Chicago — The League of Chicago Theatres is pleased to highlight upcoming in-person performances this spring and summer. Many companies are also preparing for fall venue and production openings and some are taking advantage of the warmer months to produce outdoors.
League of Chicago Theatres Executive Director Deb Clapp comments, "This has been a year of great planning, introspection and change for the theatre industry. It is so exhilarating to see theatre companies gear up for live, in-person performances again. The industry is watching CDC guidelines for safety and, as more theatres announce opening plans, we look forward to gathering together again soon."
New shows are being added regularly. For a comprehensive list of both virtual and in-person Chicago productions, visit the League of Chicago Theatres websites, ChicagoPlays.com and HotTix.org . For in-person performances, patrons are encouraged to check each theatre's health and safety guidelines before attending.
Some of the indoor and outdoor theatre productions announced so far include:
Now Open
The Second City has reopened its Chicago venue with two productions: Happy To Be Here on the Mainstage, and Safer, Shorter & Still So Funny at e.t.c. The Second City welcomes back audiences with 60-minute shows Thursdays through Sundays. secondcity.com
Chicago Children's Theatre is presenting Little Jams: A Parking Lot Performance for kids and their families. This highly interactive show featuring acts from CCT's favorite musicians and vocalists runs Saturdays and Sundays through June 6, 2021. chicagochildrenstheatre.org
Metropolis Performing Arts Centre in Arlington Heights is producing Little Shop of Horrors outdoors, May 6-June 19, in an outdoor tent venue just blocks from the theatre. My Way: A Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra will play July 15 — August 28, 2021. metropolisarts.com
The ninth annual Pivot Arts Festival: Reimagining Utopia will take place May 21 — June 6 in both in-person and virtual spaces. A celebration of contemporary performance, this year's festival presents twelve selected artists and artistic groups commissioned to create video installations or short, live works responding to the theme of a better world post-pandemic. pivotarts.org/festival
A&A Ballet celebrates its 5th anniversary on Saturday, May 22 with a triple bill at the Athenaeum Theatre. Featuring critically acclaimed audience favorite The Art Deco Nutcracker, and two world premieres, Swan Lake and Rhapsody in Blue. athenaeumtheatre.org
Opening Soon
Chicago Symphony Orchestra will present three programs at Symphony Center May 27 — June 13: Fanfare, Strum, and Overture. cso.org
Lyric Opera of Chicago will present Hansel & Gretel in the Park at North Park Village Nature Center, 5801 N Pulaski, select dates May 27 —June 18. lyricopera.org
Stage Left Theatre will produce Spring Fling: Outdoor Playwright Festival outdoors in the Northcenter Town Square, 4100 N Damen, May 27— 29. Seven playwrights address the question, "How has life changed," in 10-minute plays about life in the pandemic. stagelefttheatre.com
North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie will present "Out Back Summer Sessions," a series of live music and theatre events in its parking lot. The events start June 11 with the Fareed Haque Group. Theatre highlights include Porchlight Music Theatre's New Faces Sing Broadway 1979, hosted by Alexis J, Roston on June 12, Music Theater Works' Legends of the 50s & 60s June 18 — 27, Northlight Theatre's Let the Good Times Roll with E. Faye Butler and Felicia P. Fields will play July 9 — 10, and Theater Wit's Park & Play Cabaret on July 31. northshorecenter.org/SummerSessions
Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre, a multicultural company that creates new dance and music to explore strong personal narratives, will perform a show for all ages at Beverly Arts Center on Saturday, June 12. beverlyartcenter.org
Beverly Arts Center will present William Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors June 18 — 27 outdoors in the BAC Courtyard. beverlyartcenter.org
The Chicago Latino Theater Alliance (CLATA) presents a new solo show by Puerto Rican actress and comedian Marian Pabón called Sola en la Pandemia está Cañón at Joe's on Weed St, Saturday, June 19. Performed in Spanish. clata.org
Auditorium Theatre presents a free 50-minute outdoor performance, ABT Across America, in Millennium Park on July 8. auditoriumtheatre.org
Teatro ZinZanni returns on July 8 with a cast of comedians, aerialists, acrobats, singers, dancers, and a gourmet meal inside the Spiegeltent on the 14th floor of the Cambria Hotel. www.zinzanni.com/Chicago
Oak Park Festival Theatre returns to Austin Gardens Park in downtown Oak Park with The Tempest, directed by Barbara Zahora. The production runs July 15 — August 21. oakparkfestival.com
Visit ChicagoPlays.com and HotTix.org for comprehensive listings (including online performances and events) and updates as more in-person performances are announced. Dates subject to change.
About Chicago theatre
Chicago theatre is the leader in the U.S. with more than 250 theatres throughout Chicagoland, comprising a rich and varied community ranging from storefront, non-union theatres to the most renowned resident theatres in the country, including 5 which have been honored with Regional Tony Awards, and the largest touring Broadway organization in the nation. Chicago's theatres serve 5 million audience members annually and have a combined budget of more than $250 million. Chicago produces and/or presents more world premieres annually than any other city in the nation. Each year Chicago theatres send new work to resident theatres across the country, to Broadway, and around the world.
The League of Chicago Theatres' Mission Statement
Theatre is essential to the life of a great city and to its citizens. The League of Chicago Theatres is an alliance of theatres, which leverages its collective strength to support, promote and advocate for Chicago's theatre industry. Through our work, we ensure that theatre continues to thrive in our city.
