Displaying items by tag: chicago theatre

Back by popular demand, the sold out hit, THE BOOK OF MORMON , is returning to Chicago! Broadway In Chicago is excited to announce tickets will go on sale on Friday, August 7. THE BOOK OF MORMON will play Broadway In Chicago’s Cadillac Palace Theatre (151 W. Randolph St.) for a limited engagement, October 23 – November 1.THE BOOK OF MORMON tour production photos can be found here.THE BOOK OF MORMON features book, music and lyrics by Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone. The Broadway production is directed by Parker and two-time Tony Award winner Casey Nicholaw, and choreographed by Nicholaw. The tour is directed and choreographed by Jennifer Werner based on the original Broadway direction and choreography. Set design is by three-time Tony Award winner Scott Pask, costume design is by Tony Award winner Ann Roth , lighting design is by five-time Tony Award winner Brian MacDevitt, sound design is by two-time Tony Award winner Brian Ronan, and hair design is by Josh Marquette. Orchestrations are by Tony Award winner Larry Hochman and two-time Tony Award winner Stephen Oremus. Music supervision and vocal arrangements are by Stephen Oremus. Casting is by Carrie Gardner.Since opening on March 24, 2011, THE BOOK OF MORMON  has become one of the most successful shows in Broadway history, breaking the Eugene O’Neill Theatre house record more than 50 times. In addition to nine Tony Awards including Best Musical and the Grammy for Best Musical Theatre Album, THE BOOK OF MORMON  won five Drama Desk Awards including Best Musical, the NY Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Musical, the Drama League Award for Best Musical and four Outer Critics Circle Awards including Best Musical.The West End production opened in February 2013, winning four Olivier Awards including Best New Musical, and breaking the record for the highest single day of sales in West End history. The first-ever UK and European tour launched in Manchester in June 2019, winning ‘Best Theatre Show’ at the Manchester Evening News City Life Awards before touring throughout the UK and Europe.THE BOOK OF MORMON has been performed on three continents and has won over 30 international awards. The musical has smashed long-standing box office records in New York, London, Melbourne, Sydney and in cities across the U.S. and the world.The Original Broadway Cast Recording for THE BOOK OF MORMON, winner of the 2011 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album, is available on Ghostlight Records.NETWORKS PRESENTATIONS (Producer) is an industry-leading producer of touring theatrical productions, committed to delivering quality entertainment to audiences worldwide for more than 25 years. www.networkstours.comFor more information, visit thebookofmormontour.com

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE
Friday, October 23 – 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, October 24 – 2:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, October 25 – 1:00 p.m. & 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday, October 27 – 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday, October 28 – 7:00 p.m.
Thursday, October 29 – 7:00 p.m.
Friday, October 30 – 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, October 31 – 2:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, November 1 – 1:00 p.m. & 6:30 p.m.

TICKET INFORMATION (As of August 6, based on availability and subject to change)
Individual tickets for THE BOOK OF MORMON go on sale Friday, August 7 and range from $49.00 - $139.00 with a select number of premium tickets available. Ticket price listed is when purchased in person at the box office. Additional fees apply for online purchases. Tickets are available now for groups of 10 or more by calling Broadway In Chicago Group Sales at (312) 977-1710 or emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. For more information, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com.

ABOUT BROADWAY IN CHICAGO
Broadway In Chicago was created in July 2000 and over the past 26 years has grown to be one of the largest commercial touring homes in the country. A Nederlander Presentation, Broadway In Chicago lights up the Chicago Theater District entertaining up to 1.7 million people annually in five theatres. Broadway In Chicago presents a full range of entertainment, including musicals and plays, on the stages of five of the finest theatres in Chicago’s Loop including the Cadillac Palace Theatre, CIBC Theatre, James M. Nederlander Theatre, The Auditorium, and just off the Magnificent Mile, the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place .
 

For more information and tickets, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com.
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Producing Artistic Director Kyle A. Dougan and Music Theater Works are proud to announce its 47th season. The 2027 season at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie, 9501 Skokie Blvd. includes Parade, March 4 - 28, 2027; Bye Bye Birdie, August 12 - 22, 2027; Mary Poppins, October 7 - 31, 2027, and the fourth and final show to be announced, December 16, 2027 - January 2, 2028. Parade and Mary Poppins will be in the North Theatre where Music Theater Works reimagines shows to fit the more intimate space while Bye Bye Birdie and the fourth show will be performed at the George Van Dusen Theatre to showcase these shows on a larger scale. Current members may renew for the 2027 season now with new memberships available beginning Wednesday, Oct. 7 at 12 p.m. and single tickets for all the 2027 productions will go on sale Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2027 at 12 p.m. For more information on the 47th season go toMusicTheaterWorks.com and for membership renewals call 847-673-6300.

"This season tells the story of who we are. From the urgent humanity of Parade to the infectious joy of Bye Bye Birdie, the timeless magic of Mary Poppins and an exciting finale still to come, each production reflects our belief that musicals have the power to unite us across generations,” said Producing Artistic Director Kyle Dougan-LeBlanc. As we celebrate 47 years, we aren't simply looking back, we're investing in the future of this art form by creating experiences that are intimate, inclusive, artistically bold and deeply connected to our community. That has always been our purpose, and it's what will carry Music Theater Works into the future.”

The Music Theater Works 2027 season includes:

PARADE

March 4 - 28, 2027

Book by Alfred Uhry

Music and Lyrics by Jason Robert Brown

North Theatre at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie

Parade is the daring, Tony Award-winning musical masterpiece from Alfred Uhry (Driving Miss Daisy) and Jason Robert Brown (The Last Five Years, The Bridges of Madison County). Based on a true story, Parade follows Leo and Lucille Frank, a young Jewish couple from New York whose new life in early 20th-century Georgia is upended when Leo is accused of a devastating crime. As their marriage, faith and belief in justice are tested, they confront prejudice, political pressure and a community searching for someone to blame. In this unflinching, intimate production, Parade brings audiences face-to-face with a story of love, resilience and the enduring pursuit of truth.

BYE BYE BIRDIE

August 12 - 22, 2027 

Book by Michael Stewart

Music by Charles Strouse

Lyrics by Lee Adams

George Van Dusen Theatre at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie

A Tony Award-winning and classic musical comedy set in small-town 1950s America, Bye Bye Birdie tells the story of rock & roll star “Conrad Birdie.” When Conrad gets drafted into the Army, he plans to say a final goodbye to the town of Sweet Apple, Ohio - but not without a farewell kiss! Based on the events of Elvis Presley’s own draft into the Army in 1957, Bye Bye Birdie is a sweet, lighthearted musical filled with young romance and just a bit of chaos featuring the classics “Put on a Happy Face,” “How Lovely to Be a Woman” and, of course, “Bye Bye Birdie.”

Disney and Cameron Mackintosh’s

MARY POPPINS 

October 7 - 31, 2027

Book by Julian Fellowes

A musical based on the stories of P.L. Travers and the Walt Disney Film

Original Music and Lyrics by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman

Book by Julian Fellowes

New Songs and Additional Music and Lyrics by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe

Co-Created by Cameron Mackintosh

North Theatre at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie

Cameron Mackintosh's and Disney’s Tony Award-winning “Best Musical” Mary Poppins brings its timeless magic to audiences of all ages. Set inside a child’s oversized Victorian doll house that bursts open with imagination, wonder and theatrical magic, everyone’s favorite nanny arrives with her iconic umbrella to take the Banks family, and audiences, on an unforgettable journey. Featuring beloved songs including “A Spoonful of Sugar,” “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” and “Step in Time,” this enchanting production is filled with breathtaking dance, dazzling visual moments and heartwarming storytelling. A magical experience for both children discovering the wonder of the story for the first time and adults rediscovering the joy and nostalgia of a beloved classic, Mary Poppins is a family adventure where imagination takes flight and everything is truly “Practically Perfect.”

Show #4

December 16, 2027 - January 2, 2028

George Van Dusen Theatre at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie

Award-winning Redtwist Theatre’s new 22nd season, “State of Violence,” begins with Prayer Circle, September 17 - November 8, by Erik Gernand and directed by Executive Artistic Director Dusty Brown, at Redtwist Theatre, 1044 W. Bryn Mawr Ave. Preview performances are Thursday, Sept. 17, Friday, Sept. 18 and Saturday, Sept. 19 at 7:30 p.m. Regular performance schedule includes Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3:30 p.m. Single tickets are on sale starting August 15 for $50 (seniors and veterans: $35; students: $10 and Fridays are Pay-What-You-Can) with subscriptions also available at RedtwistTheatre.org. 

