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Under America Sep 3 - Sep 26, 2010  
Mortar Theatre Company at Athenaeum Theatre Under America
 
Her job threatened, a reporter from Chicago’s Gold Coast must write a series on public housing, gentrification, and the prison industry. But when she moves into the infamous Cabrini Green projects, she tries to help with the legal problems of a young man willing to get out by any means necessary. In the end, they both find themselves lost in the tunnels that seem to connect everything Under America.
 
   
Low Pay? Don't Pay! Sep 3 - Oct 23, 2010  
Piccolo Theatre Low Pay? Don't Pay!
 
Housewives Antonia and Margherita, fed up with high prices in the supermarket, take matters into their own hands and "liberate" some items from the local grocery store. Keen to hide their light-fingered antics from their hot-headed husbands, Giovanni and Luigi - not to mention the police - the women are forced to resort to more and more inventive hiding places, as slapstick confusion leads to rollicking chaos.
 
   
Rollin' Outta Here Naked: A Big Lebowski Burlesque Sep 3 - Sep 25, 2010  
Vaudezilla at The Greenhouse Theater Center Rollin' Outta Here Naked: A Big Lebowski Burlesque
 
"Rollin' Outta Here Naked: A Big Lebowski Burlesque" is a nationally-recognized, critically-acclaimed, box-office smash hit that will be remounting in September 2010. Don’t be out of your element! Join Vaudezilla Productions for an epic variety show featuring your favorite Bums, Achievers, and What-Have-You from the classic Coen Brothers film.
 
   
Chug Chicago: Rise Of The Wrigleyvillians Sep 4 - Sep 25, 2010  
Gorilla Tango Theatre Chug Chicago: Rise Of The Wrigleyvillians
 
Ever read "Create Your Own Adventure Books" when you were a kid? Chug Chicago is a Create Your Own Drunken Party show for adults! Here's the premise: the Cubs are miraculously playing in the world series - and in adrenaline-fueled Wrigleyville - and it’s going to be the party of a lifetime! Will the Cubs wins or lose? You get to decide! Will your favorite character make a move on the prettiest girl at the kegger? You get to decide that too, after playing onstage in a climactic game of Flip Cup! Feel like you’re the center of the most exciting party in the city, on the most momentous sports night of this century, as the line between actor and audience member blurs in CHUG CHICAGO: RISE OF THE WRIGLEYVILLIANS.
 
   
Theories of the Sun Sep 5 - Oct 3, 2010  
Sideshow Theatre Company at Theater Wit Theories of the Sun
 
It’s 1963 and in a remote French hotel Barbara and Elizabeth Sweeny (an American mother and daughter) undergo some peculiar medical testing by a brilliant and eccentric doctor who specializes in unusual diseases. Accompanied by a young Tom Stoppard, a whiskey-fueled Tennessee Williams, and the mysterious scholar Mr. Asher, Elizabeth seeks to understand and cure her terrifying illness. Part mystery and part science fiction, this dazzling play's twists and turns will keep you guessing until the very end.
 
   
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels Sep 9 - Oct 10, 2010  
Theatre At The Center Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
 
Based on the popular 1988 MGM film, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels centers on two con men living on the French Riviera – the suave and sophisticated Lawrence Jameson, who makes his lavish living by talking rich ladies out of their money; and a small-time crook named Freddy Benson, who, more humbly, swindles women by waking their compassion with fabricated stories about his grandmother’s failing health. After meeting on a train, they unsuccessfully attempt to work together only to find that this small French town isn’t big enough for the two of them. So they make a bet: the first one to swindle $50,000 from a young heiress, triumphs and the other must leave town. What follows are a series of schemes, masquerades and double-crosses in which nothing may ever be exactly what it seems.
 
   
Detroit Sep 9 - Nov 7, 2010  
Steppenwolf Theatre Detroit
 
Picture-perfect couple Ben and Mary fire up the grill to welcome the new neighbors who’ve moved into the long-empty house next door. Three barbeques later, the fledgling friendship veers out of control, shattering Ben and Mary’s carefully maintained semblance of success—with comic, unexpected consequences. Detroit is a fresh, off-beat look at what happens when we dare to open ourselves up to something new.
 
   
The Book of Liz Sep 9 - Dec 18, 2010  
Chemically Imbalanced Theater The Book of Liz
 
Sister Elizabeth Donderstock has been Squeamish her whole life. She makes cheese balls that sustain her entire religious community. However, she feels unappreciated by the Squeamish, so she decides to try her luck in the outside world. Comedy by David and Amy Sedaris.
 
   
Menorca Sep 9 - Oct 16, 2010  
16th Street Theater at Berwyn Cultural Center Menorca
 
On the island of Menorca, an archeological dig reveals human remains. Ollie (Alesandese), a woman of Basque origin born in San Sebastain, is there. She is with her students and James, her boss who is also her lover. In the Southern California desert, a border is being watched and guarded. Ollie is there too, with George, a Mexican- American border patrol agent, when more human bones are discovered. The present intrudes on the past as boundaries are set, crossed, and broken. All in the search for the identity of a woman misplaced.
 
   
1001 Sep 9 - Oct 9, 2010  
Collaboraction at Chopin Theatre 1001
 
Sexy and surreal, “1001” is a theatrical mash-up that mixes Middle East politics with a modern tale of young love, asking the question “Can passion conquer history?” A six-actor ensemble plays a dizzying variety of roles, including the fabled princess Scheherezade, a Palestinian businessman, Sindbad the sailor, an American Jew named Alan, Gustave Flaubert, a princess with a lisp and even Osama Bin Laden. Featuring Collaboraction's signature blend of modern media and visceral storytelling, this moving and hilarious intimate production promises to take audiences on a theatrical journey into uncharted territory.
 
   
Apocalypso Sep 9 - Oct 2, 2010  
Point Of Contention Theatre Company at BoHo Theatre @ Heartland Studio Apocalypso
 
In a small, working class town, there’s talk in the air that the end of the world is approaching (again). In the week between Christmas and New Year, the lives of eight disparate souls intersect when the vague hint of Armageddon gets folks thinking about settling scores and setting things right—just in case tomorrow never comes and the afterlife is really an eternal Calypso remix.
 
   
Thieves Like Us Sep 9 - Oct 30, 2010  
The House Theatre of Chicago at Chopin Theatre Thieves Like Us
 
Bowie Bowers busts out of Alky prison and goes on a spree of bank robberies with hardened criminals T-Dub and Chicamaw. His newfound gal Keechie wants him to give up the life and settle down. But Bowie figures he’s no more a thief than the politicians and bankers who steal with their brains instead of a gun. When the law busts up the gang Bowie is forced to make a decision: does he lam it for Mexico with Keechie or does he break Chicamaw out of jail to be their guide?
 
   
Wuthering Heights Sep 10 - Oct 31, 2010  
Lifeline Theatre Wuthering Heights
 
Inseparable from childhood, Heathcliff and Cathy believe themselves eternally bound. But when they are brutally torn apart, the resulting course of retribution provides an unflinching look into the cyclic nature of revenge and the unknowable passions of the heart. Travel across Yorkshire's stormy moors with one of literature's darkest antiheroes in this legendary tale of devotion and redemption. An epic love story, re-imagined as a highly physical work of powerful imagery, by the award-winning adaptor and director of "Mariette in Ecstasy."
 
   
Louis Slotin Sonata Sep 10 - Oct 24, 2010  
A Red Orchid Theatre Louis Slotin Sonata
 
Will our innate curiosity and confidence kill us or lead us to greater awakenings? At 3:20 PM on Tuesday, May 21, 1946 Louis Slotin's hand slipped—a small, practically insignificant blunder, except that Slotin was the chief -bomb builder at Los Alamos, and at that fateful moment he held in his hands a plutonium bomb core named "Rufus". With a structure inspired by classical music's sonata allegro form, Louis Slotin Sonata traces the true story of a brilliant scientist's last nine days, as his body and mind gradually succumb to the chaos wrecked by radiation.
 
   
The Sound Of A Yellow Flower Sep 10 - Oct 3, 2010  
Strangeloop Theatre at Trap Door Theatre The Sound Of A Yellow Flower
 
Set in Belarus, the play examines the interconnected relationships between four characters, and how one decisive moment changes all of their lives. Love and violence intertwine as these four hope for a future and sort through the broken remains of their past. As secrets are revealed and relationships crumble, is there still a place for hope?
 
   
Sunday in the Park with George Sep 10 - Oct 31, 2010  
Porchlight Music Theatre at Stage 773 Sunday in the Park with George
 
Inspired by George Seurat's masterpiece, "A Sunday on La Grande Jatte," this Pulitzer Prize-winning musical imagines the life of the artist and the people he painted. At turns heartbreaking and humorous, Sunday in the Park with George explores the tension between life and art.
 
