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THEATER REVIEW Exquisita Agonia
Playwright: Nilo Cruz At: Aguijon Theatre, 2707 N. Laramie Ave. Tickets: Aguilontheatre.org . Price: $15-30. Runs through: Nov. 24 Elisabeth Kubler-Ross defined the "five stages of grief" as denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance, saying that ...
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THEATER REVIEW The Effect
Playwright: Lucy Prebble At: Strawdog Theatre Company, 1802 Berenice Ave. Tickets: Strawdog.org; $35. Runs through: Nov. 23 It doesn't take a mind-reader to note that the first flush of love often produces symptoms mimicking those of ...
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Ravinia president/CEO leaving post in 2020
Ravinia President and CEO Well Kauffman announced Oct. 19 that he will depart the festival upon completing his 20th anniversary year at its helm, following the 2020 season and the opening of the RaviniaMusicBox experience center. ...
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Story Jam features local celebs in a show to raise money for immigrant youth
Chicago, IL November 17th, 2019—Story Jam, a show that is part live-lit and part music concert combining storytellers and songwriters with a rocking band, will return to City Winery on Sunday, November 17th at 12pm for ...
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Firebrand Theatre to present Always… Patsy Cline
By Ted Swindley Directed by Brigitte Ditmars. Musical Direction by Andra Velis Simon. November 16 — December 15, 2019 at The Den Theatre CHICAGO ( October 16, 2019 ) — Firebrand Theatre is pleased to launch ...
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Cirque du Soleil names cast for holiday production at Chicago Theatre
Chicago, IL ( October 16, 2019 ) — Cirque du Soleil and The Madison Square Garden Company ( NYSE: MSG ) announced today the casting and creative team for the all-new family production, 'Twas the Night ...
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THEATER REVIEW Twice, Thrice, Frice
Playwright: Fouad Teymour At: Silk Road Rising, 77 W. Washington Street. Tickets: 312-857-1234; SilkRoadRising.org; $38. Runs through: Nov. 10 This world premiere comedy concerns assimilated, Upper Middle Class American Moslem women. Amira ( Catherine Dildilian ), ...
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Lesbian author/advocate Julie Justicz writes on 'Difficulty'
Chicago attorney/social justice advocate Julie Justicz has a history of fostering an affinity for the written word. Her first novel, Degrees of Difficulty, was a 20-year process—but it's finally available wherever books are sold. "I'm an ...
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'Destinos' festival offers something for everyone
By Amelia Orozco
The Chicago Latino Theater Alliance ( CLATA )—a non-profit 501( c )( 3 ) organization formed in 2016 by the three most prominent Chicago Latino arts organizations: International Latino Cultural Center, National Museum of Mexican Art, ...
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THEATER SPOTLIGHT Arts in the Dark
Do you love a parade? And Halloween? Kick off the spooky season with Arts in the Dark, a one-night-only magical parade of bands, dancers, costumes, floats, puppets and lanterns that celebrates Halloween as the "artist's holiday." ...
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CRITICS'PICKS
Be Here Now, Shattered Globe Theatre at Theater Wit, through Oct. 19. By rejecting romcom clichés, Deborah Zoe Laufer's mostly comedy leads to a smarter, quirkier and even MORE romantic happy ending in this well staged ...
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THEATER REVIEW Sundown, Yellow Moon
Playwright: Rachel Bonds; songs by The Bengsons At: Raven Theatre, 6157 N. Clark St. Tickets: 773-338-2177; RavenTheatre.com; $43-$46. Runs through: Nov. 17 Some online research confirmed that this play was autobiographical, at least in general if ...
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THEATER REVIEW Invisible
Playwright: Mary Bonnett At: Her Story Theatre at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave. Tickets: HerStoryTheatre.org, 773-327-5252; $35. Runs through: Nov. 3 It could be a scene out of a Beth Henley play: townswomen clustered around ...
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THEATER REVIEW Back in the Day
Playwright: Miranda Gonzalez At: UrbanTheater Company, 2620 W. Division St. Tickets: $15-30; clata.org/destinos-backintheday. Runs through: Nov. 2 Immersive theater is tough to get right. So many factors come into play, especially the balance of audience comfort ...
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LGBT HISTORY MONTH The rise of the ballroom scene through the ages
By Laura Smythe laura@epgn.com
What is ballroom? The first time Jacen Bowman attended a house meeting, he had no idea what LGBTQ ballroom culture was. Going into his final year in high school, Bowman was approached to join a "modeling ...