As the world hurtles ever faster in the wrong direction, Addy discovers she may have the power to make it better. Joining with the members of a small town prayer circle, four people try to convince their pastor to pray with them… to bring about some killer results. Erik Gernand, Redtwist’s resident playwright, invites audiences to a darkly comedic debate - how far would you go to save your country?

The cast of Prayer Circle includes Jaqueline Grandt* (Marilyn); Philip Matthews* (Pastor Evans); Andi Muriel (Addy); Kezia Waters (Doug); Macaria Chaparro Martinez* (Carol); Natalie Rae (Marilyn U/S); Jeff Menezes (Pastor Evans U/S); Jessie Skonesey (Addy U/S) and Marco Antonio Perez (Doug U/S).

The creative team of Prayer Circle includes Erik Gernand (playwright); Dusty Brown (director); Joshua Servantez (assistant director); Jeff Brain* (scenic designer); Leo Bassow* (props designer); Piper Kirchhoffer* (lighting designer); Madeline Felauer (costume designer) and Charlie Tolbert (production manager).

*denotes Redtwist Theatre Ensemble Member

ABOUT ERIK GERNAND, playwright 

Erik Gernand is a Chicago-based playwright and filmmaker. His play The Totality of All Things won a Jeff Award for Best New Work for its 2024 production at Redtwist Theatre where he is the playwright in residence. His plays have been produced around the country, including at The Barrow Group (New York City), The ROAD Theatre Company (Los Angeles) and City Theatre (Miami) and have been published by Dramatic Publishing and Smith & Kraus. His award-winning short films have screened at more than 100 film festivals around the world including SXSW, Cinequest, Outfest and the Chicago International Film Festival and have been broadcast on IFC, PBS and The Logo Channel. Gernand is a professor of instruction in radio-TV-film at Northwestern University.

ABOUT DUSTY BROWN, director

Dusty Brown is the executive artistic director of Redtwist Theatre. They began their career as a stage hand in Atlanta, Georgia, working on everything from Shakespeare to new works, and everything in between. They received their MFA in directing from Ohio University in 2021. Notable productions include: Steve Yockey's Wolves at Redtwist and Pluto at Ohio University; William Shakespeare's Macbeth at Three Crows and Ohio University; Tracy Letts' Bug at Ohio University; Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd at DramaTech in Atlanta; Uffizi at Bottled Lightning in Atlanta and Neil Simon's Barefoot in the Park at Vox Populi Productions in Chattanooga.

The 2026 - 2027 Redtwist Theatre season also includes:

SHOW TWO - TO BE ANNOUNCED

January 28 - March 14, 2027

Previews: Thursday, Jan. 28 - Saturday, Jan. 30 at 7:30 p.m.

Opening Night: Sunday, Jan. 31 at 3:30 p.m.

Performance Schedule: Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3:30 p.m. 

Tickets: $50 (seniors and veterans: $35; students: $10 and Fridays are Pay-What-You-Can)

Single tickets go on sale Saturday, Aug. 15

Redtwist Theatre will be announcing the second production at a later date. 

Julius Caesar

April 8 - May 30, 2027

Written by William Shakespeare

Previews: Thursday, April 8 - Saturday, April 10 at 7:30 p.m.

Opening Night: Sunday, April 11 at 3:30 p.m.

Performance Schedule: Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3:30 p.m. 

Tickets: $50 (seniors and veterans: $35; students: $10 and Fridays are Pay-What-You-Can)

Single tickets go on sale Saturday, Aug. 15

“Friends, Romans, Countrymen…” Something’s rotten in the republic. Most people know what happened on the Ides of March, but do they remember what came next? Join Redtwist in a riveting new take on Shakespeare’s classic story of political violence and its consequences. 

Twisted Tuesday New Play Readings

Tuesdays at 7 p.m.

On select Tuesdays, Redtwist welcomes audiences for a new play reading from a variety of Chicago-based playwrights. All readings are Pay-What-You-Can.

One-On-Wednesday

Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m.

For three years, each Wednesday, Redtwist invites unique solo performers to take over its space and bring their singular, edgy perspective to the black box in Edgewater. All performances are Pay-What-You-Can.

Twisted PlayFest

Summer 2027

Returning for its third season, Twisted PlayFest is a new play incubator that provides ongoing play readings and development for aspiring Chicago playwrights. The centerpiece of this initiative is the annual Twisted Play Festival. The festival features ten plays at various stages of development. 

ABOUT REDTWIST THEATRE

Redtwist is an award-winning theatre company that has for 22 seasons staged up close and personal contemporary dramas annually in its intimate black box theatre housed proudly within the heart of Edgewater’s Bryn Mawr Historic District. 

Performances at Redtwist are designed to place the theatre patron in the midst of the stories being told, making them accessible and riveting. Redtwist strives for excellence with every project and endeavors to take risks while offering opportunities for up-and-coming actors, designers and directors to work with established talent. Redtwist provides the very best Chicago storefront theatre experience from excellence on stage, to warm hospitality in a clean, friendly environment.

Award-winning Redtwist Theatre’s new 22nd season, “State of Violence,” begins with Prayer Circle, September 17 - November 8, by Erik Gernand and directed by Executive Artistic Director Dusty Brown at Redtwist Theatre, 1044 W. Bryn Mawr Ave. Preview performances are Thursday, Sept. 17, Friday, Sept. 18 and Saturday, Sept. 19 at 7:30 p.m. Regular performance schedule includes Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3:30 p.m. Single tickets are on sale starting August 15 for $50 (seniors and veterans: $35; students: $10 and Fridays are Pay-What-You-Can) with subscriptions also available at RedtwistTheatre.org. 

Black Ensemble Theater continues its 50^th Anniversary Season with the world premiere of You Can't Fake the Funk: A Journey Through Funk Music, written and directed by Artistic Director Director Daryl D. Brooks. You Can't Fake the Funk runs September 5-October 25, 2026, at the Black Ensemble Theater Cultural Center, 4450 N. Clark Street in Chicago.

Information and tickets are available at www.blackensemble.org, (773) 769-4451 and at the Black Ensemble Theater Box Office, 4450 N. Clark Street in Chicago. Please note the new curtains times: Fridays at 7:00pm, Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. and Sundays at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are $69 (fees included). Valet parking is available for $15 (cash only).

Hop aboard the Mothership and take a groovy ride back to the era when Afros were high, bell-bottoms were tight, and the music was truly out of sight! You Can't Fake the Funk: A Journey Through Funk Music is a high-energy, feel-good celebration of the sound that defined a generation. From Sly and the Family Stone to Parliament-Funkadelic to Earth, Wind & Fire, this electrifying production will have audiences dancing in the aisles and testifying to the unstoppable power of the Funk.

The cast is led by Dwight Neal (Dr. Funk) with an ensemble cast including: Vincent Jordan, Britt Edwards, Jaitee Thomas, Miciah Lathan, Jordan Taylor, Darrow Richmond, Darren Patin, Johnathon Lee and Brandon Lavell. The understudies are Blake Reasoner and Kentrell Dawson.

The creative team includes: Founder/CEO Jackie Taylor (producer), Artistic Director Daryl D. Brooks (director, writer), Robert Reddrick (music director), Qiana McNary (associate director), Robin DaSilva (vocal arranger), Christopher Chase Carter (choreographer), Denise Karchewski (lighting and set designer), Robert Kunh (costume designer), Sean Alverez (sound designer), and DJ Douglass (projection designer), Harrison Orneals (technical director), Kristi Martens (Equity stage manager), and Cat Andrade (Equity assistant stage manager).

The live band is: Music Director Robert Reddrick (drums), Adam Sherod (keys), Oscar Brown (guitar), Charles "Chip" DuBose (guitar), Walter Harrington (bass), Mark Allen Felton (sax), Corey Wilkes (trumpet), Bill McFarland (trombone), and Myron Cherry (drum understudy).

The 5-Play Card

Black Ensemble Theatre's 5-Play Card is a digital ticket package unlike any other. At a cost of $280 (including fees), it offers a savings of $65 over regular ticket prices. One of the greatest perks of the 5-Play Card is its flexibility – use the five tickets any way you want! You can: bring five people to one show, treat yourself to five different shows, or use the 5-Play Card in any ticket number combination until all five tickets are spent.

The 5-Play Card is good for 18 months and becomes active immediately after purchasing. If you buy multiple 5-Play Card packages, please note that a maximum of five tickets can be redeemed on a single show date.

