In 2005, a crowd gathered at the University of Chicago's Reynolds Club to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the invention of improv. No less an authority than the university archivist had de…
From sex offenders to amoral business people and nervous autoworkers to self-involved rock stars, Chicago theater was home to some spectacularly vivid characters in 2018. Here's our annual t…
The Factory Theater announced its cast for "May the Road Rise Up," written by ensemble member Shannon O'Neill and directed by ensemble member Spenser Davis. Davis will direct Loretta Rezos, …
I've seen more than 30 shows at Trap Door Theatre over the past 16 years. Yet their current offering, Tadeusz Rozewicz's "The Old Woman Broods," may be the Trap Dooriest of them all in its d…
What qualifies someone to be a woman of soul? It's debatable, of course, given that soul music intertwines with jazz, gospel, disco and rhythm and blues. It's a genre with subgenres like fun…
Families could do a lot worse this holiday season than to take out a home equity loan for a bucket of multiplex popcorn and take in "Mary Poppins Returns," director Rob Marshall's hectic seq…
Despite the gentle, bucolic, fair-weather reverie implied by the famous title, director Joe Dowling's truly eye-popping new production of William Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" at…
Since Deeply Rooted Dance Theater kicked off its "Generations" program in 2013, the company has been consciously digging into its archives, pairing new works with old ones to create programm…
The Practical Theatre will return to the Chicagoland area with a two-night classic radio show featuring comedy, live music and handmade sound effects. The comedy troupe was founded in the 19…
Friday "La Ruta": To the U.S.-owned factories in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, La Ruta is just a bus. But to the hundreds of women who live, work and often disappear along the route, it's more. A w…
On Friday, Steppenwolf announced that co-founder Gary Sinise will make a stop at the theater to promote his new book, "Grateful American: A Journey from Self to Service." Sinise will be in c…
On Thursday, Marriott Theatre announced casting for "Million Dollar Quartet," directed by James Moye, with music direction by Ryan T. Nelson. The musical revue stars Christopher J. Essex as …
"A Shayna Maidel" âœâœâœâœ Barbara Lebow's 1980s play "A Shayna Maidel" is a much richer work than I ever realized, especially in director Vanessa Stalling's exquisitely acte…
On Thursday, City Lit Theater artistic director Terry McCabe announced the cast for "Fuente Ovejuna," a classic Spanish drama published 400 years ago by Lope de Vega. McCabe will direct his …
On Thursday, Raven Theatre announced casting for its production of Paula Vogel's "How I Learned to Drive." Under the direction of artistic director Cody Estle, the show will feature Jeff Awa…
There's never a bad time for a good laugh and the right comedian can help you close out 2018 in happy tears. Great stand-up comedy is a nightly occurrence across Chicago, and this New Year's…
Wither forgiveness in a year of constant American division? That question was at the core of many of the best Chicago shows of 2018 as this theater-loving city explored questions of guilt, p…
Drive down Howard Street " the border boulevard betwixt Chicago and Evanston " and you may be surprised to see the exterior of a modestly scaled but beautifully clad theater, the all-new qua…
Mortality was on the Broadway menu this year " most all of the best works of the calendar year shed light on the pain of the human condition, especially once we're past the first blush of yo…
On Wednesday, Steppenwolf Theatre Company announced that longtime ensemble member Randall Arney will direct its upcoming revival of Sam Shepard's "True West," the production that first launc…
Who is Isaac Gomez? If you live outside of the world of nonprofit theater, you may not know. As recently as 2013, Gomez was an undergraduate student at the University of Texas at Austin. He …
On Tuesday, Curious Theatre Branch and Prop Thtr announced the 30th annual Rhinoceros Festival. The lineup will include six weeks of new plays, dance, devised works, variety shows, comedy, l…
On Tuesday, the Paramount Theatre announced casting for its revival of Mel Brooks' "The Producers." Helmed by artistic director Jim Corti, music direction will be led by Tom Vendafreddo whil…
This year, Chicago's dance stages were filled with bold, ambitious programming, stunning revivals and work which responded to the present by reflecting on the past. It goes without saying th…
Gitta Jacobs, whom her son Clay Jacobs said died peacefully in her Gold Coast home Friday at the age of 85, probably served as a director of more small Chicago theaters than any other single…