Announcing the Cast of *Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil* World-Premiere Musical at Goodman Theatre

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ANNOUNCING THE COMPLETE COMPANY FOR 

THE GROUNDBREAKING NEW MUSICAL 

MIDNIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF GOOD AND EVIL

BOOK BY TAYLOR MAC, MUSIC AND LYRICS BY JASON ROBERT BROWN, CHOREOGRAPHY BY TANYA BIRL, 

DIRECTED BY ROB ASHFORD,

BASED ON THE NEW YORK TIMES BEST-SELLING NON-FICTION BOOK BY JOHN BERENDT

***PERFORMANCES BEGIN JUNE 25 WITH OPENING NIGHT ON JULY 8; TICKETS NOW ON SALE***

Here at ChiIL Mama and ChiIL Live Shows, we can't wait to catch Goodman's hotly anticipated new musical adaptation of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Save the dates and make this a July to remember. 

Casting is complete for Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil—a new musical based on John Berendt’s iconic non-fiction book that makes its world premiere in the 856-seat Albert Theatre this summer. With a book by MacArthur “Genius” Grantee Taylor Mac and music and lyrics by Tony Award winner Jason Robert Brown, the world-premiere production will be directed by Tony Award winner Rob Ashford, with choreography by Tanya Birl. 

Joining the previously announced Tony- and Grammy-Award winning actor J. Harrison Ghee in the role of The Lady Chablis; Tony Award nominee Tom Hewitt as Jim Williams; and Olivier Award nominee Sierra Boggess as Emma Dawes, the cast features stage and screen notables Lance Roberts (The Best Man) as Bobby Lewis; Austin Colby (The Great Gatsby) as Danny Hansford; Bailee Endebrock (Parade) as Corrine Strong; Shanel Bailey (The Book of Mormon) as Lavella Cole; Jessica Molaskey (Sunday in the Park with George) as Alma Knox Carter; Brianna Buckley (the ripple, the wave that carried me home) as Minerva; Mary Ernster (War Paint) as Serena Barnes/Dawn Avery; McKinley Carter (Turn of the Century) as Vera Strong; and more. 

The world-premiere production of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil appears June 25 - August 4, 2024 in the 856-seat Albert Theatre); opening night is July 8. For tickets ($25 – 165, subject to change), call 312.443.3800 or visit GoodmanTheatre.org/Midnight. Goodman Theatre is grateful for the support of Northern Trust (Lead Corporate Sponsor) and Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP (Corporate Sponsor Partner).

“We’re kind of giddy to welcome this absolutely sensational cast and top-flight creative team for the world premiere of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil,” said Artistic Director Susan V. Booth. “This collection of humans is like the dream dinner party, and we can’t wait to invite you to the table they’re setting. Some will be new to you, some are old friends, and all of them make this singular creation Chicago’s must-see musical event of summer 2024.”

John Berendt’s 1994 blockbuster non-fiction book, a Pulitzer-Prize finalist that was on the New York Times Best-Seller list for 216 weeks and was adapted for Clint Eastwood's 1997 film of the same name, becomes a seductive new musical. Southern charm is bountiful in Savannah, Georgia. But behind polite smiles, the eccentric residents are filled with secrets and motives. When wealthy antiques dealer Jim Williams is accused of murder, the sensational trial uncovers hidden truths and exposes the fine line between good and evil — which sparks Lady Chablis and other Savannahians to change the city forever.

The award-winning creative team includes sets by Tony and Olivier Award winner Christopher Oram, costumes by Tony Award nominee Toni-Leslie James, lighting by Olivier- and Tony Award-winning designer Neil Austin and sound design by AUDELCO Award-winner Jon Weston. Casting is by Lauren Port, CSA and The Telsey Office/Patrick Goodwin, CSA.

THE COMPANY OF MIDNIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF GOOD AND EVIL

J. Harrison Ghee…..The Lady Chablis

Tom Hewitt…..Jim Williams

Sierra Boggess…..Emma Dawes

Lance Roberts…..Bobby Lewis

Austin Colby…..Danny Hansford

Bailee Endebrock…..Corrine Strong

Shanel Bailey…..Lavella Cole

Jessica Molaskey…..Alma Knox Carter

Mary Ernster…..Serena Barnes/Dawn Avery

McKinley Carter…..Vera Strong

Brianna Buckley…..Minerva

Maya Bowles…..Stacey Brown

DeMarius Copes…..Jeremiah Jones

Sean Donovan…..Luther Driggers

Jason Michael Evans…..Colonel Atwood/Burt

Christopher Kelley…..Bubbles/Gregory

Andre Terrell Malcolm…..Josiah Domingo

Aaron James McKenzie…..Jethro Myles

Wes Olivier…..Jack the One-Eyed Jill

Kayla Marie Shipman…..Millicent/Mary

Rory Shirley…..Stefanie Davis

Calvin L. Cooper, Daryn Whitney Harrell, Kayla Kennedy, Jake DiMaggio Lopez, Justin Thomas Rivers…..Swing 

ABOUT THE CREATORS

Rob Ashford (Director): “I am a huge fan of John Berendt’s terrific book—and of its star, the beautiful city of Savannah! When asked if I’d be interested in helping tell that story on stage, I pinched myself and then said ‘absolutely!’ I can’t imagine anyone bringing these unique and wonderful characters to life in words and music better than Taylor Mac and Jason Robert Brown.” Ashford is a Tony Award, Olivier Award, Emmy Award, Drama Desk Award and Outer Critics Circle Award-winning director and choreographer. Broadway credits include Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Frozen, How To Succeed In Business, Promises, Promises, Evita, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Shrek, John Water’s Cry Baby, Curtains and The Wedding Singer. London credits include The Winter’s Tale, Romeo & Juliet, The Entertainer, Harlequinade, Macbeth, Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum and the Olivier Award-winning productions of Anna Christie, A Streetcar Named Desire and Parade. He directed and choreographed NBC’s “Sound of Music Live!” and “Peter Pan Live!”. He directed and choreographed Carousel, Carmen, & The Barber of Seville for Chicago Lyric Opera and Houston Grand Opera and choreographed Candide at La Scala, ENO, and Chatelet in Paris. He choreographed and staged the 2009, 2013, 2014, & 2015 Academy Awards winning an Emmy for his work on Baz Luhrmann’s 2009 production number featuring Hugh Jackman and Beyonce. He has staged The Tony Awards for eight years and has also staged tributes at The Kennedy Center Honors for Barbra Streisand, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Jerry Herman, Barbara Cook, Tom Hanks, Shirley MacLaine and Meryl Streep. Films include choreography for Disney’s Cinderella, Beyond the Sea, A Million Ways to Die in the West, Ted 2, Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile.

Taylor Mac (Book): “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil was a seminal book for me as a young queer person, coming out in the late 1980s and early 90s. The eccentricities of Savannah, and how they were celebrated by such a large readership, seemed to say, the things that made me odd and an outcast in the world were actually things I should cherish. Likewise, musical theater has always had a similar effect on me. Singing our thoughts is such an eccentric way of expressing ourselves—yet so perfectly aligned with my personal liberation and joy. So turning Midnight into a musical, and with such master craftspeople as Jason, Rob and Tanya is essentially an extension of celebrating the joy and liberation from exposing what’s hidden.” Mac is a MacArthur Fellow, a Pulitzer Prize Finalist, a Tony Award Nominee (for Best Play), and the recipient of the Kennedy Prize (with Matt Ray), the Doris Duke Performing Artist Award, a Guggenheim, a Drama League Award, a NY Drama Critics Circle Award, two Obie’s, two Bessies, and the first American to receive the International Ibsen Award. Mac is the author of Joy and Pandemic (Huntington Theater); The Hang (with Matt Ray); Gary, A Sequel to Titus Andronicus; A 24-Decade History of Popular Music; Hir; The Fre, The Walk Across America For Mother Earth, The Lily’s Revenge; The Young Ladies Of; and The Be(A)st of Taylor Mac. The documentary Taylor Mac’s A 24-Decade History of Popular Music recently premiered on HBO to critical acclaim. 

