Displaying items by tag: Chciago events

LUMA8 and the City of Chicago return with the 12^th Annual Arts in the Dark Halloween Parade, a family-friendly celebration of Chicago’s cultural landscape and creative spirit, featuring unique floats, spectacle puppets, and all forms of artistic performance on Saturday, October 24, from 6-8 p.m. along Columbus Drive, with the parade stepping off at Balbo Drive and marching north to Monroe Drive. This magical evening procession celebrates Halloween as the “artist’s holiday” and draws together participants from cultural organizations, creative youth programs, and artists in every field and from every ward of Chicago. Named ‘one of the best Halloween celebrations in the world’ by UK-based Wanderlust Magazine and included in USA Today’s 10 best Halloween parades, this dazzling production delights an audience of over 100,000 with a wild mash-up of masks, costumes, dancers, musicians, artists, spectacle, circus and fire artists, creative guilds, art cars, and much more. Arts in the Dark is sponsored by Chicago Free For All Fund, with major support from Chicago Loop Alliance and Goodwill of Greater Milwaukee and Chicago. It is produced in partnership with The Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) and the Chicago Park District.

While the Arts in the Dark parade is a Halloween event, participants are not bound by a Halloween theme; each group is invited to showcase who they are as an organization with music, dance, costumes, and other dramatic visual elements. This year’s parade will feature a fire-breathing dragon, 2 giant alebrijes, a 60-foot glow worm, 10 drumlines, 10 marching bands, 20 Mexican cultural groups of over 1,000 performers, hundreds of mesmerizing puppets and dramatic masks and costumes, scores of dance troupes including a bevy of groups capturing the power of Black dance, a collection of LGBTQ+ groups, 3 colleges (including Columbia College bringing hundreds of arts students), 11 high schools, 30+ dance companies, and music groups across genres. Virtually every Chicago neighborhood is represented, and over 75% of the groups are comprised of creative youth – showcasing the grit, commitment, and talent of young people from across the city.

“This is a signature event for Chicago’s cultural community that brings together artists, creative youth and cultural organizations across the city on such a large scale – and in playful solidarity in the name of art,” said Mark Kelly, Arts in the Dark Co-founder and Artistic Director. “Over the course of the night, the audience and parade will merge as one in celebration of this magical evening procession. In the spirit of our parade, we encourage parade-goers to show up in costume.”

The parade will feature Creative Guilds, a collection of creative professionals from different organizations who will come together to honor their respective fields. These guilds include architects (50 individuals wearing their own sculptural headpiece creations), photographers (acting as “paparazzi” documenting the event from inside the parade), writers, poets, and visual artists.

Additionally, the parade will continue its tradition of honoring Creative Spirits who will be introduced and honored at the parade. This year’s Creative Spirits include:

Marty Lennartz - Esteemed and prolific 93XRT radio host for 45 years

Mayda de Valle - Poet Laureate of Chicago and renowned educator and artist

Barbara Gaines - Beloved Founder and Artistic Director of Chicago Shakespeare Theater

Peter CottonTale - Multi-platinum, GRAMMY Award-winning musician, producer, and composer

"We are delighted to welcome the Chicago Free For All Fund as the lead sponsor of Arts in the Dark for 2026," said Sharene Shariatzadeh, President & CEO of LUMA8. "Their support has been instrumental to this parade's growth and success over the years, and having them step forward as our lead sponsor for this pivotal year is a tremendous vote of confidence in everything we've built together. We're also honored to have received a 2026 Chicago Presents Grant from DCASE, and to continue our partnership with Chicago Loop Alliance and Goodwill Greater Milwaukee & Chicago, whose major support helps bring this magical night to life."

The parade will also bring back by popular demand the spectacular DIY costume contest for parade-goers, presented by Goodwill Greater Milwaukee & Chicago – a major supporter of the Arts in the Dark parade. Goodwill invites Chicagoland residents to participate in The Haunted Runway Costume Contest by creating a parade-ready look. To enter the contest, folks can shop at their local Goodwill to create a DIY or homemade costume, snap a photo of the look, and submit it online at bit.ly/TheHauntedRunway. All entries must be submitted by the deadline on October 5. After community voting, five finalists will showcase their artistry in the parade, where thousands of parade-goers will cast their vote for the ultimate winner. Contest rules, eligibility, and details are available at HERE.

