Terry Guest with Chicago Children's Theatre are one of the five winners of the 2024 Joyce Awards, which lift up collaborations between artists of color and arts and community organizations throughout the Great Lakes region.
“Mass incarceration affects not only those within the system, but also their families and their loved ones. This system, which disproportionately impacts Black and brown communities, leaves so much emotional destruction in its wake—big, complex feelings that children don’t always have the tools to unpack. By telling Milo’s story, we have the opportunity to expand what children in Chicago see on stage, reflecting their stories back at them and making them feel less alone. Milo is so many of us, and it’s an honor to bring him to life on the stage.” -Terry Guest
Playwright and teaching artist Terry Guest will create Milo Imagines the World, a new musical for Chicago Children’s Theatre that addresses the impact of incarceration on families while fostering resilience and healing. Adapted from a children’s book of the same name by Matt de la Peña and illustrated by Christian Robinson, the musical follows a young boy who uses art to process the realities of growing up with an incarcerated parent. Informed by his own personal experience, Guest will work closely with children and families affected by incarceration, creating opportunities to participate in trauma-informed programming around the play’s themes. Trauma-informed care, which plays a key role in CCT’s programming, seeks to assess, recognize, and respond to the effects of traumatic stress on children, caregivers, and health care providers. The ultimate goal is for this programming to promote healthy coping mechanisms and communication, instill confidence, inspire creativity, and give individuals more hope about their futures.
About Terry Guest
Terry Guest is a three-time Jeff Award winning playwright, actor, director, and teaching artist. His play The Magnolia Ballet had its National New Play Network (NNPN) rolling world premiere in 2022 and has since gone on to win two Jeff Awards, the NNPN Best New American Play Award, and was featured on NPR. Terry went on to direct his play Marie Antoinette and the Magical Negros at the Story Theatre which won three Jeff Awards (including Best Director and Best New Play for Terry). Other works include: At The Wake of a Dead Drag Queen, OAK, The Madness of Mary Todd (Goodman Playwrights Unit Commission), and A Ghost in Satin (Williamstown Theatre Festival). As an actor Terry has worked at regional theaters including Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf, Alliance Theatre, About Face Theatre, and Actor’s Express. He is a Governing Ensemble member at The Story Theatre and a teaching artist at Jackalope, Writers Theatre, and Chicago Children’s Theatre.
About Chicago Children’s Theatre
Chicago Children’s Theatre was founded in 2005 with a big idea: Chicago is the greatest theater city in the world. Why doesn’t Chicago have a professional children’s theater? Today, Chicago Children’s Theatre is the city’s largest professional theater devoted exclusively to children and young families. CCT has a national reputation for the production of first-rate children’s theater with professional writing, performing and directorial talent, and high-quality design and production expertise. CCT is also known for its commitment to introducing new plays by BIPOC writers to the TYA canon, and its trailblazing work in trauma-informed arts education. Chicago Children’s Theatre is the first theater for young audiences to ever win a National Theatre Award from the American Theatre Wing, creators of the Tony Awards. Other awards include the National TYA Artistic Innovation Award from Theatre for Young Audiences/USA, and six NEA Art Works grants. In 2017, after 11 years of itinerancy, Chicago Children’s Theatre opened its forever home at 100 S. Racine St. in Chicago’s vibrant West Loop neighborhood. The building, formerly the 12th District Chicago Police Station, was repurposed into a LEED Gold-certified, mixed-use performing arts, education, and community engagement facility. In tandem with its live productions, Chicago Children’s Theatre offers Access services for patrons with disabilities including ASL interpretation, open captioning, touch tours and sensory friendly performances. CCT also provides thousands of free and reduced-price tickets to under-resourced schools in partnership with Chicago Public Schools. Chicago Children’s Theatre is also a popular destination for performing arts education programs for ages 0 to 14, including classes, workshops, school break, and summer camps. CCT also offers live theater experiences, classes, and camps for children with autism and other special needs through its Red Kite Project. For more information, visit chicagochildrenstheatre.org.
Fellow 2024 awardees include: Andrea Assaf with Arab American National Museum (Dearborn); Marcus Elliot with Detroit Parks Coalition (Detroit); Katie Ka Vang with Theater Mu (Minneapolis-Saint Paul); and Edra Soto with The Sculpture Center (Cleveland).