Taking care of your baby sister is a drag, especially at holiday time. That’s why Tim Snow (“Snowflake,” to the bullies in the schoolyard) is in a bad mood. But when his sister gets lost in a confusing not-world where ninjas are ninnies and princesses are powerhouses, Tim’s only holiday wish is to have her back, fast, before Mom gets home.
Recommended for kids 5 and up. Children under 2 are not permitted.
Written by Christina Calvit
Directed by Dorothy Milne
Sarah is thrilled to be making her first appearance in a Lifeline production. She graduated from Western Oregon University with an Acting degree. Her Chicago credits include Children of Eden, Corn Does the 7 Deadly Sinsand Mileep and the Attack of the Jelly Bean People.
Diego is excited to be involved in his third Lifeline production this year. Previous shows at Lifeline include a stint as the understudy in Duck For President as well as being involved in both the original and extended casts of The Mark of Zorro. Diego has previously been seen with the Loop Players in their music review Berlin to Broadway. He has also done work with Chicago Children’s Theatre in an adaptation of P.D. Eastman’s Go dog, Go! He is also excited to next be working with Adventure Stage Chicago on their play Katrina: The Girl Who Wanted Her Name Back by Jason Tremblay.
Zeke is thrilled to return to Lifeline, where he appeared last in The Dirty Cowboy. Most recently, Zeke travelled to NYC in the ensemble of Redmoon Theatre’s Hunchback. In Chicago, he has worked with Seanachaí Theatre, Oak Park Festival Theatre, The Mill, and Barrel of Monkeys. You can see him later this Winter in the House Theatre’s production of Rose and the Rime.
Christina is a Lifeline ensemble member. She has written over a dozen award-winning theatrical adaptations including The Talisman Ring (Joseph Jefferson Equity Award); Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging, Pistols for Two, Pride and Prejudice (all Joseph Jefferson Non-Equity Awards); Queen Lucia: a Musical Romp, (with composer George Howe, awarded a 2005 After Dark Award and a 2006 Non-Equity Joseph Jefferson Award). Original plays include Snowflake Tim’s Big Holiday Adventure, Purloined Poe, Chaos (co-writer), and Several Voices from The Cloud (Agnes Nixon Award, 1981). Christina is currently working on an adaptation of Mariette in Ecstasy which will open at Lifeline in February, 2009.
Dorothy is a Lifeline ensemble member and has been Artistic Director since 1999. She has directed numerous shows here including The Mark of Zorro, Around the World in 80 Days, Jane Eyre, Gaudy Night, A Room with a View and Talking It Over. Other Chicago credits include Griffin Theatre’s Stardust and multiple shows with the solo-performance collective Sweat Girls, as writer and performer. Dorothy is also one of the organizers of the annual Glenwood Avenue Arts Fest.
Jennifer is working with Lifeline for the first time. She has previously worked with Second City, etc., Metropolis Performing Arts Centre, New World Repertory Theater and The 16th Street Theater. She graduated with a BA in theater from Columbia College, Chicago.
Lifeline shows: The Mark of Zorro, The Island of Dr. Moreau (Non-Equity Jeff Award), The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs! (Director), Velveteen Rabbit, A Room With A View, Gaudy Night, The Talisman Ring, The Sirens of Titan, A Long Way from Chicago, Strong Poison, The Shadow (Jeff Citation), Far From the Madding Crowd, and Around the World in 80 Days(Jeff Citation). Productions with: Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre, Victory Gardens, Milwaukee Shakespeare, LA Theatre Works, Northlight Theatre, Writers’ Theatre, The Next Theatre (artistic associate), Remy Bumppo, Rivendell Theatre Ensemble (Ensemble member), and other storefront theatres in Chicago. Off-Broadway: Steppenwolf’s The Bluest Eye at the Duke Theatre, and Ophelia at the Connelly. Off-Broadway Associate Design: Actor’s Studio, Primary Stages, Ensemble Studio Theatre, and Urban Stages. Victoria was nominated for 5 Non-Equity and 1 Equity Jeff Award – receiving 3 of them; and 2 After Dark Awards (The Shadow and Fiddler on the Roof). Victoria is the head of Sound Design at DePaul University.
Alan is a Lifeline ensemble member and veteran scenic designer for Lifeline MainStage and KidSeries. He most recently designed The Mark of Zorro and Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile and is currently working on Mariette in Ecstasy for the MainStage. When not designing scenery or props he does the occasional lighting design (Killer Angels, The Talisman Ring [2005]) or adaptation (Trust Me on This, Crossing California, Bongo Larry & Two Bad Bears, Sophie’s Masterpiece). During this holiday season his designs for two holiday classics grace far flung stages: A Dickens’ Christmas Carol at Silver Dollar City in Branson, MO and Babes in Toyland at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. He returns to Dollywood this spring with designs for Sha-Kon-O-Hey, a modern day fable set in the Great Smoky Mountains.