Arts in the Dark is presented by LUMA8 and the City of Chicago and sponsored by Chicago Free For All Fund, with major support from Chicago Loop Alliance and Goodwill of Greater Milwaukee and Chicago. It is produced in partnership with the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) and the Chicago Park District. Support for Arts in the Dark also is provided by Blue Plate Catering, CHOOSE Chicago, Harris Theater – Millennium Park, Ferrara, Industry Ales, Italian Village Restaurants, Millennium Garages, William Blair, and the LUMA8 Board of Directors. Arts in the Dark is a part of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s Fall Fest 2026. LUMA8 also acknowledges support from the Illinois Arts Council.

About LUMA8 (Light Up My Arts)

LUMA8 is an independent not-for-profit that strives to elevate Chicago as a focal point of artistic innovation to enrich the lives of its citizens and create economic impact. www.luma8.org

About the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events

The Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) is dedicated to enriching Chicago’s artistic vitality and cultural vibrancy. This includes fostering the development of Chicago’s non-profit arts sector, independent working artists and for-profit arts businesses; providing a framework to guide the City’s future cultural and economic growth, via the 2012 Chicago Cultural Plan; marketing the City’s cultural assets to a worldwide audience; and presenting high-quality, free and affordable cultural programs for residents and visitors. https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/dca.html

About Chicago Loop Alliance
Chicago Loop Alliance (CLA)’s mission is to lead the community by creating and supporting inclusive programs that attract people and investment to the Loop. CLA is a membership organization as well as the sole service provider for Special Service Area#1-2015, and the Chicago Loop Alliance Foundation produces public art projects and events. For more information, please visit LoopChicago.com.

About Goodwill Greater Milwaukee & Chicago

Goodwill Greater Milwaukee & Chicago is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that enhances the dignity and quality of life for individuals and families by strengthening communities and eliminating barriers to opportunity. Shopping at and donating to Goodwill keeps items in use and supports community programs and services that help people build skills, find a job and connect to resources like housing, food and transportation.

Learn more about community services offered by Goodwill in Greater Chicago and find store locations at www.goodwillgreatermc.org.

For more information visit www.artsinthedark.org , LUMA8.org.

Coincidentally (or not), Victory Gardens’ new play about a controversial campus speaker opens just days after the one-year anniversary of Charlie Kirk’s assassination. Returning from a lengthy hiatus, Victory Gardens once again lights up the Biograph Theater with the world premiere of Zayd Ayers Dohrn’s new play “The Humanities”.

This thrilling play takes place on an American college campus where an opinionated voice is scheduled to speak. At the top level, an intellectual battle brews between professors and the college administration, while the students openly revolt.

Jonas (Ernest Bently) is a new professor on campus, hand selected by the department chair Martin (Steve Pickering) and his professor wife Margot (Naomi Evans). Jonas is young and ambitious, unwilling to get involved in the petty troubles of students and faculty. Martin and Naomi have other ideas. When Martin invites Luka (Daniil Krimer), an ultra-right-wing speaker on campus he kicks off a series of events that could lead the college, and Jonas, to ruin.

Carole (Sabine Wan) straddles the line between education and commerce as the dean while trying to appease the students and queer professor Milta (Isa Arciniegas). On the ground, students Hampton (Derrick Sanders III) and Xander (Piper Murphy) are taking action into their own hands.

Zayd Ayers Dohrn’s script is densely packed, structured in parts much like a college lecture. Each professor has their own somewhat incomprehensible monolog that speaks to how people can say so little with so many words. That’s not to say these passages are empty, and that’s the point. What college student could actually follow these verbal gymnastics though? Perhaps these speeches say more about how some educators are afraid to share their real opinion. Afterall, feelings aren’t facts.

