Chicago continues to produce some of the most exciting work in the country this Summer, offering a wide variety of plays and musicals, as well as comedy, dance, festivals, and more. To highlight these productions, The League of Chicago Theatres is publishing its Summer Theatre Guide, which includes 100+ shows running in the Chicago area through September.

For additional details about this summer's performances and the Summer Theatre Guide visit the League of Chicago Theatres website, ChicagoPlays.com. Additionally, many summer shows will be available at Hot Tix, Chicago's local, discounted ticketing service. Hot Tix operates online at HotTix.org and in-person at Guest Services inside Block 37 Shops on State, 108 N State Street. The Block 37 location is open Monday-Saturday 11am-6pm and Sunday 11am-5pm.

The following is a selection of notable work playing in Chicago this Summer, organized by location.

A selection of productions playing in theatres located Downtown are:

Death Becomes Her

Broadway In Chicago at the Cadillac Palace Theatre

Now Thru June 2

Starring Tony Award^® nominees Megan Hilty (Wicked, "Smash"), Jennifer Simard (Company, Disaster!), and Christopher Sieber (Spamalot, Company), with Grammy^® Award winner Michelle Williams (Destiny's Child, Chicago), Death Becomes Her, based on the classic 1992 film, is a drop-dead hilarious new musical comedy about friendship, love, and burying the hatchet...again, and again, and again.

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

Goodman Theatre

Playing June 25 – August 4

Acclaimed author John Berendt's iconic New York Times best seller 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. MacArthur "Genius" grantee Taylor Mac, Tony Award winners Jason Robert Brown and Rob Ashford, and choreographer Tanya Birl bring the true-crime blockbuster book and its beloved characters to life in this new musical adaptation.

The Lord of the Rings: A Musical Tale

The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare Theater

Playing July 19 – September 1

Journey to the magical realms of Middle-earth as J.R.R. Tolkien's trilogy of books are brought to the stage in a US premiere musical. 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. This theatrical event celebrates the magical world of Middle-earth, making for an unforgettable experience for longtime fans and newcomers alike.

The Kite Runner

Broadway In Chicago at CIBC Theatre

Playing June 11 – 23

Based on Khaled Hosseini's beloved, international best-selling novel, The Kite Runner is a powerful new play adapted by Matthew Spangler that follows one man's journey to confront his past and find redemption. Told across two decades and two continents, The Kite Runner is an unforgettable journey of forgiveness, and shows us all that we can be good again.

Queens of the Blues

The Studebaker Theater at the Fine Arts Building

Playing June 7-30

TriCoastal Entertainment Group presents Queens of the Blues, a new musical that captures the heart of the African American experience through the lives of four Blues Queens; Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, Koko Taylor and Etta James.

The 2024 Rhinoceros Theatre Festival

The Curious Theatre Branch at Facility Theatre

Running May 31 – June 30

Each year, Curious Theatre Branch curates and produces the Rhinoceros Theater Festival, which provides production and exhibition opportunities to hundreds of artists, drawing thousands in attendance each year. The longest-running fringe festival in Chicago, the Rhino features works in theater and performance from Chicago companies and national artists alike.

SIX

Broadway In Chicago at James M. Nederlander Theatre

Playing June 4 – July 14

From Tudor Queens to Pop Icons, the SIX wives of Henry VIII take the microphone to remix five hundred years of historical heartbreak into a Euphoric Celebration of 21st century girl power! This new original musical is the global sensation that everyone is losing their head over!.

Theatres are located in almost every neighborhood in Chicago. A selection of productions playing throughout Chicago are:

The Salon

Black Ensemble Theater

Playing June 8 – July 28

Bernadette's salon has been a place of refuge, love, and community in Chicago since opening their doors in 1974. It's now 2024 and the doors may have to close due to financial hardship, major changes in the community and new ownership. The staff must come together and save the salon by any means necessary! Through music, dance and shared experiences, the salon explores black legacy, black excellence and hair like never before seen!

Black Sunday

TimeLine Theatre

Now through June 29

Take a remarkable trip back in time to witness this haunting story of climate change, migration, and family in the days leading up to a calamitous dust storm in 1930s Texas. It is April 1935 in the dust storm-riddled plains of Texas and a family farm is struggling to keep afloat amidst a mounting series of environmental disasters. As Jesús, a new field worker, arrives in their midst, stubborn Pa refuses to believe his land is no longer viable, young Sunny dreams of a new life in bountiful California, and Ma starts having mysterious visions of the future.

Turret

A Red Orchid Theatre at Chopin Theatre

Now through June 9

Two men survive in a facility deep underground somewhere in the wild woods of the Pacific Northwest, hiding away from something terrible looming just outside. Ensnared in a relentless loop of endless tomorrows, they discover the wolf isn't at the door, he's already inside, waiting in the creeping darkness all around them. Turret is an excavation of masculinity, love, loss and isolation. A claustrophobic carnival of carnage, carrier pigeons, cribbage, whiskey, music, mischief and mayhem.

Little Bear Ridge Road

Steppenwolf Theatre Company

Playing June 13 – July 21

Ensemble Member Laurie Metcalf comes home to Steppenwolf to star in Little Bear Ridge Road, a comic, cosmic and intimate world premiere, penned by MacArthur Fellow Samuel D. Hunter and directed by Tony Award winner Joe Mantello. In the outer limits of rural Idaho, the last two members of the Fernsby family tree, an estranged aunt and nephew, reunite to sort the mess left behind after a troubled father's passing. They now face an uncomfortable and universal question: how do we deal with other people? And is connection more trouble than it's worth?

Alice By Heart

Kokandy Productions at Chopin Theatre

Playing July 18 – September 29

In the rubble of the London Blitz of World War II, Alice Spencer's budding teen life is turned upside down as she and her dear friend Alfred are forced to take shelter in an underground tube station. When the ailing Alfred is quarantined, Alice encourages him to escape with her into their cherished book and journey down the rabbit hole to Wonderland.

A Year with Frog and Toad

Chicago Children's Theatre

Playing through June 9

Children's author and illustrator Arnold Lobel's beloved characters hop from the page to the stage in the Tony-nominated musical A Year with Frog And Toad, based on his popular children's book that follows two best friends - the cheerful, popular Frog and grumpy, but lovable Toad - through four fun-filled seasons.

