Children’s Theatre Company (CTC) is pleased to announce Forts! Build Your Own Adventure, an interactive experience! Pull back the curtains and there you are—surrounded by old sofas, crazy lampshades, piles of blankets, and towering towers of cardboard boxes! It’s like the coolest attic you’ve ever seen, where everything’s up for grabs. Use whatever you want to build…whatever you want—the tallest fort, the longest fort, tons of cozy little forts… Quick, someone hands you a flashlight—what will you do? In Forts! you make it all happen. Best for all ages, Forts! runs February 13-April 5, 2026 on the Cargill Stage.
“Forts! celebrates the power of imagination in its purest and most exhilarating form,” said Rick Dildine, CTC Artistic Director. “From the moment you step inside, you’re transported into a world of boundless possibility—playful, inventive, and alive with creativity. We’re thrilled to invite families into an experience where play leads the way, creativity is limitless, and every child becomes the architect of their own adventure.”
“Twenty years ago, as a student at Northwestern University, I did a research presentation about Children's Theatre Company,” said Forts! creator Julie Ritchey. “The thought that Forts!, a piece I am so proud of, will be presented at CTC, a company I have so long admired, is a true full-circle moment. I am overjoyed and honored to bring Forts! to Minneapolis, and I can't wait to see what the imaginations of the incredible CTC audiences build!”
Tickets for Forts! may be purchased at childrenstheatre.org/forts or by calling the ticket office at 612.874.0400. All tickets are $30.
There will be weekday sessions available during Spring Break (March 17-April 3, 2026).
School groups interested in attending Forts! can contact
Forts! has a run time of 60 minutes with no intermission, and is best for all ages.
Forts! Build Your Own Adventure
An Interactive Experience
Conceived and Directed by Julie Ritchey
Created in Collaboration with Eleanor Kahn, Jeffrey Levin, Christian Libonati, Andrew Marikis, and Carley Walker
Set Design by Eleanor Kahn
Sound Design by Jeffrey Levin
Lighting Design by Joel Zishuk
Original Lighting Design by Carley Walker
Facilitation Design by Andrew Marikis
Originally produced by Filament Theatre at 4041 N. Milwaukee, Chicago, IL under Founding Artistic Director Julie Ritchey and Founding Managing Director Christian Libonati. www.filamenttheatre.org
February 13-April 5, 2026
Cargill Stage
Best for all ages!
Children’s Theatre Company (CTC) is the nation’s largest and most acclaimed theatre for young people and serves a multigenerational audience. It creates theatre experiences that educate, challenge, and inspire more than 200,000 people annually. CTC is the only theatre focused on young audiences to win the Special Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre and is the only theatre in Minnesota to receive three Tony nominations (for its production of A Year With Frog and Toad). CTC is committed to creating world-class productions at the highest level and to developing new works, more than 200 to date, dramatically changing the canon of work for young audiences.
CTC is the most significant provider of theatre education opportunities in the region. Every year, thousands of children experience theatre for the first time at CTC. Our student matinees and education programs demonstrably benefit the community, from the intergenerational conversations sparked by our world premieres, to the sequential skill-building that happens in our Theatre Arts Training, to the pre-K focus of our Early Childhood Initiative. ACT One is CTC’s comprehensive platform for access, diversity, and inclusion in our audiences, programs, staff, and board that strives to ensure the theatre is a home for all people, all families, reflective of our community. childrenstheatre.org
FOR CALENDAR EDITORS:
WHAT
Forts! Build Your Own Adventure
An Interactive Experience
Conceived and Directed by Julie Ritchey
Created in Collaboration with Eleanor Kahn, Jeffrey Levin, Christian Libonati, Andrew Marikis, and Carley Walker
Set Design by Eleanor Kahn
Sound Design by Jeffrey Levin
Lighting Design by Joel Zishuk
Original Lighting Design by Carley Walker
Facilitation Design by Andrew Marikis
Originally produced by Filament Theatre at 4041 N. Milwaukee, Chicago, IL under Founding Artistic Director Julie Ritchey and Founding Managing Director Christian Libonati. www.filamenttheatre.org
WHEN: February 13-April 5, 2026
WHERE: CTC’s Cargill Stage (2400 Third Avenue South Minneapolis MN 55404)
AGE RECOMMENDATION: This experience is best enjoyed by all ages.
RUNNING TIME: 60 minutes with no intermission.
TICKETS: $30 and available at childrenstheatre.org/forts or by calling the Ticket Office at 612.874.0400.
