There’s one last weekend to see the final product of a summer’s worth of effort for the most theatrically inclined Calgary teens. The 2025 Student Summer Intensive Program (SSIP) at Storybook Theatre features Chicago: Teen Edition.
It’s also the official start of Storybook Theatre’s 2025-2026 season, billed as a season to be brave.
Since 2014, more than 370 students have trained through SSIP, gaining hands-on experience with professional directors, music directors, and choreographers. This summer’s choice of Chicago gives students a chance to tackle one of Broadway’s most dance-driven shows, while also running the backstage operations themselves.
“It gives you every single angle of what theatre is,” says choreographer Madison Arnason, a recent graduate of Sheridan College’s music theatre program and an SSIP alum herself. “Students will not only get a chance to perform the musical, but they’ll also be able to try their hand at different tech roles like lighting, sound, hair and makeup, running crew. When we open the show and the creative team leaves, the kids are the ones who are running their own shows.”
Arnason says the double-cast structure means no one is sitting idle. “If one cast is doing the show, there are 20 other students behind the scenes that you don’t even see — running the lighting board, spotlights, quick changes, wigs, makeup, set transitions. It’s really incredible what these kids can do.”
For Arnason, who first joined StoryBook at 14, coming back as a creative has been full-circle.
“I was so impressed by how motivated and driven they continued to be throughout the entire program,” she said. “From day one, they showed up ready to work and would go home and practice. I’m so proud of the work that they’ve done.”
She hopes audiences see the value in showing up too.
“It is so important to support young voices and young artists because they’re the ones who are going to grow to lead the industry as it evolves and changes. If you buy a ticket, you’re supporting everybody who’s gone through the StoryBook pipeline — and that’s a chance to be a part of something bigger than yourself,” Arnason added.
Chicago: Teen Edition runs at StoryBook Theatre until August 31, tickets at storybooktheatre.org