The Prodigal Daughter

Raven Theatre Company

Playing through June 22

In the Red Summer of 1919, Chicago's Black Belt is boiling over, from both the ruthless heat and the intensifying racial conflict gripping America. Virginia Bass, a successful saleswoman, is traveling with her business partner when they decide to pay her hometown and her family a visit. However, Virginia finds the welcome not nearly as warm as the weather outside, especially from her estranged father, leaving her wondering if it's ever possible to truly come home.

Romeo and Juliet

Midsommer Flight

Running June 28 – August 4

Free outdoor performances of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet will be presented outdoors in six Chicago Parks District parks – Chicago Women's Park and Garden, Gross Park, Kelvyn Park, Nichols Park, Lincoln Park, and Touhy Park

Die Hard 4 Your Luv

The Factory Theater

Playing May 31 – July 13

It's NYE 1999. A group of sinister terrorists are holding the world's most popular boy band hostage! Unless the nations of the world hand over their vital Y2K codes by midnight, the Boyz Will B Boyz will be Boyz Will B Dead! Will the non-talented boy band member save the day? Or will the terrorists escape to their all-inclusive resort with the water ski package?

Port of Entry

Albany Park Theater Project

Playing through June 15

Port of Entry invites you to step inside the real-life stories of immigrants and refugees from all parts of the world living side by side in a single apartment building in one of the country's most diverse immigrant communities: Chicago's Albany Park. Formed by APTP's youth ensemble, Port of Entry will take you on a journey through time and across cultures.

Jersey Boys

Mercury Theater Chicago

Playing through July 28

Winner of Best Musical at both the Tony Awards and Olivier Awards, Jersey Boys takes you behind the music of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons to discover the secret of a 40-year friendship as the foursome work their way from the streets of New Jersey to the heights of stardom.

Native Son

Lifeline Theatre

Now through June 30

Suffocating in rat-infested poverty on Chicago's South Side during the 1930s, twenty-year-old Bigger Thomas struggles to find a place for himself in a world whose prejudice has shut him out. After taking a job in a wealthy white man's house, Bigger unwittingly unleashes a series of events that violently and irrevocably seal his fate.

The Choir of Man

Apollo Theater

Now through July 14

Set in the best pub in the world, a cast of nine (extra)ordinary guys combine hair raising harmonies, foot stomping singalongs, world class tap dance, and poetic meditations on the power of community. Featuring pop, classic rock, folk melodies, and pub anthems from artists such as Adele, Paul Simon, Katy Perry, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Luther Vandross and more, The Choir of Man is 90 minutes of feel good entertainment that has something for everyone and is unlike anything else in Chicago!

A Little Night Music

Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre

Now through July 14

Adapted from the celebrated Ingmar Bergman film "Smiles of a Summer Night," A Little Night Music follows actress Desire Armfeldt, the affairs she is entangled in, and the men who love her. When everyone gathers at the country estate of her mother, new romances and second chances bloom in surprising ways.

Productions playing in the suburbs of Chicago include:

Peter and the Starcatcher

Paramount Theatre

Playing July 24 – August 25

Tossing aside unfortunate adult notions, Peter and the Starcatcher embraces the bonds of camaraderie, love and duty in this Victorian adventure. Adulting is hard! Join Peter on this quest to protect something important starstuff, and the cheerful spirit of youth itself, in this fanciful rendition of Peter and the Starcatcher.

Ain't Misbehavin'

Drury Lane Theatre

Playing June 26 – August 18

Stride along with the toe-tapping, finger-snapping revue that journeys through the Harlem Renaissance with the music of legend Fats Waller. Brimming with the energetic charm of jazz classics such as "Honeysuckle Rose" and "I Can't Give You Anything But Love," the crooners of Ain't Misbehavin' bring soulful melodies to life, capturing the essence of an era where the joint was always jumpin'.

Beehive: The 60's Musical

Marriott Theatre

Playing June 19 – August 11

The ultimate celebration of 1960's female empowerment! Featuring such timeless classics as "My Boyfriend's Back," "Be My Baby," "Son of a Preacher Man" and "Me and Bobby McGee," Beehive: The 60's Musical nostalgically recalls the days of miniskirts, transistor radios and flower power.

2 Pianos 4 Hands

Northlight Theatre

Playing July 5 – August 4

A talented duo of would-be concert pianists trade stories of pushy parents, eccentric teachers, endless practice, and dreams of stardom. Piano wizardry and roaring comedy combine as piano nerds Ted and Richard play classical, pop, and everything in between, all while portraying dozens of characters that took part in their humbling quest for musical greatness.

The Hot Wing King

Writers Theatre

Playing June 20 – July 21

When it comes to wings, Cordell is king! Supported by his beau Dwayne and the best friends who serve as his fry crew, the group embarks on a fun night of pre-competition prep for Memphis' Annual hot wing festival. But when Dwayne's troubled nephew unexpectedly needs a place to stay, it quickly becomes a recipe for disaster.

Carousel

Music Theater Works

Playing August 8-18

Based on Ferenc Molnar's play, "Liliom," Rodgers and Hammerstein's Carousel tells the love story between carnival barker Billy Bigelow and millworker Julie Jordan. Voted best musical of the 20th Century by "Time Magazine," Carousel includes the songs "If I Loved You," "You'll Never Walk Alone," and "Soliloquy."

For a comprehensive list of Chicago productions, visit the League of Chicago Theatres website, ChicagoPlays.com. Available discounted 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.

Token Theatre, Chicago's Asian American theatre company, announces the company's first full production, ZAC EFRON, written by Artistic Director David Rhee, co-written by Managing Director Wai Yim and directed by two-time Emmy Award winner Alan Muraoka ("Sesame Street"). ZAC EFRON plays at A Red Orchid Theatre, 1531 N Wells St, June 20-July 21, 2024. The press opening is June 23, 2024 at 3PM.

Tickets, $40 (Theatre industry members and seniors: $25; Student/military: $20; Groups: $30), will go on sale May 16 at www.tokentheatre.net.