   
The Original Improv Gladiators - Season Eleven Sep 10 - Sep 24, 2010  
Cornservatory The Original Improv Gladiators - Season Eleven
 
Corn Productions follows the lead of Walgreens, K-mart and Target as our Improv Gladiators get ready to take four young, innocent wide-eyed improv teams back to school in our eleventh incarnation of The Original Improv Gladiators – Season Eleven! Our competing teams will need more than pencils and High School Musical binders to fend off the attacks of our bullies, The Improv Gladiators, so they better be ready with quick witted retorts, imaginative object work and very, very, very clean edits! Will our teams become a dead poet’s society or will they be saved by the bell? Will they learn the facts of life on the way to fame, or will they end up in the school of rock? It’s all fast times here a Cornservatory High, so leave your so called life behind and join us for the rockin’ Friday (and Saturday) night fights!
 
   
Closure Sep 10 - Sep 26, 2010  
Fringeelement Entertainment at The Viaduct Closure
 
When Maria, a young woman with a promising future, is found dead under mysterious circumstances, three of her old friends reunite after years apart to pay homage to her. But in trying to relive the “good old days” they soon realize that some days are only good when old. Scabs are torn from old wounds and new affronts are perpetrated. As tensions mount and suspicions grow, they soon realize that none of their lives have gone as planned since splitting apart. Will they close the door on their pasts and move forward, or end up in the same early grave as Maria?
 
   
Juliet Sep 10 - Oct 3, 2010  
Theatre Y at Royal George Theatre Juliet
 
"Juliet" documents the true story of the parents of Transylvanian writer Visky. In 1939, his father fled Romania for Hungary, where he was to meet his future wife. After World War II, they decided to return to Transylvania, by then a part of Romania. There Visky’s father was sentenced to 22 years in prison for the crime of “organization against socialist public order;" and his wife and seven children were deported to a Romanian gulag a thousand kilometers from their home. Visky was only two years old at the time. In 1964, his father and other political prisoners were released during a short-lived period during which the regime relaxed its repressive policies. Visky himself was released the same year along with his mother and siblings.
 
   
Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Sep 10 - Oct 10, 2010  
BoHo Theatre at Theater Wit Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
 
Twain's timeless classic sweeps us down the mighty Mississippi as the irrepressible Huck Finn helps his friend Jim, a slave, escape to freedom at the mouth of the Ohio River. Their adventures along the way are hilarious, suspenseful and heartwarming, bringing to life your favorite characters and all the fun and danger from the novel.
 
   
Love, Sex and The IRS Sep 10 - Oct 17, 2010  
Attic Playhouse Love, Sex and The IRS
 
t's 1979, and Jon and Leslie are two young, out-of-work, bachelors sharing an apartment together in New York City. To save money, Jon has been filing tax returns listing the pair as married…unbeknownst to his buddy Leslie. The day of reckoning comes when the Internal Revenue Service informs the "couple" they are going to be investigated by a Mr. Floyd Spinner. With the help of his fiancée – Kate, Jon dresses Leslie up to masquerade as a housewife. Complicating matters further - Jon's mother unexpectedly drops in to meet her son's fiancée, and Leslie's girlfriend shows up demanding to know why he won't see her anymore. Add one unscrupulously nosy landlord to the bunch, and things quickly spiral into side-splitting confusion and chaos in this hilarious farce.
 
   
The Desk Set Sep 10 - Sep 25, 2010  
Albright Theatre Company The Desk Set
 
In this hilarious commentary on the social structure of the average workplace in the 1950’s, the women who run the reference department at The Federal Broadcasting Network, affectionately referred to as "the desk set", feel their jobs as the "human brains" of the operation are being threatened by the introduction of new technology. And when the computer prints them each a pink slip, their world of corporate mergers, increasing workloads and on-and-off office romances is turned upside down!
 
   
The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit Sep 10 - Sep 25, 2010  
Jedlicka Performing Arts Center The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit
 
The play tells the story of six poor men who chip in to buy a beautiful white suit and then take turns wearing it and having the time of their lives. This storyline was later adapted into the 2005 film “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants”.
 
   
Debris Of The Prophet Sep 10 - Oct 9, 2010  
Prop Theatre Debris Of The Prophet
 
A major Chicago daily paper strives to pep up flagging interest by hiring back an elder editorial cartoonist with a reputation for provocation. He immediately takes on the unsavory issue of major religious strife, managing to outrage all, even the public. The consequences get out of control...
 
   
Our Town Sep 11 - Sep 26, 2010  
Morton Arboretum Our Town
 
Thornton Wilder’s Our Town will take visitors along with the Webb and Gibbs families as their children fall in love, marry, and encounter many of life’s early 20th century issues. Our Town is directed by Adam Webster of Chicago, who has directed the past Arboretum theatre-hikes Frankenstein, Dracula, and the theatre-bike The Duck Variations.
 
   
Bubble Wonders Sep 11  
Metropolis Performing Arts Centre Bubble Wonders
 
After a sold out performance last year, the amazing Bubble-ologist returns! Geoff Akins’ wondrous show is full of laughs, surprises, joy and inspiration for kids of all ages. Akins tours the world with stories of life’s great lessons. His bubble wizardry and hands-on performance encourages kids to be confident and persistent in life – to laugh and have a great time. It’s a fun, amazing show, and a great afternoon for parents and kids.
 
   
Octavarius: So Nefarious Sep 12 - Oct 24, 2010  
Comedy Sportz Octavarius: So Nefarious
 
Octavarius, runner-up of Chicago Reader's 2010 Readers' Poll "Best Sketch/Improv Troupe," will perform its original form: The Nefarious. The 30-40 minute show is made-up on the spot, based on audience suggestion. Classic short form improv games emerge organically from the Chicago style long form show.
 
   
She Loves Me Sep 14 - Nov 21, 2010  
Writers' Theatre She Loves Me
 
Often considered the “perfect” musical by aficionados, She Loves Me delights audiences and critics alike. Set in a 1930's European perfumery, we meet shop clerks Amalia and Georg, who more often than not, don’t see eye to eye. After both respond to a “lonely hearts advertisement” in the newspaper, they now live for the love letters they exchange, but the identity of their admirers remains unknown. Discover with Amalia and Georg the identity of their true loves and all the twists and turns along the way! Performed as an intimate chamber musical on the Tudor Court stage, She Loves Me appeals to all ages and is a romantic and charming musical adventure of the heart.
 
   
Romeo and Juliet Sep 15 - Nov 14, 2010  
Chicago Shakespeare Theater Romeo and Juliet
 
Pure and hot, passionate and true—the feverish intensity of youth explodes on CST's stage in the most celebrated love story of all time. Passion stirs the blood of young lovers and feuding families, hurling their fates to destiny—and captivating an audience left breathless. World-renowned Australian director Gale Edwards, whose work has been seen at the Royal Shakespeare Company and across America, makes her CST debut with a startling landmark production—promising to ignite the Bard's poetry on Chicago Shakespeare's stage.
 
   
The Comedy of Errors Sep 16 - Oct 17, 2010  
Court Theatre The Comedy of Errors
 
nnovative director Sean Graney (The Hypocrites) re-imagines Shakespeare’s funniest farce about mistaken identity, mental illness, and xenophobia. The story of two sets of twins separated at birth, The Comedy of Errors will be a theatrical event full of energetic slapstick and lyrical comedy, performed by six virtuosic actors. This season opener represents the next step in Graney’s exploration of classic farce at Court Theatre, following What the Butler Saw (2007) and The Mystery of Irma Vep (2009).
 
   
Daddy Long Legs Sep 16 - Oct 24, 2010  
Northlight Theatre Daddy Long Legs
 
Jerusha Abbott’s prayers seem answered when the generosity of an anonymous gentleman allows her to move from orphanage to university. Through her grateful letters, Jerusha shares her life with her mysterious benefactor as she grows into an intelligent, independent New American Woman and discovers a budding romance with a wealthy young suitor. Yet there is one startling fact that Jerusha has yet to uncover—one that will change her life forever.
 
   
The Wedding Singer Sep 17 - Oct 31, 2010  
Circle Theatre The Wedding Singer
 
It’s 1985 and rock-star wannabe Robbie Hart is New Jersey's favorite wedding singer. He's the life of the party, until his own fiancée leaves him at the altar. Shot through the heart, Robbie makes every wedding as disastrous as his own. Can love find Robbie’s “heart?” Grab your parachute pants, lace gloves and acid washed jeans. Just say Yes! Fans of the hit film and musical theatre lovers alike will enjoy this charming look at the era of big hair and bigger laughs.
 
   
Candide Sep 17 - Oct 24, 2010  
Goodman Theatre Candide
 
Tony Award and MacArthur “Genius” Award-winning director Mary Zimmerman’s breathtaking new production of Candide is the theatrical event of the season. In addition to the music of Leonard Bernstein, Candide features contributions from the greatest lyricists of the 20th century, from Richard Wilbur to Stephen Sondheim. In this racy musical satire, naive Candide is banished for romancing the Baron’s daughter, only to be plagued by a series of absurd hardships that challenge his optimistic outlook of life and love.
 
   
The Lady's Not for Burning Sep 17 - Oct 31, 2010  
Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre at No Exit Cafe The Lady's Not for Burning
 
The Lady's Not for Burning by Christopher Fry was written in 1948 at the height of the House Un-American Activities Committee hearings following World War II, although the play takes place during the Middle Ages. Written in verse resembling Shakespeare’s pastoral comedies, it is a poetic, romantic dark comedy about an accused witch on her way to be burned at the stake and her great desire to live versus a war-weary, disillusioned soldier in despair with a great desire to die.
 
