WIN TICKETS: Chicago Circus and Performing Arts Festival Returns With Family Friendly and Adult Circus Acts March 9-12, 2023

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar   

Chicago Circus and Performing Arts Festival

FLASH GIVEAWAY: 

ENTER AT THE END OF THIS POST FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN A Family 4 Pack of Tickets to Any Family Show and/or 

A Pair of Tickets to Any Adult Circus Act!

March 9-12 at Wicker Park’s Den Theatre, Opening Gala March 9

Chicago-Based Ensembles Offer Circus, Burlesque, Dance & Comedy

Chicago Circus & Performing Arts Festival, the Windy City’s newest multidisciplinary fest, will run March 9-12, 2023, at Wicker Park’s Den Theatre at 1331 N. Milwaukee. Thirteen unique performances from Chicago-based companies include traditional circus acts, avant-garde sideshow and burlesque offerings, family-friendly juggling and clowning shows, queer-themed work, plus several evening-length pieces that also include dance. Several shows are double features: twice the fun for the same price!

Single tickets are $15-40 and are available online or at 773-697-3830. The lobby features cashless cocktails from the newly renovated Haven Lounge before and after performances. The Opening Gala is on March 9, from 6-10 PM and includes vendor tables from local businesses and Chicago circus schools, door prize giveaways, and a silent auction. Exclusive previews for media and donors will be performed throughout the night. Metered street parking is available, and the apps ParkChicago, Spot Hero, Park Whiz, and Parq Ex are recommended to secure a spot. The venue is also accessible to the Blue Line (north of Division, south of Damen stops) and via various bus routes. The Festival’s media sponsors are The Actors Gymnasium and CircusTalk.

 

SCHEDULE

Thursday, March 9

Heath Mainstage & Lobby: 

6:00-10:00 pm Opening Gala: Show previews for media and donors, silent auction, local vendors.

 

Friday, March 10

Bookspan Stage: 

6:00-7:30 pm Creature Double Feature by Such Creatures (circus + dance fusion, queer-themed)

7:45-9:15 pm BIPOC Circus Alliance Midwest (classic circus cabaret, all BIPOC cast)

9:30-11:00pm the Back Side Show by Yes Ma’am Circus (side-show, burlesque, circus, ages 18+)

 

Saturday, March 11 

Bookspan Stage: 

12:45- 2:15 pm Distillations & Don't Try This At Home- Double Feature by Luther Bangert & Dinder Brothers’ Circus (juggling solo show, family circus troop, side-show, family friendly)

2:30- 4:00 pm Double Feature- Poised & The Reluctant Mind Reader by Raphael Entertainment (solo juggling + solo magic, family friendly)

4:15- 5:45 pm BIPOC Circus Alliance Midwest (classic circus cabaret, all BIPOC cast)

6:00- 7:30 pm Autobiography of a Late Bloomer by Lucid Banter Project (dance, queer-themed, ages 13+)

7:45- 9:15 pm Circus Dungeon Crawl by Yes Ma’am Circus (circus cabaret, burlesque, nerd-themed, ages 18+)

9:30- 11:00 pm Queer Double Feature: And They Were Shipmates, A Queer Pirate Romance Adventure & Queer Dance Freakout by Counterfeit Combat & Gender Fucked Productions

 

Sunday, March 12 

Heath Mainstage: 

10:30 am- 12:00 pm Serious Cirque by Duo Refraction+ (circus, clown, family friendly)

12:15- 1:45 pm Circus Cabaret of Wonder by the Amazing Prizzini Brothers (classic circus cabaret, clowning, family friendly)

 

Bookspan Stage: 

12:15- 1:45 pm Double Feature- Poised & The Reluctant Mind Reader by Raphael Entertainment (solo juggling + solo magic, family friendly)

2:00- 3:30 pm Distillations & Don't Try This At Home- Double Feature by Luther Bangert & Dinder Brothers’ Circus (juggling solo show, family circus troop, side-show, family friendly)

SHOWS/ENSEMBLES

The Amazing Prizzini Brothers’ Circus Cabinet of Wonder: The Amazing Prizzini Brothers’ classic circus cabaret features family-friendly circus acts and clowning. The goal is simple: to make the audience complicit in the mischief. 

