CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Tellin' Tales Theater began 25 years ago when Tekki Lomnicki shared her own love for the arts with young children with disabilities.
She was approached by a spokesperson by then Chicago First Lady Maggie Daley, to be a part of her "After School Matters" program.
"At first, I thought 'I can't teach kids. I can't talk in front of people,' but it really changed my life. These middle school kids really needed a place of their own, amongst their peers. They needed exposure to arts and culture the most," Lomnicki said.
Soon, she realized there needed to be a place for children and adults alike who wanted to express themselves.
"I always loved the theater when I was little," she recalled. "But when I got into college, there weren't any opportunities for me."
The performer, playwright, director, and educator was born with dwarfism and she soon realized she wanted to create a place for people like her.
"When I first started out, I was going on auditions and people weren't casting people like me. So I started my own," she laughed.
Starring actors with and without disabilities, Lomnicki estimated they've performed 100 different kinds of shows over the last quarter century. She said Tellin' Tales is all about acceptance and shattering barriers between the disabled and non-disabled worlds.
"People with disabilities are just like everyone else. We grieve, we experience joy, love, and marriage. We may experience life in different ways, but we want to tell our stories too," Lomnicki said.
The only mixed ability theatre group in the Chicagoland area and one of only a few nationwide, the ensemble will present "Six Stories Up in Defiance – A Video Game Musical," which will run Nov. 12 through Nov. 21. The virtual show, which will be filmed live, will explore what happens when students enter a video game that goes terribly wrong. The musical is filled with stories told by students and adults with both visible and hidden disabilities, as well as their non-disabled peers.
"Six Stories Up" is an annual flagship program in which middle school children and their mentors write and star in a play following a different theme each year. It features original music, innovative sets, and costumes where the cast produces six, 10-minute long theatre vignettes that are combined to create a full-length show.
Tellin' Tales also travels to schools and hospitals to share their message of inclusive and self expression.
"I can't believe it's been 25 years. I guess I'm the Tom Sawyer of the theater world. I was able to get all these people to come along with me," she laughed. "My ensemble tell me that they've found their voice, they've found their inner self. People have told me that they've finally come to grips with who they are. This theater company has really made the difference in my life and the lives of countless others."
Lomnicki said they remain virtual, but hope to get back in front of live audiences by next year.
Tickets for Tellin' Tales upcoming show can be purchased on their website, tellintales.org.
Related