   
Zulu Fits Sep 17 - Oct 31, 2010  
MPAACT at The Greenhouse Theater Center Zulu Fits
 
Teenage internet sensations, “The Blow-Up Sistas” decide to kidnap the black power advocate Jersey Jack Black from prison. The Sistas, their male cohort, and Jersey Jack Black all fall victim to a series of uncontrollable seizures Zulu Fits. Zulu Fits appear to be connected to an enigmatic past and an uncertain future. When the The Sistas reach Jersey Jack Black his past, their present and the mystery of Zulu Fits all converge and forge a new fiction for those with a revolutionary spirit.
 
   
Pinkalicious Sep 18 - Dec 31, 2010  
Emerald City Theatre Company at Apollo Theater Pinkalicious
 
When Pinkalicious eats one too many pink cupcakes, she catches a case of Pinkitis and turns pink from head to toe! It'll take the wisdom of her broccoli-eating little brother to help her get out of this predicament. Don't miss this smash hit musical's Midwest premiere, based on the popular book by Elizabeth and Victoria Kann.
 
   
Speed-the-Plow Sep 20 - Oct 24, 2010  
American Theatre Company Speed-the-Plow
 
New England. 1995. A university professor’s tenure dissolves when a student claims sexual harassment.
 
   
Oleanna Sep 20 - Oct 24, 2010  
American Theatre Company Oleanna
 
Hollywood. 1985. Two movie producers hit meltdown when their idealistic secretary turns the tables on their plans to make the next blockbuster.
 
   
Aiming For Sainthood Sep 20 - Sep 26, 2010  
Victory Gardens Theater - Biograph Aiming For Sainthood
 
Arlene’s acclaimed autobiographical solo plays have played to sold out houses and standing ovations throughout the country. These stories are about the hilarious, heartbreaking, heartwarming, totally true tale of a hearing prodigal daughter growing up in a Deaf family & culture. It is the tale of a girl/woman surviving and interpreting sound for her parents while interpreting the world for herself. They’re the tales of being a cultural tourist, bridging a world of two languages & two cultures and the universal search for identity.
 
   
Rock Of Ages Sep 21 - Oct 3, 2010  
Bank of America Theatre (formerly LaSalle Bank Theatre) Rock Of Ages
 
In 1987 on the Sunset Strip, a small-town girl met a big-city dreamer – and in L.A.’s most legendary rock club, they fell in love to the greatest songs of the ‘80’s. It’s ROCK OF AGES, a hilarious, feel-good love story told through the hit songs of iconic rockers Journey, Styx, REO Speedwagon, Foreigner, Pat Benatar, Whitesnake, and many more. Don’t miss this awesomely good time where big hair meets big dreams and the result totally wails.
 
   
Night And Day Sep 22 - Oct 31, 2010  
Remy Bumppo Theatre at The Greenhouse Theater Center Night And Day
 
Set in a fictional African country that feels like a 1950s Hollywood romantic adventure, competing British war correspondents descend on the household of an expatriate and his wife, attempting to crack open a story on the country's erupting civil war. Stoppard, with his usual comic seriousness, both attacks the triviality of the free press for exposing the personal lives of public figures to sell papers, and elevates its importance in uncovering political truth.
 
   
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee Sep 23 - Nov 6, 2010  
Metropolis Performing Arts Centre The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
 
In a world that makes it so hard to stand out and fit in at the same time, six adolescent spellers compete for a trip to the national spelling finals. In the process, they are stricken by the teenage woes that we can all relate to: puberty, awkwardness, self-questioning, and the life lessons that come with winning and losing.
 
   
An Evening With Sutton Foster Sep 23 - Sep 26, 2010  
Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place (Formerly Drury Lane) An Evening With Sutton Foster
 
Tony Award-Winner Sutton Foster gives a rare intimate concert performance during AN EVENING WITH SUTTON FOSTER with music direction by Michael Rafter (Thoroughly Modern Millie, The Sound of Music, Jersey Boys, The King & I). Although Sutton has been working on Broadway and national tours since she was 17, she became a Broadway legend when she became an “understudy to the rescue” and took on the lead role of “Millie” in Thoroughly Modern Millie, eventually winning the 2002 Tony Award® for Best Actress in a Musical. Since then, she has created four original roles in four new Broadway musicals Little Women, The Drowsy Chaperone, Young Frankenstein and Shrek The Musical; a record unsurpassed by any musical theatre actress of her generation.
 
   
Obscura Sep 23 - Oct 23, 2010  
Red Tape Theatre Company at St. Peter's Episcopal Church Obscura
 
Behind the walls of an aging apartment building, the reclusive neighbors’ lives are being closely monitored. Amidst the Orwellian atmosphere, Ned invents a story to win his neighbor’s heart. But the arrival of a stranger threatens to unveil their darkest secrets.
 
   
A Brief History of Helen of Troy Sep 23 - Oct 30, 2010  
Steep Theatre A Brief History of Helen of Troy
 
In this gruesomely dark comedy, Charlotte’s mother has recently passed away. Her father is unable to cope with his teenage daughter and their grief. With the story of Helen of Troy as her guide, Charlotte turns to beauty products and sex to help her find the love and compassion she so desperately needs.
 
   
4 Days Late Presents: Americans in Peril! Sep 24 - Nov 12, 2010  
Studio BE 4 Days Late Presents: Americans in Peril!
 
4 Days Late, the group once described as “a drunken professor taking a leak on a Norman Rockwell painting”, presents: Americans in Peril! We Americans live in a time of extreme comfort and danger, and 4 Days Late thinks it’s hilarious. Come! Drink, laugh and enjoy true American privilege. Whether they’re using specially formulated lotion to erase bad life choices, suggesting plastic surgery for a fetus, or performing Jersey Shore: The Musical, 4 Days late allows the audience to laugh at themselves and their country.
 
   
Seven Snakes Sep 25 - Nov 6, 2010  
The Mammals at Zoo Studio Seven Snakes
 
An apocalyptic western set 30 years from now in the remains of what was once The Arizona desert. A Young Woman must choose sides as a Group of Octogenarian Veterans of Foreign Desert Wars engage in a mythic battle with a team of mysterious masked gunslingers known as the Seven Snakes.
 
   
The Franklin Expedition Sep 25 - Oct 30, 2010  
The Building Stage The Franklin Expedition
 
Sir John Franklin was a British naval officer and Arctic explorer who mapped almost two-thirds of the northern coastline of North America. He was also for a time the Governor of Tasmania but was removed from office in disgrace. His final expedition in 1845 was meant to traverse the last unnavigated section of the Northwest Passage. It didn't go so well. Franklin and two ships carrying 128 men were lost. No one knew what had happened to them despite the numerous rescue missions that followed for many years.
 
   
Splatter Theater Sep 25 - Oct 31, 2010  
Annoyance Theatre Splatter Theater
 
A parody of Friday the 13th type movies, the characters in “Splatter Theater” include such archetypes as a nun, the school jock, the virgin, the class dick, and of course the bumbling old man. Laugh and watch them all die in different ways: Tongue pulled out, drill in the head, intestines being ripped out, slashed throat, and the list goes on. With freshly painted white walls on the stage before each performance, the audience will be horrified and delighted by the end, when the walls are covered in blood!
 
   
The Spirit Play Sep 27  
Strange Tree Group at Chicago Cultural Center The Spirit Play
 
The Strange Tree Group is a collective of multifaceted individuals dedicated to creating intricate, intimate theatrical experiences that extend beyond the traditional stage and celebrate the strange, the magical, and the surprisingly usual nature of unusual behavior. They are developing a work centered on the turn-of-the-20'th century American fascination with mediums, spirit photography, and séances for an exploration of belief vs. truth.
 
   
The Lion King Sep 29 - Nov 27, 2010  
Cadillac Palace Theatre The Lion King
 
Experience the phenomenon as it once again leaps onto the Cadillac Palace Theatre stage. Marvel at the breathtaking spectacle of animals brought to life by award-winning director Julie Taymor, whose visual images for this show you’ll remember forever. Thrill to the pulsating rhythms of the African Pridelands and an unforgettable score including Elton John and Tim Rice’s Oscar-winning song “Can You Feel The Love Tonight” and “Circle of Life.” Let your imagination run wild at the Tony Award-winning Broadway sensation Newsweek calls “a landmark event in entertainment.”
 
   
Ivanov Sep 30 - Nov 7, 2009  
SiNNERMAN Ensemble at The Viaduct Ivanov
 
n a community obsessed with gossip and greed, the brilliant Ivanov has fallen out of love with his wife and his friends and bankrupted his land, only to be dangerously attracted to the beautiful young daughter of his creditor. Chekhov's most accessible play asks the burning question “How do you live without hope?”
 
   
Ghostbox Sep 30 - Oct 31, 2010  
InFusion Theatre Company at Apollo Theater Ghostbox
 
A supernatural thriller, Ghostbox begins with a wife (Victoria Gilbert) searching for her husband (Kevin Crispin). She finds herself in a mysterious place where past and present and life and death collide. While seeking to find her husband through the static of an old transistor radio, a looming shadow figure (Michael Coale) lurks in the darkness watching her every move. Video images fill the stage as clues from her past reveal themselves and she gets closer to finding her lost love.
 
