Emerald City Theatre - Company Overview
Chicago's most innovative theater for families.
Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago has seen many great writers, but few have challenged our imagination and delighted our spirit more than L. Frank Baum - the creator of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Drawn to Chicago by the great world's fair, he settled down and soon found a publisher for his odd whimsical tale, the first of the many OZ stories.  Historians have pointed to the symbolism in the work - did he intend for the Emerald City to resemble Chicago? Maybe. (Many Chicagoans like to think so...) All we really know is his work captures the imaginations of children and parents alike. It is a modern fairy tale that everyone in the family can enjoy. And we created Emerald City Theatre to continue this type of family enjoyment. Our mission is to create innovative theater experiences that bring families closer together and inspire children everywhere. Won't you join us?
Alyn Cardarelli, Founding Member
Emerald City Theatre performs year round in Chicago's highly regarded off-loop theater, Apollo Theater in Chicago's near north side. Founded in 1996, Emerald City is among Chicago's top 20 theaters.
HEART At the heart of the company exists the mission: Emerald City creates innovative theater experiences that bring families closer together and inspire children everywhere.
- In 05-06, 85,000 people were reached throughout Chicagoland.
- 45,000 parents, children and teachers attend a year-round season of live performances at Apollo Theater in Lincoln Park.
- 40,000 students and teachers are reached through a year-round season of touring performances that travel to schools, libraries, festivals and performance venues.
- 600 students are exposed to Arts Education through Emerald City's Theatre School consisting of year-round theater school, summer camp, residencies and after school programs.
BRAINS - Emerald City was created by its founders in order to provide a place where families can interact
together in an environment that helps to complete a child's education by exposing them to the arts.
- In addition to the regular Administrative Staff, team of Artistic Associates and 20 person Board, approximately 100 professional directors, designers, technicians, actors and teaching artists bring the company's mission to life.
- Nationally known authors such as Maurice Sendak and Janell Cannon have worked with Emerald City in adapting stories for the stage.
- Grammy nominees Ralph Covert and Steve Goers have created over ten new works just for the Emerald City stage.
- A 20 person Board of Directors provide leadership and oversight. This group represents such organizations as ABN-AMRO, North America Corp., Children's Memorial Hospital, Union League Club, Allscripts, Leitner Public Affairs, Blackman Kallick, Shore Bank, Chicago Public Radio, Wildman Harrold and City of Chicago
COURAGE - Emerald City provides a significant portion of its programs at no charge or at discounted
rates to qualifying groups.
- Outreach efforts are supported by Illinois Arts Council, Chicago Community Trust and Dept. of Cultural Affairs, Children's Memorial Hospital and LaSalle Bank.
- 10,000 reduced ticket-price and 1,500 full-ticket price scholarships were awarded during the 2005-2006 season.
- Education Partners include Chicago Public Library, After School Matters, American Alliance for Theatre & Education Chicago Public Schools, Mt. Carmel Academy, Wildwood School, Nettelhorst School, Alphonsus Academy, LaSalle Language Academy.
HOME - Emerald City is home for the following artists who are form the Artistic Associates group. This group provides the artistic and programming direction for the company and is lead by Executive/Artistic Director Karen Cardarelli. They are:
Alyn Cardarelli
Alyn is a graduate of the Second City Training Center and a co-founder of Emerald City Theatre Company. He has authored over twenty plays and has been produced in various states throughout the US. His recent Emerald City plays include Stellaluna and other Tales, Where the Wild Things are Other Bedtime Adventures and Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book. Additionally he has had two short horror stories published and authored 1,000 jokes for Kraft Singles Cheese.
Dado
Dado has directed numerous productions for Emerald City including the world premieres of A Nutcracker Christmas (Covert/Mills) and Where the Wild Things Are and Other Bedtime Stories (Cardarelli/Goers). Dado directs and performs all around town, as well as serving as Emerald City's Director of Education. Recently she staged The Fastest Clock in the Universe, (A Red Orchid Theatre) and Huddersfield (TUTA) for which she won an After Dark Award for Directing. Very recently she appeared as "Teibele" in Teibele and Her Demon, with European Repertory Company (ERC). Dado has also directed for Shattered Globe, Victory Gardens, and Steppenwolf. Dado works in TV and film as well, when she is not raising children. Her latest appearance was on Fox Network's Prison Break.
