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THEATER REVIEW Andy Warhol in Iran juggles art, celebrity and geopolitics
Andy Warhol in Iran. Playwright: Brent Askari At: Northlight Theatre at North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie Tickets: 847-673-6300 or www.Northlight.org; $30-$89. Runs through Feb. 19 The prolific 20th century gay ...
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Chicago theater charges on through the cold months
The ongoing 2022-2023 theater season—roughly September to June—will be the first complete production season in Chicago in three years. A few troupes cautiously returned to live performances late last spring, but most companies waited until the ...
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Billy Porter discusses his fashion choices, personal ambitions
Billy Porter—the Tony, Emmy and Grammy winner—needs no introduction—especially to the many fans of his character Pray Tell on Ryan Murphy's hit TV series Pose. Coming up exclusively in theaters Feb. 3, Porter will star as ...
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Des Plaines Theater cancels anti-LGBTQ hate group event after outcry from citizens
DuPage County-based Awake Illinois was set to hold an event called "Out of the Echo Chamber: Coalition for Kids" at the city-owned, but not city-operated, Des Plaines Theatre Wednesday, Feb. 8. This event has now been ...
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Theater Review: tick, tick...BOOM!
One of the wonders of live theater is that old works can be revived and reinterpreted to respond to changes in culture and society. Often a new directorial approach can make tried-and-true material feel fresh and ...
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Theater Review: Princess Ivona is a dark but comic portrait of power
Playwright: Witold Gombrowicz. At: Trap Door Theatre, 1655 W. Cortland St. Tickets: 773-384-0494 or www.trapdoortheatre.com; $25 (two-for-one admission Thursdays) Runs through Feb. 18 Trap Door Theatre is now tackling the ...
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Jordan Vasquez treats Chicago to Fosse's Chicago
Actor and openly gay performer Jordan Vasquez, an Illinois native now living in New York City, is giving Chicago audiences "the old razzle dazzle" in the fabulous musical Chicago. This dynamically talented performer brings with him ...
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SHOWBIZ Diversity report, Dave Bautista, Leslie Jordan, greatest singers
The USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative's latest "Inclusion in the Director's Chair" report analyzes the gender and race/ethnicity of the directors behind last year's 100 highest-grossing movies in the country, while the San Diego State Center ...
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SHOWBIZ Best in theater, TV, film and music; Obama's favorites; 'Glass Onion'
Deadline's Broadway critic revealed his picks for the best of 2022. Leopoldstadt topped his list, but other productions included Kimberly Akimbo, Some Like It Hot, Into the Woods, Hangmen, Ain't No Mo', A Strange Loop, Topdog/Underdog, ...
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PrideArts, Chicago drag artists co-produce story of a drag family's tribulations
-- From a press release
CHICAGO — PrideArts will celebrate the arrival of the year 2023 by teaming up with the Chicago drag performers Tirrany Reigns and Ramona Mirage to stage Reigns' original Queer Family Dramedy, set just after New Year's ...
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Oak Park Festival Theatre makes history with new artistic director
The Oak Park Festival Theatre (OPFT)—the oldest professional classical theater in the Midwest—announced that Peter G. Andersen will be joining the company as its new artistic director in January 2023. It is the first time that a person ...
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SHOWBIZ Best and worst films, Broadway, Adam Lambert, 'Proud Family,' women's hockey
IndieWire revealed its list of the best LGBTQ+ films and TV series of 2022. Just some of the selections included Benediction, Bros, Do Revenge, Fire Island, Everything Everywhere All At Once, The Inspection, Los Espookys, P-Valley, ...
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Life is a Cabaret for James Harkness these days
Out performer James Harkness is one of the many performers in Cabaret ZaZou's Luminaire, the latest project from the creative team behind the successful show Teatro ZinZanni. Currently in an open run since Sept. 7, 2022, ...
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SHOWBIZ Jerrod Carmichael, 'Heartstopper,' Lena Waithe, Gyllenhaal, Cher
Out comedian Jerrod Carmichael will host the 80th Annual Golden Globe Awards, Deadline reported. After a yearlong hiatus, the three-hour telecast will air on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023 from The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills on NBC and ...
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Theater Review: Mosque4Mosque
Author: Omer Abbas Salem. At: About Face Theatre at The Den Tickets: www.thedentheatre.com; $7.50-$41.25. Runs through: Dec. 17 Sara and her children are Syrian immigrants with a nice suburban house. Sara (Rula Gardenier) is an accountant, ...
