30 years of growing young artists in Oak Park
Founder & Artistic Director
[PLACEHOLDER: GiGi's story — the "Pied Piper of Children's Theater" — how AG started, what drives her, what makes her approach unique. This is the most-read content after the homepage. The Wednesday Journal profile is a good source. 3-4 paragraphs.]
[PLACEHOLDER: Quote from GiGi about her philosophy]
[PLACEHOLDER: "The Garden Method" or whatever GiGi names the pedagogy]
[PLACEHOLDER: What this means in practice — the journey matters more than the performance]
No auditions for young performers. Every child speaks, sings, and dances. Every child finds their role in the ensemble.
Original musicals written by Dave Hudson give our performers material crafted for their voices and abilities — not scaled-down Broadway.
[PLACEHOLDER: AG's approach to neurodivergent performers, different learning styles, creating space for every child]
Founder & Artistic Director
GiGi Hudson founded the Actors Garden to create a space where every child could discover the transformative power of theatre. With decades of experience in children's education and the performing arts, she has built a program where no child is ever cut, every voice matters, and original work is created collaboratively by the ensemble.
Every child has a story worth telling. Our job is to help them find the courage to tell it.
Teaching Artist
[PLACEHOLDER: Bio — background in theatre education, approach to working with young performers, specialties]
[PLACEHOLDER: Teaching philosophy quote]
Teaching Artist
[PLACEHOLDER: Bio — background in theatre education, approach to working with young performers, specialties]
[PLACEHOLDER: Teaching philosophy quote]
[PLACEHOLDER: AG's connection to the Oak Park community — 30 years of performances, partnerships with local schools, generations of families. This is ambient trust-building.]
30 years of original musicals, Shakespeare adaptations, and ensemble performances.
Spring 2025
[PLACEHOLDER: Brief description of the production, which ensemble performed it, and any notable details]
Fall 2024
[PLACEHOLDER: Brief description of the production, which ensemble performed it, and any notable details]
Summer 2024
[PLACEHOLDER: Camp production description, what the campers created together]
Spring 2023
[PLACEHOLDER: Brief description of the production, which ensemble performed it, and any notable details]