Elmhurst's Tekki Lomnicki Acts to Save the Earth Sept. 28-Oct. 7

Elmhurst native Tekki Lomnicki (front row, third from the right), co-founder and artistic director of Tellin' Tales Theatre, has directed six middle school students and six adult mentors with and without disabilities in the annual Six Stories Up production that has a new theme each year; this year it's Six Stories Up in Climate Change.

Students at an Alaskan summer camp discover a magical totem pole that holds the secrets to slowing down climate change. When a greedy developer levels the sacred relic, they must find a way to reconstruct it and save the earth. This often hilarious and moving musical, written by the cast, is peppered with personal stories about overcoming differences while they tackle different aspects of climate change.

The show runs weekends beginning Friday, September 28 through Sunday, October 7 at Filament Theatre, 4041 N. Milwaukee in Chicago. Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for students; the show is suitable for ages 9 and up. For information and tickets visit www.tellintales.org. The September 29 show is sign language interpreted and audio described. For group rates, call 1-312-540-1330.

About Tekki Lomnicki:

In addition to directing and co-writing the final script of Six Stories Up in Climate Change, Tekki Lomnicki is also the adult mentor to Tim Bannon. She plays the parts of Counselor and T-Bear. She has been at the helm of Tellin' Tales Theatre for all 22 seasons. The annual Six Stories Up show grew out of Lomnicki's storytelling programs for Gallery 37 and After School Matters, which included students with and without disabilities. Lomnicki, herself a person with a disability, took the process a step further to include adult mentors with disabilties and strives to remove all barriers between artists, including race, ethnicity, gender, age and ability.

The Mentoring Program:

Six Stories Up is an annual mentoring program developed by Tellin' Tales Theatre where middle school children and their mentors write and star in a full-length play with the theme changing every year. In June, storytellers were paired with middle school students with and without disabilities. Each team took on a different aspect of climate change and was given the mission to bring it to life while weaving in personal stories and insights about overcoming differences in their lives. In late July, Tellin' Tales artistic Director Tekki Lomnicki and Stephen Donart drafted a final script linking the six vignettes together into a cohesive final script; music and lyrics were added.

The Cast and Crew:

The cast and production team of Six Stories Up in Climate Change is an exciting mix of ethnicity and ability. They come from the city of Chicago and the suburbs. Mentors include Stephen Donart, Shannon Fox, Jack Gehringer, Tekki Lomnicki, Tamara Rozofsky and Robert Teverbaugh. Nancy Sosnowski has a cameo role. Apprentices include Mickie Allegretti, Tim Bannon, Mary Pfaff, Saleem Ross, Tiernan Tajalli and Dominika Tamley. Carl Ulaszek spearheads set design and composer Mike Przygoda created the original score. Tekki Lomnicki directed the production assisted by Sue Nunamaker and apprentice assistant Lee Buell.

About Tellin' Tales Theatre:

The mission of Tellin' Tales Theatre is to shatter barriers between the disabled and non-disabled worlds through the transformative power of personal story. Children and adults from both communities are brought together to share their stories in theatrically innovative productions and programs to promote awareness, understanding and acceptance.

Six Stories Up in Climate Change is the final production of Tellin' Tales Theatre's 22nd season.

The poster design is by David Lee Csicsko and photography is by Suzanne Metzel.