The 50^th Anniversary Season continues with:

Jackie Taylor's The Other Cinderella

Written and directed by Founder & CEO Jackie Taylor

Music by Jackie Taylor and Michael Ward
December 12, 2026-January 24, 2027

Opening: Sunday, December 20, 2025

Jackie Taylor's The Other Cinderella is a beloved Black Ensemble Theater classic that has delighted audiences for 50 years.  This joyful African American version of the timeless fairy tale is filled with laughter, soul, and heart. In this story, Cinderella is from the projects, the Stepmamma works at the post office, the Fairygodmama hails from Jamaica, and the Brothers from the Hood keep the kingdom jumpin'!

Overflowing with show-stopping songs, vibrant dancing, and unforgettable characters, The Other Cinderella is a treasured family tradition, and the perfect way to close our 50th Anniversary Season, reminding us to embrace our greatness and follow our spirit!

Black Ensemble will continue with the Plays With A Purpose series for school groups, Black Playwrights Initiative, Soul of a Powerful Woman on June 7, 2026, the free summer outside concert series Fridays on the Green in August, and the annual Gala on October 15, 2026,

About Black Ensemble's Free to Be Village

Construction is underway on the new Studio Theater, the second phase of the visionary Free to BE Village. This intimate space will nurture new work, emerging voices, innovative storytelling, and the next generation of talent. It represents a bold step forward as we continue expanding the artistic possibilities of Black Ensemble Theater.

The Studio Theater, housed on the second floor of the Black Ensemble Cultural Center at 4450 N. Clark St., will be transformed into a 3,150 sq. ft., 150-seat performance space, plus a dance studio/rehearsal room and a dressing room. The Studio Theater was the final project designed by the outstanding late architect John Morris. The Studio Theater will have flexiblility to accommodate at least eight stage and seating configurations and will feature state-of-the-art lighting and sound design.

The inaugural season for the Studio theater will be announced in September or October. It will offer much needed space for new and experimental works, including the works of the Black Playwrights Initiative. The Studio theater will also include musical as well as non-musical stage productions. 

The architect is Morris Architects Planners; John Morris passed away in 2025. The construction administration phase by Seek Design. The contractor is Ujamaa Construction.

Funding for the project is generously provided by City of Chicago Community Development funds; Federal community project funds – Representative Jan Schakowsky and Representative Mike Quigley; Illinois Arts Council; Paul M. Angell Family Foundation; and the State of Illinois DCEO.

Black Ensemble Theater   

Founded in 1976 by acclaimed producer, playwright, and actress Jackie Taylor, Black Ensemble Theater is the only African American theater on the culturally, racially, and ethnically diverse North Side in Uptown. Through its Educational Outreach Programs, Black Ensemble has served more than 10,000 young people. Its Four Play Season of Excellence has captivated audiences locally, nationally, and internationally with outstanding original musicals that entertain, uplift, and bridge cultural divides, reminding us that we are all one. Black Ensemble Theater has produced more than 100 productions and employed more than 5,000 artists.

The mission of the Black Ensemble Theater Company is to eradicate racism and its devastating effects upon society through the theater arts and community engagement.  For more information on the Black Ensemble Theater Company, visit www.BlackEnsembleTheater.org or call 773-769-4451.  

Jackalope Theatre Company, presenting the 17th Annual Newspaper Festival, August 20 - 24, is proud to announce the world premiere of Engines and Instruments of Flight: A Fantasia in Three Acts by Calamity West, written by Calamity West and directed by Jonathan Berry, November 11 - December 19, 2026, at Jackalope Theatre in the Broadway Armory Park, 5917 N Broadway St. The total running time, including one intermission, is two hours and 30 minutes. Preview performances are Wednesday, Nov. 11, Friday, Nov. 13 and Saturday, Nov. 14 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 15 at 2 p.m. The performance schedule is Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. with no Friday, Nov. 27 or Saturday, Nov. 28 performances. Tickets are $20 - $45 with student and Edgewater resident discounts available. Subscription and single tickets are now available at JackalopeTheatre.org or call/text the box office at 773.340.2543.

Calamity West is conjuring a fantasia: It’s 1986 New York and Tony is a playwright who isn’t writing. As he and his closest collaborators search for meaning in an increasingly fractured America, figures from history begin appearing with agendas of their own. Engines and Instruments of Flight is a play about the magic of making theatre in a world that refuses to stand still.

The cast of Engines and Instruments of Flight: A Fantasia in Three Acts by Calamity West includes Raphael Diaz (he/him, Henry); Julian Hester (he/him, William); Niko Kourtis (he/him, Tony); Andrew Burden Swanson (he/him, Calvin); Johnard Washington (he/him, Gene) and Mary Williamson (she/her, Eleanor).  

The creative team for Engines and Instruments of Flight: A Fantasia in Three Acts by Calamity West includes Calamity West (she/her, playwright); Jonathan Berry (he/him, director); Salman Lee (he/him, assistant director); Tianxuan Chen (she/her, scenic and lighting designer); Delena Bradley (she/her, costume designer); Steve Labedz (they/them, sound designer); Courtney Abbott (they/she, intimacy coordinator); Madie Doppelt (she/her, script advisor); E Tylkowski (they/them, production manager); Tseela Sokolin-Maimon (she/her, stage manager); Mayah Jaimes (they/them, assistant stage manager) and AJ Links, CSA (she/her, casting director).

ABOUT CALAMITY WEST, PLAYWRIGHT

Calamity West is the 2026 recipient of the Laurents/Hatcher Foundation Award, one of the nation’s most significant prizes for new American plays, for her play FEAST!. Originally developed in New York at Primary Stages through the Dorothy Strelsin New American Writers Group, FEAST! received further development at the Lucille Lortel Theatre. West’s work has been produced, commissioned and developed by some of the country’s leading theatrical institutions including The Public, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Roundabout Theatre Company, the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute and Jackalope Theatre Company. From 2022 to 2026, West was an invited member of Primary Stages’ Dorothy Strelsin New American Writers Group, where she wrote three new plays: FEAST!, Sgt. Hank Cole’s Drama Club of Algona and PARALLAX. Her body of work also includes In the Canyon, Give It All Back, Rolling and Greetings from Moscow: A Love Story. West’s Engines and Instruments of Flight: A Fantasia in Three Acts is receiving its world premiere at Jackalope Theatre Company to be followed by the world premiere of FEAST! at Goodman Theatre, February 27 - March 28, 2027.

ABOUT JONATHAN BERRY, DIRECTOR

Jonathan Berry is a Chicago-based director, producer, educator and is the recently appointed artistic director at Raven Theatre. For Jackalope, he directed the world premiere of The Casuals.  He was an artistic producer at Steppenwolf, where directing credits include: Lindiwe, The Children, You Got Older, Constellations, Curious Incident… and The Crucible. Other work includes: Steep Theatre (Company Member): Paris, Birdland, Red Rex, The Knowledge, Festen, Moment and The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui. Griffin (Company Member): The Harvest, Balm in Gilead, Golden Boy, Spring Awakening, Punk Rock, Port, Company and Picnic. Other credits include Roundabout Theater: Suicide, Incorporated; Gift Theatre: the remount of Obliterarion, the world premieres of Dirty and Suicide, Incorporated and at Goodman Theatre: The Solid Sand Below and The World of Extreme Happiness for New Stages. Assistant director for Broadway productions of Of Mice and Men and This is Our Youth.  He taught classes at UIC, Columbia College, Northwestern and was instrumental in leading the ensemble training program, The School, at Steppenwolf.  For three years, he served as artistic director of the Penobscot Theatre Company in Bangor, Maine. 

Coming Up from Jackalope:

17th Annual Living Newspaper Festival 

August 20 - 24

Press Opening: Thursday, Aug. 20 at 7:30 p.m.

Performance Schedule: Thursday - Saturday at 7:30 p.m., Sunday at 3 p.m. and Monday at 7:30 p.m.

The Broadway Armory, 5917 N Broadway

JackalopeTheatre.org/2025-2026

Tickets: $20 - $35

The Living Newspaper Festival is inspired by the 1930s Living Newspapers of the Federal Theatre Project that created stories based on recent events. This year’s Festival includes world premieres inspired from recent news headlines.

Performances, show times, dates are subject to change.

ABOUT JACKALOPE THEATRE

Jackalope Theatre Company expands the definition of American Identity by engaging with communities to produce works that celebrate diverse perspectives. Jackalope is a premier home for new and exciting Off-Loop Theatre based in Chicago's Edgewater and Rogers Park neighborhoods. They are committed to cultivating new voices that contribute to an expanding American culture and mythology. Each season, Jackalope produces full-length plays, new play development programming and provides free classes in partnership with the Chicago Park District.