Autobiography of a Late Bloomer: Lucid Banter Project presents Autobiography of a Late Bloomer, a collection of work created over a span of 15 years, following the choreographer's coming-out journey. Following Paula, Lucid Banter Project's director, through professional growth, family drama, religious realizations, sexual awakenings, relationship highs and lows, injury, and emotional abuse, the audience is brought along through the experiences, emotions, and growth of a late bloomer lesbian.

BIPOC Circus Alliance Midwest Showcase: This circus cabaret features circus artists of Color as they share individual stories that depict human emotions and unique challenges faced by POC in contemporary America. Disciplines will include rope, straps, aerial hammock, diabolo, and silks. For ages 13+. 

The Back Side Show: Produced by Yes Ma'am Circus, the Back Side Show features burlesque, sideshow, and variety acts from around Chicago. For ages 18+. 

Circus Dungeon Crawl: Yes Ma’am Circus’ longest running cabaret! Come see the Chicago debut of Circus Dungeon Crawl, previously only shown to the elite crowd of gamers at GenCon in Indianapolis! Journey with Marcus the Bard as they attempt to drink, seduce, and thieve their way through the Multiverse, along with a cast of aerialists, clowns, and burlesque dancers.

Creature Double Feature: Creature Double Feature brings you not one, but TWO new works by Such Creatures Co-Directors Luke Greeff & Ashaand Simone. Missile Kid by Luke Greeff shows a punk-rock apocalyptic horror movement suite on unmasking the Autistic soul within the confines of an Allistic world … or a dancey existential crisis to good tunes… you decide. intimate youniverse by Ashaand Simone transports the audience into an 8-bit arcade world where they’re in charge of helping the protagonist’s disparate parts work towards some amount of peace. In doing so, they will learn firsthand what it looks like to re-wire the brain away from the impacts of (Complex) Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and towards acceptance of intimacy and connection.

Distillations & Don't Try This At Home- Double Feature: A family friendly double feature. A solo contemporary juggling show performed by Luther Bangert, Distillations takes the audience on a multimedia and multidimensional journey through the anatomy of a moment, investigating causality, and emerging into the ground state of the juggling universe. Dinder Brother's Circus is proud to present the "DONT TRY THIS AT HOME SHOW!!!" Seen across the midwest since 2015 this blend of circus, magic, and danger is sure to entertain anyone ages 4 and up!  With mystifying aerials, feats of death, and astounding illusions everyone will find something they enjoy.

Double Feature- Poised & The Reluctant Mind Reader: A funny and dazzling 1-man duo show! Welcome to an experience that aims to have you question the absolute limits of what is humanly possible. Brought to you by one of Chicago's top jugglers, Poised is a family friendly show full of laughs and amazing feats of balance and coordination. Then stay and watch as someone with the ability to read minds shows off his powers while talking about the pains and annoyances that come with always hearing what people are thinking. The Reluctant Mind Reader showcases how some gifts aren’t what they’re cracked up to be.

Serious Cirque: Serious Cirque is a not so serious deconstruction of contemporary circus performance. It transparently and unabashedly reveals the hilarity, failures, successes and discoveries that come out of circus creation. What happens when Siri tries to third wheel your adagio duet opener? What if the duo trapeze porter loses his flyer and must perform only with sock puppets?

Queer Double Feature- And They Were Shipmates, A Queer Pirate Romance Adventure & Queer Dance Freakout: First, Counterfeit Combat presents a gay pirate show full of fights and fun that you can’t miss! Join us onboard Calico Jack’s ship, The Ranger, as we follow the tale of the infamous female pirates, Anne Bonny and Mary Read. This occasionally true story based on historical facts will have you laughing, sighing, and gasping, oh aye! Then stick around for Queer Dance Freakout, an interactive, choose your own adventure spectacle produced by Gender Fucked Productions. This company of queer, trans, and nonbinary choreographers and storytellers will perform up to 30 dances that will have audiences booty shaking, grooving, and connecting with the queer community.

*Click HERE for your chance to WIN a FREE Family 4 Pack of Tickets to your choice of any family friendly show at the 2nd Annual Chicago Circus and Performing Arts Festival!

**Click HERE for your chance to WIN a FREE Pair of Tickets to your choice of any Adult Show at the 2nd Annual Chicago Circus and Performing Arts Festival!

Winners announced at noon Thursday, March 9th.

ChiIL Mama and ChiIL Live Shows are thrilled to partner up with the 2nd Annual Chicago Circus and Performing Arts Festival to give away A Family 4 Pack of Tickets to Any Family Show and/or A Pair of Tickets to Any Adult Circus Act!