Jason Robert Brown (Music and Lyrics): “When I am deciding to start a new show, the two most important questions I ask myself are: 1) Does it sing? and 2) Do I get to work with fun people? With Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, I knew the answers to both questions immediately. The book’s milieu, so rich with mystery and romance and history, sings with every sentence, deeply passionate, slyly comic, emotions threatening to boil over on every page. And to work with Rob Ashford, whose transformative production of Parade at the Donmar Warehouse in 2007 reinvigorated not only the show’s reputation but my creative process, was a no-brainer. But then add to that the brilliant, joyful, radically inclusive mind of Taylor Mac, and there was no way I could resist. Creating this world with these mad geniuses is, in true Savannah tradition, a grand and great party. I can’t wait for the world to join in.” Brown has written the music and lyrics to several of the most renowned and influential musicals of our time, including the generation-defining The Last Five Years, his debut song cycle Songs for a New World, and the seminal Parade, which just won a 2023 Tony Award for Best Musical Revival, starring Ben Platt and directed by Michael Arden. His other musicals include 13, which was made into a feature film on Netflix last year; The Bridges of Madison County, winner of Tony Awards for score and orchestrations; Mr. Saturday Night with Billy Crystal; and Honeymoon In Vegas. As a pianist, singer and bandleader, Jason has performed concerts around the world. His latest album, “Coming From Inside The House,” features Ariana Grande and Shoshana Bean and is available from Craft Recordings.

Tanya Birl (Choreographer): “I’m honored to make my Chicago debut with this incredible production, and thrilled to collaborate with such an amazingly talented creative team—including my longtime mentor and friend Rob Ashford. There is so much beauty and mystery in the written and spoken words of this story. I think the role of movement and dance in this piece is to tap into the essence of Savannah—to speak what is unspoken. I can’t wait to get to work!”

Brill is a New York City-based Movement Director and Choreographer. Choreography: How I Learned What I Learned (OSF), Twelfth Night (The Public Theater), The Red Letter Plays (The Signature Theater), Comedy of Errors (Classic Stage company), As You Like It (The Guthrie Theater) and Peter and the Star Catcher (Oregon Shakespeare Festival). Select performance credits, Broadway: Memphis the Musical, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, How to Succeed, On The Town. Others: The Lion King, The Bubbly Black Girl…, The Wiz, West Side Story. Birl is currently in the process of writing an original choreo-play titled ‘A Play in 3 Movements’ about intergenerational trauma/healing and its links to auto-immunity in women. She is a 2023/2024 MAP Fund Grantee, 2022 NoMAA artist in residence and a High-Arts/Critical Breaks Fellow in collaboration with OSF New Works. 

John Berendt (Award-Winning Author) was born and raised in Syracuse, New York. He attended Harvard, where he majored in English and wrote for the Harvard Lampoon. Upon graduation he was hired by Esquire magazine--first as an editor, then as a monthly columnist.  Later, he became the editor of New York Magazine. It was during a trip to the South in the mid-1980s that he discovered Savannah--a cloistered, inward-looking garden city that basked on the Georgia coast, reveling in its own peculiarities and giving not a thought to the outside world. He was enchanted and began writing about the city and its people in what would eventually become the non-fiction book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. 

ABOUT GOODMAN THEATRE

Chicago’s theater since 1925, Goodman Theatre is a not-for-profit arts and community organization in the heart of the Loop, distinguished by the excellence and scope of its artistic programming and community engagement. Led by Artistic Director Susan V. Booth and Executive Director/CEO Roche Schulfer, the theater’s artistic priorities include new play development (more than 150 world or American premieres), large scale musical theater works and reimagined classics. Artists and productions have earner two Pulitzer Prizes, 22 Tony Awards and nearly 200 Joseph Jefferson Awards, among other accolades.

The Goodman is the first theater in the world to produce all 10 plays in August Wilson’s “American Century Cycle.” Its longtime annual holiday tradition A Christmas Carol, now in its fifth decade, has created a new generation of theatergoers in Chicago. The Goodman also frequently serves as a production and program partner with national and international companies and Chicago’s Off-Loop theaters.

Using the tools of theatrical practice, the Goodman’s Education and Engagement programs aim to develop generations of citizens who understand and empathize with cultures and stories of diverse voices. The Goodman’s Alice Rapoport Center for Education and Engagement is the home of these programs, which are offered for Chicago youth—85% of whom come from underserved communities—schools and life-long learners.

Goodman Theatre was built on the traditional homelands of the Council of the Three Fires: the Ojibwe, Odawa and Potawatomi Nations. We recognize that many other Nations consider the area we now call Chicago as their traditional homeland—including the Myaamia, Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Sac and Fox, Peoria, Kaskaskia, Wea, Kickapoo and Mascouten—and remains home to many Native peoples today. While we believe that our city’s vast diversity should be reflected on the stages of its largest theater, we acknowledge that our efforts have largely overlooked the voices of our Native peoples. This omission has added to the isolation, erasure and harm that Indigenous communities have faced for hundreds of years. We have begun a more deliberate journey towards celebrating Native American stories and welcoming Indigenous communities.

Goodman Theatre was founded by William O. Goodman and his family in honor of their son Kenneth, an important figure in Chicago’s cultural renaissance in the early 1900s. The Goodman family’s legacy lives on through the continued work and dedication of Kenneth’s family, including Albert Ivar Goodman, who with his late mother, Edith-Marie Appleton, contributed the necessary funds for the creation on the new Goodman center in 2000.

Julie Danis is Chair of Goodman Theatre’s Board of Trustees, Lorrayne Weiss is Women’s Board President and Kelli Garcia is President of the Scenemakers Board for young professionals.

Save The Dates: Chicago Shakespeare Theater To Feature 10 Productions Over 12 Months

Chi, IL Live Shows On Our Radar 

Chicago Shakespeare Theater's 2024/25 Season 

features a powerful lineup of thrilling theatrical events, international partnerships, and productions of Shakespeare

Artistic Director Edward Hall and Executive Director Kimberly Motes Announce Inaugural Season for Chicago Shakespeare Theater

Artistic Director Edward Hall and Executive Director Kimberly Motes' inaugural season for Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) will feature 10 productions over 12 months that bring internationally acclaimed artists and companies to Chicago, launch North American, US, and regional premieres, and create dynamic Shakespeare productions for multi-generational audiences. CST brings the Royal Shakespeare Company back to Chicago after 30 years in a new, ongoing partnership and welcomes Teatro La Plaza from Peru.

The season of nearly 350 performances will begin with two summer productions: the US premiere of The Lord of the Rings – A Musical Tale, in a new staging by Paul Hart, as well as an adaptation of the beloved children’s book Corduroy, directed by Amber Mak. Edward Hall leads the fall season with Henry V and the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) returns to Chicago with their new co-artistic director Tamara Harvey’s inaugural production of Pericles. The winter begins with the Broadway hit Jaja’s African Hair Braiding, written by Jocelyn Bioh and directed by Whitney White, followed by the hilarious and uplifting Avaaz, created by Michael Shayan. The season continues with an expanded run of 40 student matinee performances of Short Shakespeare! A Midsummer Night’s Dream, adapted and directed by Edward Hall; Peru’s Teatro La Plaza brings their inventive and eye-opening interpretation of Hamlet; next comes the North American premiere of the Olivier Best New Musical Award winner Sunny Afternoon—Ray Davies and Joe Penhall’s story of the groundbreaking British rock band, The Kinks; then the award-winning playwright Lolita Chakrabarti reframes her celebrated play Hymn in Chicago.

“It is a huge pleasure to introduce this first season of work which looks forward to a year of adventure, entertainment, and thought-provoking theater made by artists in the US and across the globe,” says Edward Hall. “The range and scale of work is something to be celebrated by audiences everywhere as we illuminate the vitality of Shakespeare’s genius alongside leading contemporary writers of our day.”

“We have been energized and inspired by the audiences, artists, donors, students, and community leaders we have met over the past six months as well as by our board and staff,” says Kimberly Motes. “This season is an expression of their encouragement and the dynamism of Chicago as a city of world class theater, arts, and culture. It’s a joy to celebrate a multitude of powerful creative voices reflective of the many communities in our city.”