ZAC EFRON glimpses into a world that is rarely seen on the American stage—two Asian Americans looking for love and the complexities that come with their adventures. It is a poignant opportunity for radical self-acceptance through YouTube, Tarot readings, and of course, one of America's favorite sweethearts, Zac Efron.

"In 2019, Cheryl Hamada, Wai Yim, and I challenged ourselves to name a theater piece that tells the story of two Asian Americans simply falling in love and doing so without extreme circumstances surrounding the narrative, such as the Vietnam War or going through the trials and tribulations of immigrating to another country. We were stumped. So began my newest play, ZAC EFRON," comments David Rhee. "What none of us foresaw was the pandemic and the rise in AAPI hate crimes that manifested across the country, reminding us that we're still seen as foreigners in our own home. ZAC EFRON revolutionizes the narrative by centering on two AAPI characters, humanizing them, and ultimately celebrating their love within this country's fraught context.

Two-time Emmy Award winner Alan Muraoka ("Sesame Street"), directs. The cast includes Hansel Tan ("Madam Secretary", "The Blacklist: Redemption") Gordon Chow (Fish Men, Jade Heart) and Token Theatre artists Wai Yim ("The CHI", The White Snake) and David Rhee (Broadway's Thoroughly Modern Millie, "Law & Order").

More than five hundred people joined Token as it launched the inaugural season with live, online performances of ZAC EFRON in 2020 and 2021 which included actors and directors from coast to coast. This marks Token's first full production as the company presents this humorous and heartfelt quest. David Rhee adds, "Telling our stories is more important than ever with the onslaught of AAPI hate crimes across our country. Token Theatre's goal is to humanize Asian Americans and foster an environment that recognizes us as Americans."

Facts

ZAC EFRON, by David Rhee, co-written by Wai Yim

Directed by Alan Muraoka

Featuring Hansel Tan*, Wai Yim* and Gordon Chow

*denotes member of Actors' Equity Association

Dates:

Previews: June 20-22

Opening: June 23

Run dates: June 27-July 21, 2024

Performance schedule: Thursdays through Saturdays at 7PM; Saturdays and Sundays at 3PM

Special performances include: Wednesday, June 26 at 7PM (LGBTQ+ night, celebrating Gay Pride Chicago); a talkback following the Thursday, June 27 performance; and, Monday, July 1 at 7PM (Industry Night)

There will be no performances on Sunday, June 30 or on Thursday, July 4.

Tickets: WWW.TOKENTHEATRE.NET

$40

Group tickets (10 or more): $30

Theatre industry members and seniors: $25

Student/military: $20

About Token Theatre

Token Theatre aims to change the narrative and shatter the false constructs about Asian Americans by creating new stories, reimagining classic works, and empowering artists to reshape the American identity.

Bramble Theatre Company, is proud to announce the third annual Festival of Unfinished Work at the new Bramble Arts Loft located on the second floor of the historic Capital Garage building at 5545 N. Clark St, June 26 - 30. The Festival's performance schedule is Wednesday, June 26 through Saturday, June 29 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, June 30 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $25 each and may be purchased at BrambleTheatre.org.

"Bramble is proud to showcase a variety of new plays in the hopes of launching them to further development. Whether their eventual world premiere is at Bramble or another producing company, it's a thrill to amplify these stories and see them receive well-deserved attention in the Chicago theatre community and beyond," said Bramble Theatre Creative Producer and Co-Founder Matthew Lunt.

The submission process for this year's Festival of Unfinished Work began in fall 2023. A call was put out for original, unproduced plays by Chicago playwrights. From the submissions, the literary committee, composed of Bramble ensemble and staff, went through an extensive review process to narrow the submissions to a list of finalists, which was presented to Bramble Theatre Co-Founder and Artistic Director Karissa Murrell Myers for the final selection. Each 10-15 minute scene will be brought to life by a team of Chicago directors and actors during the Festival. 

The Festival of Unfinished Work was born out of the desire to help amplify writers' new work and provide them development resources while their plays are in progress. Murrell Myers explains, "When we sat down with each of our ensemble members in 2019 to ask them what they wanted to see Bramble produce, every single one of them said, 'new work.' A new works festival seemed like the perfect chance to give writers a platform to have their in-development plays heard."

"It's an unusual and exciting opportunity to stage a scene from a play that is 'unfinished,'" says Festival Literary Manager Spencer Huffman. "Our hope is that this process will give the playwright a sneak peek of what their play could look like when it's finished and help inform their writing going forward."

Another element of the Festival of Unfinished Work is audience participation. During the Festival, the audience will be invited to vote on which pieces they would most like to see developed by Bramble Theatre. Upon entry, audience members get a handful of dried beans, and they vote by dropping beans into cups labeled with each show's title. This voting process will impact which pieces will be given a workshop and public staged reading by Bramble at a future date.

"It's also very exciting that Chicago audiences will have the rare opportunity to voice their opinion on what gets selected for programming by voting for their favorite pieces from the Festival," said Murrell Myers. 

 The Bramble Theatre's Festival of Unfinished Work includes:

Blood of My Mother's

By Karissa Murrell Myers

Directed by Azar Kazemi

A pregnant college student flees to her older sister's house on Christmas Eve, 1997, where she must choose to either abandon her baby or her American dream. This choice turns the entire family's world upside as they are forced to face their inner demons from the past. Because sometimes, the place you run to for safety turns out to be the most dangerous place of all.

Grape Leaves

By Alexander Attea

Directed by Dan Washelesky

A Lebanese-American family runs the Lebanese Festival in a rapidly changing Buffalo, NY during the worsening climate crisis. A play that boils over, freezes and asks how to find what you come from.

New Oleanna

By Zach Barr

Directed by Spencer Huffman

Nona, a faculty advisor, is helping undergraduate student Hudson select a play to direct for his senior thesis, and suggests he look at David Mamet's "Oleanna." However, when Hudson's take on the play becomes much less balanced than Nona expected, she begins overlooking more and more red flags, citing that he should have the freedom to fail. By the end, however, she must decide whether the play – and Hudson himself – are worth defending at all.

Remembrance

By Ben F. Locke

Directed by Aja Singletary

Four friends come together to celebrate Trans Day of Remembrance but when the ghost of Rita Hester starts haunting their apartment, they know they're in for a night to remember. The group decides to team up with the ghost to solve her unsolved murder and bring justice to Rita Hester, the woman who inspired Trans Day of Remembrance.