“The Humanities” is a riveting exploration of the cost of free speech. Of course, our first amendment protects it, but it doesn’t account for good taste. Luka is played so smooth and charmingly by Daniil Krimer that you almost forget he’s a neo-Nazi, until he starts his speech. And that’s the unsettling part; under the law he’s just as entitled to hate speech as to tolerance messaging. And that those who criticize him in this play aren’t exactly perfect themselves.

Dohrn paints a rather cynical portrait of higher education, but in other ways he has a lot of faith in youth. Without the radical intentions of Xander and Hampton, there would be no point in rehashing the systematic problems of American academic institutions. In many ways it’s what makes this play so unique.

For those wondering if Victory Gardens has been restored to its former glory under new leadership, “The Humanities” proves they’ve still got it. Edward Torres directs a great cast. While originally billed as starring SNL alum Nora Dunn, British American actress Naomi Evans seems better fit for the role. She has a sleekness about her that makes some of the sexual plotlines a bit more palatable. Steve Pickering embodies that stodgy professor in this era almost as pitifully as Albee’s George was to the 1960s. There’s a certain tragedy in his performance.

While maybe a bit of trimming could help file this play down to a finer point, Victory Gardens choosing Dohrn’s script as their season opener is a brave choice. Almost an admission of self-awareness in an ever-dividing world in which institutions are no longer held on the same pedestals.

Through October 4 at Victory Gardens Theater. 2433 N Lincoln Ave. (773) 871-3000)

Metropolis Performing Arts Centre, located in the heart of downtown Arlington Heights, 111 W. Campbell St., is proud to announce the cast and creative team for Ride the Cyclone, September 16 - October 25. Ride the Cyclone is presented with book, music and lyrics by Jacob Richmond and Brooke Maxwell. The Metropolis production is directed by original American cast member Lillian Castillo, and music directed by Carolyn Brady. Previews are Wednesday, Sept. 16 through Friday, Sept. 18 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, Sept. 19 at 2 p.m. The regular performance schedule is Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays at 2 and 7:30 p.m. The performance on Saturday, Sept. 26 at 2 p.m. will be closed captioned and the performance on Thursday, Oct. 8 at 7:30 p.m. will be ASL interpreted. Tickets are now on sale from $25 to $49 at MetropolisArts.com or by calling the box office at 847.577.2121.

In a now-abandoned theme park not so long ago, six teenagers hurtled to their death on the roller coaster The Cyclone. Now, those teens are back from the afterlife, with all of their unlived dreams, potential, hopes, and fears in tow. They grapple with the lives they led on Earth and the choices they made – all except a mysterious and headless girl named Jane Doe, who has no memory of her past. As instructed by a fortune-telling machine named The Amazing Karnak, the teens need to decide who amongst them will receive the gift of returning to their life. As they fight to be the one to return, they realize that life's ups and downs, tragedies and victories, love and loss are all just part of the ride.

An added bonus to the Metropolis production features Director Lillian Castillo. Castillo is the original "Constance" on the world premiere cast recording. She originated the role in the American premiere at Chicago Shakespeare Theater and continued performing in the Off-Broadway, Seattle and Atlanta productions.

The cast of Ride the Cyclone includes Alex Merkel (Ocean); Eric Amundson (Mischa); Eldon Warner-Soriano (Ricky); Diana Marilyn Alvarez (Constance); Dave Honigman (Karnak); Amelia Tam (Jane Doe); Peyton Owen (Noel); Connar Brown Sprenger (U/S Ocean); Eli Blanks (U/S Mischa); Aidan Leake (U/S Ricky); Rylee Michelle (U/S Constance); Ian Rigg (U/S Karnak); Z Mowry (U/S Jane Doe) and Joel D'Aroya (U/S Noel).

Ride the Cyclone's creative team is Lillian Castillo (director); Carolyn Brady (music director); Mandy Modic (choreographer); Angie Miller (scenic designer); Denise Karczewski (lighting designer); Sarah Ramos (sound designer); Rachel Boylan (costume designer); Miguel Ramos (wig and hair designer); Kelli Lawrence (props designer) and Tony Churchill (projections designer).