The 2024/25 Season

As part of a continued commitment to introducing young audiences to the magic of live theater, Chicago Shakespeare begins this summer with Corduroy (June 18–July 14, 2024 | Jentes Family Courtyard Theater). Based on the cherished children’s books Corduroy and A Pocket for Corduroy by Don Freeman and adapted for the stage by Barry Kornhauser, this 60-minute play had its world premiere at the Tony Award-winning Children’s Theatre Company in Minneapolis in 2018. Corduroy’s button has gone missing and he can’t go home with the kindhearted Lisa without it. Audiences follow the beloved bear on a rollicking and delightfully destructive journey through the department store as he searches high and low in this imaginative tale of friendship and belonging. Esteemed Chicago director Amber Mak returns to CST after last summer’s smash-hit production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, bringing a wealth of experience directing shows for young audiences.

“Corduroy has been a beloved book for over 50 years as an enduring, lovable story of friendship, home, and being accepted just as you are today,” says Mak. “I am excited to bring these characters from the book to life on the Pier in a very fun, whimsical, and imaginative adventure that multi-generational audiences can experience together.”

Beginning in July, The Lord of the Rings – A Musical Tale (July 19–September 1, 2024 | The Yard), based on the books by J.R.R. Tolkien, comes to the stage in a US premiere production directed by Paul Hart, who created the acclaimed new staging in 2023 at the UK’s Watermill Theatre. This adventure through the multi-dimensional world of Middle-earth has been beloved by generations of readers and adapted into an Academy Award-winning film trilogy by Peter Jackson. As the Hobbits celebrate Bilbo Baggins’ eleventy-first birthday in the Shire, he gifts his nephew Frodo his most precious belonging—a gold ring. This fateful moment launches Frodo on a legendary and perilous quest across Middle-earth to the darkest realms of Mordor to vanquish evil with his loyal Fellowship. With book and lyrics by Shaun McKenna and Matthew Warchus and original music by Academy Award winner A.R. Rahman (Bombay Dreams, Slumdog Millionaire), Finnish folk band Värttinä, and Tony Award winner Christopher Nightingale (Matilda the Musical), this theatrical event celebrates the magical world of Middle-earth, making for an unforgettable experience for longtime fans and newcomers alike.

“Sharing the Watermill’s wonderful expression of The Lord of the Rings on stage with audiences across the globe beginning this summer in Chicago, with the US premiere of Paul Hart’s and Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s collaborative re-imagining, is a dream come true for all of us at Middle-earth Enterprises,” says Fredrica Drotos, of Middle-earth Enterprises.

Following his groundbreaking production of Richard III this season, Artistic Director Edward Hall opens the start of the fall season with Henry V (September 6–October 6, 2024 | Jentes Family Courtyard Theater). This gripping tale of youthful ambition and adventure explores the thrill and destructive power of war, examining nationalism at its most dangerous and seductive. From the evocative opening line, “O for a Muse of Fire,” Henry V includes some of Shakespeare’s most famous speeches and stirring poetry. Hall’s approach reflects his belief in Shakespeare as a modern writer for our modern world, exploring the themes of conflict, patriotism, and legacy through a contemporary lens. Prior to taking the helm of CST as artistic director in October 2023, Hall staged acclaimed productions of Shakespeare’s plays in London’s West End, New York, and on tour around the globe as the founder and artistic director of Propeller Shakespeare.

“Henry V remains one of the most revealing plays about war, nationalism, the consequences of both, and our need for common causes to bind us together,” says Hall. “There has never been a more prescient moment to explore our reflex for conflict through the prism of a story that contains some of the greatest writing in the English language.”

One of the world’s preeminent theater companies, the Royal Shakespeare Company returns to Chicago for the first time in 30 years as part of a new, ongoing partnership with CST. Direct from a run in the Swan Theatre at the company’s home in Stratford-upon-Avon, UK comes the mystical Pericles (October 20–December 8, 2024 | Jentes Family Courtyard Theater). In her and Daniel Evans' first season as the RSC’s co-artistic directors, Tamara Harvey directs this major new production of Shakespeare’s moving tale of love, hope, and miracles. When Prince Pericles flees for safety, he finds himself on an epic voyage through storms, shipwrecks, abduction, and loss. This exclusive limited engagement marks CST’s 100th international production of bringing the world’s great artists to Chicago.

"It’s a joy to be renewing our relationship with Chicago Shakespeare Theater in 2024, in this moment of transformation for both companies,” said RSC co-artistic directors Tamara Harvey and Daniel Evans. “The RSC’s connection with Chicago dates back to 1913 and many of our audiences and company remember welcoming CST to Stratford-upon-Avon as part of our Complete Works Festival in 2006. As the RSC’s new co-artistic directors, we share Edward Hall’s passionate commitment to collaboration across borders and to providing a platform for exhilarating theatre that speaks with immediacy to the world we live in today. Bringing this production of Pericles directly from our inaugural season marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter between our two companies. We can’t wait to share it with CST’s audiences.”

Straight from a twice-extended Broadway run, Jaja’s African Hair Braiding (January 14–February 2, 2025 | The Yard) will have its regional premiere at CST in a co-production with Arena Stage and Berkeley Repertory Theatre. This comedic play, which had its world premiere at Manhattan Theatre Club in 2023, offers a glimpse into one sweltering summer day in the lives of a group of West African immigrant women who find community in a Harlem hair salon. Love blossoms, dreams flourish, and secrets are revealed in this dazzling production. Written by acclaimed playwright Jocelyn Bioh (School Girls, or the African Mean Girls Play, Nollywood Dreams), the production is directed by Chicago native and Obie Award winner Whitney White (Our Dear Dead Drug Lord, What to Send Up When It Goes Down). Jaja's African Hair Braiding is presented in association with Madison Wells Live and LaChanze.

"I am thrilled and honored that audiences beyond Broadway will get to come to 'the shop' and meet the vibrant women of Jaja's African Hair Braiding,” says Bioh. “This play means so much to me as both a native New Yorker and as a first-generation Ghanaian American as it speaks to the heart of what makes our country so beautifully unique: its rich diversity of people and culture. There is a real universality to these women's experiences, and I can't wait for audiences to connect and fall in love with each of them."

Also beginning performances in January, following a sold out, critically acclaimed East Coast debut, Avaaz (January 21–February 9, 2025 | Carl and Marilynn Thoma Theater Upstairs) is a “powerful, defiant, celebratory” (Washington Post) exploration of family and the immigrant experience, written and performed by Emmy Award nominee Michael Shayan and directed by Tony Award nominee Moritz von Stuelpnagel. Shayan—playing the role of his own larger-than-life Iranian-Jewish mother, Roya—welcomes audiences into her home to celebrate the Iranian New Year and shares her quintessential American journey from Tehran to “Tehrangeles,” California, formerly known as Westwood. Rich in extravagant humor and heart, Avaaz is at once deeply personal and universal. This production, hailed as “ingenious” and “masterful” by BroadwayWorld and DC Theater Arts, is designed by a Tony and Emmy Award-winning creative team. It successfully premiered at the Olney Theatre Center and its time at Chicago Shakespeare marks the continuation of a US tour. A Fellow with the Sundance Institute and Lambda Literary, Shayan was recently recognized on Out Magazine’s OUT100 list of the most impactful and influential LGBTQ+ people. A Harvard-trained writer, performer, and illusionist, Shayan offers a perspective rarely seen on stage. von Stuelpnagel’s credits include the upcoming Judgment Day at CST and Present Laughter and Hand to God on Broadway.

“It’s an honor to take Avaaz across the country with Moritz and this incredible team, particularly at a time of overwhelming anti-immigrant sentiment,” says Shayan. “Avaaz offers a different narrative and grapples with complex truths in a fabulous, decadent, larger-than life party on stage. I can’t wait to share the magic of ‘Tehrangeles’ with audiences in Chicago and beyond!”