   
Macbeth Oct 1 - Oct 30, 2010  
Lyric Opera Macbeth
 
Macbeth combines the magnificent and irresistible vigor of early Verdi with the probing psychological depth of the composer's later works. Shakespeare's taut tragedy is distilled to its absolute essentials, concentrating on the Scottish play's unforgettable central couple: the title character (baritone Thomas Hampson), Thane of Cawdor, whom the witches predict will ascend to the throne of Scotland; and his wife, Lady Macbeth (soprano Nadja Michael, debut), whose consuming desire for power pushes her husband towards murder. Other characters are the noble Macduff (tenor Dimitri Pittas, debut), who finally triumphs over Macbeth; Banquo originally Macbeth's friend but eventually his victim; and the Lady-in-Waiting (soprano Carter Scott, debut), who witnesses Lady Macbeth's descent into madness.
 
   
Doo Lister's Blues Oct 1 - Nov 21, 2010  
National Pastime Theater Doo Lister's Blues
 
This powerful play looks back at the meeting of the political turmoil of the 1960s with the rise of an emerging Black music experience. Set against the backdrop of the Civil Rights movement, Doo Lister’s Blues traces a songwriting Chicago barber's creative metamorphosis from Motown to militant, with results that challenge the validity of the evolution of Black popular music.
 
   
At Home At The Zoo Oct 1 - Oct 31, 2010  
Victory Gardens Theater - Biograph At Home At The Zoo
 
America’s greatest living playwright pairs his provocative classic, A Zoo Story, the one-act that launched his career fifty years ago, with a new prequel titled Homelife. The lives of three New Yorkers are changed forever as revelations and confrontations of one sunny afternoon send them down surprising new paths. With shocking secrets to reveal, sharp truths to confront and hearts bursting with all the complexities of humanity, experience the intensity that is true Albee.
 
   
Nightmares on Lincoln Ave Too - Totally Tubular Tales of Terror Oct 1 - Oct 31, 2010  
Cornservatory Nightmares on Lincoln Ave Too - Totally Tubular Tales of Terror
 
This year, Corn is turning its satirical sights on the scary kid shows of the 90s! Do you look back on the 90’s Nickelodeon explosion with warm fuzzies in your heart and Gak in your hair? Did you get scared stiff by “Are You Afraid of the Dark?” Paralyzed by “Goosebumps”? Terrified by “Troll 2”? Or were you way too cool for any of those things? No matter whether you loved that stuff, hated it, or have never even heard of it, we guarantee that you will snicker and scream your way though this goopily, gorily hilarious blast from the past.
 
   
Dr. Jeykll and Mr. Hyde Oct 2 - Oct 31, 2010  
Morton Arboretum Dr. Jeykll and Mr. Hyde
 
Just in time for October, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde stalk the woods of the Arboretum. Dr. Jekyll is searching to find a potion that will eliminate the “bad” in people. He mixes a concoction that he believes will work and tests it on himself. Instead of removing his “bad,” he actually brings out an alternate “bad” persona, Mr. Hyde. Around the same time, a series of murders occurs in London. Coincidence? Come find out!
 
   
It Takes a Village, People! Oct 2 - Nov 6, 2010  
Salsation Theatre Company at Gorilla Tango Theatre It Takes a Village, People!
 
It Takes a Village, People! is the first gay-themed production from Salsation Theatre Company, NFP, Chicago's home for "comedy with a Latin flavor!" The show explores the intersection between love, family and the Latino experience in the village of gay life. A young man struggles to find love in a germ-filled world. Another finds the military-industrial complex an unlikely ally in his quest to come out to his parents. And speed dating speeds up as the search for love gets serious in this wig-filled sketch comedy revue!
 
   
Salem! The Musical Oct 2 - Nov 13, 2010  
Annoyance Theatre Salem! The Musical
 
Salem! The Musical is a bewitching musical set in the Puritan town of Salem in 1692 - just when things were getting interesting. New to the neighborhood, bumbling businessman Reverend Parris and his daughter get wrapped up in the most musical witch-hunt in history.
 
   
I Do! I Do! Oct 3 - Nov 14, 2010  
Light Opera Works at McGaw YMCA I Do! I Do!
 
I DO! I DO!, follows Michael and Agnes starting on their wedding day and explores their life together over the next 50 years, as the couple goes through wedding night jitters, raises a family, negotiates mid-life crises, quarrels, separates, reconciles and grows old together.
 
   
1985 Oct 5 - Nov 7, 2010  
Factory Theater at Storefront Theater 1985
 
PAPA BEAR IS WATCHING YOU. Winston Smith is sick of losing. His Chicago sports teams let him down time and again, and he’s through. Or is he? Is it even possible to disavow himself of his team loyalty? Bear down, Chicago, and discover what happened to the Cubs in ’84; what treachery existed behind the ‘79 Disco Demolition; how the Eastland Disaster saved the NFL; and why the ’85 Bears lost that game in Miami. On this 25th anniversary of the celebrated Super Bowl Shuffle season, Factory Theater imagines an Orwellian Chicago where winning isn’t everything, it just might be the only thing.
 
   
Billy Connolly Live! Oct 5 - Oct 9, 2010  
Royal George Theatre Billy Connolly Live!
 
Best known in the United States for his starring role in the popular 1980’s sitcom Head of the Class, Connolly has broken box office records in the UK, New Zealand, Australia, Ireland, New York and Canada and was honored on the Avenue of the Stars (the UK’s version of The Hollywood Walk of Fame) alongside Sir Laurence Olivier, John Cleese and The Rolling Stones. He also stars in the upcoming film Gulliver’s Travels with Jack Black and Jason Segel. Connolly’s audiences are as diverse as his material and Chicagoans will get a unique chance to see him up close and personal at the intimate Royal George Theatre.
 
   
Scorched Oct 6 - Nov 7, 2010  
Silk Road Theatre Project at Chicago Temple Scorched
 
Carried aloft by poetic language and evocative imagery, Scorched unfolds in a dreamlike atmosphere connecting the origins of one family in startling and unforgettable ways. A brother and sister raised in Quebec must return to their mother’s war-torn country to carry out her last wishes – finding the father and brother they never knew they had.
 
   
Too Much Memory Oct 6 - Nov 13, 2010  
SiNNERMAN Ensemble at Side Project Too Much Memory
 
Too Much Memory is a contemporary exploration of human desperation, political histrionics, hilarious confrontations and tragic relationships, by Keith Reddin and Meg Gibson, directed by Anna Bahow. A multi-media “adaptation of an adaptation of a translation” of the Antigone tragedy, set in a political family that struggles with modern dilemmas and motivations, the piece won the Overall Excellence Award for best play at the NY Fringe Festival
 
   
State of Union Oct 7 - Nov 13, 2010  
Strawdog Theatre State of Union
 
The story follows fictional Republican presidential candidate Grant Matthews and his estranged wife Mary as they reunite to go under the media microscope. Matthews begins as a truth talking, idealist, man-of-the- people but quickly falls prey to the American political machine. State of the Union was adapted for a 1948 film directed by Frank Capra, starring Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn.
 
   
Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde Oct 7 - Nov 14, 2010  
Black Elephant Theatre at Raven Theatre Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde
 
Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde tells the true story of famed author Oscar Wilde (The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Importance of Being Earnest), who in 1895 was accused of posing as a “sodomite” by the father of his young companion, Lord Alfred “Bosie” Douglas. Wilde fought the scandalous charge in court, but the tables were quickly turned and he found himself, in two subsequent trials, defending his art, career, morality, life, and love. Playwright Moises Kaufman (The Laramie Project) weaves together period news articles, biographies of Wilde's friends and enemies, as well as interviews with contemporary scholars, to shed new light on the often misunderstood life of one of the world's first global celebrities; and to recreate the harsh reality of Victorian England, where the act of love between men was a crime.
 
   
McMeekin Finds Out Oct 7 - Nov 14, 2010  
Route 66 Theatre Company at Victory Gardens Theater - Biograph McMeekin Finds Out
 
Randy Steinmeyer and Kate Buddeke star as Guy and Pam McMeekin, who are recovering from a car wreck, which has left Guy’s hands, and Pam’s legs, in casts. Stuck at home since the event, both have begun to tire of the other (especially since Guy has taken up reading about the human brain and philosophizing about life). But their uneventful Sunday is turned on its head when their seventeen-year-old daughter Carla (played by Route 66 Theatre Company’s Producing Director, Blair Robertson), an angel with a broken wing and a smart mouth, comes home and tells her parents she thinks she has done something bad...something very bad. What transpires is a laugh out loud comedy with a Pittsburgh twist involving a football, an interrogation, tasers, hammers, duct tape and a hilarious family of characters sorting out the truth the best way they know how.
 
   
Musical of the Living Dead Oct 7 - Oct 31, 2010  
The Cowardly Scarecrow Theatre Company at Charnel House Chicago Musical of the Living Dead
 
Musical of the Living Dead is an original musical comedy satirizing popular zombie and horror films, which is sure to be enjoyed by the horde of zombie-lovers in the Chicago area. It’s the perfect way to spend an evening during the Halloween season!
 