Jackalope Theatre Company, presenting the 17th Annual Newspaper Festival, August 20 - 24, is proud to announce the world premiere of Engines and Instruments of Flight: A Fantasia in Three Acts by Calamity West, written by Calamity West and directed by Jonathan Berry, November 11 - December 19, 2026, at Jackalope Theatre in the Broadway Armory Park, 5917 N Broadway St. The total running time, including one intermission, is two hours and 30 minutes. Preview performances are Wednesday, Nov. 11, Friday, Nov. 13 and Saturday, Nov. 14 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 15 at 2 p.m. with the press opening Tuesday, Nov. 17 at 7:30 p.m. The performance schedule is Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. with no Friday, Nov. 27 or Saturday, Nov. 28 performances. Tickets are $20 - $45 with student and Edgewater resident discounts available. Subscription and single tickets are now available at JackalopeTheatre.org or call/text the box office at 773.340.2543.

Broadway In Chicago is excited to announce tickets for t he original Tony® & Olivier Award-winning musical sensation, JERSEY BOYS, are now on sale. The highly anticipated engagement will play Broadway In Chicago’s CIBC Theatre for a limited two-week engagement, November 10 - 22. This engagement of JERSEY BOYS is part of a multi-city North American Tour beginning September 2026 in celebration of its 20^th Anniversary year.

JERSEY BOYS is the behind-the-music true story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons.  They were just four guys from Jersey, until they sang their very first note. They had a sound nobody had ever heard… and the radio just couldn’t get enough of. But while their harmonies were perfect on stage, off stage it was a very different story – a story that has made them an international sensation all over again. The show features all their hits including “Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “December 1963 (Oh, What a Night),” “Walk Like A Man,” “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” “Beggin’” and “Working My Way Back To You.”

JERSEY BOYS is written by Academy Award-winner Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, with music by Grammy Award-winner Bob Gaudio, lyrics by Bob Crewe.

The recipient of Broadway’s Tony, London’s Olivier and Australia’s Helpmann Awards for Best New Musical, JERSEY BOYS is the winner of 65 major awards and has been seen by over 30 million people worldwide.

The Broadway production originally opened on November 6, 2005, and, by the time it closed on January 15, 2017, it was the 12^th longest running show in Broadway history.  It returned to New York with a new production from November 2017 to May 2022. JERSEY BOYS has also had multiple record-breaking US National Tours from 2006 through 2022 as well as productions in Las Vegas, Chicago and Toronto.

JERSEY BOYS ran in London’s West End from March 18, 2008 to March 26, 2017 and, at the time, was the 6^th longest musical running in the West End. The musical returned to the West End as the first show to play the reinstated Trafalgar Theatre from April 14, 2021 to January 4, 2024. JERSEY BOYS previously played three record-breaking UK and Ireland tours from 2014 to 2016, 2017 to 2019 and 2021 to 2022.

A JERSEY BOYS 20^th Anniversary UK and Ireland tour also opened on June 15, 2026, at the New Wimbledon Theatre, currently booking dates through 2027.

The JERSEY BOYS 20^th Anniversary North American tour will be staged by the entire original Broadway creative team, led by the Tony Award-winning team of director Des McAnuff and choreographer Sergio Trujillo, with scenic design by Klara Zieglerova, costume design by Jess Goldstein, lighting design by Howell Binkley, sound design by Steve Canyon Kennedy, projections design by Michael Clark and production supervision by Danny Austin. The orchestrations are by Steve Orich and the music supervision and vocal arrangements by Ron Melrose.

The Original Broadway Cast Recording of JERSEY BOYS, produced by Bob Gaudio, was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. The cast recording is available on Rhino Records. JERSEY BOYS: The Story of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons (Broadway Books) is the official handbook to the smash Broadway hit.  Season’s Greetings: A JERSEY BOYS Christmas, a holiday CD featuring international cast members of JERSEY BOYS, produced by Bob Gaudio, is available on Rhino Records.

For more information, please visit www.JerseyBoysInfo.com
Instagram: @JerseyBoysBroadway
Facebook: @JerseyBoysBroadway
TikTok: @JerseyBoysBroadway
YouTube: @JerseyBoys
Threads: @JerseyBoysBroadway

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE
Tuesday, November 10 – 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday, November 11 – 7:00 p.m.
Thursday, November 12 – 7:00 p.m.
Friday, November 13 – 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, November 14 – 2:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, November 15 – 1:00 p.m. & 6:30 p.m.

Tuesday, November 17 – 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday, November 18 – 1:00 p.m. & 7:00 p.m.
Thursday, November 19 – 7:00 p.m.
Friday, November 20 – 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, November 21 – 2:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, November 22 – 1:00 p.m.

TICKET INFORMATION (As of August 14, based on availability and subject to change)
Individual tickets for JERSEY BOYS are on sale now and range from $40.00 - $140.00 with a select number of premium tickets available. Ticket price listed is when purchased in person at the box office. Additional fees apply for online purchases. Tickets are available now for groups of 10 or more by calling Broadway In Chicago Group Sales at (312) 977-1710 or emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. For more information, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com.

ABOUT BROADWAY IN CHICAGO
Broadway In Chicago was created in July 2000 and over the past 26 years has grown to be one of the largest commercial touring homes in the country. A Nederlander Presentation, Broadway In Chicago lights up the Chicago Theater District entertaining up to 1.7 million people annually in five theatres. Broadway In Chicago presents a full range of entertainment, including musicals and plays, on the stages of five of the finest theatres in Chicago’s Loop including the Cadillac Palace Theatre, CIBC Theatre, James M. Nederlander Theatre, The Auditorium, and just off the Magnificent Mile, the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place.
 

For more information and tickets, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com.
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Curious Theatre Branch, with co-producers Chicago Danztheater Ensemble, Chicago Dramatists and Labyrinth Club, are pleased to announce the 37th annual Rhinoceros Theater Festival, September 20 - October 26 at four venues across Chicago. The month-long festival of shows will kick off with a special “afternoon tea” edition of the Full Moon Vaudeville, this concert launches the festival on Sunday, Sept. 20 at 3 p.m. at Facility Theatre, 1138 N. California Ave., headlined by art/folk/cabaret act The Crooked Mouth and other special guests. 

Throughout its nearly four decades, Rhinofest has endeavored to welcome as many participants as possible, both as artists and as audience members. To that end, artists pay no fee to apply or to produce their works at Rhinofest and all tickets are offered at pay-what-you-can pricing, with a $25 suggested price. Tickets and details for all upcoming shows will be available Sunday, Sept. 6 at Rhinofest.com.

Since its inception in 1989, as a single weekend of shows in the Wicker Park neighborhood, this unique and mutable fringe festival has expanded and contracted to fit the time and has become the longest running Fringe Festival in Chicago. Festival events will take place at four venues this year: Facility Theatre, 1138 N. California Ave. in Humboldt Park; Chicago Dramatists, 798 N. Aberdeen in River West, Labyrinth Arts Club, 3658 N. Pulaski Rd. in the Irving Park neighborhood and Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble, 1650 W. Foster Ave. 

The 37th Rhinofest will feature mostly original work from Chicago artists and companies, including new work from The Fat Theater Project, the 10th anniversary of Ira Murfin’s An Interview, a new work by Jessica Wright Buha, new work from Drinking and Writing Theater, and, of course, an evening of short works by The Curious Theatre Branch, Rhinofest’s host. New to the Festival in 2026 are partnerships with Chicago Danztheater, a beautiful space in Andersonville, featuring movement-based work and a creativity workshop called Maps, Guides & Legends: a generative writing and interdisciplinary art-making workshop on Saturday, Oct. 24 at 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.  

This year's festival will feature plays, music and performances from more than 35 companies and solo artists. Among the highlights are: 

The Full Moon Vaudeville

Facility Theater, 1138 N. California Ave.

Sunday, Sept. 20 at 3 p.m.

The annual bacchanalia headlined by art/folk/cabaret act The Crooked Mouth 

includes a variety of acts to inaugurate the festival featuring cool things as yet unknown and a rare afternoon teatime show.

Make Out the Words 

by The Curious Theatre Branch

Chicago Dramatists, 1105 W. Chicago Ave.

Saturday, Oct. 3 at 9 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 4 at 5 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 10 at 7 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 18 at 5 p.m., Friday, Oct. 23 at 7 p.m. 

Make Out the Words: two new short plays inspired by the unproduced writing of the late Matt Rieger, by Curious ensemble members Charlotte Lastra and Chris Bower. The show also features a performance of Rieger's own text by Beau O'Reilly. 

A strange encounter on a train leaves an aimless woman desperate for answers, and a flood with no explanation leaves a couple with a basement full of ruined Moby Dicks.

Drinking and Writing Theater: Miersten Wolf

Labyrinth Arts Club, 3658 N. Pulaski Rd.