Chicago Shakespeare will increase the number of student performances from 30 to 40 and welcome 20,000 middle and high school students from across the region to Short Shakespeare! A Midsummer Night’s Dream (February 4–March 8, 2025 | Jentes Family Courtyard Theater). Adapted and directed by Edward Hall, Shakespeare’s beloved romantic comedy captures the exhilaration, foolishness, and delight of young love, as the chaos of magic and enchantment turns the world upside down. In addition to the five-week run of school matinees, this 75-minute production will offer public performances on Saturdays.

“It’s a joy to be creating this Short Shakes production as part of CST’s ongoing commitment to providing the best theater for young people,” says Hall. “I have had some of my most exciting experiences in the theater making work in this forum and look forward to sharing a comedy that warms the heart and delights the soul, inspiring young audiences and artists of the future.”

In partnership with the Chicago Latino Theater Alliance (CLATA), CST introduces Teatro La Plaza from Lima, Peru to Chicago audiences with an original and energetic reimagining of Shakespeare’s Hamlet (March 13–23, 2025 | Carl and Marilynn Thoma Theater Upstairs). Blending Shakespeare’s text with personal anecdotes from their lives, a group of young performers with Down syndrome take the stage in a lively and profound theatrical experience directed by Teatro La Plaza’s founder Chela de Ferrari. Together, the performers explore the central question “To be or not to be?” using pop music, dance, and wry humor to create an original and joyful celebration of self-expression.

“CLATA is excited to see Teatro La Plaza's Hamlet at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, not only because this is such a different adaptation of Hamlet but also because it's a very unique representation of Latine actors that also deserves to be experienced,” says Jorge Valdivia, CLATA’s executive director. “There is so much that we can learn from this unique adaptation. We’re thrilled about our ongoing partnership with CST and seeing our city give Teatro La Plaza a warm welcome.”

Winner of four Olivier Awards including Best New Musical, Sunny Afternoon  makes its North American premiere (March 21–April 27, 2025 | The Yard). It tells the story of the rise to stardom of The Kinks through their own prolific catalog of chart-topping songs including “You Really Got Me,” “Lola,” and “All Day and All of the Night.” With an original story, music, and lyrics by The Kinks’ legendary Ray Davies and a script by Joe Penhall, this musical is an unforgettable rock-and-roll journey through the soaring triumphs and devastating lows of an iconic band that influenced generations. Edward Hall returns to this show after directing the world premiere at London’s Hampstead Theatre and in the West End.

“Anyone who knows The Kinks knows we’re a series of catastrophes turning into glorious triumph,” says Davies. “This is not an interpretation…it’s coming from my perspective and very personal to me. Most of the stories come from the family in the front room where everyone played an instrument, and everyone collaborated. Yet what’s come through is that it’s a kind of timeless story. Yes, there’s a setting, but hopefully the songs transcend time. It’s about characters and situations and people trying to get through their lives.”

In the spring, Olivier Award-winning playwright Lolita Chakrabarti returns to Chicago with her celebrated play Hymn (April 29–May 25, 2025 | Jentes Family Courtyard Theater). Originally set in London in its premiere at the Almeida Theatre, Chakrabarti will reframe the play for CST to be set in Chicago. This soul-affirming story charts the lives of two middle-aged Black men as they form a deep bond in an intimate exploration of the loyalties and betrayals of brothers, fathers, and sons. Chakrabarti’s Red Velvet enjoyed an acclaimed run at CST in 2017; other notable credits include Life of Pi, now on tour across North America, and Hamnet, a stage adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s novel that premiered at the Royal Shakespeare Company last year.

“I wanted to write a story of two Black men who find love with each other—a familial, platonic love,” says Chakrabarti. “My own male friends have often surprised me with their sensitivity, femininity, fussiness, insecurities, fun, kindness, and warmth—the list goes on. Hymn was born out of my desire to tell a different story. To reframe this play for Chicago is very exciting indeed, and I believe it will lend itself beautifully to this city’s rich culture.”

Chicago Shakespeare Theater will also continue its longstanding commitment to creative community engagement this summer with Shakes in the City, an evolution of Chicago Shakespeare in the Parks. Pop-up performances of Twelfth Night, directed by Tyrone Phillips, and opportunities to engage with artists will activate green spaces, neighborhood festivals, and events across the city. This new iteration of the program builds upon CST’s 12-year history of summer programming in community spaces and aims to broaden engagement with audiences across Chicago.

“I couldn’t be more excited to work on this new chapter of CST’s community programming and partner in its reimagining,” says Phillips, who directed a production of Twelfth Night in the Courtyard Theater last fall. “Chicago is my home, and I love creating here. This is a city that gets what it means to be a human, what it means to be a neighbor, and to bring this warm and joyful play that is fundamentally about community directly to people across the city in this new way is really special.”

For information on purchasing tickets, visit www.chicagoshakes.com or call the Box Office at 312.595.5600. A variety of flexible season ticket packages are on sale now, offering savings over single tickets and guaranteeing seats at every production. Discounted tickets are available for groups of 10 or more.

About Chicago Shakespeare Theater

A Regional Tony Award recipient, Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) produces a bold and innovative year-round season—plays, musicals, world premieres, family productions, and theatrical presentations from around the globe—alongside education programming for students, teachers, and lifelong learners, and engagement with communities across the city. Located on Chicago’s iconic Navy Pier, CST’s campus features the Jentes Family Courtyard Theater, The Yard, and the Carl and Marilynn Thoma Theater Upstairs. Onstage, in classrooms and neighborhoods across the city, and in venues around the world, Chicago Shakespeare is a multifaceted cultural center—inviting audiences, artists, and community members to share powerful stories that connect and inspire.

Edward Hall (Artistic Director, Carl and Marilynn Thoma Chair) joined CST in October 2023 and directed his debut production as Artistic Director, Richard III, earlier this year. He previously directed the Jeff Award-winning Rose Rage trilogy at CST in 2003. An internationally recognized director, Hall has built his love of Shakespeare around original interpretations of the Bard’s plays, staging acclaimed productions in London’s West End and on tour around the globe. He led the UK’s Hampstead Theatre for nearly a decade, transforming it into one of the nation’s most successful theaters for new work development, with over 100 world premieres. He was the founder and Artistic Director of Propeller Shakespeare for twenty years touring across the US, Europe, Asia, and beyond. He has served as an Associate Director at the National Theatre and Old Vic in London. His extensive film and television credits include The Heist Before Christmas starring Timothy Spall, Blithe Spirit starring Dame Judi Dench, multiple HBO and BBC series, and the season 4 finale for Downton Abbey. He is a member of The Arts Club Of Chicago.

Kimberly Motes (Executive Director) joined CST in October 2023 after serving for over seven years as Managing Director for the Tony Award winning Children's Theatre Company (CTC), the nation’s largest and most acclaimed theatre dedicated to multigenerational audiences. She produced 46 plays/musicals including 15 commissioned new works and six coproductions/transfers, increased contributed income, completed a $25 million capital campaign, and achieved the highest ticket sales in its history. Motes held leadership roles in Minnesota including Senior Vice President of Institutional Advancement at the University of St. Thomas, Vice President of Institutional Advancement for the College of Saint Benedict, Managing Director at Theater Latté Da, and Executive Director at the Cowles Center for Dance and the Performing Arts. Kimberly spent 13 years in Washington, DC where she was the Director of Development at Arena Stage and led adult arts education programming and a ballet training program at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. She has served on grant panels for the National Endowment for the Arts and the Minnesota State Arts Board. She is a member of the Economic Club of Chicago.