FEST ALERT: Get Cozy With Andersonville's FIKA FEST February 3 – 5, 2023

ChiIL Mama’s ChiIL Picks List 

Andersonville Chamber of Commerce Celebrates

FIKA FEST

February 3 – 5, 2023

 

Featuring Coffee and Hot Cocoa Crawl, The Great Andersonville Puzzle Exchange

& Fika-Themed Promotions Throughout the Business District

The Andersonville Chamber of Commerce’s (ACC) Danish-inspired Hygge Fest returns this year as the Swedish-inspired Fika Fest, featuring a weekend of Fika-themed promotions and events from February 3 – 5, 2023, including the return of the Coffee and Hot Cocoa Crawl and the The Great Andersonville Puzzle Exchange.

 

The Swedish concept of “fika” (pronounced fee-kah) translates directly to "a coffee and cake break,” but it’s about so much more. It represents an important idea or state of mind in Swedish culture. When you Fika, you spend time with friends, colleagues and strangers, share in common interests and knowledge and give yourself a moment to have a break and socialize. When you Fika, treat yourself to something cozy!

All photos courtesy of ACC

 

Coffee and Hot Cocoa Crawl

 

What better way to embrace the warmth and coziness of Fika, than the return of the Coffee and Hot Cocoa Crawl on Saturday, February 4 from 10 am – 1 pm.Choose from two routes that invite participants to explore specialty offerings including coffee, hot cocoa, bakery items and more! Each attendee will receive a commemorative mug. Tickets ($25) are currently available HERE. There is no charge for children 12 and under. Check-in is at 5601 N. Clark St.

 

Brew Route

Boca Loca Cantina | 1477 W. Winnemac Ave.
Copper Cow Coffee at Foursided | 5061 N. Clark St.

Downstate Donuts at Strange Cargo | 5216 N. Clark St.
Fiya | 5419 N. Clark St.

Ridman's Coffee | 4758 N. Clark St.
Smack Dab at ENJOY, An Urban General Store | 5307 N. Clark St.
The Coffee Studio | 5628 N. Clark St.

 

Bean Route

Colectivo Coffee | 5425 N. Clark St.

Downstate Donuts at Strange Cargo | 5216 N. Clark St.
Katherine Anne Confections at Vase & Vessel | 5135 N. Clark St.
Kopi Cafe | 5317 N. Clark St.

Starbucks | 5300 N. Clark St.
Swedish American Museum | 5211 N. Clark St.
Tasting India at Uvae Kitchen & Wine Bar | 5553 N. Clark St.

 

Please note that routes are subject to change and there are no refunds. For updating, visit the Coffee and Hot Cocoa Crawl page.

 

The Great Andersonville Puzzle Exchange

 

ACC is also pleased to host the wildly popular The Great Andersonville Puzzle Exchange, returning for its third year. This year’s jigsaw puzzle swap will take place on Sunday, February 5 from 11 am – 3 pm at 5601 N. Clark St. Bring a puzzle, take a puzzle! Participants are asked to drop off puzzles between 11 – 11:30 am. Bring a new or gently used puzzle, 500+ pieces for adults or any size for kids, secured in a resealable plastic bag in its original box with no missing pieces – and take a different one home! New puzzles are also available at a multitude of Andersonville retailers.

 

Fika-Themed Promotions

 

Throughout the weekend, participating Andersonville business will feature promotions that embrace the concept of Fika!

 

Comfort Food: Delight your tastebuds with gluten-free treats at Andersonville new Lilla Barn Clothing, a Turkish coffee at Andies Restaurant or maple pancake flavored ice cream at Jeni's Ice Cream’s annual Ice Cream for Breakfast Day. Or enjoy a full meal at one of the local restaurants participating in Chicago Restaurant Week, including Oda Mediterranean Cuisine, Big Jones, and Mango Pickle.

 

Retail Therapy: Enjoy special discounts at retailers including Cowboys and Astronauts, Milk Handmade, RAYGUN, Sandbox Baby Boutique, Vase & Vessel and more! For a full list of neighborhood promotions, visit the Andersonville FikaFest page.

About the Andersonville Chamber of Commerce

 

The Andersonville Chamber of Commerce fosters a vibrant environment in which Andersonville businesses can thrive by attracting a diverse customer base; providing business support services and advocacy; and engaging in business attraction, long-range planning, and economic development.