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About Face Theatre to present Packing
Learning who you are means knowing where you come from, and where you belong. From writer/performer Scott Bradley ( Scooty & JoJo's Alien Queen and Carpenters Halloween; AFT's We Three Lizas and The Homosexuals ) comes ...
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THEATER REVIEW A Doll's House
Playwright: Henrick Ibsen ( adapted by Sandra Delgado and Michael Halberstam ) At: Writers Theatre, 325 Tudor Ct., Glencoe. Tickets: WritersTheatre.org. Price: $35-80. Runs through: Dec. 15 I have a mixed relationship with Nora Helmer, the ...
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THEATER REVIEW Big Fish
Authors: Andrew Lippa and John August At: Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave. Tickets: BoHoTheatre.com or 773-975-8150; $25-$35. Runs through: Nov. 17 When Big Fish had its' pre-broadway Chicago tryout back in 2013, director Susan ...
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Guy Branum, queer comic, coming to Zanies
Out comedian Guy Branum is returning to Chicago with a brand new zany stand up act. Hailing from Yuba City, California, he went to college at the University of California, Berkley and later studied at the ...
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The Simon and Garfunkel Story extended through Dec. 8
CHICAGO ( October 10, 2019 ) — Broadway in Chicago is delighted to announce the internationally-acclaimed hit theatre show THE SIMON & GARFUNKEL STORY is extended through December 8. Additional tickets will go on sale at ...
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Lesbian comedian's release show Oct. 17
Chicago-based lesbian comedian Whitney Chitwood will have a new album, The Bakery Case, out Friday, Oct. 18—and she will have a release show the previous night. The release show will take place Thursday, Oct. 17, at ...
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THEATER REVIEW X
Playwright: Alistair McDowall At: Sideshow Theatre at the Biograph, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave. Tickets: VictoryGardens.org 773-871-3000; $20-$30. Runs through: Oct. 27 The bunker drama—more specifically, the post-Armageddon bunker drama—has been a staple of speculative allegories since ...
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CRITICS' PICKS
The Delicate Tears of the Waning Moon, Water People Theatre at Steppenwolf, through Oct. 13—Playwright/actor Rebeca Aleman combines a moving, fragile human story with potent politics in her timely tale of a journalist recovering from traumatic ...
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THEATER SPOTLIGHT A Man of Good Hope
Through Oct. 13 only, Chicago Shakespeare Theater hosts South Africa's Isango Ensemble in the highly-praised, A Man of Good Hope, a fact-based story about a young Somali refugee coming of age in South Africa, escaping civil ...
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THEATER REVIEW The Raveling
Playwright: Walkabout Ensemble, Fides Krucker, Guild of the Goat & Morgan McNaught At: Walkabout Theater Company @ Victor Gardens Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave. Tickets: 773-871-3000; walkabouttheater.org; $25. Runs through: Oct. 13 This world premiere from ...
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Rivendell Theatre Ensemble announces World Premiere of Laura and the Sea
Chicago, IL—Rivendell Theatre Ensemble ( RTE ), Chicago's only Equity theatre dedicated to producing new work with women at the core, presents the world premiere of Laura and the Sea by Kate Tarker, directed by Devon ...
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FLIP Fest, four nights of funny Lesbian plays, Oct. 29-Nov. 13
Pride Films and Plays has announced its first FL!P Fest—four nights of staged readings of full-length comedic lesbian plays. The plays will be read one per night on three Tuesdays ( Lethal Women, on Oct. 29; ...
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'Body Political' revue to take place Oct. 12
The Body Political—described as "a semi-annual burlesque and variety show that confronts social myths about the body through personal stories of resistance and reclamation"—will take place Saturday, Oct. 12, at 8 p.m. at the Greenhouse Theater, ...
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THEATER SPOTLIGHT Hello Again
We've all been around the block, right? You pick him up, then he hustles him who slaves for her who sleeps with them who tricks with hir who sleeps with you. Austrian playwright Arthur Schnitzler didn't ...
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Critics' Picks
Blue Stockings, Promethean Theatre Ensemble at the Den, through Oct. 13. Jessica Swale's inspirational historical drama recounts the struggle of women seeking an education in STEM sciences against stodgy male prejudice at an elite university in ...