They Broke Up

By Skyler Tarnas

Directed by Ben F. Locke

Happy New Year! With your whole friend group crumbling at three little words, who can even remember that the world is ending?

Top Girl or the cheerleader play

 By Evalina Lakin

 Directed by Lauren Katz

A tragedy about the most dangerous athletes of our time: competitive cheerleaders. Hearts, spirits and skulls may be broken.

The cast for the festival includes Ky Anderson (Harper); Haley Bolithon (Amy/Carrie); Rasheeda Denise (Nona); Dylan J. Fleming (Dylan/Taufiq); Luke Halpern (Angel/CJ); Carmia Imani (Lacey-May); Iman Kamel (Rosie); Ben F. Locke (Hudson); Matthew Lunt (Richard/Coach); Shane Novoa Rhoades (Husband Bill); Jordan Tannous (Marcus/Griffin); Joshua David Thomas (Derby); Hilary Williams (Naomi); Austin Winter (Blake); Emily Zhang (Marina); Katie Bevil (understudy); Rashaad A. Bond (understudy); Juliet Kang Huneke (understudy) and Travis Shanahan (understudy).

The creative team for the festival includes Melanie Thompson (production manager); Anna Vu (stage manager); Quinn Bachus (asst. stage manager); Dee Etti-Wiliams (sound designer); Hilary Williams (props); Suzy Krueckeberg (props); Tristan Hall (fights and intimacy designer); Karissa Murrell Myers (casting); Haley Bolithon (asst. director); Noella Bonsol (asst. director); Danny Breslin (asst. director) and Andrew Lund (asst. director).

ABOUT BRAMBLE THEATRE COMPANY

Bramble Theatre Company is made up of an ensemble of multicultural artists who seek to create powerful new theatre that both nourishes and challenges our community to explore the question of what it is to be Human. By fostering an Artist-first culture that inspires hope and innovation, the company strives to be a leading voice in this emerging era of American Theatre. The bramble bush symbolizes the duality of the fruit that nourishes and the thorn that challenges; made of many tangled vines, it remains a single, united organism. The beginnings of Bramble first took root among the 2019 cohort of the esteemed School at Steppenwolf. At the end of that ten-week session, members of the group continued building upon their experiences and artistry, and from that, Bramble Theatre Company was born. 
 

MORE INFORMATION
For more information on Bramble Theatre Company, please visit BrambleTheatre.org or follow @BrambleTheatre on Facebook and Instagram.

Bramble Theatre Company, is proud to announce the third annual Festival of Unfinished Work at the new Bramble Arts Loft located on the second floor of the historic Capital Garage building at 5545 N. Clark St, June 26 - 30. Press are invited to attend Wednesday, June 26 at 7:30 p.m. The Festival's performance schedule is Wednesday, June 26 through Saturday, June 29 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, June 30 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $25 each and may be purchased at BrambleTheatre.org.

Porchlight Music Theatre is proud to announce the return of its free summer concert series Broadway in your Backyard, now in its fourth year, June 6 - August 6, as part of Chicago Park District’s Night Out in the Parks series, supported by the Mayor’s Office and Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events and Free for All, Comcast and Xfinity. Broadway in your Backyard is co-directed by Frankie Leo Bennett and Michael Weber and music directed by Linda Madonia. This 60-minute concert includes Chicago performers singing favorite songs and hidden gems from the Broadway canon. Broadway in your Backyard is suitable for all ages and audiences are encouraged to bring chairs or blankets to enjoy the outdoor concerts. For more information go to PorchlightMusicTheatre.org. 

Broadway in your Backyard 2024, as part of Night Out in the Parks, is FREE and open to the public. This summer’s schedule includes:

Unity Playlot Park,  2636 N. Kimball Ave.

Thursday, June 6 at 6 p.m.

Welles Park, 2333 W. Sunnyside Ave. 

Tuesday, June 11 at 6:30 p.m. 

Porchlight also hosts a “Kids Day” at Welles Park with activities and treats for children, while supplies last 

Washington Park, 5531 S. King Dr. 

Thursday, June 13 at 6 p.m.

Portage Park, 4100 N. Long Ave. 

Tuesday, June 18 at 6 p.m.

Skinner Park, 1331 W. Adams St. 

Thursday, June 20 at 6 p.m.

Munroe Park, 2617 W. 105th St. 

Tuesday, June 25 at 6 p.m.

Seneca Playlot Park, 220 E. Chicago Ave.

Thursday, June 27 at 6 p.m.

Sherman Park, 1301 W. 52nd St. 

Tuesday, July 2 at 6 p.m.

Dvorak Park, 1119 W. Cullerton St. 

Tuesday, July 9 at 6 p.m.

Hale Park, 6258 W. 62nd St. 

Thursday, July 11 at 6 p.m.

Schreiber Playground Park, 1552 W. Schreiber Ave.

Tuesday, July 16 at 6 p.m.

Washington Square Park, 901 N. Clark St. 

Tuesday, Aug. 6 at 6 p.m.

ABOUT NIGHT OUT IN THE PARKS

Porchlight Music Theatre’s Broadway in your Backyard is presented as part of the Chicago Park District’s Night Out in the Parks series, supported by the Mayor’s Office and Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. For more than 10 years, the Night Out in the Parks program has presented cultural events year-round in neighborhood parks throughout the city. The Chicago Park District in partnership with over 100 local artists and organizations, present engaging events and performances that enhance quality of life across Chicago and amplify the artistic and cultural vibrancy in every neighborhood. Through multiple disciplines, which include theater, music, movies, dance, site-specific work, nature programs, and community festivals, the series aims to support Chicago-based artists, facilitate community-based partnerships and programs, cultivate civic engagement and ensure equity in access to the arts for all Chicagoans. For a complete list of Night Out in the Parks and other Chicago Park District events, please visit NightOutintheParks.com.

