On October 14, join us for Tillie the Terrible Swede, a show for the whole family featuring marionette puppets, live performers and most importantly — a bicycle!
Based on the true story of pioneering sportswoman Matilda Anderson, the play shows us how Tillie emigrated from Sweden to Chicago in 1891, working as a seamstress to save money to buy herself a bicycle. And once she was riding, she became good — like, best female bicyclist in the world kind of good!
Not everyone liked what she was doing, including friends and family — she was even ridiculed in some newspapers. But that didn’t stop Tillie from competing. And by the time she was 20 years old, the League of American Wheelmen recognized her as the best woman cyclist in the world.
Written and directed by Cinna Vesterberg and puppets and set design by Kevin White, Tillie the Terrible Swede takes family audiences across a journey of working hard to follow your dreams, and never giving up.