Seth is very excited to be lighting Snowflake Tim’s Big Holiday Adventure with Lifeline Theatre; previous design work includes Plaza Suite and Spinning into Butter (After Dark Award) with Eclipse Theatre Company, The Latino Theatre Festival 2008 in the Owen Theatre at the Goodman Theatre, Richard III and A Lie of the Mind with Strawdog Theatre Company. Recent assisting work includes Million Dollar Quartet, Shining City, A Christmas Carol, Passion Play, Mirror of the Invisible World, and Vigils at the Goodman Theatre.
Amy is pleased to be designing her first show. She has worked at Lifeline as a Costume Assistant for The Picture of Dorian Gray and in various other capacities for the past four seasons. Other costume assistant work includes SMART at the Side Project, Requiem for a Heavyweight at Shattered Globe, and Hansel and Gretel at Emerald City. She is also a stitcher at Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. Amy was first introduced to Lifeline twenty years ago when Lifeline Board Members Emeritus Steve Wise and Susan Rosenberg brought her to The Musicians of Bremen as a child.
Cortney is excited to be working with Lifeline Theatre for the ’08-’09 season. Previous and current production management positions include Ellen Under Glass with the House Theatre of Chicago; One False Note with Plasticene; Old Town, Richard III, Aristocrats, A Lie of the Mind, and Marathon ’33 with Strawdog Theatre, where she is the mainstage production manager; as well as the Assistant Production Manager at Theater on the Lake since 2004. During the school year Cortney can be found at St. Scholastica Academy, where she has been the resident designer (scenery and lighting) and technical theatre instructor/director for the last nine years.
Robert has been with Lifeline for the past 11 years as a tech stagehand, sound board operator and alternate stage manager for the KidSeries matinees. His latest credits include stage managing The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs! and sound board operator for The Mark of Zorro.
From Chicago Stage Review
December 29, 2008
By Robert Andersen
Growing up can be hard enough, but when your 10 and you have younger siblings you might need therapy. Being the baby of the family can have its advantages, although therapy is still an option. If you’re the lucky parent of multiple children, you must bring them to see Lifeline Theatre’s current KidSeries show, Snowflake Tim’s Big Holiday Adventure.
Tim Snow is a likable boy just trying to get along with the cool kids, while stuck as a big brother to his little sister. Jessica Snow is a sweet girl of a much younger age and, although she idolizes her big brother, she too is trying to test her boundaries. On the way home one day Tim and his sister cross paths with one of the “cool kids” that Tim knows. He informs Tim that it is NOT cool to be seen hanging out with his little sister. In an effort to show his independence Tim sends Jessica on home with out him. When Tim finally arrives home his father is needless to say upset. He charges Tim with watching her while he runs to the store for more sugar to finish his special sugar cookie dough and cautions him to not let anything happen to the cookie dough while he is gone. There you go, that’s the set up. What happens after this is an enchanting trip filled with mystery, magic, intrigue, danger, and dancing.
The story of Snowflake Tim is beautifully written by Lifeline Ensemble member Christina Calvit and it is no wonder why this show is enjoying its third season on the holiday schedule. This is not a holiday show that shoves the traditional trappings at you. In fact, it could take place at any time of the year. It is a heart warming and engaging way of showing siblings the positive influences of growing up together.
My 10 year old daughter, Emma, was captivated by the similarities with her own 3 year old sister. For a change, she was nudging me during the show. The cast is delightful and presented the myriad of characters very appropriately. They encourage the younger members of the audience to participate in the play through dance, games and improv.
This non holiday tradition gets 3 1/2 stars and two (10-year-old) thumbs up.
From the Chicago Reader
December 17, 2008
By Jack Helbig
Best known for her graceful stage adaptations of novels by Jane Austin and others, Lifeline Ensemble member Christina Calvit has penned an engaging, fast-paced holiday fantasy about a boy (Diego Colon) who wishes his sister (Sarah Beckette) away and then has to go on a fanciful journey to save her. Along the way the three-person cast repeatedly break the fourth wall, involving the audience in a lot of the adventure. At times, Calvit and director Dorothy Milne come perilously close to too much interactivity, but are saved by their ensemble’s charm and playful energy. At the performance I attended, the kids in the audience just ate it up.