ABOUT PORCHLIGHT MUSIC THEATRE

Porchlight Music Theatre, now in its 29th season, is the award-winning center for music theatre in Chicago. Through live performance, youth education and community outreach, we impact thousands of lives each season, bringing the magic of musicals to our theatre home at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts in the Gold Coast and to neighborhoods across the city. Porchlight has built a national reputation for boldly reimagining classic musicals, supporting new works and young performers, and showcasing Chicago’s most notable music theatre artists, all through the intimate and powerful theatrical lens of the “Chicago Style.” 

Porchlight's history over nearly three decades includes more than 70 mainstage works with 15 Chicago premieres and five world premieres. 

Porchlight's education and outreach programs serve schools, youth of all ages and skill levels and community organizations. Porchlight annually awards dozens of full scholarships and hundreds of free tickets to ensure accessibility and real engagement with this uniquely American art form. 

The company’s many honors include 178 Joseph Jefferson Award (Jeff) nominations and 49 Jeff awards, as well as 44 Black Theatre Alliance (BTA) nominations and 15 BTA awards. In 2019, Porchlight graduated to the Large Theatre tier of the Equity Jeff Awards and has been honored with seven awards in this tier to date including Best Ensemble for Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Ladies (2019) and Best Production-Revue for Blues in the Night (2022). 

Through the global pandemic, Porchlight emerged as one of Chicago’s leaders in virtual programming, quickly launching a host of free offerings like Sondheim @ 90 Roundtables, Movie Musical Mondays, Porchlight by Request: Command Performances and WPMT: Classic Musicals from the Golden Age of Radio. In 2021, Porchlight launched its annual summer series, Broadway in your Backyard, performing at parks and venues throughout the city. 

Broadway in your Backyard is part of Chicago Park District’s Night Out in the Parks series, supported by the Mayor’s Office and Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events with lead sponsors Free For All, Comcast and Xfinity and, in part, by Unity Park Advisory Council and Trader Joe's.

Porchlight Music Theatre is partially supported by generous contributions from Allstate; Comcast/Xfinity; Abe and Ida Cooper Foundation; Glimpse Vision; James P. and Brenda S. Grusecki Family Foundation; Hearty Boys; A.L. and Jennie L. Luria Foundation; the Pritzker Traubert Foundation; Ryan and Spaeth, Inc.; Daniel and Genevieve Ratner Foundation; The Saints and Dr. Scholl Foundation.

The season program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency, a state agency, and by a CityArts Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events. 

Porchlight Music Theatre wishes to thank members of the Matching Gift Corporate Program including Abbvie; Allstate; Baxter; Lloyd A. Fry Foundation; Peoples Gas; Pepsico; Polk Bros Foundation and The Saints. 

Chicago Shakespeare Theater presents The Enigmatist, an immersive and captivating experience of illusions, puzzles, and cryptology, written and performed by renowned magician and The New York Times crossword constructor David Kwong. Following sold out runs in New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., The Enigmatist plays May 29–June 30, 2024 in the Carl and Marilynn Thoma Theater Upstairs.

The Los Angeles Times raves that Kwong "creates a magical sense of togetherness" and The Washington Post calls the production "Mesmerizing...Kwong delivers trick after hypnotizing trick." The production features interactive opportunities for audiences to crack codes, including a pre-show Puzzle Garden experience in the Skyline Room. Attendees are encouraged to arrive at the Theater 20–30 minutes early to solve a series of puzzles that, while not mandatory to gain entry to the performance, enhance the overall experience of the show.

With his expertise in enigmas and illusions, David Kwong delights and challenges audiences around the world with his intellectual brand of magic. A veteran "cruciverbalist" (crossword puzzle constructor), Kwong routinely creates puzzles for The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and The Wall Street Journal. Kwong was the head magic consultant on the 2013 worldwide hit film Now You See Me. Other projects include The Imitation Game, The Bad Guys, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, and Apple TV+'s The Afterparty (with his frequent collaborator Dave Shukan). A TED Talk favorite, Kwong regularly speaks to companies, demonstrating the principles of illusion and the science of why your brain is fooled. Kwong's book Spellbound: Seven Principles of Illusion to Captivate Audiences and Unlock the Secrets of Success was published by Harper Business. During the pandemic, Kwong and the Geffen Playhouse teamed up for Inside the Box, a virtual one-man puzzle show that garnered a Critic's Pick from The New York Times. Kwong is a graduate of Harvard University, where he studied the history of magic. His kids book of magic tricks, How to Fool Your Parents, also with HarperCollins, will hit shelves on October 8, 2024.

The creative team includes Production Designer Brett J. Banakis, Lighting and Video Designer Joshua Higgason, and Sound Designer Brendan Aanes. The Enigmatist is produced in association with Andy Jones and Dylan Pager.

More information at chicagoshakes.com/enigmatist or on social media at @chicagoshakes. 

Open-captioning services will be provided on Wednesday, June 12, 2024, at 1:00 & 7:30, where a text display of the words and sounds heard during the performance will be synced live with the action onstage.

The Enigmatist is presented May 29–June 30, 2024, in the Carl and Marilynn Thoma Theater Upstairs. Single tickets starting at $59 are on sale now. For more information or to purchase tickets, contact the Box Office at 312.595.5600 or visit www.chicagoshakes.com

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. www.chicagoshakes.com.

Steep Theatre will be back on stage in 2024 with two new productions that continue the company's tradition of bringing new work to Chicago audiences. In July, Steep will open the Chicago Premiere of Samuel D. Hunter's A Case for the Existence of God at the Edge Off-Broadway Theatre, directed by Steep Ensemble Member Robin Witt. In September, the company will present the World Premiere of Ensemble Member Omer Abbas Salem's Happy Days Are Here (Again) at Steppenwolf Theatre's 1700 Theater, directed by Azar Kazemi.  

"We're excited for the year ahead and to be back with our artists and audiences doing what we do best - creating conversations and community through our work on stage," said Artistic Director Peter Moore. "We're enormously grateful to Steppenwolf and the Edge for offering us homes away from home as we continue the work of building the new Steep Theatre." 

Steep is currently in the process of transforming its new building in Edgewater into a state-of-the-art performance space, artistic home, and cultural center that will serve the company for years to come.