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Michael Horvich: A caregiver remembers his talented husband
Michael Horvich has had many roles in his lifetime, among them teacher, photographer and author. However, one of his most important was being caregiver to Gregory Maire—Horvich's husband of 41 years, who died in 2015. Maire ...
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A stocking stuffed with holiday shows!
Christmas follows fast on Thanksgiving's leftovers, which means sugarplums-and-treacle time for Chicago theater, when many troupes offer holiday shows. There are at least 40 of 'em, from biggies such as the 45th annual A Christmas Carol ...
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Billy Porter receives star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
On Dec. 1, award-winning actor/director/singer/playwright Billy Porter received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. "I'm just so blessed and so grateful to be here," he said, according to KTLA. "James Baldwin said, 'It's an ...
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Peppermint barks while Broadway bangs, and all the other dish to start the week
"I love Broadway. I love what they do—Broadway Cares, but I also want to say the show is extraordinary!" —Nicole Kidman's impromptu speech after bidding $100K to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS for Hugh Jackman's hat after ...
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New York theaters bounce back: Four shows ask questions about identity
All theater critics worth their salt should take a bite of the Big Apple now and then, savoring the bright lights of Broadway and a soggy slice of what passes for pizza. On my first visit in nearly three years, Broadway ...
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Gay man to head Chicago Latino Theater Alliance
The Chicago Latino Theater Alliance (CLATA) announced the appointment of Jorge Valdivia as its new executive director, according to the Lawndale News. Valdivia's previous position was director of performing arts at the National Museum of Mexic ...
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THEATER REVIEW: The Mark of Kane
The Mark of Kane
Playwright: Mark Pracht At: City Lit Theatre Tickets: www.cityl ...
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Theater Review: Porchlight's Rent is a winner
By Jonathan Abarbanel
Title: Rent. Playwright: Jonathan Larson (book, music, lyrics) At: Porchlight Music Theatre at Ruth Page Center. Tickets: 773-777-9884; PorchlightMusicTheatre.org; $25 and up. Runs through: Dec. 11 From its 1996 premiere ...
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Mister International Rubber takes the stage at Center on Halsted, Riviera Theatre
The MIR26 (Mister International Rubber) competition took place at the Center on Halsted and the Riviera Theatre over the Nov. 4-6 weekend. Pusckatt Pumera Onyx won the competition. The event was co-emceed by Lucy Stoole and ...
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SHOWBIZ Gay racer, GALECA, Lena Waithe, 'Chicago,' LGBTQ+ films
Gay motorsports racer Zach Herrin made his long-awaited debut in a NASCAR-affiliated race in Phoenix, The Advocate noted. "I know I have a lot of eyes on me, and all I want to do is get out there and blur everything ...
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SHOWBIZ Nathan Lane, gala, Beyonce, Kevin Aviance, Henry Cavill, Shania
Video below
Nathan Lane is returning to Broadway this winter to star in the debut run of Pictures of Home, per The Hollywood Reporter. Based on the photo memoir by Larry Sultan of the same name and adapted ...
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Young trans playwright queers Shakespeare in new production 'Malapert Love'
The Artistic Home will debut Malapert Love on Nov. 5-Dec. 11 in Wicker Park at The Den Theatre's Upstairs Mainstage, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave. The gender-bending, Shakespearean romantic comedy was written by 18-year-old Siah Berlatsky, who's ...
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THEATER 'The Golden Girls' holiday special Nov. 26-Dec. 30
Hell in a Handbag Productions is in The Golden Girls: The Lost Episodes, The Obligatory Holiday Special, playing Nov. 26-Dec. 30 at The Hoover-Leppen Theatre at The Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted St. Dorothy, Rose, ...
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'Cirque Dreams Holidaze' to take place Dec. 22-24
Cirque Dreams Holidaze is set to dazzle Chicago audiences with a Broadway-style production infused with contemporary circus arts. The production will play for six performances on Dec. 22-24 at the Auditorium Theatre, 50 Ida B. Wells ...
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16th Street Theater to close at the end of the year
The board of Berwyn's 16th Street Theater announced that the award-winning, nationally acclaimed Equity theater company will close at the end of 2022. A statement read, "For 15 inspiring seasons, plus two years of the pandemic, ...