 

FACETS' CICFF OPENS SUBMISSIONS FOR THE 40TH ANNUAL CHICAGO INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN'S FILM FESTIVAL

CICFF40 will take place 

November 3–19, 2023

FACETS' Chicago International Children's Film Festival is excited to announce that submissions are now open for CICFF40. The Festival will run November 3-19, 2023. The Early Deadline for submissions is May 1, 2023 the submission fees are $40 for each short film, and $80 for feature films. The Regular Deadline is May 31, 2023 and submission fees are $60 for each short film and $100 for feature films. FilmFreeway Gold Members receive a 10% discount on all submissions. Submit to CICFF40 through FilmFreeway. Full details here: https://facets.org/programs/facets-cicff-opens-submissions-for-the-40th-annual-chicago-international-childrens-film-festival/

ABOUT CICFF

For almost 40 years CICFF has set the standard of excellence, celebrating films from around the world that break new ground in their approach to storytelling, offer unique or seldom-heard points of view and demonstrate artistic and technical mastery. Our goal is to raise the bar of what films for children and teens can achieve.

CICFF is an advocate for children, prioritizing their human rights and protecting their health and well-being. Films selected for the Festival are child-or teen-driven in their approach to storytelling. The content speaks positively to people of different backgrounds, cultures, and orientations.

We strongly believe that audiences should be engaged, entertained, and enlightened. Films should stimulate discussion and insight into new concepts and motivate active responses from children and teens.

We seek and provide opportunities to connect filmmakers with our festival audiences. In addition to the Festival, CICFF provides year-round thematic programming that promotes media education in the community and the classroom. Through virtual Q&As, available to a worldwide audience, filmmakers have an incomparable opportunity to discuss their work with the widest possible array of viewers.

ORGANIZATION

The Chicago International Children’s Film Festival is the first Academy®-qualifying children’s film festival in the world. Oscar®-qualifying film categories include Live-Action Short Film and Animated Short Film.

Founded in 1984, the CICFF is the oldest children’s film festival in the country and the largest in the world, screening 307 films from 55 countries during the 39th season in 2022.

The Chicago International Children’s Film Festival serves as a global hub for filmmakers and producers of films for young people, as an opportunity to connect with and elevate the aesthetic and production standards for youth cinema production.

Festival films reach unique audiences diverse in age, socioeconomic background, and ethnic heritage, as well as a broad range of children and teens, educators, parents, and peers unduplicated in the youth film festival audience landscape worldwide. At in-person and virtual screening Q&A’s filmmakers have an incomparable opportunity to discuss their work with the widest possible array of viewers.

MISSION

The Chicago International Children’s Film Festival aims to set an internationally recognized standard of excellence in film production for children and youth.

We strive to support the work of talented and dedicated filmmakers by showcasing international films of the highest quality and awarding prizes in multiple categories of production formats and genres. The film experiences of young viewers are deepened through a broad range of programs which extend Festival film viewing into discussion and learning.

The Chicago International Children’s Film Festival is produced and presented by FACETS. FACETS is a nonprofit that connects people to independent ideas through transformative film experiences. Since 1975, we have produced pioneering programs focused on film education, exhibition, and distribution.

As the first Academy®-qualifying children’s film festival in the world, our festival presents the best, most innovative international films for kids and teens. We seek out films that both entertain audiences and challenge them to widen their perspectives. But more importantly, we invite film submissions that are for kids, not simply about them.

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

Festival films reach unique audiences diverse in age, socioeconomic background, ability, and ethnic heritage, as well as a broad range of children and teens, educators, parents, and peers unduplicated in the youth film festival audience landscape worldwide. At post-screening discussions, filmmakers have an incomparable opportunity to connect with the widest possible array of viewers.

ABOUT FACETS

Established in 1975, FACETS expands perspectives and affirms a shared humanity through inclusive engagement with film. FACETS' mission is to create cinematic experiences for youth and adults that foster vital conversations and community action through film exhibitions, media education, and film resources. Learn more at facets.org

   

Chicago Theatres Celebrate Black History Month With A Plethora of Excellent Productions And Chicago Theatre Week Discounts

 ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

CHICAGO THEATRES CELEBRATE

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

WITH A WIDE SELECTION OF PRODUCTIONS

Throughout Black History Month this February, many Chicago theatres will present productions honoring the Black experience featuring Black theatres and theatre-makers. Additional details about each of the Black History Month offerings are available at www.chicagoplays.com and HotTix.org, Chicago’s local, half-price ticketing service. Here at ChiILLiveShows.com (adult) and ChiILMama.com (family friendly) we're reviewing all the productions below with their names in bold type, so check back early and often.

