, Korea, Japan, Chile, South Africa as well as from Europe, Chicago and across the U.S. with the goal of promoting peace, equality, and justice on a global scale.

We invite you to come join us for the 6th edition of the Festival January 18-28, 2024!

In addition to the flagship Festival, the organization produces a range of programs designed to advance the art of puppetry, broaden the community of puppeteers and expand the audience to become the largest and most diverse puppetry community possible.  Some of these programs are:  The Chicago Puppet Lab, online and in-person workshops, artist intensives, Puppet in Place and the Living Room Tours, to name a few.

Regional Tony Award-recipient Chicago Shakespeare Theater produces a bold and innovative year-round season—plays, musicals, world premieres, family productions, and theatrical presentations from around the globe—alongside nationally recognized education programming serving tens of thousands of students, teachers, and lifelong learners each year. Founded in 1986, the Theater’s onstage work has expanded to as many as twenty productions and 650 performances annually. Chicago Shakespeare is dedicated to welcoming the next generation of theatergoers; one in four of its audience members is under the age of eighteen. As a nonprofit organization, the Theater works to embrace diversity, prioritize inclusion, provide equitable opportunities, and offer an accessible experience for all. On the Theater’s three stages at its home on Navy Pier, in classrooms and neighborhoods across the city, and in venues around the world, Chicago Shakespeare is a multifaceted cultural hub—inviting audiences, artists, and community members to share powerful stories that connect and inspire.

The Chicago Refugee Coalition was established in 2018 with a mission to provide innovative, dignity-centered relief services for refugees in the Chicagoland area. Our organization is grounded in the needs and insights of the communities we serve. We are committed to dismantling systemic barriers and shifting away from the Global North paradigm.

At the heart of our work is a belief in the goodness of humanity and our capacity for hospitality. As a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, the Chicago Refugee Coalition is dedicated to compassionate poverty relief and community empowerment, striving to alleviate human suffering in all its forms.

Madonna Mission is a not-for-profit organization providing education and resettlement support programs for refugee families with a strong focus on women and elementary aged children. Madonna Mission was formed to provide a safe space in a compassionate and supportive environment for refugee community members. We empower through education.

MedGlobal is a humanitarian charitable non-governmental organization that provides emergency response and health programs to build resilience among vulnerable communities around the world. Our health programs support victims of wars and disasters, refugees, internally displaced persons, and marginalized communities in disaster-affected and low-resource settings. MedGlobal was launched in 2017 by a diverse group of doctors, nurses, global health specialists, and humanitarians to address the health needs of the most vulnerable populations. MedGlobal partners with local communities to address their health priorities, builds resilience through training and education and deploys healthcare volunteers, and donates medical equipment, medications and supplies. MedGlobal field teams support local health programs for vulnerable populations in North and Latin America, Africa, MENA region, Europe, and Southeast Asia. Our growing field teams and partner organizations are supported by selfless volunteer nurses, and medical professionals of all specialties from 27 countries who embrace our mission.

Steppenwolf Theatre Company is a Chicago theater that is home to America’s ensemble. The company began performing in the mid-1970s in the basement of a Highland Park, IL church—today Steppenwolf is the nation’s premier ensemble theater with 49 members who are among the top actors, playwrights and directors in the field. Deeply rooted in its ensemble ethos, the company is committed to equity, diversity, inclusion and making the Steppenwolf experience accessible to all. Groundbreaking productions from Balm in Gilead and August: Osage County to Downstate and Pass Over—and accolades that include the National Medal of Arts and 12 Tony® Awards—have made the theatre legendary. Artistic programming includes a membership series; a Steppenwolf for Young Adults season; and LookOut, a multi-genre performance series. The nationally recognized work of Steppenwolf Education engages more than 20,000 participants annually in Chicagoland communities promoting compassion, encouraging curiosity and inspiring action. While firmly grounded in the Chicago community, more than 40 original Steppenwolf productions have enjoyed success nationally and internationally, including Broadway, Off-Broadway, London, Sydney, Galway and Dublin. 2021 marked the opening of Steppenwolf’s landmark Lefkofsky Arts & Education Center—deepening the company’s commitment to Chicagoland teens and serving as a cultural nexus for Chicago. Glenn Davis and Audrey Francis are the Artistic Directors and E. Brooke Flanagan is Executive Director. Keating Crown is Chair of Steppenwolf’s Board of Trustees.

Syrian Community Network (SCN), located in Chicago, provides a culturally and linguistically sensitive space for refugee and immigrant families to seek the help they need in transitioning to their new lives and community. SCN works predominantly with Arabic-speaking refugees, immigrants, and asylum seekers, regardless of their country of origin. Core programs are Case Management, Education, and Immigration legal services, and all are offered free of charge.