Thursdays: Sept. 24, Oct. 1, Oct. 8, Oct. 15 and Oct. 22 at 7 p.m.

In this 70-minute musical, three stories are interwoven with 10 original songs. The stories include the truthful biographical information of the writer, the history of Chicago's problem/solution with its waste and, lastly, a fictional story of a crib keeper on Lake Michigan who dreams of a mysterious woman named Miersten Wolf.

Works in Progress

By Jeff Glassman, Mark Enslin and Susan Parenti

Chicago Dramatists, 1105 W. Chicago Ave.

Saturday, Oct. 3 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 4 at 3 p.m.

Works in progress include Radish is My Teacher by Jeff Glassman, a collection of scripts for puppets by Susan Parenti and a libretto by Mark Enslin about a stranded international volunteer incarcerated firefighter. Both Susan Parenti & Jeff Glassman have had new works produced here in Chicago and around the country over the last decade.

The Metamorphosis aka The Adult Show/I'm a Bug!!! aka the Kids Show

By Jessica Wright Buha

Chicago Dramatists, 1105 W. Chicago Ave.

Sundays: Oct. 4, Oct. 11, Oct. 18 and Oct. 25 at 11 a.m.

This staged reading presents TWO works-in-progress that will happen at the same time (in two separate rooms). 

The Metamorphosis aka The Adult Show, is a five-actor immersive show based on Franz Kafka's “The Metamorphosis.” 

I'm a Bug!!!! aka the Kids Show, is a two-actor/teaching artist show for kids based on Franz Kafka's “The Metamorphosis.” This second piece will also serve as child care for audience members going to see The Metamorphosis.

Shaking the Beckett: 

The Magic of Lady M. and A Needless & Wasteful Requirement

By Fat Theater Company

Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble, 1650 W. Foster Ave.

Friday, Oct. 9 and Saturday, Oct. 10 at 9 p.m. 

These two one acts are both subjective and satirical interpretations of the works of two theatrical masters: William Shakespeare and Samuel Beckett. The Magic of Lady M. by Laura Scruggs reimagines the tragedy of “Macbeth” as a feminist political satire in a style akin to John Waters or “Ru Paul's Drag Race.” A Needless & Wasteful Requirement by Robert MacCrae follows two actresses awaiting the performance rights to produce Waiting for Godot, which becomes an existential absurd comedy in the vein of Beckett himself. 

An Interview

By Ira Murfin

Sunday, Oct. 18 at 4 p.m. at Labyrinth Arts Club, 3658 N. Pulaski Rd.

Saturday, Oct. 24 at 9 p.m. at Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble, 1650 W. Foster Ave.

An Interview is an ongoing series of encounters between rotating pairs of participants, who meet across a table in front of an audience to first revisit an interview conducted during the previous installment and now to conduct a new, unrehearsed conversation. Every performance is specific, unique and unrepeatable, while each encounter is connected to all the others by the format and sequence that carries through the project’s 10-year history. 

Special Event: Maps, Guides & Legends

Led by Sherry Antonini and Jenny Magnus

Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble, 1650 W. Foster Ave.

Saturday, Oct. 24 from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Maps, Guides & Legends is a generative writing and interdisciplinary art-making workshop. A writing and creativity day based on the idea that doing is learning, and experiments and games are an explosive way to try new things. Antonini and Magnus have been teaching together for 30 years, from the incredible Interdisciplinary Arts Department at Columbia College Chicago back in the day to writing classes at The School of the Art Institute and everything in between. This duo knows how to have fun and get ideas rolling. Anyone can get ready to begin, begin again or find a way through the middle of a project. Open to writers and interdisciplinary artists at all levels, this workshop will point to new project routes, productive detours and discoveries of what can be found along unpaved roads. 

About the Rhinoceros Theater Festival

The event that became the Rhinoceros Theater Festival began in 1988 as an offshoot of the Bucktown Arts Fest and in its first year featured just two days of performances, including work by Curious Theatre Branch co-founders Jenny Magnus and Beau O'Reilly. Curious went on to produce the Rhino across many neighborhoods and venues over the years, with events variously taking place in Wicker Park/Bucktown, Rogers Park, Andersonville and Avondale; at spaces including the Lunar Cabaret and Full Moon Café, the Neo-Futurarium, the Society for New Things, The Garage, The Firehouse, Remains Theatre and Prop Thtr. In the mid-2000s, Rhinofest settled at Prop Thtr in Avondale as its long-term base and Prop and Curious co-produced the festival among a shifting group of curators for many years. Following the closure of Prop's Elston Ave. space in 2020 and a year off during the height of the pandemic, Rhinofest now returns to its expanded form, producing shows by more than 50 artists at multiple venues.

Collaboraction Theatre Company announced today two major productions for its 2026-27 season: the world premiere of Chicago writer Willie Round’s Mud Life this fall, and the return of Trial in the Delta: The Murder of Emmett Till in February.

“For our 31st season, at our House of Belonging, Collaboraction opens our chamber of change to Chicagoans to cultivate new knowledge, empathy, dialogue, and action with two plays by writing partners and Collaboraction Company Members, G. Riley Mills and Willie Round. One play is in the present. The other in the past. Both impact our future,” said Collaboraction Artistic Director Anthony Moseley. “Mud Life, set in a worn down recording studio on Chicago’s West side and based on Willie's actual life, is a raw, revealing look at the hopes and dreams of escaping poverty and scarcity through music. The other is based on the heartbreak of Mamie Till-Mobley's life, an excavation of the once-erased courtroom proceeding where a mother and others risked their lives to confront and dismantle white hatred, changing us all, forever.”

Both productions will have multiweek runs at Collaboraction’s new House of Belonging, now anchoring the Kimball Arts Center, 1757 N. Kimball Ave. in Chicago’s Humboldt Park community. Tickets to both productions are already on sale at collaboraction.org.

First is the debut of Mud Life, a raw, intimate drama by and based on Chicago writer, rapper, producer and Collaboraction Company Member Willie Round’s experiences growing up on Chicago’s west side making music.

The plot spins around Anthony and Devontae, two aspiring hip-hop artists from Chicago’s North Lawndale community who are struggling to climb beyond their circumstances while creating music under the control of a manipulative strip-club owner. When an enigmatic outsider offers them a rare shot at escape, their loyalty fractures, and their bond is tested in ways that alter the course of their lives. 

Mud Life first entered Collaboraction’s orbit in 2019 as the seven-minute short play Broke Down Drone in Collaboraction’s Peacebook Festival. That experience spawned an award-winning short film of the same name. More recently, Round returned to the script, which received workshops and readings earlier this summer at both Bramble Theatre and Definition Theatre. 

Collaboraction Artistic Director Anthony Moseley will direct Collaboraction’s world premiere of Mud Life. Martine Kei-Green Rogers, Dean, The Theatre School at DePaul University, is dramaturg.

Previews are Wednesday through Saturday, October 21-24 at 7:30 p.m. Performances run through November 15: Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 pm; Sunday at 3 p.m. Industry Night is Monday, November 2 at 7:30 p.m. No show Saturday, October 31. Tickets are $15-$50. 

Collaboraction’s season continues with the return of its critically acclaimed smash hit Trial in the Delta: The Murder of Emmett Till, February 3-March 14, 2027. Back by popular demand, Trial in the Delta is an unforgettable theatrical event that invites audiences to confront the truth, honor a legacy, and experience one of the greatest injustices of all time as if it were happening today.

On September 20, 1955, the trial of the men who murdered 12-year-old Emmett Till began in Sumner, Mississippi, and the world would never be the same. In this immersive, 90-minute live docudrama, Collaboraction transforms the long-buried trial transcript into a gripping theatrical experience that places audiences face-to-face with the people whose testimony spurred the civil rights movement. Actors seated among the audience rise to take the stand as witnesses for the prosecution and defense—including Mamie Till-Bradley—bringing raw, unfiltered history to life. The Chicago Reader called last year’s staging, the first production in Collaboraction’s new home in Humboldt Park, “a sharp reminder of how close the events of 70 years ago are to our own time.” The Chicago Tribune gave it 3-½ stars, noting it “makes plain the injustice of that moment.”

Collaboraction’s fourth remount of the award-winning Trial in the Delta, co-adapted by Willie Round and G. Riley Mills, co-directed by Anthony Moseley and Dana Anderson, will feature a powerhouse cast of returning artists, including NK Gutiérrez as Mamie Till-Bradley, along with new faces. 

Previews are Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, February 3-5 at 7:30 p.m. Opening Night is Saturday, February 6 at 7:30 p.m. Performances continue through March 15: Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 3 p.m. Each show will be followed by a short Crucial Conversation. Tickets are $20-$60. Twelve premium seats inside the jury box are sold at every show. Groups of 10 or more receive a 10% discount. Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call (312) 226-9633 for more information.