SUMMER FAMILY FUN ON NAVY PIER BASED ON THE BELOVED STORYBOOKS

Corduroy

Based on the books entitled 

Corduroy & A Pocket for Corduroy by Don Freeman

Adapted for the stage by Barry Kornhauser

Directed by Amber Mak

Jentes Family Courtyard Theater

June 18–July 14, 2024 

A MUSICAL TALE OF MAGIC AND

ADVENTURE IN AN UNFORGETTABLE US PREMIERE

The Lord of the Rings - A Musical Tale

Based upon the books by J.R.R. Tolkien

Book & lyrics by Shaun McKenna & Matthew Warchus

Music by A.R. Rahman, Värttinä, & Christopher Nightingale

Directed by Paul Hart

The Yard

July 19–September 1, 2024 

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR EDWARD HALL

STAGES SHAKESPEARE’S ROUSING EPIC

Henry V 

By William Shakespeare

Directed by Edward Hall

Jentes Family Courtyard Theater

September 6–October 6, 2024

THE RSC RETURNS TO CHICAGO

AFTER 30 YEARS IN A NEW PARTNERSHIP

Pericles

From the UK

By William Shakespeare

Directed by Tamara Harvey

Jentes Family Courtyard Theater

October 20–December 8, 2024

DIRECT FROM BROADWAY: REGIONAL PREMIERE OF ACCLAIMED NEW PLAY

Jaja’s African Hair Braiding

Written by Jocelyn Bioh

Directed by Whitney White

The Yard

January 14–February 2, 2025

CELEBRATING THE IRANIAN-JEWISH IMMIGRANT EXPERIENCE THROUGH TRADITIONS AND HUMOR

Avaaz 

Written & performed by Michael Shayan

Directed by Moritz von Stuelpnagel

A production from the Olney Theatre Center

Carl and Marilynn Thoma Theater Upstairs

January 21–February 9, 2025

75-MINUTE SHAKESPEARE MAKES

THE PERFECT INTRODUCTION TO THE BARD’S BELOVED COMEDY

Short Shakespeare!

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

By William Shakespeare

Adapted & directed by Edward Hall

Welcoming thousands of young people for weekday student matinees with public performances Saturdays at 11am

Jentes Family Courtyard Theater

February 4–March 8, 2025

SHAKESPEARE’S ICONIC PLAY

INTERPRETED BY AN ENSEMBLE

OF ACTORS WITH DOWN SYNDROME

Teatro La Plaza’s

Hamlet

From Peru

In partnership with Chicago Latino Theater Alliance (CLATA)

Written & directed by Chela De Ferrari

Carl and Marilynn Thoma Theater Upstairs

March 13–23, 2025

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

OF HIT MUSICAL CHRONICLES PIONEERING ROCK BAND, THE KINKS

Sunny Afternoon

By Joe Penhall with original story, music, & lyrics by Ray Davies

Directed by Edward Hall

The Yard

March 21–April 27, 2025 

SOULFUL STORY OF MALE FRIENDSHIP

TRANSPORTED TO CHICAGO SETTING

Hymn

Written by Lolita Chakrabarti

Jentes Family Courtyard Theater

April 29–May 25, 2025

SAVE THE DATES: SECOND CITY HOLIDAY REVUE, NOVEMBER 26-DECEMBER 23 AT PARAMOUNT'S NEWLY RENOVATED COPLEY THEATRE

 ChiIL Mama’s Chi, IL Picks List: Adult Night Out

PARAMOUNT READY TO UNWRAP ITS NEWLY RENOVATED COPLEY THEATRE WITH THE SECOND CITY HOLIDAY REVUE

NOVEMBER 26-DECEMBER 23

 

The Second City Holiday Revue. Photo courtesy The Second City.

This production is for audiences 18 years and older due to strong adult language and content. No one under 12 allowed.

Paramount Theatre is ready to unwrap its annual end-of-year tradition - bringing The Second City’s famous brand of seasonal hilarity to downtown Aurora for the holidays.

And this year, The Second City’s Holiday Revue: It’s a Wild, Wacky, Wonderful Life, will give audiences the holly jollies as the first live production to be presented in the beautiful, newly-remodeled Copley Theatre.

Following a $2 million, top-to-bottom renovation, capped by the addition of comfortable new seats and a sleek new lobby bar, the 165-seat Copley Theatre is an incredibly intimate space for Second City’s seasonal songs and gut-busting holiday skits. With no seat more than 70 feet from the stage, audiences will enjoy Second City’s side-splitting, song filled holiday spectacular up close and personal. Whether you are on the nice or naughty list, Chicago’s notorious improv troupe will have you laughing so hard you’ll shoot eggnog out your nose.

Skip the long lines and shipping delays, and give the gift of laughter to everyone you meet this holiday season. Performances are November 26-December 23: Thursdays at 7:30 p.m.; Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., Sundays at 3 p.m. Tickets to The Second City Holiday Revue are $37 and are on sale now. Buy early, as these shows will sell out.

The Copley Theatre is located at 8 E. Galena Blvd. in the North Island Center, right across the street from Paramount Theatre. For tickets and information, visit ParamountAurora.com, call (630) 896-6666, or stop by the Paramount box office, 23 E. Galena Blvd., 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday. This production is for audiences 18 years and older due to strong adult language and content. No one under 12 allowed.

Following The Second City Holiday Revue, the Copley Theatre will become home in 2022 to Paramount’s much anticipated, all-new Bold Series, a four-show subscription series that promises to bring a new type of theater to downtown Aurora - fearless, unexpected and thought provoking.

Paramount will announce its inaugural four show Bold series line-up in the coming weeks. Subscribers to Paramount’s 2021-22 Broadway Series will have the first opportunity to purchase tickets and secure their seats as part of an exclusive subscriber pre-sale.

COVID POLICY

Paramount and Copley Theatre are about gathering together and sharing in the experience of live theater. Copley Theatre is committed to the health and safety of patrons, theater employees, production staff and cast. To ensure the safety of everyone in the theater, the following policies will be in place for all performances of The Second City Holiday Revue:

Masks required for performances through December 23, 2021: Everyone in the theater must wear acceptable face coverings at all times, including during the show, except while consuming beverages in designated locations. All face coverings must cover the nose and mouth, and comply with the CDC guidelines for acceptable face coverings.

Vaccinations required for performances through December 23, 2021: Guests will need to be fully vaccinated with an FDA emergency use-authorized vaccine in order to attend a show and must show proof of vaccination at their time of entry into the building with their valid ticket and government issued ID. “Fully vaccinated” means the performance date you are attending must be: at least 14 days after your second dose of an FDA authorized two dose COVID-19 vaccine, orat least 14 days after your single dose of an FDA authorized single dose COVID-19 vaccine.

The only exception will be for guests who need reasonable accommodations due to a medical condition or sincerely held religious belief. Guests under the age of 12 will not be permitted to attend Second City and guests requesting an exemption must provide proof of at least one of the following, in addition to properly wearing a mask inside the building:

negative COVID-19 PCR test taken within 72 hours of the start of the performance, ornegative COVID-19 rapid antigen test taken within 6 hours of the start of the performance.

Rapid antigen tests must be administered by a medical professional, pharmacy or healthcare worker and must be administered within six hours of the start of the desired performance. Proof of this, along with proof of negative results, are required for entrance. Any version of a home rapid antigen test will not be accepted.

Guests may present proof of vaccination or a negative test on paper or a smartphone. In addition to proof of vaccination, all guests 18 years or older must also present a government-issued photo ID, such as a driver’s license or passport. Guests under 18 may also use a school photo ID.

Guests who do not comply with these policies will be denied entry or asked to leave the theater. If you feel you cannot follow these guidelines, please contact the Box Office at (630) 896-6666 to discuss your options.

About Paramount Theater

Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd., is the center for performing arts and education in downtown Aurora, the second largest city in Illinois. Since 1931, the beautiful, 1,843-seat theater, graced with a strong 1930s Art Deco influence and original Venetian décor, has been downtown Aurora’s anchor attraction. Since launching its own Broadway Series in 2011, Paramount Theatre steadily amassed more than 41,000 subscribers, prior to COVID, making it the second largest subscription house in the U.S.

Paramount Theatre is one of four live performance venues programmed and managed by the Aurora Civic Center Authority. ACCA also oversees downtown Aurora’s 165-seat Copley Theatre, RiverEdge Park, the city’s 6,000-seat outdoor summer concert venue, the Stolp Island Theatre, an immersive space opening in summer 2023, and the new Paramount School of the Arts.

For the latest news from Paramount Theatre, please visit ParamountAurora.com or follow Paramount on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, all @ParamountAurora.

FEST ALERT: The Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival is BACK, January 20-30, 2022

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

Save the Dates

The 4th Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival will return with live performances, ready to make Chicago the puppetry capital of the world, January 20-30, 2022.