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THEATER REVIEW The Delicate Tears of the Waning Moon
Playwright: Rebeca Aleman At: Water People Theater Company @ Steppenwolf, 1700 N. Halsted St. Tickets: 312-335-1650; Steppenwolf.org; $25. Runs through: Oct. 13 Two stories are packed into this 90-minute world premiere, which launches the 3rd Chicago ...
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Hope: Part II of a Mexican Trilogy
Play By: Evelina Fernandez At: The Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave. Tickets: 773-697-3830 or TheDenTheatre.com; $25-$35. Runs through: Oct. 27 Nostalgia and harsh reality vie for dominance in Teatro Vista's Midwest premiere of Hope: Part ...
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THEATER REVIEW Mother of the Maid
Playwright: Jane Anderson At: Northlight Theatre, at the North Shore Center for the Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie. Tickets: Northlight.org 847-673-6300; $30-$89. Runs through: Oct. 20 Dead Celebrities have always been prime targets for exploitation by ...
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Simply Sensational Benefit to salute Music Director Robert Ollis Nov. 4
Pride Films and Plays' annual fall benefit, SIMPLY SENSATIONAL, celebrates theater artists who have had a tremendous impact on all they work with. This year's event will honor a beloved figure in the Chicago theater scene ...
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The Second City marking 60 years with special events
The Second City turns 60 on Tuesday, Dec. 16. However, the celebration kicks off this month with special events and launches that give audiences a peek behind the curtain of the comedy theater. The company will ...
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LezFest taking place Oct. 22-23
LezFest—a presentation and celebration of queer female and non-binary performance artists—is expanding to two nights this year: Tuesday-Wed., Oct. 22-23. This edition of LezFest will include performances by 13 artists in The Broadway theater of the ...
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'Thrones' writer, Ewing to receive Sandburg Awards
Chicago Public Library and the Chicago Public Library Foundation announced that fantasy/science-fiction writer George R. R. Martin will receive the 2019 Carl Sandburg Literary Award. Also, the education sociologist Dr. Eve L. Ewing—who has published nonfiction, ...
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Ladysmith Black Mambazo returns to Steppenwolf
Steppenwolf Theatre will hold its world premiere production of Lindiwe—featuring music written and performed by the five-time Grammy winning group Ladysmith Black Mambazo—Nov. 7, 2019-Jan. 5, 2020 in the Downstairs Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St. Written ...
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I'm Not a Comedian…I'm Lenny Bruce at Royal George Cabaret in October
CHICAGO — Hot off its critically acclaimed, sold-out Los Angeles and Off-Broadway engagements, the Chicago premiere of "I'm Not a Comedian…I'm Lenny Bruce" will come to the Royal George Cabaret Theatre,1641 N. Halsted,Oct. 23 — Dec. ...
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THEATER REVIEW Bernhardt/Hamlet
French actress Sarah Bernhardt was a powerful woman calling her own shots at a time when few women anywhere got to do so. As such, she is a perfect subject for a feminist play. But Theresa ...
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McCraney's 'Brothers Size' Oct. 4-19
Returning to the stage for the first time since its Chicago premiere, Steppenwolf for Young Adults ( SYA ) presents The Brothers Size, by ensemble member Tarell Alvin McCraney ( Academy Award for Moonlight, co-creator of ...
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PERFORMANCE 'Destinos' festival offers something for everyone
The Chicago Latino Theater Alliance ( CLATA )—a non-profit 501( c )( 3 ) organization formed in 2016 by the three most prominent Chicago Latino arts organizations: International Latino Cultural Center, National Museum of Mexican Art, ...
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First Floor Theater to premiere Sugar in Our Wounds
CHICAGO ( September 23, 2019 ) — First Floor Theater is pleased launch its eighth season with the Chicago premiere of the award-winning SUGAR IN OUR WOUNDS, part of playwright Donja R. Love's trilogy of black ...
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THEATER REVIEW King Hedley II
Playwright: August Wilson At: Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Ave. Tickets: courttheatre.org 773-753-4472; $37.50-$74. Runs through: Oct. 13 The sheer scope and volume of August Wilson's American Century Cycle conjures visions of stately grandeur befitting treasures ...
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THEATER REVIEW Oslo
Playwright: J.T. Rogers At: TimeLine Theatre and Broadway in Chicago at Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place, 175 E. Chestnut St. Tickets: 312-775-2000 or www.timelinetheatre.com; $30-$75 With the regional premiere of Oslo at the Broadway Playhouse ...