   
Bash Oct 7 - Oct 31, 2010  
Brikenbrak Theatre Project at The Viaduct Bash
 
What kind of secrets lie within the most ordinary of people? The businessman, the college student, the stay at home mom…the people you see every day can harbor monstrous secrets in their hearts. “Bash” is an examination of horrific truths in three short plays.
 
   
The Paul Lynde Halloween Spooktacular Oct 7 - Nov 6, 2010  
Hell in a Handbag Productions at Mary's Attic The Paul Lynde Halloween Spooktacular
 
It's 1976, and legendary actor, comedian and "center square" Paul Lynde is having a bad year. His career is not quite going the way he planned and he's not happy. His latest cancelled sitcom, Life with Paul was a monumental flop, having been slaughtered in the ratings by The Bionic Woman and reruns of Hogan's Heroes.Now, the network is forcing him to host a horrid Halloween special with a string of C-list guest celebrities and has-beens, to fulfill the terms of his contract. As Paul's career hits the skids his drinking increases, making for a volatile behind-the-scenes experience none of his guests are prepared for, or will soon forget!
 
   
Dracula Oct 7 - Oct 22, 2010  
Oak Park Festival Theatre Dracula
 
Oak Park's beloved storyteller, Megan Wells, returns to haunt Pleasant Home with her popular one-woman performance. An award winning story and theatre artist, Megan narrates directly from the novel and embodies the famous characters with fierce charisma and exquisite emotional detail. As a story experience, Megan has memorized Stoker's original text and improvises in delivery as if living the novel in conversation with the audience. Megan's performance is gothic and intimate in equal measure.
 
   
To Kill a Mockingbird Oct 12 - Nov 11, 2010  
Steppenwolf Theatre To Kill a Mockingbird
 
Set in Alabama during the Great Depression, To Kill a Mockingbird follows the journey of Jem and Scout Finch, whose father has been appointed to defend Tom Robinson, a black man framed for a crime he didn’t commit. As the trial progresses, Jem and Scout witness their community in a tense tug of war between justice and racism. This timeless classic compels us to take an honest look at our nation’s past and our moral responsibility to each other. Harper Lee found instant fame after To Kill a Mockingbird was published in 1960. The novel was showered with literary awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1961. After Mockingbird, Lee collaborated with childhood friend Truman Capote on his nonfiction masterpiece In Cold Blood, but never published another novel. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by George W. Bush in 2007. Christopher Sergel’s stage adaptations include Winesburg', Ohio, Cheaper by the Dozen, Up the Down Staircase and Black Elk Speaks.
 
   
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof Oct 12 - Dec 19, 2010  
Raven Theatre Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
 
Big Daddy’s birthday brings out the true colors of the wealthy Pollitt family. At the heart of the story is Maggie, the beautiful daughter-in-law, who struggles with a lack of emotional honesty from her husband, Brick, and with the judgment of Brick’s brother and his wife. Lies, deception, false loyalty, and greed play characters as big as Big Daddy himself in one of Williams’ most loved dramas. "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1955 and was made into a major motion picture in 1958.
 
   
Carmen Oct 13 - Mar 27, 2011  
Lyric Opera Carmen
 
One look from this seductive gypsy temptress and any man she wants is hers — driving them mad with hot desire and flicking them aside like cold cigarette ash when her fickle ardor cools. Don José gives up everything — fiancée, regiment, and honor — to be with her, but his passion turns deadly when she jilts him for a big-time matador.
 
   
Proof Oct 13 - Nov 14, 2010  
Chicago Fusion Theatre at Royal George Theatre Proof
 
Proof centers around Catherine who sacrificed her youth and formal education to care for her father, a mathematical genius, during the worst of his mental deterioration. He leaves behind 103 mysterious notebooks, Catherine's estranged sister and a former graduate student for her to sort out. At the heart of the play is Catherine's struggle to determine how much of her father's genius or madness she will inherit.
 
   
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers Oct 14 - Dec 19, 2010  
Drury Lane- Oakbrook Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
 
Set in Oregon in 1850, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers is the story of Adam Pontipee, a man who simply goes to town looking for a bride. He finds Milly working in a restaurant and convinces her to marry him. Milly's ecstasy quickly sours when she finds she is to also take care of Adam's six unkempt, burly brothers. Deciding to make the marriage work, Milly sets a plan into motion to marry off the brothers, including teaching them how to court women. This plan turns out to be much more difficult than originally anticipated and leads to a series of madcap events.
 
   
No Exit Oct 15 - Oct 18, 2009  
Chicago Opera Vanguard at Center on Halsted - Hoover-Leppen Theatre No Exit
 
A Chicago premiere, No Exit features a stellar cast of the city’s rising young singing stars and orchestral musicians. Based on Jean-Paul Sartre’s iconic play, No Exit packs a small space with large consequences, intense drama and sly comedy. No Exit is a haunting vision of damnation that you will remember … forever!
 
   
Kingsville Oct 15 - Nov 21, 2010  
Stage Left Theatre at Theater Wit Kingsville
 
The day after the Virginia Tech shooting, radio shows were flooded with calls from listeners, repeating the same argument, over and over: if the students had only been armed, the shooter would've been killed and no one else would have died. Kingsville dares to explore whether maybe, just maybe, those callers had a point. In a hypothetical America where children legally carry guns to class, one teacher must choose between opposing a policy he abhors and putting his own son at risk.
 
   
The Rimers Of Eldritch Oct 15 - Oct 31, 2010  
Greenman Theatre The Rimers Of Eldritch
 
Lanford Wilson’s award winning play centers on the residents of a small Midwestern town. One of them has been shot and killed; everyone knows who pulled the trigger, but not everyone knows why.
 
   
Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type Oct 16 - Dec 5, 2010  
Lifeline Theatre Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type
 
The animals on Farmer Brown’s farm have had enough! They work all day to provide milk and eggs, but when their request for electric blankets to warm the drafty barn is ignored, action must be taken. Join the Cows, Hen, and Duck – and their trusty typewriter – as they engage in peaceful protest to improve their working conditions. To celebrate the tenth anniversary of the publishing of “Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type,” Lifeline Theatre remounts this delightful musical adaptation, an audience favorite since 2002.
 
   
The Seagull Oct 16 - Nov 14, 2010  
Goodman Theatre The Seagull
 
Goodman Artistic Director Robert Falls directs an intimate new production of Chekhov’s masterwork The Seagull, whose unforgettable characters reveal the passion and pathos of everyday life. When famed actress Irina visits her family with her young lover Trigorin in tow, they become ensnared in a tragicomic tangle of romance, intrigue and unrequited love. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to experience this 19th century masterpiece, interpreted by one of America’s outstanding directors—in the Owen Theatre.
 
   
Three Sisters Oct 16 - Nov 21, 2010  
Piven Theatre Three Sisters
 
The Three Sisters by Anton Chekhov depicts an entire village of unlucky lovers struggling with the bittersweet distance between reality and dreams. This classic tale is given another look in a new version adapted by Sarah Ruhl, one of America’s most acclaimed young playwrights, and author of In the Next Room (or the vibrator play),
 
   
26 Miles Oct 16 - Nov 21, 2010  
Teatro Vista and Rivendell Theatre Ensemble at Chicago Dramatists 26 Miles
 
An ‘83 Buick Regal may be an unlikely place to find out what family really means, but when Beatriz and her estranged daughter Olivia head west on a spontaneous cross country road trip, neither is prepared for what lies ahead. 26 Miles reminds us that the best souvenirs on the road of life are the relationships we make along the way and that sometimes all it takes to find yourself is the power of family…and a herd of buffalo.
 
   
The Dinner Detective Oct 16 - Dec 18, 2010  
Millennium Knickerbocker Hotel The Dinner Detective
 
Having worked in the professional theater, TV and film industries for over 20 years, our collection of actors and producers have mastered the art of improvisational theatrical role playing and have ultimately created the perfect evening of entertainment for you and your guests. By hiding our actors among the customers and leaving everyone to suspect who is part of the show and who is not, our events are proven second to none.
 
   
Peter Pan Oct 20 - Dec 12, 2010  
Lookingglass Theatre Peter Pan
 
Nationally-known director Amanda Dehnert will direct her adaptation of Peter Pan, the classic tale from J.M. Barrie’s books of the boy who wouldn’t grow up. Bombastic, playful, and darkly comic, Dehnert’s adaptation brings innovative theatricality, aerial arts, and a soulful understanding of yearning and regret to this legendary childhood adventure of pirates, fairies and fantasy. Amanda’s student production was developed at Northwestern University's Theatre and Interpretation Center in 2009 and resulted in a sold-out run on campus. For Lookingglass, Amanda is creating a new adaptation that will feature Lookingglass Ensemble members.
 
   
Strangerland Oct 25  
Slideshow Theatre Company at Chicago Cultural Center Strangerland
 
Sideshow Theatre Company mines the collective unconscious, drawing inspiration from shared stories, memories, and images to spark new conversations and works. /Strangerland/ is their first ensemble devised work, a project that began in 2009 as a weekly thematic writing assignment and dialogue among the cross-county network of Sideshow Artistic Associates.
 