For 10 days, Chicagoans and visitors alike will be treated to a deep, diverse roster of contemporary and traditional puppetry forms presented at cultural institutions large and small all over the city. Shows, artists and all festival events will be announced in the fall.

Until then, visit chicagopuppetfest.org to sign up for the fest’s e-newsletter to be the first to learn the 2022 festival line-up, ticket on sale dates, special events and offers, and behind-the-strings scoop. Or, follow the festival on Facebook at facebook.com/ChicagoInternationalPuppetTheaterFestival, on Instagram at instagram.com/chipuppetfest and on Twitter @ChiPuppetFest.

Originally founded as a project of Blair Thomas & Co., the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival has now evolved to become an organization in its own right, bringing three biennial, multi-week, citywide festivals in 2015, 2017 and 2019. Already, Chicago’s puppet festival has grown to be the largest of its kind in North America, attracting more than 14,000 audience members every iteration to dozens of Chicago venues large and small to enjoy an entertaining and eclectic array of puppet styles from around the world.

Expanded operations at the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival are being overseen by Artistic Director/Festival Founder Blair Thomas, Managing Director Sandy Gerding, and new staff members Taylor Bibat and Mark Blashford. Acclaimed Chicago puppeteer Tom Lee has joined Thomas as Co-Director of the Puppet Lab, while Grace Needlman is coordinating pursuit of the Chicago Puppet Lab’s mission: incubating more works of boundary-breaking puppetry in Chicago, expanding equity in the field of puppetry, and encouraging interdisciplinary experimentation in puppet theater.

For more information, visit chicagopuppetfest.org.

SAVE THE DATES: Spektral Quartet presents world premiere ENIGMA with the Adler Planetarium, June 11 & 12, 2020

Spektral Quartet presents world premiere ENIGMA

with the Adler Planetarium, June 11 & 12, 2020

New multimedia work for string quartet includes 360-degree video experience in Adler’s Grainger Sky Theater

Multi-Grammy nominees the Spektral Quartet present the world premiere of a groundbreaking new multimedia work, ENIGMA, in partnership with the Adler Planetarium on June 11 and 12, 2020. The live music and 360-degree video experience was created for the string quartet by Icelandic artists Anna Thorvaldsdottir (composer) and Sigurdur Gudjonsson (video artist). Following its world premiere in the Adler’s Grainger Sky Theater, ENIGMA will tour to other dome theaters throughout the country and internationally. For more information, visit spektralquartet.com/enigma.

ENIGMA was inspired in part by the 2017 solar eclipse. Created for an immersive, full-dome theater experience, Anna Thorvaldsdottir’s enchanting and beautifully disorienting sounds take on an even more vivid hue through Sigurdur Gudjonsson’s evocative imagery—expanding a fragment seen through an electron microscope into a massive 360-degree video, exploring scale and perception as well as the concept of the in-between.

Tickets for the world premiere of Spektral Quartet’s ENIGMA at the Adler Planetarium (1300 S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago) will go on sale to the public in April. Public performances are Thursday, June 11 at 7 p.m. and Friday, June 12 at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. For more information, visit spektralquartet.com/enigma.

ENIGMA is presented in partnership with the Adler Planetarium and is co co-commissioned by Carnegie Hall, Washington Performing Arts and Spektral Quartet NFP. Major support is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, Paul M. Angell Family Foundation and mediaThe foundation inc.

Artist Bios
Recipient of the Lincoln Center Award for Emerging Artists and the New York Philharmonic Kravis Emerging Composer Award, Anna Thorvaldsdottír is a composer who frequently works with large sonic structures that tend to reveal the presence of a vast variety of sustained sound materials, reflecting her sense of imaginative listening to landscapes and nature. Her music tends to portray a flowing world of sounds with an enigmatic lyrical atmosphere. Anna’s music is frequently performed internationally, and has been featured at several major venues and music festivals such as Lincoln Center's Mostly Mozart Festival in NYC, the Composer Portraits Series at NYC's Miller Theatre, ISCM World Music Days, Nordic Music Days, Ultima Festival, Klangspuren Festival, Beijing Modern Music Festival, Reykjavik Arts Festival, Tectonics, and the Kennedy Center in Washington DC. Her works have been nominated and awarded on many occasions - most notably, Anna is the recipient of the prestigious Nordic Council Music Prize 2012 for her work Dreaming.

Sigurdur Gudjonsson has been selected to represent Iceland at the 59th Venice Bienniale, to be held in 2021. He studied in Vienna, Reykjavík, and Copenhagen, starting his exhibition career at the turn of the century in the artist-run experimental scene in Reykjavík that has fostered new art in temporary venues all over the old city. His dark and moody videos immediately set him apart and attracted attention not only in Iceland but also in Berlin, New York, London, Beijing, Seoul, and wherever they were exhibited. He mostly uses video but in many ways his work could as easily be classed as music. He exploits the potential of time-based media to produce pieces that rhythmically engage the viewer in a synesthetic experience, linking vision and hearing in ways that seem to extend one’s perceptual field and produce sensations never felt before. Usually slow and often repetitive, his pieces draw you in and gradually start to expand, creating complex loops and rhythmic schemes that can almost overwhelm the senses. His work has been featured in numerous solo and group exhibitions around the world, in such institutions as the National Gallery of Iceland, Reykjavik Art Museum, Hafnarborg, Iceland, Frankfurter Kunstverein, Germany, Arario Gallery, Beijing, Liverpool Biennial, Tromsø Kunstforening, Norway, Safn Reykjavík, Hamburger Bahnhof, Berlin, KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin, Kling & Bang Gallery and Bergen Kunsthall Norway.

About the Spektral Quartet
Multi-Grammy nominees the Spektral Quartet actively pursues a vivid conversation between exhilarating works of the traditional repertoire and those written this decade, this year, or this week. Since its inception in 2010, Spektral is known for creating seamless connections across centuries, drawing in the listener with charismatic deliveries, interactive concert formats, an up-close atmosphere, and bold, inquisitive programming.

With a tour schedule including some of the country’s most notable concert venues such as the Kennedy Center, Miller Theater, Library of Congress, and NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts, the quartet also takes great pride in its home city of Chicago: championing the work of local composers, bridging social and aesthetic partitions, and cultivating its ongoing residency at the University of Chicago.

Named “Chicagoans of the Year” by the Chicago Tribune in 2017, Spektral Quartet is most highly regarded for its creative and stylistic versatility: presenting seasons in which, for instance, a thematic program circling Beethoven seamlessly coexists with an improvised sonic meditation at sunrise, a talent show featuring Spektral fans, and the co-release of a jazz album traversing the folk traditions of Puerto Rico.

About the Adler Planetarium
The Adler Planetarium connects people to the universe and each other. Whether it is introducing a guest to the Ring Nebula, a neighborhood school to a community partner, a research team to a network of citizen scientists, or one staff member to another, the Adler’s focus on meaningful connections dates back nearly a century.

Today, the museum hosts more than half a million visitors each year and reaches millions more through youth STEAM programs, neighborhood skywatching events, online citizen science, and other outreach projects. With the Adler’s support, people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities gain the confidence to explore their universe together and return to their communities ready to think critically and creatively about any challenge that comes their way.

SEASON ANNOUNCED: Marriott Theatre's 45 Season To Feature Favorites From Grease To The Sound of Music

ChiIL Live Shows on our radar

CELEBRATING 45 MAGNIFICENT YEARS, MARRIOTT THEATRE IS PROUD TO PRESENT ITS 2020 SEASON

Save the dates: 

The Marriott Theatre, Chicagoland’s longest-running professional musical theater located at 10 Marriott Drive Lincolnshire, IL, is thrilled to announce its 2020 blockbuster season.

The Marriott Theatre’s 2020 Subscription Series features favorites GREASE (starts January 15); KISS ME, KATE (starts March 25); THE WORLD GOES ‘ROUND (starts May 27); WEST SIDE STORY (starts August 12); and THE SOUND OF MUSIC (starts October 28). 