Trial in the Delta: The Murder of Emmett Till is presented in partnership with The Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley Institute, as part of the Till Life Matters Initiative. Thanks to this relationship, Trial in the Delta was showcased at The Till Institute’s Emmett Till’s 85th Birthday Commemorative Dinner on July 31, the first public gala at the new Obama Presidential Center.

Also on stage this season at Collaboraction

Collaboration’s new You Belong Here series is keeping the company’s home in Humboldt Park activated year round. 

You Belong Here provides a new platform for independent artists and groups at any stage in their career, with an emphasis on those who live in proximity to the Kimball Arts Center in Humboldt Park. Curated by company member Sandra Delgado, the series is meant to take the barriers out of self-producing by providing free space and equipment, stage management, marketing and PR support and a generous door split model. 

To illustrate, You Belong Here shows this August at Collaboraction include:

Bilingual Improv School’s ¡El Showcase!, Wednesday, August 12 at 7 p.m.

A night of hard-core dance music with Silver October’s HEARTFELT HARDCORE, Friday, August 14 at 8 p.m.

Darshita Jain and Ghutarghoo Productions’ literary reading series Roomani, Tuesday, August 25 at 6:30 p.m.

The People’s Pot & Pantry, serving free, healthy meals to Chicago’s performing arts community, Monday, August 24 at 4 p.m.

The hilarious comedy variety show Max and Binkey: The Funktion, Wednesday, August 26 at 7 p.m.

Bilingual Improv School’s Cómo Se Dice?, Friday, August 28 at 7:30 p.m.

That’s not all. Collaboraction Executive Director Darlene Jackson, aka DJ Lady D, continues to present her new monthly gathering series, The Frequency. Collaboraction’s youth ensemble The Luminaries continues to take over the stage once a month with its open mic night, Radiate.

And Collaboraction looks forward to being a new host site for the Chicago Latino Theater Alliance’s Destinos Festival this fall.

For tickets and more information about any of these shows, visit collaboraction.org. To submit a You Belong Here performance proposal, visit collaboraction.org/you-belong-here.

Note: Free and nearby street parking is available near the Kimball Arts Center. For CTA riders, the 82 Kimball-Homan bus stops right in front of the building. The theater is also a short walk from the Kimball stop on the 72 North and 73 Armitage bus lines. For bikers and pedestrians, the Kimball trailhead on The 606 leads directly to the Kimball Arts Center. 

About Collaboraction

Celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2026, Collaboraction is an award-winning Chicago theater company that uses immersive, socially conscious performance to spark change and build equity. Across all platforms, Collaboraction uses its KEDA methodology - Knowledge, Empathy, Dialogue, and Action - to spark changes in behavior and attitudes that manifest social change.

Collaboraction’s past work includes NBC Chicago’s three-time Emmy Award-winning The Lost Story of Emmett Till: Trial in the Delta, the resulting live stage play film, Trial in the Delta: The Murder of Emmett Till, live productions of Crime Scene, Moonset Sunrise, A Blue Island In the Red Sea, its annual Peacebook and Sketchbook festivals, and its youth ensembles, The Light and The Luminaries.

Collaboraction receives generous operating support and program funding from the Joseph and Bessie Feinberg Foundation, the Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, Marc and Jeanne Malnati Family Foundation, Gary Grube, the Lester and Hope Abelson Fund for the Performing Arts at the Chicago Community Trust, Naperville Rotary Club, Field Foundation, Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.

Collaboraction is led by Darlene Jackson, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director; Anthony Moseley, Chief Programming Officer and Artistic Director; and a dedicated board, company members and staff.  For more information, visit collaboraction.org or follow Collaboraction on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube or TikTok.

Steppenwolf Theatre Company, the nation's premier ensemble theater company, is pleased to continue its 51st Season with the world premiere of Chicago playwright Stephanie Alison Walker's biting satire Adirondack Chair Circle, directed by Tony Award winner Pam MacKinnon (Downstate, Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?), playing October 22 — December 6, 2026 in Steppenwolf's Ensemble Theater, 1646 N. Halsted St. in Chicago. Single tickets are now on sale at steppenwolf.org or the Box Office at (312) 335-1650. 

Adirondack Chair Circle will feature ensemble member Caroline Neff (Mr. Wolf, Fool for Love, POTUS, Another Marriage), with additional casting to be announced shortly.

About the Production:

A gaggle of suburban moms, armed with pickleball paddles and hard kombucha, are ready to take on the school board in the fight of their lives: attempting to ban the controversial books available to their kids in the school library. But is this trusted inner circle all on the same page? A piercing world premiere from a Chicago playwright, Stephanie Alison Walker's Adirondack Chair Circle exposes the hilarious hypocrisy of the causes we claim and the company we keep. And has a damn good time doing it.

The creative team includes Todd Rosenthal (Scenic Design), Izumi Inaba (Costume Design), Barbara Samuels (Lighting Design), Mikhail Fiksel (Sound Design), Nicholas Hussong (Projection Design), Kate DeVore (Vocal Coach), Bryar Barborka (Dramaturg), Patrick Zakem (Creative Producer), Elise Hausken (Production Manager), JC Clementz, CSA (Casting), Michelle Medvin (Production Stage Manager) and Kathleen Barrett (Assistant Stage Manager). For full cast and creative team bios, click here.

Production Details:

Title: Adirondack Chair Circle
Playwright: Stephanie Alison Walker
Director: Pam MacKinnon
Cast: ensemble member Caroline Neff (Evelyn Grace). Additional casting to be announced.

Location: Steppenwolf's Ensemble Theater, 1646 N. Halsted St., Chicago

Dates: Previews: Thursday, October 22 – Saturday, October 31, 2026
Opening: Sunday, November 1, 2026 at 6 pm
Regular run: Tuesday, November 3 – Sunday, December 6, 2026
Curtain Times: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30 pm; Saturdays at 3 pm & 7:30 pm; and Sundays at 3 pm. Please note: there will not be 7:30 pm performances on Tuesday, October 27, Thursday, November 5, Tuesday, November 10, Wednesday, November 18, Wednesday, November 25, Thursday, November 26 and Tuesday, December 1; there will be an added 2 pm matinees on Wednesday, November 25 and Wednesday, December 2.

Tickets: Classic Memberships starting as low as $165 are now on sale for Steppenwolf's 2026/27 season at steppenwolf.org/myseason. Single tickets for Adirondack Chair Circle ($20 – $149*) are now on sale at steppenwolf.org and the Box Office at (312) 335-1650. Steppenwolf Flex Memberships are currently on sale: Black Card Memberships with six tickets for use any time for any production and RED Card Memberships for theatergoers under 30. *Pricing includes an $8.50 handling fee

Steppenwolf offers 20 tickets for $20 (no added fees) for each performance of every membership series production. Use promo code 20FOR20 to redeem this offer online, available in advance until they're sold out for every main series show. Limit 2 tickets per person. You can also purchase by phone at (312) 335-1650 on the day-of show at 12 pm for main series performances. Limit 2 tickets per person.

Accessible Performance Dates:

Audio-Described and Touch Tour: Sunday, November 22 at 3 pm (1:30 pm Touch Tour)
Open-Captioned: Saturday, November 7 at 3 pm, Thursday, November 19 at 7:30 pm and Saturday, November 28 at 3 pm
ASL-Interpreted: Friday, December 4 at 7:30 pm

Education and Engagement:

Throughout the 2026/27 season, Steppenwolf continues its commitment to the next generation of theatre learners, makers and appreciators with robust education and engagement programming. Programming includes dedicated student matinee performances during four of the five Membership Series productions including Topdog/Underdog, Adirondack Chair Circle, The Comeuppance and Ellen B., in-school residencies in partnership with Chicago Public schools, workshops, panels and events specifically geared towards teens, as well as professional development trainings and resources for educators. For additional information about Steppenwolf's Education and Engagement programming and to register your school for a field trip visit steppenwolf.org/education-community/school-teacher-programs/field-trips.