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THEATER REVIEW Pakalolo Sweet
Author: Hannah Li-Eptstein At: Berger Park Cultural Center, 6205 N. Sheridan Rd. Tickets: NothingWithoutACompany.org; $10-$35. Runs through: Oct. 5 Nothing Without a Company Theatre continues its tradition of immersive stories from the people at the heart ...
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Critics' Picks
Timeless Magic, Chicago Magic Lounge, through Oct. 2—A souvenir from Chicago's 1893 Columbian Exposition—which introduced the Ferris wheel— launches young magician Sean Masterson on a search to identify its owner. MSB The Great Leap, Steppenwolf, ...
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THEATER Dana H.
Playwright: Lucas Hnath At: Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St. Tickets: 312-443-3800; GoodmanTheatre.org; $15-$45. Runs through: Oct. 20 Your mother is a non-denominational chaplain who counsels hospice patients and occasional psych ward inmates, among the latter ...
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Broadway In Chicago season includes The Devil Wears Prada
CHICAGO ( Sept. 19, 2019 ) — Broadway In Chicago is thrilled to announce its next season will go on sale to the public Sunday, Oct. 6. The season includes: the Pre-Broadway World Premiere of the ...
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Second City kicks off 60th with a new book, special events
CHICAGO, IL - ( September 19, 2019 ) The Second City turns sixty on December 16, but the celebration kicks off this month with a slew of special events and launches that give audiences a peek ...
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Broadway In Chicago season tickets on sale Oct. 6
Broadway In Chicago announced that its next season will go on sale to the public Sunday, Oct. 6. The season includes Moulin Rouge! The Musical, What the Constitution Means To Me, My Fair Lady, Six, Jesus ...
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Critics' Picks
You Can't Fake the Funk, Black Ensemble through Sept. 22—Funk music tribute with two dozen '60s, '70s and early '80s songs, exceptionally well performed by singers sporting towering platform shoes, billowing Afros and multitudinous spangles! ...
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The Suffrage Plays to open Nov. 1, director, full cast announced
Full casting has been announced for the opening production of Artemisia's season — THE SUFFRAGE PLAYS - an evening of three one-act comedies from the Suffrage Theatre, a vital element of the British Women's Suffrage Movement. ...
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THEATER REVIEW The Great Leap
Playwright: Lauren Yee At: Steppenwolf Theatre Company, 1650 N. Halsted St. Tickets: 312-335-1650; Steppenwolf.org; $20-$89. Runs through: Oct. 20 The year 1989, Chinese popular uprising, Tiananmen Square, the iconic Tank Man... The real Tank Man was ...
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THEATER REVIEW Five Presidents
Playwright: Rick Cleveland At: American Blues Theater @Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave. Tickets: 1-773-654-3103; AmericanBluesTheater.com; $29-$39. Runs through: Oct. 19 Richard Nixon, our 37th president, has been likened to Shakespeare's tragic heroes, but Greek tragedy ...
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THEATER REVIEW Tiny Beautiful Things
Playwright: Adapted by Nia Vardalos from the book by Cheryl Strayed. At: Victory Gardens Theater at the Biograph, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave. Tickets: VictoryGardens.org 773-871-3000; $31-$65. Runs through: Oct. 20 Once upon a time, there was ...
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Ooh La La Burlesque & Variety Show to benefit Center on Addison
Chicago, IL — We are thrilled to announce our upcoming fundraising event for Center on Addison, the social and residential center for LGBTQ seniors at Center on Halsted. The "Ooh La La Burlesque & Variety Show: ...
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Youth auditions for Christmas Carol Sept. 21
The Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St., is holding youth auditions for A Christmas Carol on Saturday, Sept. 21. In-person registration will be 8:30-10:30 a.m.; auditions will be 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Youth ( ages 5-17 ) ...
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Special Equity Jeff Award to honor Teatro Vista
Chicago Tuesday Sept. 17, 2019 - The Jeff Awards will honor Teatro Vista with the 2019 Special Equity Jeff Award at the Equity Ceremony at Drury Lane Oakbrook on October 21, 2019. Over the last three ...
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THEATER REVIEW Casa Valentina
Playwright: Harvey Fierstein At: The Broadway at Pride Arts Center, 4139 N. Broadway. Tickets: $25-40; PrideFilmsAndPlays.com. Runs through: Sept. 29 They come to a small resort in the Catskills, bringing suitcases full of dresses, wigs and ...