   
Mastering The Art Oct 27 - Dec 19, 2010  
TimeLine Theatre Company Mastering The Art
 
Commissioned by TimeLine Theatre Company in 2008 and developed here in 2010, Mastering The Art is a look at the lives of Julia and Paul Child as they meet, fall in love and embark on a transatlantic journey of discovery together. Visiting pivotal moments in their lives — from the table in France where Julia fell in love with food, wine and Paul, to the table in their home where Julia recreated everything she learned in cooking class, to an interrogation room where Paul was grilled by U.S. agents about alleged Communist contacts — this play unfolds the true story of a larger-than-life culinary icon as she and her husband struggle to find themselves as Americans abroad. Mastering the Art marks the first production commissioned by TimeLine to be produced on the company’s stage.
 
   
The Etiquette of Vigilance Oct 27 - Nov 14, 2010  
Steppenwolf Theatre The Etiquette of Vigilance
 
Over 50 years have passed since Travis and his parents became the first black family to integrate Chicago’s segregated Clybourne Park neighborhood. Now Lorraine, Travis’s only daughter and the first in her family to attend college, is buckling under the pressure of her family’s long deferred dream. In this contemporary reconsideration of Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun, O’Hara’s poignant new play imagines what might have happened to the beleaguered Younger family—and asks us to consider the wounds still healing from the days of city-sanctioned segregation.
 
   
And A Child Shall Lead Oct 28 - Dec 9, 2010  
Adventure Stage Chicago And A Child Shall Lead
 
Thirty miles outside Prague lies the city of Terezin, a Nazi-described “Jewish ghetto” and makeshift way station for millions of people awaiting transfer to death camps. Amid such bleak surroundings, a group of courageous children create stories, music, poetry, drawings, plays, puppets, and even an underground newspaper to craft a dream world of hope and beauty in a place where neither exist. Incorporating actual poems and other writings recovered from Terezin after the war, this exquisite play explores the strength, optimism and extraordinary resilience at the core of the human spirit. Recommended for ages 11 and older.
 
   
The Old Masters Oct 28 - Nov 14, 2010  
Steppenwolf Theatre The Old Masters
 
Ben Schmitt is an artist attempting to make peace with married life and impending fatherhood when Henry, his reclusive friend from childhood, suddenly disappears. When Henry’s girlfriend Lara shows up with paintings he mysteriously left behind, Ben is compelled to hand the work over to a dealer. Before long, the art world hungrily latches onto Henry’s paintings and his tragic life story. As Lara and Ben find themselves at the center of their missing friend’s burgeoning fame, they begin to wonder: what about us?
 
   
The War Plays Oct 28 - Nov 21, 2010  
The Strange Tree Group at Athenaeum Theatre The War Plays
 
In the lead up to WWII, a young couple dances knowing it may be their last night together, while across the sea, as bombs rain down on London town, two lost souls discover each other in the most unlikely place. Years later, after being torn apart by war and circumstance, old lovers find themselves with one more chance to get it right. Woven together through music, movement, and the words of resident playwright, Emily Schwartz, The War Plays will explore what it means to fall in love when the world is falling apart.
 
   
The North Plan Oct 29 - Nov 14, 2010  
Steppenwolf Theatre The North Plan
 
In the not-so-distant future, America is at the mercy of unchecked martial law after a massive government breakdown. Wells’ dark comedy centers on Carlton Berg, a government employee imprisoned in a small-town Missouri jailhouse who claims to possess a giant database containing the names of every American citizen slated for persecution by the new regime. His only hope comes in the form of fellow inmate Tanya, an abrasive drunk driver, and Shonda, the jail’s law-abiding administrative assistant.
 
   
Kid Sister Nov 2 - Dec 19, 2010  
Profiles Theatre Kid Sister
 
Demi Williams, a sexy 19-year-old single mom and American Idol wannabe, believes only one thing stands between herself and singing superstardom—her stalker, ex-boyfriend, Kendall Fritch. To get this psycho out of her life forever, she elicits the aid of her brother Cassius, recently returned from a stretch in Florida’s Gainesville Prison. But ex-con Cassius wants more than she’s willing to give—custody of her newborn baby girl. This “dime novel in two acts” tells the story of a deadly ambitious sister who stops at nothing on her quest for musical stardom as well as her kind-but-cunning brother's desperate shot at redemption.
 
   
The Music Man Nov 3 - Jan 9, 2011  
Marriott Theatre In Lincolnshire The Music Man
 
A Broadway classic that has captivated audiences for decades, The Music Man is the story of Harold Hill, a footloose con man who sets out to take advantage of the citizens of a small, turn-of-the-century Iowa town. Claiming to be a professor of music, he plans to swindle the town into buying expensive equipment to start a band. His scheme is moving along perfectly until he falls in love with the lovely local librarian, Marian. Inspired to change his ways, Harold decides on a hilarious last-ditch plan to redeem himself to the people of River City. A joyful musical celebration for all ages, The Music Man features a book, music and lyrics by Meredith Wilson.
 
   
The Hundred Dresses Nov 3 - Dec 2, 2010  
Chicago Children's Theatre at North Shore Center for the Performing Arts The Hundred Dresses
 
Based on Eleanor Estes’ beloved young adult novel, The Hundred Dresses tells the story of Wanda Petronski, an imaginative young girl who struggles to fit in with her new American home ― and harder yet, her new classmates. Replete with a myriad of colorful and buoyant characters, The Hundred Dresses is a timeless tale that tackles the subject of bullying head on, while taking audiences of all ages on an unforgettable journey that explores the bonds of friendship, the willingness to be yourself, and the courage that it takes to stand up to others ― even when you’re standing alone. Recommended for children ages 6 and older
 
   
The Piano Teacher Nov 4 - Dec 5, 2010  
Next Theatre Company The Piano Teacher
 
When the sweet, cookie loving Mrs. K, the epitome of the caring grandmotherly piano teacher, reaches out to her old students, she discovers a chain of startling secrets that she can no longer keep hidden inside her piano bench. With breath-taking theatricality and stunning language, Julio Cho takes us on a journey of discovery that brings international responsibility into the sanctity of our family kitchen.
 
   
It's A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play Nov 5 - Dec 26, 2010  
Noble Fool Theatricals It's A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play
 
Inspired by the beloved American holiday classic, you'll become a part of WVL Radio's live broadcast as actors bring the fateful story of George Bailey to life. Take your seat in the studio audience to relive the beloved tale of regret and redemption told through insightful storytelling, familiar characters, engaging sound effects and musical commercial breaks by the local children's choir. A complete 1940s radio broadcast perfect for the whole family! Rating: G
 
   
A Midsummer Night's Dream Nov 5 - Nov 23, 2010  
Lyric Opera A Midsummer Night's Dream
 
Oberon, the Fairy King, is having a tiff with his lovely Queen Tytania because she won't let him have what he wants. Four young lovers break up and make up thanks to a magic flower that seems to make everything clear. And a bumbling troupe of amateur actors performs (in one of opera's funniest scenes!) for a royal couple on their wedding night. This captivating masterpiece reminds us all that while the course of true love never did run smooth — the journey is magical all the same.
 
   
Kennedy's Children Nov 5 - Dec 5, 2010  
Promethean Theatre Ensemble at City Lit Theater Kennedy's Children
 
Where were you when it happened? One rainy day several years after a tragedy that paralyzed the nation and shocked the world, a group of individuals are drawn to an urban bar. While they are deeply isolated from each other due to their rich inner lives and personal histories, each of them has been sculpted by a time of great turmoil into one of Kennedy’s Children.
 
   
Travels With My Aunt Nov 9 - Mar 27, 2011  
Writers' Theatre Travels With My Aunt
 
Henry Pulling, a mild-mannered retired banker, leads a quiet life tending his beloved dahlias and never straying too far from his Southwood, England home. But when his eccentric and outrageous Aunt Augusta suddenly appears in his life with mysterious information about his past, Henry is drawn from the safety of his flower beds into a series of absurd and exotic international adventures. Henry, Aunt Augusta and more than 25 characters are brilliantly and inventively portrayed by just four actors who switch identities, nationalities, ages and genders in this exciting theatrical escapade. Adapted from the celebrated novel by Graham Green, Travels with My Aunt takes you on an irreverent, often hilarious and absolutely unforgettable adventure...
 
   
It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas Nov 11 - Dec 12, 2010  
Theatre At The Center It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas
 
Kris Kringle takes on the cynics among us in It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas, a musical adaptation of the popular holiday favorite “Miracle on 34th Street”. In his inimitable style, Meredith Willson, the author of The Music Man and The Unsinkable Molly Brown, tells the classic story of a white-bearded gentleman claiming to be the real Santa Claus as he brings about a genuine Miracle on 34th Street. Spreading a wave of love throughout New York City, this man inspires the city, fostering camaraderie between Macy's and Gimbel's Department Stores and convincing a divorced, cynical single mother, her somber daughter and the entire state of New York that Santa Claus is no myth.
 