Artist Biographies:

Stephanie Alison Walker (Playwright) is an internationally-produced, award-winning playwright whose work is known for the personalization of the political, humor in darkness and the dramatization of the resilience of women. She is a native Chicagoburbian who has lived all over including London, Buenos Aires, San Juan Island and fifteen years in Los Angeles. She received her Bachelors in English/Creative Writing and Spanish from the University of Colorado and her Master of Professional Writing from the University of California. She began writing plays while working for Fox Theatricals in Chicago. Her play about the housing crisis, American Home, was the inaugural winner of American Blues Theatre's Blue Ink Award. Her play about the mothers of the disappeared in Argentina, The Madres, received a National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere at Teatro Vista in Chicago, Skylight Theatre Company in L.A., Moxie Theatre in San Diego and Shrewd Theatre Company in Austin. It was the 2019 Winner of the Francesca Primus Prize, winner of the Ashland New Plays Festival, the Generations Prize and semi-finalist for the CTG/ Humanitas Prize for playwriting. Her follow-up play The Abuelas, premiered at Teatro Vista and was recently adapted into a short film titled The Birthday Gift. The Art of Disappearing was a finalist for the Primus Prize and enjoyed critical praise for the world premiere in Chicago by 16th Street Theater in 2015. Friends with Guns, her play about liberals and gun ownership was an O'Neill Finalist, winner of Best New Play at the 2019 Valley Theatre Awards, and had its Chicago premiere by A Short Leap Theatre Company in 2025. Sophia Hayden Deserves Better tells the story of the architect of the Woman's Building at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago and was recently a part of Gglassfest by Lookingglass Theatre in Chicago. The Ordeal of Water, inspired by the first women to work as Longshoremen at the Port of Los Angeles, was most recently a part of Bay Street Theater's New Works Festival. Adirondack Chair Circle, her play that tackles suburban book-banning moms, was developed at The Inkwell Theater Company and A Red Orchid's Studio at A Red Orchid. Her short plays have been anthologized by Smith & Kraus. Her full-lengths are published by Broadway Publishing, Inc. In addition to writing plays, she is currently adapting Friends with Guns and The Abuelas as features while raising two spirited boys and selling real estate in the suburbs of Chicago. She is a proud member of the Dramatists Guild of America, Honor Roll Playwrights, NNPN Affiliated Artist, and a proud alumni of the Playwrights Union. stephaniealisonwalker.com

Pam MacKinnon (Director) is a Tony, Drama Desk and multi-Obie Award winning director. She is the artistic director of American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. She has directed more than eighty productions. Her Tony Award-winning production of Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? originated at Steppenwolf. Her production of Bruce Norris's Downstate (Steppenwolf, National Theatre and Playwrights Horizons) was celebrated with several Jeff Awards and won Pam her second Obie. She served as president of SDC, the national Union of choreographers and directors.

Caroline Neff (Evelyn Grace) is a Steppenwolf ensemble member. At Steppenwolf, she was last seen in Mr. Wolf, Fool for Love, POTUS, Another Marriage, Describe the Night, Seagull, Dance Nation, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, You Got Older, Linda Vista (also Taper Forum and Broadway), The Fundamentals, The Flick, Airline Highway (also Broadway), The Way West, Three Sisters, Annie Bosh is Missing and Where We're Born. Select theatre credits include: Lettie (Jeff Award Best Actor; Victory Gardens Theater); Uncle Vanya (Goodman Theatre); A Brief History of Helen of Troy (Jeff Award for Best Actress), The Knowledge, Harper Regan, In Arabia We'd All Be Kings (Steep Theatre); The Downpour (Route 66 Theatre); Port (Griffin Theatre); 4000 Miles (Northlight Theatre); Moonshiner (Jackalope Theatre). Regional credits include: Peerless (Yale Repertory Theatre). Film and television credits include: FBI, Three Women, Let the Right One In, The Red Line, Chicago PD, Chicago Fire, Open Tables and Older Children, and heard in multiple Audible Projects such as: Song of the Northwoods, Crowded Hours, Denali and Boar's Nest. She is a proud company member of Steep Theatre and holds her BA from Columbia College.

Accessibility:

As a commitment to make the Steppenwolf experience accessible to everyone, performances featuring American Sign Language Interpretation, Open Captioning and Audio Description are offered during the run of each STC production. Assistive listening devices (ALDs), large-print programs and Braille programs are available for every performance and all our spaces are equipped with an induction hearing loop. Our building features wheelchair accessible seating and restrooms, push-button entrances, a courtesy wheelchair and all-gender restrooms, with accessible counter and table spaces at our bars. For additional information regarding accessibility, visit steppenwolf.org/access or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Sponsor Information:

United Airlines is the Official and Exclusive Airline of Steppenwolf. Steppenwolf is also grateful for the significant season support from lead sponsors Allstate Insurance Company, Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Crown Family Philanthropies, Caroline and Keating Crown, Julius Frankel Foundation, Lefkofsky Family Foundation, Northern Trust, Anne and Don Phillips, John Hart and Carol Prins, Shubert Foundation, Inc, Walder Foundation, and Zell Family Foundation. Steppenwolf also acknowledges generous support from premier sponsors Anonymous, Andrew and Amy Bluhm, Michael and Cathy Brennan, Ann and Richard Carr, Chicago Community Trust, Rich and Margery Feitler, FROST CHICAGO, Jessica and Dominic Green Family Fund, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, The Orlebeke Foundation, Polk Bros. Foundation, Sacks Family Foundation, Gary Sinise Foundation, Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, Thoma Bravo, and Bryan Traubert and Penny Pritzker. Steppenwolf also acknowledges support from the Illinois Arts Council and the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.            

About Steppenwolf Theatre Company:

Steppenwolf Theatre Company is the nation's premier Ensemble Theater with 51 members who are among the top actors, playwrights and directors in the field. Thrilling, powerful, groundbreaking productions have made this theatre legendary. From the early phenomenon of Balm in Gilead, to The Grapes of Wrath, August: Osage County, Downstate, The Brother/Sister Plays, and more recently, the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning Purpose, Steppenwolf Theatre has had a long-running and undeniable impact on American Theatre and Chicago's cultural landscape. Founded in 1974 by Terry Kinney, Jeff Perry and Gary Sinise, Steppenwolf started as a group of friends in their teens and early 20s performing in the basement of a school in Highland Park, Illinois. Today, the company's artistic force remains rooted in the original vision of its founders: an artist-driven theatre, whose vitality is defined by its appetite for bold and innovative work. Every aspect of Steppenwolf is rooted in its Ensemble ethos, from the intergenerational artistic programming to the multi-genre performance series LookOut, to the nationally recognized work of Steppenwolf Education and Engagement which serves nearly 15,000 teens annually. While grounded in the Chicago community, more than 40 original Steppenwolf productions have enjoyed success nationally and internationally, including Broadway, Off-Broadway, London, Sydney, Galway and Dublin. Steppenwolf also holds accolades that include the National Medal of Arts, 14 Tony Awards, two Pulitzer Prize-winning commissions and more. Led by Artistic Directors Glenn Davis and Audrey Francis, Executive Director E. Brooke Flanagan and Board of Trustees Chair Keating Crown — Steppenwolf continually redefines the boundaries of live theater and pushes the limits of acting and performance.

Steppenwolf's Mission: Steppenwolf strives to create thrilling, courageous and provocative art in a thoughtful and inclusive environment. We succeed when we disrupt your routine with experiences that spark curiosity, empathy and joy. We invite you to join our ensemble as we navigate, together, our complex world. steppenwolf.org, facebook.com/steppenwolftheatre, twitter.com/steppenwolfthtr and instagram.com/steppenwolfthtr.

American Blues Theater, under the continued leadership of Executive Artistic Director Gwendolyn Whiteside, announces the recipient of the 2026 Blue Ink Award is Nia Akilah Robinson for her play Overnight at the Museum. As part of the award, Robinson receives a $3,000 cash prize and a staged reading at American Blues Theater at the annual Blue Ink Festival of new plays on August 15, 2026, at American Blues Theater, 5627 N Lincoln Ave. in Chicago.

The festival will celebrate the 2026 Blue Ink Award recipient Nia Akilah Robinson and featured finalists Benjamin Benne and Claire Crowley. Reservations for individual tickets are available at americanbluestheater.com/ and (773) 654-3103. The suggested donation is $12 per play or $30 to see all three. Reservations are recommended as the festival is expected to sell out. Refreshments and beverages will be served throughout the day.