Marriott Theatre’s 2020 Subscription Series

GREASE – Previews January 15, 2020
Directed by Scott Weinstein
Choreographed by Kenny Ingram
It’s the energetic and electric musical comedy tribute to the age of rock-n-roll. Join in the fun of the hilarious antics of Rydell High’s class of ‘59 and rock to songs like “Summer Lovin’,” “Beauty School Dropout” and “Greased Lightning.” Come back with us to a time when having a malted made everything so much better.

KISS ME, KATE – Previews March 25, 2020
Directed by Johanna McKenzie Miller
Choreographed by Alex Sanchez
Passions run high as leading lady Lilli Vanessi and her ex-husband, actor/director Fred Graham, battle onstage and off in a production of Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew. With romance, comedy, sophistication, and behind-the-scenes hijinks, KISS ME, KATE combines the irreverent humor of two brilliant writers: Cole Porter and William Shakespeare. Musical numbers include “Another Op’nin, Another Show,” “So In Love,” “Wunderbar,” “Too Darn Hot,” and “Brush Up Your Shakespeare.”

THE WORLD GOES ‘ROUND – Previews May 27, 2020
Directed and Choreographed by Marcia Milgrom Dodge
Cabaret! Chicago! Kiss of the Spider Woman! New York, New York! Zorba! Funny Lady! THE WORLD GOES ‘ROUND is a stunning celebration of the songbook from the multi-Tony award-winning team of John Kander and Fred Ebb. An all-star cast find themselves careening through the world of love, babies and coffee. The nonstop hit-parade features unforgettable gems, including “Mr. Cellophane,” “Maybe This Time,” “Cabaret” and “New York, New York,” seamlessly interwoven into a passionate, harmonious, up-tempo evening of musical theatre.

WEST SIDE STORY – Previews August 12, 2020
Choreographed by Alex Sanchez
Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is transported to modern-day New York City as two young, idealistic lovers find themselves caught between warring street gangs, the Jets and the Sharks, in this landmark Broadway musical. Their struggle to survive in a world of hate, violence and prejudice is one of the most innovative, heart-wrenching and relevant musical dramas of today’s time. From the first notes to the final breath, WEST SIDE STORY is as powerful, poignant and timely as ever.

THE SOUND OF MUSIC – Previews October 28, 2020
Directed by Nick Bowling
The final collaboration between Rodgers & Hammerstein was destined to become the world’s most beloved musical.  This Holiday Season join the family Von Trapp in the true-life telling of one of history’s most thrilling and inspirational stories. Featuring the Tony, Grammy and Academy Award-winning Best Score, including “My Favorite Things,” “Do-Re-Mi,” “Climb Ev’ry Mountain,” “Edelweiss” and the title song.

Additionally, Marriott Theatre for Young Audiences presents:
THE PRINCESS & THE PEA (February 7-April 19)
ELEPHANT & PIGGIE’S “WE ARE IN A PLAY!” (June 12-July 26)
THE WIZARD OF OZ (November 11-December 27)

For more information on how to subscribe to The Marriott Theatre’s 2020 Season, please call The Marriott Theatre Box Office at 847.634.0200 or visit www.MarriottTheatre.com.

ART BEAT: Save the Dates: Elmhurst Art Museum PresentsWhat Came After: Figurative Painting in Chicago 1978-98 This Fall Beginning September 14, 2019

What Came After: 

Figurative Painting in Chicago 1978-98

on view September 14, 2019 - January 12, 2020

Exhibition organized in conjunction with newly installed Chicago Imagists installation at Elmhurst College

(Left to Right) HOLLIS SIGLER (AMERICAN, 1948-2001), IT KEEPS HER GOING, 1991-92, OIL ON CANVAS WITH PAINTED FRAME, 53 X 66 INCHES | COLLECTION OF ROCKFORD ART MUSEUM, ILLINOIS, USA, GIFT OF FRANCIS AND JUNE SPIEZER | PHOTOGRAPH COPYRIGHT OF ROCKFORD ART MUSEUM

TONY PHILLIPS, THE SPACE BETWEEN, 1993, OIL ON CANVAS, 48 X 58 IN. |ARTIST COLLECTION

PHYLLIS BRAMSON, DECOYS, 1989, OIL ON CANVAS, 84 X 72 IN. | COURTESY OF THE ARTIST AND ZOLLA/LIEBERMAN GALLERY

Elmhurst Art Museum (150 South Cottage Hill Avenue) proudly presents What Came After: Figurative Painting in Chicago 1978-98 on view September 14, 2019 – January 12, 2020. Organized by Chicago-based, internationally exhibited artist Phyllis Bramson, What Came After is a survey of diverse interests in the figure as a subject, the human condition, and an interest in personal iconography.

According to Bramson, “Many have struggled with understanding and processing the term ‘Chicago Imagism’ since it was first used in the early 1970s, including artists that built on the ideas of their peers or sought to break free from expectations of that legacy. What Came After better defines and celebrates this later generation of artists, which have been called third generation Imagists, Post-Imagists, and the Chicago School.”

In addition to Bramson, artists represented in What Came After include Nicholas Africano, Susanne Doremus, Eleanor Spiess-Ferris, Richard Hull, Michiko Itatani, Paul Lamantia, Robert Lostutter, Jim Lutes, Tony Phillips, David Sharpe, Hollis Sigler, Ken Warneke, Margaret Wharton, and Mary Lou Zelazny. The show of 30 paintings will serve as an introduction to these artists for a broad audience, while also examining a specific time and place in Chicago’s recent history.

“We are thrilled to work with this group of artists, as well as Elmhurst College again, to dig deeper into Chicago’s rich cultural history. The exhibition builds on an ongoing conversation about Chicago Imagism, which has become broadly and internationally known, but often misunderstood,” said Elmhurst Art Museum Executive Director John McKinnon. “The painters in this exhibition have all been recognized in their own right, yet this period of history has often been overlooked.”

The exhibition’s original scholarship will include a brochure with essays by Bramson, Chicago curator Lynne Warren, and New York curator/critic Deven Golden. In these texts, the wide-ranging term of Chicago Imagism will be discussed as valuable yet limiting. Public programs will better define how the well-used term was formed, what it originally meant, and what it has come to mean through time. What Came After is dedicated to the late art critic James Yood, a champion of Midwest artists, who was involved in early conversations of this exhibition. 

What Came After is organized in conjunction with a new installation across Elmhurst’s museum campus at Elmhurst College’s A.C. Buehler Library. This new display was organized by Suellen Rocca, one of the original members of the Hairy Who collective and current Curator and Director of Exhibitions at Elmhurst College.


RELATED PUBLIC PROGRAMS

·         Panel Discussion: Despite Imagism

Saturday, September 14, 1:30pm

Presenters including artist Phyllis Bramson, curator Lynne Warren, curator/critic Deven Golden, and artists Richard Hull, Susanne Doremus, and Jim Lutes. Free with museum admission.

·         Family Days

Saturday, September 28, 1 - 4pm, and Monday, October 14 (Columbus Day), 1 - 4pm

Children and parents are invited to participate in hands-on activities inspired by the current exhibition. Available to all ages. Free with museum admission.

·         Tours of Elmhurst College’s Chicago Imagist collection with Suellen Rocca

Saturday, October 19, 1:30pm and Saturday, November 9, 1:30pm
See the newly reinstalled, internationally recognized Chicago Imagist collection at Elmhurst College with these exclusive tours by Suellen Rocca, one of the original members of the Hairy Who collective and current Curator and Director of Exhibitions at the College. Rocca will offer first-person accounts of Chicago’s cultural history, while also providing context and furthering the dialogue about art from Chicago during the 70s-90s. 

·         Lecture: What is Chicago Imagism?

Saturday, November 2, 1:30pm

Join us for a talk about Chicago Imagism and its legacy by art critic, curator, and essayist Deven Golden. This talk will look at the artist dialogue that led up to this period, what followed, and how things irrevocably changed as the 20th century came to an end.

·         Lecture: What Came After?

Saturday, November 23, 1:30pm

Curator Robert Cozzolino better defines how the well-used term of Chicago Imagism was formed, what it originally meant, and what it has come to mean through time.