League of Chicago Theatres Executive Director Marissa Lynn Ford comments, “There is so much vibrant theatre happening on Chicago stages in February providing an opportunity to uplift voices from black playwrights, artists and leaders in celebration of Black History Month. During Chicago Theatre Week (Feb 16-26) and throughout the year, we welcome audiences to experience the excellence on our stages as we highlight some of the productions that honor these stories.”

 

The following is a selection of work in Chicago available in February in celebration of Black History:

The ripple the wave that carried me home

Goodman Theatre

January 13 – February 12

Janice’s parents are prominent activists fighting for the integration of public swimming pools in 1960s Kansas. As injustice penetrates the warm bubble of her childhood, Janice grows apart from her family and starts a new life far away. When she receives a call asking her to speak at a ceremony honoring her father, she must decide whether she’s ready to reckon with her political inheritance—and a past she has tried to forget.

The Great Khan

Redtwist Theatre

January 19 – February 26

*Chicago Theatre Week participant

A revolutionary, multicultural play about the effects of systemic racism on two Black American teens, The Great Khan is a National New Play Network rolling world premiere. Jayden is a high schooler struggling with what he wants to be, a nerd who loves video games and fantasy, or a strong man who doesn’t need to fear anyone. Ant is a young woman rediscovering herself after tragedy and trying to define herself against society’s expectations. Gao Ming is a precocious YouTuber, committed to helping people fully express their authentic selves. When Jayden looks for answers from his most recent homework assignment, the friends’ lives are upended by the arrival of Genghis Khan, the Great Khan himself.

 

Ezekiel’s Wheel

MPAACT at the Greenhouse Theater Center

January 2 – February 26

Wanda stands on the cusp of womanhood. Educated in the finest schools by successful Black parents she appears to be a well-adjusted child of international adoption, but for Wanda the questions around her adoption have reached a tipping point. There are two mothers here…aching for the space that can only be filled by one child. On the eve of their daughter’s 18th birthday, two families collide over their choices, and the consequences that follow.

 

Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill

Mercury Theater

January 27 – March 26

*Chicago Theatre Week participant

Turn back the clock to 1956 for an intimate cabaret performance with the greatest jazz vocalist of all time, Billie Holiday. More than a dozen musical numbers are interlaced with salty, often humorous reminiscences revealing a portrait of the lady and her music. With a distinctive sense of musical structure and a deep knowledge of jazz and blues, she developed a singing style that was deeply moving. She left behind a body of work as great as any vocalist before or since.

Toni Stone

Goodman Theatre

January 28 – February 26

*Chicago Theatre Week participant

Toni Stone is an encyclopedia of baseball stats. She’s got a great arm. And she doesn’t understand why she can’t play with the boys. Rejected by the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League because of her race, Toni sets out to become the first woman to play in baseball’s Negro Leagues. Challenges on and off the field—from hostile crowds to players who slide spikes-first—only steel her resolve to shatter racist and sexist barriers in the sport she’s loved since childhood. An original play inspired by the book Curveball, The Remarkable Story of Toni Stone by Martha Ackmann.

 

Boulevard of Bold Dreams

TimeLine Theatre Company

February 1 – March 19

*Chicago Theatre Week participant

Set on the night in 1940 that Hattie McDaniel made history at the Oscars, a story of dreamers striving to overcome considerable obstacles and fighting for recognition amidst the racism and inequity of Hollywood. IT IS FEBRUARY 29, 1940, the night of the Academy Awards in Hollywood, California. Bartender Arthur Brooks, an ambitious Black man from rural Alabama, dreams of becoming a movie director. His best friend, Dottie Hudson, is a maid at the Ambassador Hotel who finds herself to be a cynic of all dreams. But when the actress Hattie McDaniel stops in at the bar and decides not to attend the biggest event in show business, Arthur and Dottie must do everything in their power to convince her to go and claim her historic win—all while confronting their dark past and making their own dreams come to life.