Steve Goers
Steve received a a B.M. in jazz studies at DePaul University studying under Larry Novak, Cliff Colnot and Alan Swain. After graduation, Steve returned to the theater and toured the US and Africa and worked for Norwegian Cruise Lines as show pianist aboard the SS Norway and served as musical director of several summer theaters in between tours. Steve returned to Chicago in 1995 after three years of touring. He played with several local bands of diverse musical styles, and played regularly as a solo pianist and cabaret accompanist for such artists as Margie Gibson, Marymonica Thomas, and Jack d'Amico. He performed regularly with the Dave Ivaz Orchestra, the Maxwell Street Klezmer Band and singer/songwriter Dayna Malow. He was a featured soloist on WGN television's millennium broadcast with the Dave Rothstein quintet. He has provided musical direction for many Chicago-area and the Spirit of Chicago. Steve has produced and played on numerous demo recordings for Chicago artists, including the full length CD "Notes to a Lover" by Chicago singer/songwriter Jack d'Amico. He was featured as pianist, writer and session producer on Ella Jenkins and a Union of Friends Pulling Together, which received a 2000 Grammy nomination for Best Children's Album. Steve's original pop/rock band, Into the Green, has developed a strong local following, and has been featured on WXRT's Local Anesthetic. Their debut CD Ghettos and Oceans was produced by Grammy winner Steve Rodby (Pat Metheny Group) and was showcased in JazzIz magazine as part of the "Best You've Never Heard Of" series and in the debut issue of Music.com magazine. As a composer, Steve has provided music for radio, television, film and stage. Steve is currently the resident musical director of Cincinnati Landmark Productions, and is working on several projects out of his home studio.
Ernie Nolan
Ernie is a proud graduate of the University of Michigan Musical Theatre Program (BFA Musical Theatre) and The Theatre School at DePaul University (MFA Directing). In addition to adapting and directing Emerald City's Snow White, his credits include directing and choreographing The Jungle Book and the January '07 production of Seussical the Musical. At The Coterie Theatre in Kansas City, Missouri, recently named by TIME magazine as one of the top theatres for young audiences in the country, his directing credits include the premiere of The Dinosaur Musical by Tony Award nominated Robert and Willie Reale. Dedicated to re-visioning classic plays, musicals, and theatre for young audiences, his other credits include Twelfth Night, The House of Bernarda Alba William Shakespeare's R&J and his own adaptations of select fairy tales. He has directed readings of new works at Chicago Dramatists, including Rebecca Bossen's Shards of Light. In addition to directing, Ernie is faculty at the Ernestine M. Raclin School of the Arts at Indiana University South Bend. He has also taught for Chicago Dramatists Educational Outreach and the Illinois Arts Council/Lookingglass Theatre Artist in Residency Program.
Karen Cardarelli
Karen is a co-founder and serves as Executive and Artistic Director of Emerald City. She directed the company's first production, The Littlest Angel, and has since shifted to solely producing. She began her career with Akron Children's Theatre, where she received much of her theatrical training. She also trained at Carnegie-Mellon University, Indiana University, Piven Theatre Workshop and is a graduate of Players Workshop of the Second City. Before entering the theatre industry full-time, Karen worked in advertising on products like SpaghettiO's, Old Spice and Pepperidge Farm Goldfish Crackers. Karen has produced 45 productions with Emerald City, 14 of which were world premieres.
Matthew Gunnels
has been performing and directing in Chicago since 1997. He is a frequent director of Emerald City Theatre, where he most recently directed the 2007 holiday production of Frosty. He has also directed the new musicals Me Tarzan You Jane, Cinderella: A Holiday Musical, and Dr. Seuss’s Green Eggs & Ham and Other Stories. Matthew also serves as an Artistic Associate of Porchlight Music Theatre where he has directed In Trousers (Top Ten Shows of 2005, Time Out Chicago) and Macabaret. A supporter of new works, he participates yearly in the STAGES festival at the Theatre Building Chicago where he has collaborated on the new works Despairadise, The Big Ending/The Big Beginning, Studio and Naked in America. He had the pleasure of directing The Wizard of Oz at Timberlake Playhouse in 2006. As an actor, Matthew has appeared in the two-man show The Hawkshaws (After Dark Award – Best Ensemble) where he portrayed 8 characters, Company, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Merrily We Roll Along, and the workshop staged readings of The Teapot Scandals and The Arresting Dilemma of Mr. K. Matthew holds a BFA from Wright State University and currently serves as the Graduate Employment Coordinator for The Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago and teaches acting at TVI Actors Studio in Chicago.
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