In Samuel D. Hunter's A Case for the Existence of God, two single parents search for understanding and connection as they confront crises of parenting and financial insecurity. The play premiered at New York's Signature Theatre in April 2022 and won the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best New Play. Director Robin Witt has been at the helm for some of Steep's most memorable productions over the years, including Harper Regan, Lela & Co, and 2021's critical and commercial hit, Light Falls. This will be Steep's second Hunter production, having produced the Midwest Premiere of Hunter's The Few in 2016.

Steep Ensemble Member Omer Abbas Salem's Happy Days Are Here (Again) was commissioned and workshopped by Steep and will receive its World Premiere production at Steppenwolf's 1700 Theater, bringing one of Chicago's rising playwriting voices to a prominent Chicago institution. Salem is a 3Arts Award winner whose work has been produced by About Face and First Floor Theatres and developed by the Goodman and Steppenwolf Theatres. This large ensemble piece explores how people in power abuse their systems and the resilience that fighting them requires. This production will mark director Azar Kazemi's debut with Steep. Kazemi recently directed Rivendell Theatre's smash-hit, world premiere production of Tuckie White's Motherhouse, which won Jeff Awards for both Best New Work and Best Ensemble.

General ticket sales for A Case for the Existence of God will begin on June 5th, and Happy Days Are Here (Again) general ticket sales will go on sale in August. 

About Steep Theatre
Founded in 2000 by three actors, Steep has grown into a dynamic ensemble of forty-five theatre artists, supported by a dedicated and inspired team of arts administrators and community members.  Described by Chris Jones of the Chicago Tribune as "the most fearless theater in town", Steep creates powerful productions of plays by today's most exciting writers and features the work of Chicago's hottest theatre artists in an intimate, accessible space. Steep is known as a home for hard-hitting, finely-tuned ensemble work. With each production, the company has shepherded a growing community of audiences and artists into bold new territories of story and performance. Steep Theatre is committed to creating an inclusive and anti-racist environment for making and watching theatre. To learn more, please visit https://steeptheatre.com/antiracism. 

Steep is in the midst of its Lights Up Edgewater Capital Campaign to support the creation of Steep's new theater and artistic home and to fund robust and equitable compensation for artists and staff. To learn more about this campaign, please visit www.steeptheatre.com/lightsup.

Production Information

The Chicago Premiere of 

A Case for the Existence of God

Written by Samuel D. Hunter

Directed by Robin Witt

July 19 - August 25, 2024

The World Premiere of 

Happy Days Are Here (Again)

Written by Omer Abbas Salem

Directed by Azar Kazemi

September 20 - October 27, 2024

Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre's 2024 season of four productions will open with the original musical 1619: THE JOURNEY OF A PEOPLE by Chicago writer and performer Ted Williams III. The musical commemorates the arrival of the first 20 Africans on the shores of Point Comfort, Virginia on August 20, 1619. In it, three modern characters lead audience members on a journey through multiple performance pieces, leaving viewers both inspired and challenged about the progress of America's African sons and daughters. This production uses various musical forms including hip-hop, jazz, and blues, to commemorate the struggle for survival and equality and to celebrate the stories and journeys of America's African sons and daughters. FJT is partnering with Evanston Public Library and Northwestern University for this production. 1619: THE JOURNEY OF A PEOPLE will play Saturdays and Sundays from June 15-30, 2024, with the press opening on Sunday, June 16 at 3 pm.
 
Performances will be Saturdays at 7:00 pm and Sundays at 3:00 pm, at the Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre in the Noyes Cultural Arts Center, 927 Noyes St., Evanston. Tickets are $30.00 and are on sale now at www.fjtheatre.com. Additionally, 2024 Premium Gold Member Cards, good for all three 2024 summer and fall play productions and A MOODY EXPERIENCE: MUSIC BEYOND THE MARGINS, are now on sale for a very limited time for only $90 - a nearly 30 percent discount off of the regular season ticket prices.
 
LISTING INFORMATION
 
1619: THE JOURNEY OF A PEOPLE
A Musical by Ted Williams III
Directed by Tim Rhoze and Ted Williams III
This is a co-production with Evanston Public Library and Northwestern University
June 15-30, 2024
Saturdays at 7 pm, Sundays at 3 pm
Press opening Sunday, June 16 at 3 pm
Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre in the Noyes Cultural Arts Center
927 Noyes St., Evanston
Tickets $32.00, on sale now at www.fjtheatre.com
Phone 847-866-5914
 
From the beginning of American slavery to Reconstruction, the Great Migration, the Civil Rights Era, and modern movements for justice, 1619 packs generations of history into an amazing musical theater experience that traces the African American journey toward freedom and equality.

In 1940, the 25-year-old Orson Welles, previously known as a stage and radio actor, had achieved widespread fame for his 1938 radio play adaptation of the novel THE WAR OF THE WORLDS. The show was produced without the participation or even the permission of the novel's author H.G. Wells, a slight which much angered the novelist. When Wells and Welles happened to be staying in the same San Antonio hotel while on separate lecture tours in October 1940, Welles had an opportunity to meet with Wells and make peace with him. The world premiere play WELLS AND WELLES by Chicago playwright Amy Crider imagines what might have been said in a private meeting between these two pioneers of literature and the arts. What common values might have been shared between the 75-year-novelist, historian and futurist; and this American "Boy Genius," 50 years his junior? In Crider's play, the two share ideas about the potential of the arts and journalism to change the world, and the power of storytelling. WELLS AND WELLES will be performed by the Lucid Theater Company at City Lit Theater, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr, Chicago from July 18 to August 11.

Playing H.G. Wells (right) at 75, more than 40 years after the success of his early popular novels like THE TIME MACHINE and THE INVISIBLE MAN, but still writing and speaking feverishly to warn the world of the catastrophes that could occur, will be Chicago theater veteran Pete Blatchford. Blatchford has appeared on stages in Chicago, New York, Buxton, England and Edinburgh, Scotland. Some of his recent credits are THE FALSE YEARS (Yippie Fest), THE GIFT OF PROPHECY (Rhino Fest), and A RESTORATION COMEDY (On the Spot Theatre Company). The 25-year-old Welles (pictured on left) will be played by Gerrit Wilford, whose recent credits include CAT'S CRADLE, THE MIDDLE PASSAGE (Lifeline Theatre), HAY FEVER (City Lit Theater), and THE SECRET COUNCIL (First Folio Theatre). 

