Lincoln Square Student and Mentor Help Save Earth Sept. 28-Oct. 7

Dominika Tamley (center, in aqua ), a 7th grader at Agassiz Elementary School, is one of six middle school apprentices starring in Tellin' Tales Theatre's Six Stories Up in Climate Change. Her mentor is northsider Shannon Fox (far right in red), a Catholic sister.

In this original production, 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.

Tellin' Tales Theatre's Six Stories Up in Climate Change features six middle school students and six adults mentors with and without disabilities. It 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.

Dominica Tamley plays the part of Taylor in Six Stories Up in Climate Change. She has been in her school's annual musical for the last three years and participates in Dare2Tri kids paratriathlon camp and in the Shirley Ryan Ability Lab Caring for Kids program. She is the daughter of Karen Tamley and Kevin Irvine.

Shannon Fox is Tamley's mentor in Six Stories Up in Climate Change, playing the parts of Ranger and Hot Ride Rattlesnake 450. She is a Catholic sister in The Sisters of St. Joseph Third Order of St. Francis. A special education teacher by day and a "theatre nerd" by night (her words), she has appeared in many local productions including two previous Six Stories Up shows. For three years, she was part of the Passion Play Tetelesai in Cleveland, Ohio.

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.