When 13-year-old Jacklyn, who has a fear of heights, climbs a giant beanstalk, she encounters Giant Baby Ju Ju, whose fear of eating anything fresh causes her to gobble only sugary Smarties and Dum Dum lollipops as a steady diet!  “Fee-fi-fo-fum. Will I get a Smartie or will I get a Dum Dum?” With the help of the audience, these two conquer their phobias in this interactive play for children. The show is staged in an outdoor community garden and the scenery is grown from pole beans. Audience members will get to pick and sample fresh beans as they learn about protein and good nutrition. If you think Millennium Park has the only BEAN – you need to check out this show!

Director, Martie Sanders, is a Chicago actress and teaching artist, best known for her work in performing comedic autobiographical stories with Sweat Girls (www.sweatgirls.org). Sanders now takes her love of theater and storytelling, mixes it with her green thumb, and mentors teenagers in growing food and crafting free summer theater for Uptown audiences in the garden. Sanders was awarded grants to pay six young people (ages 14-18) a minimum wage to learn gardening while devising the play. The teen writer/performer/gardeners began growing the scenery in May.

This project is partially supported by funding from Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events with an Individual Artist’s Grant, Whole Kids Foundation and The Puffin Foundation.

JACKLYN AND THE BEANSTALK

Conceived and Directed by:  Martie Sanders

Adapted and performed by Green Scene Chicago’s Summer Stock Teen Ensemble:

Abubakar Ayuba, Chisom Chima, Catherine Kannah, Devene Parker, Liliane Tran and Aida Zeleke.

TICKETS

Free performances

Groups of 6 or more please make a reservation at martie@greenscenechicago.org

WINTHROP HARMONY ARTS GARDEN – PROJECT HISTORY

In 2012, Sanders met with 48th Ward Alderman Harry Osterman asking for public space to create a theater garden. Osterman arranged to give her an abandoned lot to transform into the community garden and performing arts venue that she envisioned. Sanders rallied the neighborhood, teenagers, and all her theater pals to create the The Winthrop Harmony Arts Garden from the ground up. Seven neighborhood families tend the garden and share food collectively.  Additionally, four community-based organizations, (Uptown Ministries, Chinese Mutual Aid, Vietnamese Association and Green Scene Chicago), have their own garden beds to tend while mentoring teams of children in grades K-12. NeighborSpace, an urban land trust in Chicago that preserves and sustains gardens on behalf of dedicated community groups, protects the garden.  It has summer veggies, perennial flowers, and fruits: Asian pear trees, raspberry, elderberry, strawberry and Concord grape. Going into its fourth summer, Green Scene Chicago has hosted more than 12 public free performances including theater, dance, wind ensembles, spoken word, and an Asian tradition of a “Welcoming the Moon” harvest festival.

GREEN SCENE CHICAGO

Sanders founded Green Scene Chicago in 2012 with the mission to link community members across generations and cultures by using organic gardening lessons to inspire story performances and by using garden sites as theater venues. Sanders teaches her Green Scene Chicago curriculums in Chicago Public Schools during the school year, while The Winthrop Harmony Arts Garden is Green Scene Chicago’s summertime artistic home. Other projects and past teen ensembles from 2013-2016 are documented in photos on www.greenscenechicago.org

PRESS CONTACT

Martie Sanders, martie@greenscenechicag.org.   (773) 769-6488