About
Stages Chicago offers Day Off Camps inspired by Broadway shows and movie musicals, as well as Summer Camp that combines the magic of Broadway with the fun and freedom of summer. The program also offers developmentally appropriate music classes for infants, Broadway Preschool Prep, Broadway Stars, after school programs, school residency classes, and both half day camps for ages 3–4 and full day camps for grades K–6.
• Ages: Birth–18 years old
Stages Chicago is an arts education program founded in 2016 that is dedicated to bringing the highest quality, developmentally appropriate performing arts experiences to children and families, and in 2021 it transitioned to a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization to expand its reach and support its mission of making quality performing arts education experiences accessible for all children and families. The program offers classes for all ages, birth through high school, and a variety of inclusive programming for all ages and abilities, with core values that emphasize access for children of all races, abilities, and socio-economic statuses, representation and diversity, and fostering empathy through arts experiences. Its curriculum is developed by professional performers turned early childhood development professionals who have decades of experience onstage and in the classroom, and includes developmentally appropriate music classes for infants that are also entertaining for adults, as well as after school programs that serve as a training ground for the next generation of performers and free and subsidized classes for schools.
Stages Chicago partners with schools and early childhood centers through school-based programming, school residency classes throughout the school year, and free and subsidized classes for schools, and families can also enroll through partner organizations. The organization invites schools and early childhood centers to bring Stages to their sites.
The leadership team includes Founder, Executive Director, and Board President Emily Pinas Schakowsky; Director of Early Childhood Programming and Board Vice President Colin Funk; Board Secretary Allison Hendrix; Board Treasurer Jeremy Round; and Board Member Sara Yaniga. Additional staff roles include Camp Director and Teaching Artist Olivia Buss; Director of Operations and Camp Director and Teaching Artist Cee Scallen; Development Director, Event Manager, Parties & Events Manager, and Teaching Artist Claire Weinstein; Music Director and Piano Lesson Instructor/Private Piano Instructor Ariana Miles; Business Manager and Teaching Artist Alex Speight; and Events Coordinator and Birthday Party Coordinator and Teaching Artist Jonah Cochin.
Curriculum and instruction are informed by staff credentials that include degrees and specialized training in both performance and child development. Emily Pinas Schakowsky holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Theatre from New York University’s Steinhardt School and an M.S. in Child Development from Chicago’s Erikson Institute. Colin Funk has worked as an actor and choreographer for professional shows throughout Chicago and has a master’s degree in childhood development from Erikson Institute with a focus in infancy; he is a developmental therapist with a trauma-based care specialization and works part time as an Infant Development Specialist at La Rabida Children’s Hospital. Olivia Buss is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music’s BFA Acting program. Cee Scallen has a decade of performance experience and theatrical training from the Guthrie Theater, Carleton College, the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, the National Theatre Institute, and Moscow Art Theatre, and is the Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Program Coordinator and ensemble member with Imagination Theater and is represented by Talent X Alexander. Claire Weinstein is a graduate of the Erikson Institute and holds an M.S. in Early Childhood Education. Ariana Miles is a Jeff Award–winning pianist, composer, conductor, arranger, and teacher who received a bachelor’s degree in Piano Performance in 2018 from Northeastern Illinois University and has served as pianist-conductor on Jeff Award–winning shows. Alex Speight holds a BFA in Acting from Oklahoma City University and a Certificate in Acting from The Moscow Art Theatre.
Last updated April 18, 2026.
• Ages: Birth–18 years old
Stages Chicago is an arts education program founded in 2016 that is dedicated to bringing the highest quality, developmentally appropriate performing arts experiences to children and families, and in 2021 it transitioned to a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization to expand its reach and support its mission of making quality performing arts education experiences accessible for all children and families. The program offers classes for all ages, birth through high school, and a variety of inclusive programming for all ages and abilities, with core values that emphasize access for children of all races, abilities, and socio-economic statuses, representation and diversity, and fostering empathy through arts experiences. Its curriculum is developed by professional performers turned early childhood development professionals who have decades of experience onstage and in the classroom, and includes developmentally appropriate music classes for infants that are also entertaining for adults, as well as after school programs that serve as a training ground for the next generation of performers and free and subsidized classes for schools.
Stages Chicago partners with schools and early childhood centers through school-based programming, school residency classes throughout the school year, and free and subsidized classes for schools, and families can also enroll through partner organizations. The organization invites schools and early childhood centers to bring Stages to their sites.
The leadership team includes Founder, Executive Director, and Board President Emily Pinas Schakowsky; Director of Early Childhood Programming and Board Vice President Colin Funk; Board Secretary Allison Hendrix; Board Treasurer Jeremy Round; and Board Member Sara Yaniga. Additional staff roles include Camp Director and Teaching Artist Olivia Buss; Director of Operations and Camp Director and Teaching Artist Cee Scallen; Development Director, Event Manager, Parties & Events Manager, and Teaching Artist Claire Weinstein; Music Director and Piano Lesson Instructor/Private Piano Instructor Ariana Miles; Business Manager and Teaching Artist Alex Speight; and Events Coordinator and Birthday Party Coordinator and Teaching Artist Jonah Cochin.
Curriculum and instruction are informed by staff credentials that include degrees and specialized training in both performance and child development. Emily Pinas Schakowsky holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Theatre from New York University’s Steinhardt School and an M.S. in Child Development from Chicago’s Erikson Institute. Colin Funk has worked as an actor and choreographer for professional shows throughout Chicago and has a master’s degree in childhood development from Erikson Institute with a focus in infancy; he is a developmental therapist with a trauma-based care specialization and works part time as an Infant Development Specialist at La Rabida Children’s Hospital. Olivia Buss is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music’s BFA Acting program. Cee Scallen has a decade of performance experience and theatrical training from the Guthrie Theater, Carleton College, the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, the National Theatre Institute, and Moscow Art Theatre, and is the Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Program Coordinator and ensemble member with Imagination Theater and is represented by Talent X Alexander. Claire Weinstein is a graduate of the Erikson Institute and holds an M.S. in Early Childhood Education. Ariana Miles is a Jeff Award–winning pianist, composer, conductor, arranger, and teacher who received a bachelor’s degree in Piano Performance in 2018 from Northeastern Illinois University and has served as pianist-conductor on Jeff Award–winning shows. Alex Speight holds a BFA in Acting from Oklahoma City University and a Certificate in Acting from The Moscow Art Theatre.
Last updated April 18, 2026.
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