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About Face Theatre Announces Complete 2019-2020 Season
The About Face Theatre season will feature three hyper-intimate main stage productions that reveal multiple perspectives within the LGBTQ+ community, along with our award-winning education and outreach programming. PACKING World Premiere Written and performed by ...
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LEZFEST, with queer female and non-binary performance artists, expands
LEZFEST, a presentation and celebration of queer female and non-binary performance artists, expands to two nights - Tuesday October 22 and Wednesday October 23 Lineup of 13 artists to include song, dance, stand-up, storytelling, and spoken ...
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Black Ensemble Theater to present The Be Gala 2019
Chicago, IL—The acclaimed Black Ensemble Theater, led by Founder and CEO Jackie Taylor, celebrates 43 years of musical theater excellence in Chicago with an unforgettable gala filled with joy, exuberance and pure excitement. More than 500 ...
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Steppenwolf for Young Adults to premier The Brothers Size
CHICAGO ( September 10, 2019 ) — Returning to the stage for the first time since its celebrated Chicago premiere, Steppenwolf for Young Adults ( SYA ) presents The Brothers Size by ensemble member Tarell Alvin ...
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Steppenwolf Theatre Company begins 44th Season with The Great Leap
CHICAGO ( September 10, 2019 ) — Steppenwolf Theatre Company's 2019/20 season of complex, beautiful and maddening theater kicks off with a thrilling Chicago premiere by in-demand playwright, Lauren Yee, directed by Jesca Prudencio. Set in ...
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Theater: Be Here Now
Playwright: Deborah Zoe Laufer At: Shattered Globe Theatre at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave. Tickets: ShatteredGlobe.org 773-925-8150; $42 Runs through: Oct. 19 Don't be fooled by the pop-yoga title or the deceptively New Age publicity ...
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Architecture Center announces new neighborhoods, Year of Chicago Theatre trail
CHICAGO ( Sept. 10, 2019 ) — The Chicago Architecture Center ( CAC ) today announced the full roster of neighborhoods and sites participating in Open House Chicago 2019—now in its ninth year and one of ...
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Critics' Picks
You Can't Fake the Funk, Black Ensemble through Sept. 22—Funk music tribute with two dozen '60s, '70s and early '80s songs, exceptionally well performed by singers sporting towering platform shoes, billowing Afros and multitudinous spangles! JA ...
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THEATER The Band's Visit
Playwright: Itamar Moses ( book ), David Yazbek ( music & lyrics ) At: Cadillac Palace Theatre, 151 W. Randolph Street. Tickets: 800-775-2000; www.BroadwayInChicago.com; $39-$106. Runs through: Sept. 15 To Orin West, Lead Producer: The Band's ...
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Janus' 'Camelot' has female-identifying Lancelot
Janus Concert Series ( with Artistic Director Kaitlin Galetti ) kicks off its sophomore season with a full concert production of Lerner and Loewe's musical Camelot. Audiences will note that the role of Lancelot is played ...
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YEPP director receives theater award
On Aug. 8, Youth Empowerment Performance Project ( YEPP ) Executive/Artistic Director Bonsai Bermudez received the "Leadership in Community-Based Theatre and Civic Engagement" award from the Association for Theatre in Higher Education ( ATHE ). ATHE ...
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Nothing Without a Company to premiere Pakalolo Sweet
CHICAGO - Nothing Without a Company in association with Aloha Center Chicago photos & trailer release. You will not want to miss this immersive karaoke party and Chicago premiere of our limited run of Pakalolo Sweet. ...
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Drury Lane Theatre 2020/2021 Season includes Irving Berlin's Holiday Inn
Chicago, IL — Drury Lane Theatre announces its 2020/2021 season, which includes two Tony Award-winning musicals—the unforgettable Evita, based on the life of Argentinian First Lady Eva PerÃ"n, and the treasured Rogers and Hammerstein musical The ...
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Writers Theatre continues 2019/20 Season with A Doll's House
Glencoe, IL— Writers Theatre, under the leadership of Artistic Director Michael Halberstam and Executive Director Kathryn M. Lipuma, continues its 2019/20 Season with Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House, adapted by Sandra Delgado and Michael Halberstam, directed ...
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FALL THEATER PREVIEW Second looks and overdue appointments: Classics and revivals
Our city has become a worldwide destination for premiering plays ( if Mark Larson's new book on the history of show biz in Chicago is correct ), but there's still room for second-look and better-late-than-never theatergoing ...
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