ABOUT LILLIAN CASTILLO, DIRECTOR

Lillian Castillo is honored to make her professional directorial and Metropolis debut. She is a proud Chicago actor, singer and acting coach who has had the pleasure of performing at many of Chicago's theatrical homes. Her most recent credits include: On Your Feet at Drury Lane Theatre; Titanic, Joseph and the Technicolor Dream Coat, 1776 and In the Heights at The Marriott Theatre; The Music Man at the Goodman Theatre and Comedy of Errors, Taming of the Shrew and of course the American Premiere of Ride the Cyclone at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre. Lillian spent 5 years workshopping Ride the Cyclone and bringing life to Constance Blackwood. She is thrilled to have punched her ticket to take this ride again from a new seat.

ABOUT CAROLYN BRADY, MUSIC DIRECTOR

Carolyn Brady returns to Metropolis after her debut as MD/Piano Conductor in The Wedding Singer this past spring. She operates a Chicagoland and national voice studio where her clients have appeared in the Broadway casts of The Book of Mormon and & Juliet; National Tours of The Book of Mormon and The Prom; NBC's "The Voice" and locally at Drury Lane, Marriott Theatre, Mercury Theater, Music Theater Works, Paramount, Porchlight Music Theatre and more. A four-time nominated music director, she has MD'd for Drury Lane (A Chorus Line, Cinderella, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, A Christmas Carol), Steppenwolf (Lookout Series), Marriott Theatre (Elephant & Piggie), Paramount School of the Arts (The Lightning Thief, Mean Girls, & Matilda Jr.) and most recently she served as MD and Piano Conductor for Into the Woods at Saugatuck Center for the Arts in MI. She's a proud member of CFM Local 10-208. IG: @carolynbradymusic

ABOUT METROPOLIS PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE
Metropolis Performing Arts Centre is a vibrant cultural hub that enriches the community through inspiring live performances, creative arts education and impactful partnerships. It fosters artistic excellence, cultivates multi-generational connections and offers inclusive experiences that engage and uplift all community members. Located in the heart of downtown Arlington Heights, Metropolis is not just a theatre, it is the cultural pulse of the area, surrounded by premier shopping, dining and nightlife. Metropolis offers a dynamic year-round season of professional theatre, comedy, concerts and cabaret performances along with engaging arts education for ages 3 to 85 years old. Serving more than 65,000 patrons annually from across Chicagoland and beyond, Metropolis plays a pivotal role in the community. It provides arts education programs that support thousands of aspiring young artists, as well as community engagement initiatives like the Third Act Players (musical theatre for thespians over 50), Crescendo Chorus (for singers over 55), Flourish in the Footlights (for young artists with disabilities) and Clearbrook on Cue (for artists with disabilities). Metropolis is proud to partner with local organizations such as Endeavor Health, Arlington Heights Senior Center and Clearbrook. Scholarships are available for students at the School of the Performing Arts to ensure access to the arts for all.

Metropolis Performing Arts Centre, located in the heart of downtown Arlington Heights, 111 W. Campbell St., is proud to announce the cast and creative team for Ride the Cyclone, September 16 - October 25. Ride the Cyclone is presented with book, music and lyrics by Jacob Richmond and Brooke Maxwell. The Metropolis production is directed by original American cast member, Lillian Castillo, and music directed by Carolyn Brady. Previews are Wednesday, Sept. 16 through Friday, Sept. 18 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, Sept. 19 at 2 p.m. with a press opening Saturday, Sept. 19 at 7:30 p.m. The regular performance schedule is Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays at 2 and 7:30 p.m. The performance on Saturday, Sept. 26 at 2 p.m. will be closed captioned and the performance on Thursday, Oct. 8 at 7:30 p.m. will be ASL interpreted. Tickets are now on sale from $25 to $49 at MetropolisArts.com or by calling the box office at 847.577.2121.