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Cody Estle to step down as Raven Theatre artistic director
Raven Theatre's board of directors announced that Cody Estle will step down as the company's artistic director at the end of November. Estle has been the company's artistic leader since 2017. He will join Milwaukee's Next ...
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Five Worth Finding: COVID book, 'Wicked' cocktails, 'A Taste of Hope' and more
—COVID-19, the LGBTQIA+ Community and Public Policy: As studies emerge to help us understand the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on every facet of modern life, it is critical that the effect of the pandemic on ...
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Chicago Theatre Week 2023 to take place Feb. 16-26
-- From a press release
Chicago—Chicago Theatre Week (#CTW23), an annual celebration of the rich tradition of theatergoing in Chicago during which visitors and residents can access value-priced tickets, will take place Feb. 16-26, 2023. ...
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'Lady Day,' 'Rock of Ages' part of Mercury Theater Chicago's 2023 season
-- From a press release
Chicago — Mercury Theater Artistic Director Christopher Chase Carter, Managing Director Kristi J. Martens and Executive Producers L. Walter Stearns and Eugene Dizon announced the 2023 Mercury Theater Chicago season ...
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Steppenwolf offering free performances of '1919' on Nov. 1-5 in Chicago parks
Steppenwolf for Young Adults' (SYA) will bring its world-premiere adaptation of 1919 to audiences across Chicago this fall for a series of free performances through the Chicago Park District's "Night Out in the Parks" initiative. The ...
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Haven hosting 'Rocky Horror Picture Party' on Oct. 29-30
Haven is welcoming back its "Science Fiction/Double Feature: A Rocky Horror Picture Party"—an immersive Rocky Horror-themed Halloween party that brings to life in vivid technicolor the world of the cult-classic film. Hosted by Helena Handbasket, the ...
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Jeff Awards for Equity Theater presented
-- From a press release
CHICAGO — In its 54th anniversary celebration of Equity theater excellence, the Jeff Awards recognized 46 award recipients selected from among 201 theater artist nominees across 38 artistic and technical categories on Oct. 17. Award-winning Chicago ...
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THEATER Queer-inclusive original play 'The Cleanup' set to debut
Playwright Hallie Palladino's The Cleanup focuses on four parents, one of whom is a gay father, as they interact behind the scenes of a DIY preschool co-op. The play, directed by Jen Poulin, will run Oct. ...
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THINGS TO DO Open House Chicago taking place Oct. 15-16
The Chicago Architecture Center (CAC) is presenting Open House Chicago (OHC) 2022 presented by Wintrust on Oct. 15-16. The public is encouraged to discover a roster of 150+ sites in 20 community areas over the weekend, ...
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Sarah Siddons Society to honor Sandy Duncan on Nov. 14
The Sarah Siddons Society, celebrating its 70th-anniversary year, will present its 2022 Award to three-time Tony Award nominee Sandy Duncan. The annual award is presented to an individual who has achieved outstanding artistic achievement in theater. ...
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THEATER Attendees encouraged to dress in costume at 'Southern Gothic'
Windy City Playhouse Artistic Director Amy Rubenstein, with Goodman Theatre and Greg Schaffert, announced the theater invites guests to attend the Oct. 20, 21, 22, 23, 28, 29 and 30 evening performances of the immersive production ...
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Groundbreaking Broadway musical 'A Strange Loop' set to close
A Strange Loop, the 2022 Tony Award winner for best musical, will close on Broadway on Jan. 15, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The musical, which also took home the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for drama, will ...
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DANCE Deeply Rooted performing Nov. 5 at Auditorium Theatre
The Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Ida B. Wells Dr., will present Deeply Rooted Dance Theater—a Chicago-based African-American contemporary dance company—in a one-night-only performance Saturday, Nov. 5, at 7:30 p.m. as ...
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BoHo Theatre exec director to leave; search for successor begins
BoHo Theatre Executive Director Sana Selemon announced she will be stepping down from her position in March 2023. Selemon—from Columbus, Ohio—became a company member before taking over as executive director in August 2020. BoHo's board of ...
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Yvie Oddly summons sinful drag queens in upcoming 'Night of the Living Drag'
RuPaul's Drag Race: Night of the Living Drag is coming to the Rosemont Theater on Tuesday, Oct. 25, starring Yvie Oddly as The Boogie Man and featuring ...
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THEATER Steppenwolf running Eve L. Ewing's '1919' Oct. 4-29
Steppenwolf Theatre Company will present the Steppenwolf for Young Adults' world premiere of 1919, adapted by J. Nicole Brooks from Eve L. Ewing's collection of poems about the killing of Black teenager Eugene Williams in 1919 ...
