Q&A with STAGES Chicago founder - Emily Pinas Schakowsky
Join us for a Q&A with Emily Pinas Schakowsky, the dynamic Founder and Executive Director of STAGES Chicago. Founded in 2016 and dedicated to bringing the highest quality, developmentally appropriate performing arts experiences to children and families.
Tell us about Stages Chicago!
We believe in the magic of musical theatre and the ability of high-quality arts experiences to inspire creativity, curiosity, and openness in children.
Stages Chicago was founded in 2016 with a mission to bring the highest quality, developmentally appropriate performing arts experiences to children and families. Our curriculum is developed by professional performers turned early childhood development specialists who have decades of experience onstage and in the classroom. We are proud to offer a variety of inclusive programming for all ages and abilities from developmentally appropriate music classes for infants (that are also entertaining for adults) to after school programs that serve as a training ground for the next generation of performers, and everything in between. In 2021, Stages Chicago transitioned from an LLC to a not-for-profit organization in order to expand our reach and better support our mission of making quality performing arts education experiences accessible for all children and families. At Stages, we believe in the magic of musical theatre and the ability of high quality arts experiences to inspire creativity, curiosity, and openness in children.
What inspired you to create Stages? Can you share a bit about your personal journey that led you to founding this organization?
I have always had two passions in life - Broadway and babies! After graduating from NYU with a degree in Musical Theatre, I started teaching music classes in NYC to pay the bills while auditioning and quickly found that I LOVED It- so much so that when they offered me a full time position working for the company I stopped auditioning and devoted myself to teaching full time. After almost a decade of living in New York, I moved back to Chicago to be closer to family and found that the types of early childhood music classes I was teaching in NYC didn’t exist here in Chicago. Forever a Broadway girl at heart, I couldn’t see myself singing “Row Row Row Your Boat” everyday so I decided to create my own program! If it was going to do it though, I wanted to do it right and I wanted to know as much about children development as I did about musical theatre so I applied to the Erikson Institute here in Chicago where I received an M.S. in Child Development with a specialization in Infancy and Administration. In 2016, I launched Stages with our 3 flagship classes: Broadway & Me (0-3yr), Broadway Little Stars (3-5yrs), and Broadway Stars (Grades K-3) and haven’t looked back!
What age of children is Stages best for and why?
This is a sort of a trick question! The answer is: Whatever age your child is, is the best age! We pride ourselves on creating inclusive programs that meet children where they are and cater to the particular needs of each stage of development. A great example is our Lullaby League class intended for infants 6wk - 9mo! Lullaby League is a modified version of our Broadway inspired music class, Broadway & Me where we incorporate more sensory breaks including a cuddle intermission and adapt the toys and sensory items we’re using when necessary to ensure that they are safe and developmentally appropriate for our littlest Broadway lovers. We make boppies available to families who may want to work on assisted tummy time during class and leave plenty of time for caregivers to interact with teachers and each other. We also have live piano on all of our early childhood music classes so it’s easy for us to adjust noise levels as needed!
What has been the most rewarding aspect of leading Stages Chicago for you?
As we enter our 9th year this summer, many of the Broadway babies who started with us in 2016 are now performing onstage with our Broadway Stars program. Getting to watch these kids grow into creative, empathetic, confident, awesome humans is pretty great and really rewarding. But if I’m being honest, I think the most rewarding part of leading Stages is having created a program I am excited to have my daughter, Addie, be a part of. She turns a year old next week and has already been to 2 musicals and LOVES going to Broadway & Me with me and her grandma. It’s pretty surreal watching her light up in classes and fall in love with music and theater the same way I did as a child.
How do you envision the organization growing or evolving in the coming years? What's next?
Our goal as an organization has always been to grow with our families through every “stage” of development. In 2023-2024 we ran classes for middle and high school aged students for the first time which was really exciting! We want to continue expanding offerings for older children in the coming years and also expand our community partnerships in order to reach more children and families around the city.
Is there anything else you'd like to share about Stages?
Stages is for everyone! Whether you are a Broadway lover or don’t know the difference between a musical and a ballet (like my husband before he met me), we promise you’ll enjoy our classes and feel welcome. We also make the first session of Lullaby League free for new babies and their families so you don’t have to worry if there are weeks when making it to class just isn’t in the cards!