History & Awards

Finalist for the 2009 Emerging Theatre Award from the League of Chicago Theatres.

ASC was one of five finalists for this award. To be eligible, a company must be a member of the League of Chicago Theatres, have been in existence from 3-10 years and have demonstrated artistic excellence and fiscal responsibility in business practices.

Chosen to present a new work at the  Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts' New Visions/New Voices 2008 Biennial Festival!

ASC represented Chicago at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.  in April 2008 by presenting Jason Tremblay's KATRINA: THE GIRL WHO WANTED HER NAME BACK, one of only seven new plays for young audiences chosen from around the world for inclusion at the festival. View the press release here.


Winner-2007 Zeta Phi Eta-Winifred Ward Award for Outstanding New Children’s Theatre Company from the American Alliance for Theatre and Education.

The award, given by Zeta Phi Eta, a national arts fraternity, honors a theatre company serving young audiences which has been in operation at least two full years, but not more than five years. The company must have attained a high level of artistic production, sound management practices, and must have stimulated community interest in its endeavors. The American Alliance for Theatre & Education (AATE) is the leading national professional organization for theatre educators, theatre artists and educators who use drama and/or theatre in the classroom. AATE is the national voice for Theatre & Education, and their growing visibility helps build partnerships with policy makers and institutions. View the press release here.

Mary Shen Barnidge named our production of The Shakespeare Stealer as a show with an Outstanding Ensemble in Windy City Times’ 2006 Theater Season in Review.