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Celebration of trans icon Gloria Allen's life on Oct. 6
A celebration of life for the late Chicago trans icon "Mama" Gloria Allen will take place Thursday, Oct. 6, at 10 a.m. at Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted St., inside the third-floor theater. Allen founded ...
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THEATER About Face showing LGBTQ+ play 'Mosque4Mosque'
About Face Theatre opens its 2022-23 season with the world premiere of Omer Abbas Salem's new play Mosque4Mosque, directed by Sophiyaa Nayar. Mosque4Mosque is a family comedy about a queer Arab-American Muslim man navigating his first ...
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More special guests announced for Chicago International Film Festival
-- From a press release
CHICAGO, Illinois (September 28, 2022) — Today, the Chicago International Film Festival announced new guests and details for its 58th edition, running October 12 - 23, 2022. Film screenings and programs will take place at theaters ...
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MUSIC Jessie Mueller and Seth Rudetsky at Steppenwolf on Jan. 14, 2023
On Jan. 14, 2023 in Steppenwolf's Downstairs Theater, 1650 N. Halsted St., Steppenwolf Theatre and Mark Cortale will present Tony winner Jessie Mueller (Beautiful; Waitress) for a hometown concert, hosted and music directed by Sirius XM ...
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SHOWBIZ Cardi B, Sam Smith, 'Wednesday' series, Sean Hayes, Serena
Video below
Cardi B clapped back at someone on Twitter who declared her a celebrity who "came out as bisexual but never dated someone of the same gender," per Out Magazine. The tweet,—featuring pictures of Cardi, Grimes, Lady ...
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Jackalope Theatre Company announces 15th season
-- From a press release
CHICAGO (September 20th, 2022) — Jackalope Theatre Company announces its return to in-person productions with its 2022-23 season featuring the Among the Dead by Hansol Jung, directed by Jackalope Artistic ...
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THEATER Underscore to permanently close; festival gains new home
The board of directors of Underscore Theatre Company announced the company will close its doors permanently after eleven dynamic years of producing musical theatre in Chicago, including 16 world premieres. However, the company's Chicago Musical Theatr ...
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THEATER The Gift running thriller 'The Locusts' Oct. 20-Nov. 19
The Gift Theatre will conclude its 2022 season with the world premiere of Jennifer Rumberger's thriller The Locusts, commissioned and developed by The Gift and directed by ensemble member John Gawlik. The Locusts will run Oct. ...
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COMEDY Extra performances added for Jerrod Carmichael at Steppenwolf
Due to popular demand, Steppenwolf Theatre has added two additional performances of Emmy award-winning comedian Jerrod Carmichael's new solo show on Friday-Saturday, Nov. 4-5, at 10 p.m. as part of ...
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MUSIC Cabaret singer Jeff Harnar talks Sondheim, coming out
Jeff Harnar wasn't born in Chicago, but he will tell you first-hand that it is his home. Having spent his formative years in this city, Harnar discovered a passion for musical theater. Decades later, he has ...
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Out comic/writer Sam Jay talks career ahead of Wicker Park performance
Stand-up comic and Emmy-nominated writer Sam Jay will be performing at The Den Theatre, located in Chicago's Wicker Park neighborhood, on Sept. 23-24. The first Black lesbian writer in Saturday Night Live's history, Jay is a ...
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COMEDY Cameron Esposito at The Den Theatre on Dec. 30-31
The Den Theatre is welcoming back LGBTQ+ comedian Cameron Esposito, performing two stand-up shows on Dec. 30-31, 2022 on The Heath Mainstage, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave. Esposito (a onetime Windy City Times 30 Under 30 honoree) ...
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Mercury Theater Chicago announces fun enhancements to the Clue live on-stage experience
-- From a press release
Chicago (September 16, 2022) — Mercury Theater Artistic Director Christopher Chase Carter, Managing Director Kristi J. Martens and Executive Producers L. Walter Stearns and Eugene Dizon have announced fun experiences ...
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'Phantom of the Opera' closing on Broadway after 35 years
After more than three decades, The Phantom of the Opera, the longest-running show in Broadway history, is closing. A representative verified that the play's final performance will be on Saturday, Feb. 18, 2023. It will have ...
