Lookingglass Theatre Company continues its tradition of staging visually inventive and thought-provoking world premieres with its latest production, Untitled Vampire Play. Written by Lookingglass Ensemble Member Kevin Douglas - who has previously crafted well-received work for the company, including Thaddeus and Slocum: A Vaudeville Adventure - this comedy-drama uses supernatural…
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Theatre in Review
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Friday, 19 June 2026 10:25
Tom Stoppard’s epic finale Leopoldstadt is an instant classic at Writers Theatre
Written by John Accrocco
What would you do if you found out your heritage wasn’t what you thought it was? In Tom Stoppard’s case, he wrote a sweeping, epic play about it. Glencoe’s Writers Theatre brings Leopoldstadt to the Chicago area for the first time since its West End and Broadway runs in the…
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Theatre in Review
Thursday, 18 June 2026 13:24
Nunsense, Not Quite Immaculate - But Blessed With a Strong Cast
Written by Angelo Campos
Following its recent winter production of Sister Act, Drury Lane Theatre returns to the convent with Nunsense, a light-hearted musical comedy which, as the title implies, is a lot of nonsense. The premise is funny, albeit morbid. After an unfortunate mishap, 52 members of the Little Sisters of Hoboken die…
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Theatre in Review
Monday, 15 June 2026 23:10
Funny, Incisive 'Southern Rapture' Skewers All Parties in 'Angels in America' Fracas
Written by Bill Esler
“Southern Rapture” quickly elicits loud guffaws from the audience, a heartening circumstancve, as it means playwright Eric Coble’s script is doing its job. Billed as a satire, it recounts the tumultuous week in real life leading up to the 1996 opening night of Tony Kushner's celebrated AIDS play, “Angels in…
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Theatre in Review
Monday, 15 June 2026 13:48
Where Identity Slides: Steppenwolf’s Mesmerizing Catch as Catch Can
Written by Ken Payne
Mia Chung’s Catch as Catch Can, which premiered with Page 73 in New York in 2018, arrives at Steppenwolf Theatre - one of Chicago’s most dynamic and daring artistic institutions - with a production that immediately embraces the play’s slippery, shape-shifting nature. Chung’s script thrives on emotional volatility and fractured…
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Theatre in Review
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Saturday, 13 June 2026 14:25
Factory Theater’s Two Out of Three Falls is a Theatrical Event
Written by Lauren Katz
Those familiar with the Factory Theater space might feel themselves do a double take upon entering the theater for Two Out of Three Falls. Scenic Designer Manuel Ortiz completely transforms the space. The three-quarter thrust stage that has been there for years is gone – replaced by a wrestling ring…
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Theatre in Review
Saturday, 13 June 2026 22:43
Bargatze’s Big Dumb Eyes Tour Lands in Rosemont With Subtle Force
Written by Ken Payne
Nate Bargatze’s Big Dumb Eyes tour made its stop at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont with the steady, understated presence that has become central to his appeal. Bargatze continues to draw humor from the small missteps and everyday confusions that shape his storytelling, easing the audience into his rhythm rather…
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Theatre in Review
Saturday, 13 June 2026 20:12
BrightSide’s intimate staging of The Producers shines with Broadway-sized power
Written by Kimberly Katz
BrightSide Theatre’s The Producers storms into Meiley Swallow Hall with the kind of swagger only Mel Brooks can inspire: brash, brazen, and blissfully unconcerned with good taste. From the moment the lights rise, the show charges ahead with a manic momentum that feels both affectionately old school and sharply self-aware.…
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Theatre in Review
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Monday, 08 June 2026 12:49
Guest’s New Andy Warhol Play A Study in Primo Theater
Written by Mitchell Oldham
When Terry Guest left Atlanta and arrived in Chicago ten years or so ago, a bracing reality check caused the young actor to make a bold pivot. Three years of auditions and zero bites on the acting front, he turned himself into a playwright and used a deceased uncle as…
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Sunday, 07 June 2026 14:37
Intimate and Unflinching: The Last Five Years at Oil Lamp Theater
Written by Angelo Campos
When Jason Robert Brown’s The Last Five Years premiered at Chicago’s Northlight Theatre in 2001, it flipped the traditional rom-com musical blueprint on its head. Off came the rose-colored glasses, and what was presented was an intimate, searing, and structurally unique take on the modern relationship, inspired by Brown’s own…
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Theatre in Review
Some stories refuse to fade with time, and Brokeback Mountain is one of them. What began as a modest short story by Annie Proulx in The New Yorker in 1997 grew into an award-winning literary work, an acclaimed film, and now a deeply moving stage adaptation by Ashley Robinson at…
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Theatre in Review
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Friday, 05 June 2026 21:41
Poetry in Motion: Joffrey's Eugene Onegin enraptures at the Lyric Opera
Written by Kendall Royzen
There’s something magical about stories. Stories have the power to transcend time, reaching across the centuries to share their thoughts, ideas, and emotions. Tales of heartbreak, anguish, squandered youth, and missed chances written in the 1800s have a way of resonating with us in the modern age, the profound emotions…
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Theatre in Review
Definition Theatre's Amplify New Play Program exists to elevate emerging voices, and Netta Walker's keerah certainly arrives with ambition. Loosely inspired by the mythological lovers Orpheus and Eurydice, the play explores race, identity, love, and memory through the relationship between Ciara and Cormac. While the production benefits from strong performances…
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Theatre in Review
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Latest Articles
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Steppenwolf Theatre Presents ADIRONDACK CHAIR CIRCLE – October 22 – December 6, 2026 – World Premiere!
Written by Buzz Center StageSteppenwolf 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… -
Writers Theatre celebrates record-breaking 2025/26 Season with artistic growth and unprecedented ticket sales
Written by Buzz Center StageWriters Theatre, under the leadership of Executive Director Kathryn M. Lipuma and Alexandra C. and John D. Nichols Artistic Director Braden Abraham, concluded its 2025/26 season by shattering box office, attendance, and fundraising records, and cementing its position as a premier national hub for theatre excellence…
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American Blues Theater names Nia Akilah Robinson the recipient of the 2026 Blue Ink Award for her play Overnight at the Museum and announces featured finalists Benjamin Benne and Claire Crowley
Written by Buzz Center StageAmerican 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…
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ETA’s for colored girls Honors the Enduring Power of Ntozake Shange
Written by Wesley DavidNearly fifty years after its groundbreaking premiere, Ntozake Shange's for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf remains one of the most important works ever written for the American stage. Neither conventional play nor musical,…
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