 

The Factorum

Lyric Opera of Chicago

February 3 – 12

Grammy-nominated baritone Will Liverman, a Ryan Opera Center alumnus, is rapidly rising to national prominence and recently triumphed at the Metropolitan Opera. Now he joins dynamic producer/DJ/multi-instrumentalist King Rico in creating a new work inspired by Rossini’s The Barber of Seville that has grown into a joyful, original piece all its own, commissioned by Lyric. Updating the action to a Black barbershop on Chicago’s South Side, this gifted duo has created an irresistibly upbeat work that celebrates the strength of community. The Factotum blends diverse musical styles with boundless imagination to create a soul opera, moving from gospel and funk to rap, hip-hop, classic barbershop quartet, and R&B. Those styles connect brilliantly with classical singing in a very human comedy that redefines everything that opera can be.

 

Alaiyo

Definition Theatre

February 3 – 26

*Chicago Theatre Week participant

When she realizes that she’s in love with her best friend Kofi, hopeless romantic Ariel sets out on a quest to tell him how she feels…and make a pilgrimage to the shores of Africa. Inspired by A Raisin In the Sun, Ariel seeks to heal a 400 year old wound through her journey toward selfhood. As she grapples with the gray space of being neither fully African nor fully American, she uncovers the darkest parts of herself and the sweet spots in her Black American identity. This choreopoem samples the old and makes space for the new as Ariel sails to Ghana to confess her love to Kofi.

 

Dance Like There Are Black People Watching

The Second City

February 3-April 1

*Chicago Theatre Week participant

Let Second City deliver a dose of brilliant Black Joy to melt the icy Chicago winter! With an ensemble of rising comedy stars, Dance Like There's Black People Watching: A Black Excellence Revue is bursting with brand-new sketches, songs, and our world-famous improvisation, here to warm your soul and make you laugh out loud.

 

Mavis Staples

Chicago Symphony Orchestra

February 4, 2023

Civil rights icon and living legend Mavis Staples returns to Symphony Center for one night only. Chicago’s own Mavis Staples will bring her iconic smoky sound to Orchestra Hall in a scintillating evening of soul, gospel and her signature brand of R&B. Celisse, the phenomenal singer/songwriter and spoken word artist, opens the program.

 

Detroit ‘67

Columbia College Chicago

February 8-18

*Chicago Theatre Week participant

The music of Motown brings family and friends together. The politics and rage of 1967 Detroit threatens to shatter the life they are building.

 

A Raisin in the Sun

Beverly Arts Center

February 9-19

Set on Chicago’s South Side, A Raisin in the Sun explores the divergent dreams and conflicts within three generations of the Younger family. When her deceased husband’s insurance check arrives, Mama Lena dreams of moving to a new home and a better neighborhood in Chicago. Other family members, however, have different ideas of how they would spend the money. Sacrifice, trust and love and the heroic struggle to retain dignity in a harsh and changing world are explored in this searing and timeless story of hope and inspiration.

 

Trial in the Delta: The Murder of Emmett Till

Collaboraction

February 10-19

*Chicago Theatre Week participant

The murder of 14-year-old Emmett Till in 1955 brought national attention to the racial violence and injustice prevalent in the deep south. While on a trip from his hometown, Chicago, to visit relatives in Mississippi, Till went to the Bryant store with his cousins, and may have whistled at Carolyn Bryant, a white woman. Her husband, Roy Bryant, and brother-in-law, J.W. Milam, kidnapped and brutally murdered Till, dumping his body in the Tallahatchie River. The newspaper coverage and murder trial galvanized a generation of young African Americans to join the Civil Rights Movement out of fear that such an incident could happen to friends, family, or even themselves. Trial in the Delta plays like a reenactment of the actual court proceedings that played out in Sumner, Mississippi in 1955.

 

The Mountaintop

Invictus Theatre Company

February 16 – March 19

*Chicago Theatre Week participant

A gripping reimagination of events the night before the assassination of the civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. On April 3, 1968, after delivering one of his most memorable speeches, an exhausted Dr. King retires to his room at the Lorraine Motel while a storm rages outside. When a mysterious stranger arrives with some surprising news, King is forced to confront his destiny and his legacy to his people.

 

One in Two

PrideArts

February 16 – March 19

*Chicago Theatre Week participant

One in Two is an autobiographical play named for the shocking statistic that one in two gay or bisexual Black men in America will be diagnosed with HIV in their lifetime.