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THEATER 'Cabaret' at Metropolis through Oct. 22
Musical Broadway classic and hit film Cabaret re-creates the decadent and complicated world of 1929 Berlin at the Arlington Heights venue Metropolis Performing Arts Centre through Oct. 22. Cabaret is Kander and Ebb's legendary musical masterpiece ...
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'The Wizards,' a genderqueer play that examines racism, to run Oct. 14-Nov. 19
The Wizards, written by Ricardo Gamboa and directed by Katrina Dion, will run at the APO Cultural Center, 1438 W. 18th St., on Oct. 14-Nov. 19. The production follows Amado and Sam (played by Gamboa and ...
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THEATER Shattered Globe's 'Stew' running through Oct. 22
Shattered Globe Theatre will launch its 2022-23 season with the Chicago premiere of Stew, Zora Howard's Pulitzer Prize Finalist for Drama that Malkia Stampley is directing. The production is running through Oct. 22 at Theater Wit, ...
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THEATER PrideArts appoints new managing director, three new board members
The board of directors of PrideArts—the Uptown-based theater company focused on presenting queer stories on live stages and virtual platforms—announced the appointment of Amber Mandley (she/her/hers) as Managing Director, a ...
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League of Chicago Theatres names new executive director
The League of Chicago Theatres Board of Directors announces the selection of Marissa Lynn Ford as the organization's new executive director. Ford comes to the League of Chicago Theatres from Goodman Theatre, where she was associate ...
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ATTRACTIONS Haunted events set to scare Chicagoland residents
Fall is definitely approaching when the haunted events/sites start to emerge. —Dungeon of Doom, in the suburb of Zion, will take place Sept. 23-Oct. 31. Popular attractions and new updates for the site's 26th season include ...
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THEATER Goodman running 'Pequenos Territorios' Sept. 21-25
Goodman Theatre and the Chicago Latino Theater Alliance (CLATA) will present the Midwest premiere of Pequenos Territorios en Reconstruccion, by Teatro Linea de Sombra of Mexico City, Sept. 21-25 at the Goodman, 170 N. Dearborn St. ...
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THEATER Chicago Shakespeare running 'The Notebook' through Oct. 16
Chicago Shakespeare Theater is running the world premiere of The Notebook, a new musical based on the best-selling novel by Nicholas Sparks that inspired the iconic film. The production will run through Oct. 16. Allie and ...
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Broadway musical Chicago to open Sept. 12 with Angelica Ross as Roxie Hart
-- From a press release
The Broadway company of the Tony Award-winning, record-breaking hit musical Chicago will welcome actress and human rights advocate Angelica Ross ("Pose," "American Horror Story") making her Broadway debut in the ...
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Chicago Gay Men's Chorus, 'Carrie 2' part of Venus Cabaret Theater's fall programming
-- From a press release
Chicago, IL — Venus Cabaret Theater, the intimate performance space at Mercury Theater Chicago, under the director of Cabaret Director Honey West, Artistic Director Christopher Chase Carter, Managing Director Kristi ...
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THEATER Paramount to run 'BULL: a love story'
Aurora's Paramount Theatre will run BULL: a love story on Oct. 5-Nov. 20. Bull will be the first suburban production in Destinos Festival history. Destinos: Chicago International Latino Theater Festival is an annual, city-wide event produced ...
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DANCE Ensemble Espanol at Auditorium Theatre on Oct. 1
The Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Ida B. Wells Dr., will kick off the 2022-23 season of its Chicago Dance series with Ensemble Espanol Spanish Dance Theater, for one performance only, on Saturday, Oct. 1 at 7:30 ...
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Non-binary performer Tommy Novak talks being in Lyric Opera's 'Fiddler on the Roof'
Fiddler on the Roof is a series of stories based on Jewish life in a village that was made into a musical play in 1964. The North American premiere of a new production of this classic musical will debut Sept. 17 ...
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THEATER Griffin launches season with 'Marys Seacole'
Griffin Theatre Company will launch its 33rd season with the Midwest premiere drama Marys Seacole, written by Pulitzer Prize winner Jackie Sibblies Drury, and directed by Jerrell L. Henderson and Hannah Todd. The production will run ...
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THEATER Theo Ubique to launch 25th-anniversary season with 'Refuge'
Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre will open its 25th-anniversary season with the Midwest premiere of Refuge, a new play with music and puppetry from creators Satya Jnani Chavez and Andrew Rosendorf, with translations by Mari Meza-Burgos. Refuge ...
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