The schedule of events on Saturday, August 15 follows:
10:00am – Doors open for the 2026 Blue Ink Festival
10:30am – stage reading of Overnight at the Museum by Nia Akilah Robinson, winner of 2026 Blue Ink Award
12:00pm – Reception
12:30pm – staged reading of and thou shalt be healed by Benjamin Benne
  2:30pm – staged reading of The Scouts of America Don't Sell Cookies, B*tch by Claire Crowley

The nationally renowned Blue Ink Award for playwriting was created by American Blues Theater in 2010 to support new work. Theaters in Chicago and throughout the country have taken note of the competition as the winning plays have had a remarkable page-to-stage success rate. In Chicago alone, four scripts that were featured in the Blue Ink Festival are being produced this season including: Uhuru (Featured Finalist, 2023) at American Blues Theater followed by the world premiere at Alley Theater in Houston fall, 2026; Sisters (Finalist, 2023) at Writers Theater in fall 2026 after its world premiere at Northern Stage in Vermont; Dead Girl's Quinceanera (Semi-finalist, 2025) - world premiere at Goodman Theater this fall; and The Conquered (Winner, 2024) - world premiere at American Blues Theater spring 2027. Four scripts that were featured in the competition were produced in Chicago in past three seasons: Things With Friends (Winner, 2023) - world premiere at American Blues Theater, 2025 and 2026 Steinberg/ATCA runner up/ finalist; Alma (Winner, 2019) - world premiere American Blues Theater and Center Theatre Group (Kirk Douglas) and went on to productions in multiple cities, including Seattle, Denver and Boston; a home what howls (or the house what was ravine) (Featured Finalist, 2022) - world premiere at Steppenwolf in 2024, and Welcome to Matteson (Winner, 2018) – world premiere New Jersey Repertory and Congo Square Theatre (2023)

Submissions are now open for the 2027 Blue Ink Awards.

About the Plays

*denotes ensemble member or artistic affiliate of American Blues Theater

OVERNIGHT AT THE MUSEUM  
by Nia Akilah Robinson
directed by Manny Buckley*
Saturday, Aug 15 at 10:30 AM

Featuring Rasaan Khalil (DaMarcus), Terah Jene (Deandra & others), and Martel Manning* (Darius)

"One and done before the full-time security come through with them fancy museum suits, and them ear-piece-sez and- and them lil' first aid certified pins."

Two Black men who work as night guards for museum security are stealing Ghanian artifacts from a gentrified American neighborhood. Can they get them where they need to be before the grand opening of a "Neo-African Museum"? Overnight at the Museum is a hilarious heist story that masterfully toys with our definitions of history, legacy, and art.

Nia Akilah Robinson (she/her) is a playwright and actor who reps Harlem with all her might. Productions: Soho Rep U.S. Off Broadway Premiere (2025 New York Times Critics Pick), NextStop Theatre (2026 Helen Hayes Recommended), Co-Pro: Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company & Company One Theatre, Urbanite Theatre, Theatre503, Theatre Exile, and The Hearth. Her work has been seen and developed with Nashville Repertory Theatre (Ingram New Works Project), Steppenwolf Theatre, The New Group, The Ground Floor: Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Great Plains Theatre Conference, SPACE on Ryder Farm, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Waterwell, Classical Theatre of Harlem, Urbanite, and New Georges. Nia has been a MacDowell Fellow, Travis Bogard Eugene O'Neill Foundation Fellow, and a writer for PEN America and EST/Alfred P. Sloan Foundation (short play). She has had residencies at NYSAF and The Pocantico Center through YoungArts. Nia's work has been featured at the Bay Area Playwrights Festival, The Fire This Time Festival, and the 48th Samuel French Off-Off-Broadway Short Play Festival. Nia has been awarded 1st Place for the 2023 A is For Playwriting Contest, the Next Wave Initiative Lorraine Hansberry Writing Scholarship, a Miranda Family Fund Commission, and the NYSCA Grant (CCCADI). She was shortlisted for the 2023 Theatre503's International Playwriting Award. And Nia is a member or alumna of Ensemble Studio Theatre's Youngblood, I-73 at Page 73, The Orchard Project NYC Greenhouse, The Wish Collective, and TheBlackHERthePen. Education: Yale (DGSD- MFA Playwriting Candidate) & Juilliard (Lila Acheson Wallace American Playwrights Program).

and thou shalt be healed
by Benjamin Benne
directed by associate artistic director Elyse Dolan*
Saturday, Aug 15 at 12:30pm

Featuring Editha Rosario-Moore* (Mary) & Nate Santana* (Johnny)

"The article explores how what we believe can be powerful enough to become reality"

Mary and Johnny are siblings – with a complicated cult upbringing. Johnny has left the cult but Mary remains. They reunite on a remote mountain in New Mexico when Mary brings news that will force them both to reckon with their relationship, their beliefs, and their faith.

Benjamin Benne (he/him) was the 2019 winner of the Blue Ink Playwriting Award for his play Alma, which had its World Premiere with American Blues and Center Theatre Group (Los Angeles) in 2022, then went on to productions at ArtsWest (Seattle), Curious (Denver), Central Square (Cambridge), The Spot (Ketchum), Chance (Anaheim), and Passage (Trenton). He has also had plays produced with Mosaic (DC), First Floor (Chicago), Portland Stage (ME), Pillsbury House (Minneapolis), Actors Theatre (Louisville), and forthcoming at Crowded Fire (San Francisco) and Boston Court (Pasadena). His plays have also been developed by the O'Neill, Ojai, Oregon Shakes, The Public, Roundabout, Primary Stages, South Coast Rep, Seattle Rep, and The Playwrights' Center, among many others. He was named part of "LA Vanguardia: The Latino innovators, instigators, and power players breaking through barriers" by the Los Angeles Times and received an MFA in Playwriting from the Yale School of Drama. www.benjaminbenne.com\

THE SCOUTS OF AMERICA DON'T SELL COOKIES, B*TCH
by Claire Crowley
directed by Ian Paul Custer*
Saturday, Aug 15 @ 2:30 PM

Featuring Kieran McCabe* (Joe), Kelan Smith (Dylan), Manny Buckley* (Benny), Christopher Acevedo (Jared), & JG Smith* (Effie).

"Nope nope nope cookies aren't just for girls. Cookies are for everyone!"

The Scouts of America Don't Sell Cookies, B*tch interrogates the relationship between capitalism and violence through the lens of American youth. The Scouts of America, formerly known as the Boy Scouts of America, have changed their name to be gender inclusive! Effie, a girl, decides to join the Scouts, eager for new friends and an escape from the norm. She enters the formers boys' club with an intensity and hunger for new skills that surprises her troop leader, Joe, and scares her fellow scouts. As she traverses the unfamiliar landscape, she battles assumptions and underestimations of her personhood. There is also a bald eagle. This is important.

Claire Crowley (she/her) is a New York-based playwright and screenwriter from the ocean and mountains of New England. Sometimes she writes dark comedies, and sometimes she writes drama, but always her plays are centered on themes of violence and money, grief and loss and yearning, hypocrisy and intra, inter, and structural power, (dis)belonging and home and liminality, community and friendship and queerness. Her plays include THE SCOUTS OF AMERICA DON'T SELL COOKIES, B*TCH (Blue Ink Award Featured Finalist, GPTC New Play Festival, Ojai Playwrights Conference Semifinalist, O'Neill Playwrights Conference Semifinalist, Echoes Writers Program Finalist), THE CALLING or BROKE (O'Neill Playwrights Conference Semifinalist, Fringe Fest PVD) and METASTASIZED (B&E Rooftop Reading Series Finalist, Woodward Residency Finalist). Her plays have been developed with Great Plains Theater Commons, American Blues Theater, Primary Stages, The Tank, Playwrights Realm, Oregon Contemporary Theatre, Chicago Dramatists, and The Barrow Group. She is a Hunter College Playwriting MFA '28 Candidate.

About the Blue Ink Award for playwriting

The nationally renowned Blue Ink Award for playwriting was created in 2010 to support new work. Since inception, we've named 16 Award winners, 197 finalists, and 283 semi-finalists. Over $15,000 in cash and prizes will be distributed to playwrights in 2026.

Each year American Blues Theater accepts worldwide submissions of original, unpublished full-length plays. The winning play will be selected by Executive Artistic Director Gwendolyn Whiteside and the theater's Ensemble. The 2026 winning playwright receives a monetary prize of $3,000. Cash prizes are awarded to finalists and semi-finalists too. All proceeds of the administrative fee are distributed for playwrights' cash prizes.

Submissions for the 2027 Blue Ink Award are now open. All submissions must be received by American Blues Theater by August 31, 2026 at 11:59pm. Playwrights may only submit one (1) manuscript each year for consideration.

About American Blues Theater
Winner of the prestigious National Theatre Company Award from American Theatre Wing (Tony Awards), American Blues Theater is an Ensemble of artists committed to producing new and classic diverse stories that ask the question: "What does it mean to be American?"

The diverse and multi-generational artists have established the second-oldest professional Ensemble theater in Chicago. As of 2026, the theater and artists received 265 Joseph Jefferson Awards and nominations that celebrate excellence in Chicago theater and 44 Black Theatre Alliance Awards. The artists are honored with Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize nominations, Academy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, Emmy Awards and numerous other accolades.