Chicago Children's Theatre
Lydia Milman Schmidt serves as the Theatre Faculty at the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools since September 2017. With a robust background in theatre direction, Lydia has freelanced as a Theatre Director since January 2004 and has contributed as a Teaching Artist at Chicago Children's Theatre from January 2019 to August 2022. Lydia's experience includes directing for Northbrook Theatre for Young Audiences and the Northbrook Theatre Children's Company between June 2013 and March 2019, as well as teaching drama at Sylvia Young Theatre School for students aged 4-13 in 2012. Additional roles include planning coordination for Co-Opera Co. and serving as Director in Residence at All Star Productions. Lydia holds an MFA in Theatre Directing from the University of Essex and a BA in Theatre from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Chicago Children's Theatre
Chicago Children’s Theatre has evolved as both a professional and personal response to the lack of a Chicago company dedicated exclusively to providing high-quality, professional year-round children’s programming. Since its founding, Chicago Children’s Theatre has rigorously pursued its mission to enrich our communities through diverse, educational, and significant theatrical programming that engages and inspires the child in all of us. After the success of its launch production of A Year With Frog and Toad in January 2006 at Goodman Theatre, Chicago Children’s Theatre continues to provide Chicago children and families with the highest level professional theatre programming. There has been tremendous critical and popular support of Chicago Children’s Theatre and its audience continues to grow. In just over six years since the theatre’s inception in 2005, more than 180,000 youth and families have attended its productions.