·         Exhibition Tour with artist and exhibition organizer, Phyllis Bramson
Saturday, January 11, 1:30pm

What Came After is sponsored by the Explore Elmhurst Grant Program, with public programming sponsored by Terra Foundation for American Art.


About Elmhurst Art Museum
Elmhurst Art Museum is located at 150 South Cottage Hill Avenue in Elmhurst (IL), 25 minutes from downtown Chicago by car or public transportation (Metra). The Museum is both an international destination for Mies van der Rohe scholars and fans and a regional center where people from Chicago and the western suburbs learn to see and think differently through the study of the art, architecture and design of our time.  The Museum is one block from the Elmhurst Metra station and open Tuesday-Sunday from 11am -5pm. Admission is $15 ($12 for seniors) and free for students and children under 18.

Simultaneous with What Came After, Elmhurst Art Museum will be mounting McCormick House – Past, Present, Future, also September 14, 2019 – January 12, 2020. For the first time ever, the Museum will exhibit a full 1950s domestic representation of its Mies van der Rohe McCormick House (1952) as well as historic images showing how residents lived in the home and explanations about the current transitional state of its preservation.  

For more information, please call 630.834.0202 or visit elmhurstartmuseum.org.

SAVE THE DATES: THE HOUSE THEATRE OF CHICAGO ANNOUNCES THE 18TH SEASON OF ORIGINAL PLAYS

ChiIL Live Shows on our radar

THE HOUSE THEATRE OF CHICAGO ANNOUNCES THE 18TH SEASON OF ORIGINAL PLAYS 

FEATURING THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE HIT HOLIDAY PRODUCTION, 

THE NUTCRACKER, 

A WORLD PREMIERE AND THE CONTINUED SUCCESSFUL OPEN RUN OF 

THE MAGIC PARLOUR

The House Theatre of Chicago is proud to announce its productions for the 18th season. The 2019 – 2020 Season will include the 10th anniversary production of The House’s original ballet-free production of The Nutcracker, November 7 – December 29; the world-premiere of Brett Neveu’s Verböten, January 16 – March 8, 2020; Shakespeare’s Henry V, directed by The House’s Artistic Director Nathan Allen, March 19 – May 10, 2020. The Magic Parlour, featuring magician Dennis Watkins, will continue its open run at The Palmer House, a Hilton Hotel. Subscriptions and Tickets may be purchased by calling (773) 769-3832 or by visiting www.thehousetheatre.com.   

Memberships for the 18th season are now available. To purchase memberships or for more information, please visit www.thehousetheatre.com or call the box office at (773) 769-3832. Single tickets for Season 18 productions go on sale starting August 1.

The House’s 18th Season is supported by The MacArthur Fund for Arts and Culture at Prince. ComEd is the Official Lighting Sponsor of The House Theatre of Chicago. This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.

The House Theatre of Chicago’s 18th Season includes:

The Nutcracker
10th Anniversary Production
Created by Company Members Jake Minton, Phillip Klapperich, Kevin O'Donnell, and Tommy Rapley
Based on the story by E.T.A. Hoffmann
Direction and Choreography by Company Member Tommy Rapley

November 7 – December 29
PRESS OPENING: Friday, Nov. 15 at 7:30 p.m.
Chopin Upstairs Theatre, 1543 W. Division Street 

Celebrating a full decade of making holiday memories with more than 30,000 audience members, The House brings this wholly original, ballet-free show back for its 10th Anniversary production. Appearing again at the Chopin Theatre, and featuring all new puppets, The Nutcracker is fast-paced, beautifully choreographed, family-friendly, and moving, even for those of us that might be on the Grinch’s side from time to time.

This fantastical expansion of the holiday classic centers on young Clara’s journey to save Christmas in the face of grief. With the help of a magical nutcracker, the brave girl risks the darkness, fights the Rat King, and saves her family. A modern holiday tradition weaving together riveting dialogue, astonishing puppetry, original songs, this spellbinding spectacle tells a heartwarming, darkly moving story of magic and hope—a fun outing fit for the whole family.

Verböten
A story about how punk saves lives
Music and Lyrics by Jason Narducy
Book by Brett Neveu
Directed by Artistic Director Nathan Allen

January 16 – March 8, 2020
PRESS OPENING: Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020 at 7 p.m.
Chopin Upstairs Theatre, 1543 W. Division Street
Production Sponsor: The Poetry Foundation

1983. Chicago. It’s do-or-die for Verböten—a band made up of outsider teens with seriously complex home lives. As they gear up for a show at The Cubby Bear that is sure to change their lives forever, can they keep their parents from destroying the fabric of their self-made punk rock family? With lyrics and music by Verböten’s original guitarist Jason Narducy (Split Single, Superchunk, Bob Mould) and book by Brett Neveu (Odradek, Pilgrim's Progress, Traitor), Verböten is inspired by the true story of Chicago's own young punks.

Henry V
O For a Muse of Fire
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Artistic Director Nathan Allen

Featuring Company Member Brenda Barrie as Henry, with Company Members Desmond Gray, Michael E. Smith, Kevin Stangler, Kara Davidson, Ben Hertel, Derek Matson, Christine Mayland Perkins, Joseph Steakley, and, as the Chorus, Nathan Allen

March 19 – May 10, 2020
PRESS OPENING: Sunday, March 29, 2020 at 7 p.m.
Chopin Upstairs Theatre, 1543 W. Division Street

As Henry attempts to accomplish the impossible, so does Shakespeare in one of his most demanding works of stagecraft. The House adventures back and forth across oceans for justice, intrigue, romance, and the “alarms and excursions” of the battlefield. Featuring Brenda Barrie as Henry and Nathan Allen as the Chorus, The House entreats you to “let us on your imaginary forces work,” and witness one of Shakespeare’s most compelling examinations of our capacity for leadership.

Artistic Director, Nathan Allen, reflects, “A few of us started dreaming about starting a theatre company while studying classical theatre in London. Like Shakespeare’s theatre, the company we imagined would be founded to engage the audience’s imagination in ‘amazing feats of storytelling.’ Nowhere are those founding ideas better described than by Shakespeare himself. And for many in The House’s ensemble, returning to this text feels like returning to the root ideas of our work together.”

The Magic Parlour

An intimate evening of classic magic starring Dennis Watkins
OPEN RUN

Fridays at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 4:30, 7:30 and 9:30 p.m.
Tickets: $79 – $89 (and includes wine, beer or soft drink selections)
Now on sale through October 2019!
The Palmer House Hotel, 17 E. Monroe St.
Tickets are available at www.themagicparlourchicago.com

Award-winning, third-generation magician Dennis Watkins invites you to his evening of sophisticated tomfoolery in one of the Windy City's most exclusive and long-running entertainment experiences. The Magic Parlour is replete with mind-blowing magic and mind reading to ignite your imagination in an intimate suite at the historic Palmer House Hilton Hotel in downtown Chicago. Guests convene at Potter's Lounge and will be escorted to the private performance venue. The performance lasts approximately 80 minutes.

Following select performances of The Magic Parlour, experience Dennis Watkins’ world-class sleight of hand in an even more intimate and exclusive setting with The Encore Room. Limited to 10 guests at a time, The Encore Room also offers guests a unique opportunity to participate in a Q&A with Watkins where they can learn more about his family legacy, his remarkable life in magic, and his work as one of this country’s premier magical entertainers.

ABOUT THE HOUSE THEATRE OF CHICAGO 
The House is Chicago's premier home for intimate, original works of epic story and stagecraft. Founded and led by Artistic Director Nathan Allen and driven by an interdisciplinary ensemble of Chicago’s next generation of great storytellers, The House aims to become a laboratory and platform for the evolution of the American theatre as an inclusive and popular artform.

The House was founded in 2001 by a group of friends to explore connections between Community and Storytelling through a unique theatrical experience. Since becoming eligible in 2004, The House has won 24 Joseph Jefferson Awards, became the first recipient of Broadway in Chicago’s Emerging Theater Award in 2007, and was awarded a 2014 National Theatre Company Grant by the American Theatre Wing, founder of the Tony Awards. The 18th season of original work begins this November and The House will continue its mission to unite Chicago in the spirit of community through amazing feats of Storytelling.