 

Queens of the Policy

Harold Washington Cultural Center

February 17-19

*Chicago Theatre Week participant

Queens of the Policy returns during Black History Month highlighting the role women played in the numbers game. Running numbers” refers to working for an illegal lottery scheme, generally as a low-level member. These four women were able to amass wealth, impact advancements of Black people of the 1940s, 50s, 60s, and built institutions that stabilized the black community during that time.

 

Hiplet Ballerinas

Dominican University Performing Arts Center

February 19

*Chicago Theatre Week participant

This innovative dance company infuses classical pointe with African, Latin, hip-hop, and urban dance styles rooted in communities of color. Specifically designed to make ballet accessible for all, performances may incorporate the rhythms of African drums with Tchaikovsky, arabesques and beat-boxing or even Tango en pointe – all while showcasing Hiplet’s trademark sass, hip movements, and struts against popular music audiences will recognize from Black Violin to Beyoncé.

 

Signed, Sealed, Delivered: A Stevie Wonder Experience with John Mark McGaha

Artists Lounge Live at Mercury Theater Chicago

February 23 – March 12

*Chicago Theatre Week participant

Celebrate the genius and jubilation of Stevie Wonder with acclaimed singer and multi-instrumentalist John-Mark McGaha (The Ray Charles Legacy, Smokey Joe’s Cafe). Backed by a phenomenal 7-piece band, McGaha radiates soul, charm, and generosity in a concert filled with moving stories and powerful

music.

Driving Miss Daisy

Jedlicka Performing Arts Center

February 24 - March 11

The Jedlicka Performing Arts Center Presents Alfred Uhry’s Driving Miss Daisy, a searing, funny, and hopeful meditation on race relations in America, told through the complex relationship between two of popular culture’s most enduring characters. Daisy Werthan is a widowed, 72-year-old Jewish woman living in midcentury Atlanta, and Hoke Colburn is an African American man who works as her chauffeur. Directed by Manny Buckley. Starring: Debra Rodkin, Rasaan Kahlil and Adrian Thornburg.

Reasons: A Tribute to Earth, Wind and Fire

Black Ensemble Theatre

February 25 – April 16

Directed by Daryl D. Brooks, Reasons is the journey of how Earth, Wind and Fire was formed from their humble beginnings to become the musical revolutionaries that changed the course of music. They took a vision that no one said would work and turned it into a musical powerhouse that still lives on today.

 

*About Chicago Theatre Week

Chicago Theatre Week (#CTW23) will take place February 16-26, 2023, and is an annual celebration of the rich tradition of theatre-going in Chicago during which visitors and residents can access value-priced tickets. Chicago Theatre Week is a program of the League of Chicago Theatres in partnership with Choose Chicago. The value-priced CTW tickets will be $30, $15, or less and are on sale at ChicagoTheatreWeek.com.

Currently, more than 70 productions are participating, offering value-priced tickets to productions throughout the city and suburbs. The program continues to bring in new audiences to area theatres with an average of 2/3 of attendees visiting their chosen theatre for the first time. Despite the pandemic, in February 2022 more than 10,500 value-priced tickets were sold to over 60 participating shows and almost 400 individual performances. Chicago Theatre Week, a program of the League of Chicago Theatres in partnership with Choose Chicago, will take place February 16-26, 2023.

For a comprehensive list of Chicago productions, visit the League of Chicago Theatres website, ChicagoPlays.com. Available half-price tickets will be listed at HotTix.org. Chicago theatres prioritize safely gathering. Patrons are encouraged to confirm current protocols at each theatre. Shows and protocols are subject to change.

About Chicago theatre 

Chicago theatre is the leader in the U.S. with more than 250 theatres throughout Chicagoland, comprising a rich and varied community ranging from storefront, non-union theatres to the most renowned resident theatres in the country, including 6 which have been honored with Regional Tony Awards, and the largest touring Broadway organization in the nation. Chicago’s theatres serve 5 million audience members annually and have a combined budget of more than $250 million. Chicago produces and/or presents more world premieres annually than any other city in the nation. Each year Chicago theatres send new work to resident theatres across the country, to Broadway, and around the world. For more information, visit www.chicagoplays.com.

The League of Chicago Theatres’ Mission Statement

Theatre is essential to the life of a great city and to its citizens. The League of Chicago Theatres is an alliance of theatres, which leverages its collective strength to support, promote and advocate for Chicago’s theatre industry. Through our work, we ensure that theatre continues to thrive in our city.