   
Home Nov 11 - Dec 12, 2010  
Court Theatre Home
 
Originally produced by the legendary Negro Ensemble Company in 1981, Home is an enduring and poetic story of hope and the resiliency of the human spirit told against the backdrop of the political and social upheavals of the 1960s and 70s. In 2008, Resident Artist Ron OJ Parson (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, The Piano Lesson) directed an Audelco Award-winning production of Home at Signature Theatre Company in New York, which the New York Times called “a portrait of the black experience…that finds a homey beauty not in suffering but in carrying on.”
 
   
A Civil War Christmas: An American Musical Celebration Nov 11 - Dec 19, 2010  
Northlight Theatre A Civil War Christmas: An American Musical Celebration
 
On Christmas Eve in 1864, a fugitive from slavery and her young daughter have become separated in unfamiliar Washington, DC. As the desperate mother searches the snowy streets for her child and Mary Todd Lincoln searches for the perfect Christmas tree for the White House, familiar faces from our nation’s history cross paths and storylines in this uplifting epic filled with traditional music and themes of family, reconciliation and communal hope.
 
   
The Iliad Nov 12 - Dec 19, 2010  
A Red Orchid Theatre The Iliad
 
Adapted by Craig Wright specifically for our young, all-female cast, this version of The Iliad offers a provocative and playful new spin on Homer’s age-old tale of the Trojan War. Vengeance, loyalty, or honor: which is most important? And, in this saga of bloody battles and huge male egos, where exactly do women and children fit in? Packed with swordplay, gender politics, and even a few songs, this is one war you don’t want to miss.
 
   
Brainpeople Nov 12 - Dec 12, 2010  
UrbanTheater Company at Batey Urbano Brainpeople
 
A wealthy woman invites two strangers to join her in a strange feast commemorating the death of her parents. Mayannah has done this every year but her dark purpose remains unclear. All that will change tonight when two damaged souls find their way to her table. Taking place in a not-so-distant future, the sounds of a war-torn Los Angeles fill the air. Tensions rise, true colors are revealed and the main course is not the only thing with claws.
 
   
Ethan Claymore Nov 12 - Dec 19, 2010  
Attic Playhouse Ethan Claymore
 
Ethan Claymore, a reclusive artist and struggling egg farmer, has given up looking for love or laughter…even if Christmas is just a week away. Much to his surprise, Ethan is visited by the spirit of his long-estranged older brother, who - along with an enthusiastically meddlesome neighbor and the town's pretty, new school teacher - is determined to bring the sparkle back into Ethan's life. An uplifting and magical holiday comedy by the same author of "Drinking Alone" and "The Affections of May". A Chicago Area Premiere!
 
   
A Masked Ball Nov 15 - Dec 10, 2010  
Lyric Opera A Masked Ball
 
Conspirators plot to assassinate the Swedish king, who shares a secret love with Amelia — and she's none other than the wife of his most loyal protector! Friendship turns to rage when suspected infidelity is revealed! And a gypsy fortuneteller's terrible prediction comes true as revelers dance at a masked ball.
 
   
Boojum! Nonsense, Truth, and Lewis Carroll Nov 16 - Dec 19, 2010  
Caffeine Theatre and Chicago Opera Vanguar at Storefront Theater Boojum! Nonsense, Truth, and Lewis Carroll
 
“For the Snark was a Boojum, you see/,” /sets the stage for this fun-filled romp through the mind of writer Lewis Carroll. Part existential musical theatre and part fantasy adventure story, this riff on Carroll’s epic poem “The Hunting of the Snark/” /examines the psychological life of Reverend Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, the man behind the Lewis Carroll pen name. As his poem warns, “catching Snarks is all well and good, but if your Snark is a Boojum, you will softly and suddenly vanish away.” But while the hunting party moves towards its fateful catch, they discover with Carroll and his Alice that Nothing is quite what it seems. Caffeine Theatre and Chicago Opera Vanguard collaborate on the US stage premiere of this hit Australian musical.
 
   
Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune Nov 18 - Dec 31, 2010  
The Greenhouse Theater Center Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune
 
The setting is a walk-up apartment on Manhattan's West Side where, as the curtain rises, Frankie (a waitress) and Johnny (a short-order cook who works in the same restaurant) are discovered in bed. It is their first encounter, after having met several weeks ago on the job, and Frankie is hopeful that Johnny will now put on his clothes and depart, so she can return to her usual routine of watching TV and eating ice cream. But Johnny, a compulsive talker (and romantic), has other ideas. He is convinced that he loves Frankie, a notion that she, at first, considers to be ridiculous. She has had more disappointments than delights in life, and he is the veteran of one broken marriage already. And neither of them is in the bloom of youth.
 
   
Wizard Of Oz Nov 18 - Jan 2, 2011  
Emerald City Theatre Company at Apollo Theater Wizard Of Oz
 
One of the most memorable stories ever created, Dorothy Gale and her beloved dog Toto are swept away to a land somewhere over the rainbow. You’ll hear memorable songs like "If I Only Had a Brain" and "Follow the Yellow Brick Road." In Emerald City Theatre’s production you’ll be a part of the merry ol’ land of Oz!
 
   
A Christmas Carol Nov 19 - Dec 31, 2010  
Goodman Theatre A Christmas Carol
 
A Christmas Carol is the tale of the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge, who is opposed to holiday cheer and indifferent to the sufferings of the poor in Victorian London. Scrooge is visited by four ghosts who offer him the opportunity to sympathize with his fellow man. Dickens’ famous characters include Scrooge's kind-hearted clerk, Bob Cratchit, and his family, including Tiny Tim; the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future; the merry-making Fezziwig couple; and the Ghost of Jacob Marley.
 
   
The Importance Of Being Earnest Nov 24 - Jan 9, 2011  
Remy Bumppo Theatre at The Greenhouse Theater Center The Importance Of Being Earnest
 
Charming bachelors Jack and Algernon lead double lives in order to pursue two proper young ladies, while avoiding obligatory lunches with terrifying aunts. When they are caught in their public lies, the result is one of the funniest plays ever written. Wilde dishes up delicious criticisms of identity, manners and the customs of courtship, delivered with his outrageous wit and the sting laughter.
 
   
Wicked Dec 1 - Jan 23, 2011  
Cadillac Palace Theatre Wicked
 
Long before Dorothy drops in, two other girls meet in the Land of Oz. One - born with emerald-green skin - is smart, fiery and misunderstood. The other is beautiful, ambitious and very popular. Wicked tells the story of their remarkable odyssey, and how these two unlikely friends grow to become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch.
 
   
Aurelia's Oratorio Dec 1 - Dec 12, 2010  
Chicago Shakespeare Theater Aurelia's Oratorio
 
Strange things seem familiar, and the familiar seems strange...Magic and whimsy take center stage as international sensation Aurélia Thiérrée brings her dazzling display of illusion to Chicago. Behind her velvet curtain, a stunning world of dance, acrobatics and puppetry is revealed, inspired by the magic of French cirque nouveau. Following the successful engagements of brother James Thiérrée, who thrilled CST audiences with Farewell Umbrella and Bright Abyss, Aurélia Thiérrée promises to amaze and astound with this madcap display of surreal surprises.
 
   
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Dec 2 - Feb 6, 2011  
Steppenwolf Theatre Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
 
On the campus of a small New England college, George and Martha invite a new professor and his wife home for a nightcap. As the cocktails flow, the young couple finds themselves caught in the crossfire of a savage marital war where the combatants attack the self deceptions they forged for their own survival. Ensemble members Tracy Letts and Amy Morton face off as one of theatre’s most notoriously dysfunctional couples in Albee’s hilarious and harrowing masterpiece.
 
   
Legally Blonde The Musical Dec 3 - Dec 5, 2010  
Rosemont Theatre Legally Blonde The Musical
 
Sorority star Elle Woods doesn't take "no" for an answer. So when her boyfriend dumps her for someone more “serious,” Elle puts down the credit card, hits the books, and sets out to go where no Delta Nu has gone before: Harvard Law. Along the way, Elle proves that being true to yourself never goes out of style.
 
   
The Mikado Dec 6 - Jan 21, 2011  
Lyric Opera The Mikado
 
Wit, charm, fabulous music and lyrics — it's the most celebrated operetta in the English-speaking world, and it’s been tickling funny bones for more than a hundred years! How can you not have a good time visiting the town of Titipu, where Nanki-Poo (second trombone in a minstrel band) wants to marry the lovely schoolgirl Yum-Yum? Alas — she's promised to Ko-Ko (a tailor), who's changed his occupation to Lord High Executioner so he can save himself from being beheaded for the horrible crime of...flirting! But the Mikado, ruler of all, insists that heads must roll!
 
   
Hello, Dolly! Dec 26 - Jan 2, 2011  
Light Opera Works at Cahn Auditorium Hello, Dolly!
 
In Hello, Dolly! irrepressible matchmaker Dolly Levi is hired to arrange a marriage for the tightfisted half-millionaire Horace Vandergelder; she finds him the perfect mate – herself! First she has to meddle with the affairs of her “husband to be” before he gets hitched to somebody else.
 