WELLS AND WELLES will be directed by Amber Mandley, who recently earned critical acclaim for her direction of SHAKESEARE'S R & J, which was performed with an all-female cast at PrideArts. The production team will also include Scenic Designer Kevin Rolfs, a Jeff Award winner for Invictus Theatre's WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?; Lighting and Sound Designer Alvaro Ledesma, and Stage Manager Elijah McTiernan.
 
Tickets for WELLS AND WELLES will be $25.00 and are on sale now at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wells-and-welles-tickets-887960091537. Performances will be Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30, and Sundays at 3:00, from July 18 to August 11; at City Lit Theater, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr Avenue, on the second floor of the historic Edgewater Presbyterian Church.
 
LISTING INFORMATION
 
WELLS AND WELLES
WORLD PREMIERE
Written by Amy Crider
Directed by Amber Mandley.
Starring Pete Blatchford and Gerrit Wilford
Produced by Lucid Theater Company
July 18 – August 11
Preview: July 18
Press Opening Saturday, July 20 at 7:30 pm
Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 7:30, and Sunday at 3:00
City Lit Theater, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr, Chicago
Second Floor of the Historic Edgewater Presbyterian Church
Tickets: $25, on sale now
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wells-and-welles-tickets-887960091537
Please visit www.lucidtheater.com for more information.
 
It's 1940, exactly two years after Orson Welles' infamous "War of the Worlds" radio broadcast, a show that infuriated author HG Wells. By an amazing coincidence, Orson and HG are at the same hotel in San Antonio, on separate lecture tours. Orson has been busy making Citizen Kane, but he has a problem. On this rainy night, the 25-year-old Orson knocks on the door of the 75-year-old HG with a favor to ask. Based on true events.

BIOS
 
Amy Crider (Playwright). Amy Crider has won awards for both drama and fiction. Her plays have won the Tennessee Williams One Act Play Contest, Word Wave, and the Heartland New Plays Contest. She's been producing shows in Chicago since 2017, garnering warm reviews. Her first novel, DISORDER, won the University of New Orleans Press Lab Prize, and her second novel came out last fall. Recently she re-launched her theater company as Lucid Theater, which can be found at www.lucidtheater.com. Her personal website is www.amycrider.com. She also produces a podcast of audio versions of her work, Continuous Dream, found at www.continuousdream.com
 
Amber Mandley (Director) most recently directed SHAKESPEARE'S R & J for PrideArts. Other directing experiences include Rhinofest, Violet Fest, Clock Productions, school productions for CICS-Bucktown, City Lit Adaptation Festival, Abbie Hoffman Festival, Milwaukee Avenue Arts Festival, On the Spot Theatre Company, and Hass Ben Productions.  Amber is the Managing Director for PrideArts. Amber believes in a collaborative process of directing and finding the heart of a piece with the cast.
 
Pete Blatchford ( H.G. Wells) Pete has appeared on stages in Chicago, New York, Buxton, England and Edinburgh, Scotland. Recent credits are: THE FALSE YEARS (Yippie Fest), THE GIFT OF PROPHECY (Rhino Fest), A RESTORATION COMEDY, (On The Spot Theatre Company), METADATA, (Lucid Theater with Davjasfran Entertainment), ELEVATOR MUSIC, MISSING PERSON, AROUND & AROUND WE GO, SONS & LOVERS, CALLED HOME BY THE SEA, THE OPEN WINDOW and ROUNDELAY (On The Spot Theatre Company), LEDA, (Lucid Theater) and LEAN SCENES (Yippie Fest) His play WITCHES SABBATH (2023) was produced by Dreamers YOLO. Other produced plays include PITCH BLACK (2022), Dreamers YOLO, NOT IN OUR BACKYARD (2021) Pride Arts, THIS OLD GUITAR (2021), MISSING PERSON (2020), AROUND AND AROUND WE GO (2020) and THE OPEN WINDOW (2019, On The Spot Theatre Company.) Pete is also the author of the book WICKED, IMMORAL, UTTERLY BAD: AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF CHICAGO THEATRE 1837-1974.
 
Gerrit Wilford (Orson Welles) Gerrit Wilford's previous Chicago theatre credits include CAT'S CRADLE, THE MIDDLE PASSAGE (Lifeline Theatre), HAY FEVER (City Lit Theater), and THE SECRET COUNCIL (First Folio Theatre).  Regional credits include: MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING (Montana Shakespeare in the Parks), OTHELLO, AS YOU LIKE IT, and INTO THE WOODS (Texas Shakespeare Festival). 
 
ABOUT LUCID THEATER COMPANY
Lucid Theater Company has been producing plays since 2017. Previous productions include LEDA (2017), CHARLIE JOHNSON READS ALL OF PROUST (2019), METADATA (2021), and A LEGACY (Rhinofest, 2023). The company also produces the podcast series of audio plays CONTINUOUS DREAM.
 
Mission:
Lucid Theater produces original plays with a broad range of subjects and styles. We center ideas and emotions to evoke thoughtful reflection, courageous choices, and compassion. Our goal is to fight against numbness and awaken our audiences to the richness and depth of emotional experience. Rather than replicate reality, we seek to reveal subjective experience for its dreamlike sensibility.
 Values:
We honor the artist by paying everyone involved.
We commit to a respectful work environment.
We strive to hire female directors and leadership.
We pledge to listen deeply and question authentically.
We vow to uplift the human spirit.
 

Broadway In Chicago is excited to announce that individual tickets for the world premiere of the first ever touring production of HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD will go on sale Monday, May 13 at 10:00 a.m. CT. Tickets will also be available online at BroadwayInChicago.com starting at 10:00 a.m. CT or stop by the box office at the James M. Nederlander Theatre and be sorted into your Hogwarts house, take a picture with your house banner, play HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD trivia, and more.

Previews begin for the six-time Tony® Award-winning production on September 10 at Broadway In Chicago's James M. Nederlander Theatre. The official opening will be Thursday, September 26. The final performance of the 21-week engagement will be Saturday, February 1, 2025. 