   
Spamalot Dec 31 - Mar 13, 2011  
Drury Lane- Oakbrook Spamalot
 
Winner of the 2005 Tony Award for Best Musical and voted Outstanding Musical of 973 AD, Monty Python's SPAMALOT is the outrageous new musical comedy lovingly ripped off from the film classic "Monty Python and The Holy Grail." SPAMALOT tells the tale of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table as they embark on their quest for the Holy Grail. Flying cows, killer rabbits, taunting Frenchman and show-stopping musical numbers are just a few of the reasons audiences everywhere are eating up SPAMALOT.
 
   
As You Like It Jan 5 - Mar 6, 2011  
Chicago Shakespeare Theater As You Like It
 
An idyllic Forest of Arden provides the lush backdrop for Shakespeare's glorious romantic comedy of courtiers, clowns, philosophers and provincials—all bewitched by the trials and triumphs of love. Disguised as a boy, Rosalind escapes the perilous Court—only to find her heart in peril, as she instructs the very man she loves on how best to woo a woman. CST's Tony-nominated Associate Director Gary Griffin stages this tale of mistaken identity and misguided affection, following his wildly successful CST productions of Private Lives and Amadeus
 
   
Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch Jan 8 - Feb 27, 2011  
Lifeline Theatre Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch
 
Dull and predictable Mr. Hatch had always lived an isolated life until one Valentine’s Day, when an unexpected delivery transforms the town’s most unsociable hermit into everyone’s favorite friend. Share in a heartwarming tale of companionship and acceptance, as Mr. Hatch’s neighbors get to know the mysterious man next door. Lifeline remounts this beloved musical adaptation from 2001, by the adaptor and composer of “The Emperor’s Groovy New Clothes.”
 
   
An Evening with Neil LaBute 2011: Live and in Person Jan 8  
Profiles Theatre An Evening with Neil LaBute 2011: Live and in Person
 
Profiles will present a special return engagement of An Evening with Neil LaBute 2011: Live and in Person, on January 8, 2011. This one night only event will feature a pre-show reception, selected readings of LaBute’s work and a post-show audience talkback with Mr. LaBute. This is a rare opportunity for audiences in Chicago to see and hear up close and personal, one of most unique and prolific writers of our generation. Profiles presented its first highly successful evening of LaBute readings and talkback in January 2009.
 
   
Eclipsed Jan 13 - Feb 20, 2011  
Northlight Theatre Eclipsed
 
Amid the wreckage of the Liberian civil war, the "wives" of a rebel officer band together to form a fragile community—until the balance of their lives is upset by the arrival of two newcomers and the return of a former "wife" turned rebel soldier. As the war draws to a close, each must discover her own personal means of survival in this deeply felt portrait of women finding and testing their own strength.
 
   
Three Tall Women Jan 13 - Feb 11, 2011  
Court Theatre Three Tall Women
 
Three Tall Women was written shortly after the death of Edward Albee’s adopted mother, and it remains his most personal play. Wickedly funny, and told with uncompromising truth, the play takes a long, hard look at the arc of one human life from the perspectives of three different generations—one woman in youth, one woman in middle age, and one woman lying on her death bed. As the elder woman reflects on her life—including the estrangement of her son, widely interpreted to represent Albee himself—she develops clarity of mind that transcends her debilitated body.
 
   
Rain Jan 15 - Feb 20, 2011  
Goodman Theatre Rain
 
Rain is Regina Taylor’s most personal and intimate work to date. Fiercely independent Iris has made a successful life for herself as a journalist in New York City, but when her marriage fails, she begins to unravel. In search of solace, Iris returns to her mother’s house in Texas, but her homecoming proves more confounding than consoling when her mother makes a shocking announcement. As long-buried family secrets come to light, Iris must face her past and make some difficult decisions about the future.
 
   
Don't Let The Pigeon Drive The Bus! Jan 15 - Apr 10, 2011  
Emerald City Theatre Company at Apollo Theater Don't Let The Pigeon Drive The Bus!
 
Based on Mo Willems Caldecott winning favorite, this highly interactive play puts the audience in the driver's seat as everybody’s favorite pigeon asks to drive the bus, eat a hog dog, have a puppy, and stay up late.
 
   
In Darfur Jan 19 - Mar 20, 2011  
TimeLine Theatre Company In Darfur
 
Originally commissioned by the Guthrie Theatre and the Minneapolis Playwright’s Centre and informed by the playwright’s first-hand experiences accompanying Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof in Sudan, In Darfur is a provocative account unfolding amidst the horrors of genocide. In a camp for internally displaced persons in Darfur, three lives intertwine — an aid worker trying to save lives, an African Darfuri woman searching for safety and a journalist who believes that one front page-story can help stop the madness. Together they tell an intense, based-on-real-life story that demands international attention.
 
   
Sex with Strangers Jan 20 - May 15, 2011  
Steppenwolf Theatre Sex with Strangers
 
Ethan is a hot young writer whose online journals of “sexcapades” are the buzz of the blogosphere. Olivia is an attractive 30-something whose own writing career is fizzling. They hook up, sex turns into dating and dating into something more complicated. A break-out hit at Steppenwolf’s 2009 First Look Repertory, Sex with Strangers explores how we invent our identity – online and off – and what happens when our private lives become public domain.
 
   
The New Electric Ballroom Jan 20 - Mar 6, 2011  
A Red Orchid Theatre The New Electric Ballroom
 
Trapped in the years that have passed since their halcyon days at The New Electric Ballroom, three sisters relive memories of something resembling romance with hilarious and horrible effect. Interruptions from the local fishmonger only remind of the dangers of love and life outside. Words, in Mr. Walsh’s harsh but illuminating vision, are both the making of experience and its destruction. How do we share our history and how does it shape us?
 
   
Madagascar Jan 20 - Feb 20, 2011  
Next Theatre Company Madagascar
 
Director Kimberly Senior and internationally recognized playwright J.T. Rogers, the pair who brought you The Overwhelming, team up again to offer audiences another gripping thriller. In the same hotel room overlooking the Spanish steps in Rome, three Americans across three different moments in time find themselves alone. A sister, a mother and a family friend grapple with loss, regret, and the nature of truth. Using his trademark cunning insight and grippingly eloquent characters, J.T. Rogers weaves a haunting story about the mysterious disappearance of a loved one, and the unexpected consequences that bring a family closer together.
 
   
The Boys Room Jan 21 - Feb 20, 2011  
Victory Gardens Theater - Biograph The Boys Room
 
When the American Dream is out of reach, what is a man to do? In The Boys Room, ensemble playwright Joel Drake Johnson walks the line exquisitely between laughter and tears. Two middle aged brothers try to escape their responsibilities and race each other back to their boyhood bedroom—that sanctuary where they can dream and scheme without the pressure of the outside world. One is unemployed; the other is making a living but is not sure why he should live. The women in their lives are knocking on the door, filled with questions and, sometimes, love.
 
   
Reasons To Be Pretty Jan 21 - Mar 13, 2011  
Profiles Theatre Reasons To Be Pretty
 
In reasons to be pretty, Greg’s tight-knit social circle is thrown into turmoil when his offhand remarks about a female coworker’s pretty face and his own girlfriend Steph’s lack thereof get back to Steph. But that’s just the beginning. Greg’s best buddy, Kent, and Kent’s wife, Carly, also enter into the picture, and the emotional equation becomes exponentially more complicated. As their relationships crumble, the four friends are forced to confront a sea of deceit, infidelity, and betrayed trust in their journey to answer that oh-so-American question: How much is pretty worth?
 
   
The Girl of the Golden West Jan 22 - Feb 21, 2011  
Lyric Opera The Girl of the Golden West
 
Gold Rush fever is running high, and every miner in camp hopes to claim the heart of Minnie — the pistol-packing, poker-playing proprietress of the Polka Saloon. Even Sheriff Rance is in hot pursuit, but Minnie's in love with a tall dark stranger, who's really the notorious bank robber Ramerrez in disguise! Rance wants Ramerrez dead — and there's "gonna be a hangin'" unless Minnie can save the day. And she does in this bang-up production! Savor two of Puccini's most luscious love scenes, plus his most brilliantly colorful writing for orchestra. Minnie's the ultimate test for a Puccini soprano, and who better to portray the girl with a heart of gold than this divine (Mid) Western-born diva?
 
   
Do The Hustle Jan 25 - Mar 20, 2011  
Writers' Theatre Do The Hustle
 
Sam and Eddie Sisson are more than just father and son, they’re a crack team of hustlers always looking for the next mark. Sam, just a teenager who has practically raised himself, now wants to distinguish himself from his father and strike out on his own. Eddie doesn’t want to let his son go without one final hustle, which could bring in their biggest take yet, but could ultimately tear them apart. Celebrated director William Brown and acclaimed playwright Brett Neveu team up again to bring this thrilling world premiere to the Tudor Court stage.
 
   
Bordello Jan 27 - Mar 6, 2011  
Chicago Dramatists Bordello
 
Sixty miles outside Las Vegas today, sex is for sale in state licensed bordellos, where almost any fantasy can be accommodated for the right price. Set on "Customer Appreciation Night", Bordello shines a light on the working girls, their dreams and ambitions, and everything that gets in the way.
 
   
   

 





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