The touring production is based on the acclaimed Broadway production, currently playing at the Lyric Theatre, New York. It picks up right where the last Harry Potter film left off: Nineteen years after Harry, Ron, and Hermione saved the wizarding world, they're back on a most extraordinary new adventure – this time, joined by a brave new generation that has only just arrived at the legendary Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. When Harry Potter's head-strong son Albus befriends the son of his fiercest rival, Draco Malfoy, it sparks an unbelievable new journey for them all—with the power to change the past and future forever.  

HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD, the first Harry Potter story to be presented on stage and the eighth story in the Harry Potter series, has sold over 10 million tickets worldwide since its world premiere in London in July 2016 and holds a record 60 major honors, with nine Laurence Olivier Awards including Best New Play and six Tony Awards including Best Play. The international phenomenon has cast its spell worldwide with productions currently running in London, New York, Hamburg, and Tokyo, and has completed runs in Melbourne, Toronto, and San Francisco. The original two-part production in London's West End recently celebrated its 7th anniversary, while the reimagined Broadway production celebrated its 6th anniversary. 

The most successful non-musical play in Broadway history, HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD has the unique distinction of being named by the Guinness World Records as the highest-grossing non-musical play in Broadway history with over $270 million total sales and over 2.5 million tickets sold.

To stay up to date with the latest information, go to tour.harrypottertheplay.com.

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

Preview performances are Tuesday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. with additional Monday performances at 7:30 p.m. on September 16 and 23 and matinee performances at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 21 and Wednesday, September 25.

Opening night is Thursday, September 26 at 6:00 p.m.

Regular performances are Tuesday through Saturday at 7:00 p.m. Matinee performances are at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

 Additional performances are Sunday, November 10 at 7:00 p.m.; Friday, November 29 at 1:00 p.m.; Thursday, December 26 at 1:00 p.m.; Sunday, December 29 at 7:00 p.m.; Thursday, January 2 at 1:00 p.m., and Sunday, January 5 at 7:00 p.m.

On Tuesday, December 24 and Tuesday, December 31, there will be 1:00 p.m. performances instead of a 7:00 p.m. performances.

There will be no performances on Sunday, September 29; Tuesday, November 5; Thursday, November 28; Wednesday, December 25; and Wednesday, January 1.

TICKET INFORMATION

Individual tickets will go on sale to the public on Monday, May 13. When tickets go on sale, ticket prices will range from $49.00 - $193.00 with a select number of premium tickets available. There will be a limited number of lottery seats available for this engagement. Details will be provided closer to the engagement. Patrons can purchase HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD as part of the Broadway In Chicago Season, which is currently on sale through May 26 at BroadwayInChicago.com. Groups of 10 or more can book tickets now by calling (312) 977-1710 or emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . For more information, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com.

ABOUT HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD

Based on an original story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD is a play by Jack Thorne, directed by John Tiffany. 

HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD features movement by Steven Hoggett, set by Christine Jones, costumes by Katrina Lindsay, music & arrangements by Imogen Heap, lighting by Neil Austin, sound by Gareth Fry, illusions & magic by Jamie Harrison, music supervision & arrangements by Martin Lowe. US Casting by Jim Carnahan, CSA. 

HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD is produced by Sonia Friedman Productions, Colin Callender and Harry Potter Theatrical Productions. 

Instagram: @CursedChildUS ● Twitter: @CursedChildTour ● Facebook: @CursedChildUS ● TikTok: @CursedChildOfficial

ABOUT BROADWAY IN CHICAGO

Broadway In Chicago was created in July 2000 and over the past 24 years has grown to be one of the largest commercial touring homes in the country. A Nederlander Presentation, Broadway In Chicago lights up the Chicago Theater District entertaining up to 1.7 million people annually in five theatres. Broadway In Chicago presents a full range of entertainment, including musicals and plays, on the stages of five of the finest theatres in Chicago's Loop including the Cadillac Palace Theatre, CIBC Theatre, James M. Nederlander Theatre, Auditorium Theatre, and just off the Magnificent Mile, the Broadway  Playhouse at Water Tower Place.

@BroadwayInChicago

Facebook  ● Instagram ● TikTok ● #broadwayinchicago

A collaboration of Chicago dance and Germany lighting sculpture live on stage

About the Program:

This program, set within an industrial vibe, features Vicissitudes, choreographed by Ginny Ching-Yin Lo. Vicissitudes premiered in fall 2021, debuting Identity Performing Arts' first live performance in C5. In a novel approach, Vicissitudes was created in silence, with music then composed from the dance piece by Identity's first collaborator Chromabeats. Through the supportive web of human connection. Portrayed through four female dancers, this dance expresses how the web of human connection helps us cope with stress, in joy.  

Lights/9 is a collaboration with Franz Betz, renowned light artist from Hanover, Germany. This improvisational piece integrates nine elements of intertwining movement and light, accented by Chromabeat’s live music. The concept for Lights/9 was inspired by choreographer Ginny Ching-Yin Lo's visit to Zurich, Switzerland. Fascinated by an exhibition of light installation, she did an improv dance right on the spot. As this thought dwelled, she created Lights/9: improvised dance, as an invitation to experience the unknown.

About Identity Performing Arts:

Identity is a not-for-profit organization established in 2016 by founder and artistic director, Ginny Ching-Yin Lo, focusing on teaching dance to the underserved community and creating independent dance projects. Lo has performed in the U.S., China, France and Germany with her original works. In 2020, Identity expanded beyond teaching and transitioned to a full season professional dance troupe. The company's first live concert debuted in fall, 2021. Since then, Identity has performed locally in Chicago and Evanston, and internationally in Hanover, Germany. Identity was one of the featured companies appearing on WGN Morning News TV for See Chicago Dance Month last summer.  Identity is excited to present Enliven & Perpetual in Seattle International Dance Festival this summer along with companies, globally.  All works created for and performed by Identity dancers express the beauty of our individual identities, interconnected in unity. We invite you as our audience to witness this intention with every dance work.

Dates/Times/Location

C5 Studio - 5066 N Kimberly Ave, Chicago, IL 60630

Tickets @$30

Book on Eventbrite:

Friday, May 17 @7.30 PM

https://Lights9Fri.eventbrite.com

Saturday, May 18 @7:30 PM

https://Lights9Sat.eventbrite.com

 For more information, call 312.600.3076 or visit

https://www.identityperformingarts.org/