| Abigail's Party |
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A Red Orchid Theatre |
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| A domestic cocktail party goes hilariously and horrifically awry exposing the obsessions, prejudices and petty competitiveness of the party-goers. A sort of suburban comedy of manners, and satire on the aspirations and tastes of the new middle class that emerged in Britain in the 1970s and ring so true today. The play, developed through lengthy improvisations in which Mike Leigh explored characters in all their beautiful flawed glory, provides a tremendous opportunity for the entire creative team. |
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Watch a video preview of Abigail's Party
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| Adore |
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XIII Pocket at
Steppenwolf Theatre |
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| Armin is a cannibal. It's a secret he's kept ever since he was a child -- to find another person that would never leave him. He never thought it would be possible, until Bernd stepped into his life. A willing victim was the only missing piece and now he has it.
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| Agamemnon |
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Dream Theatre |
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| Agamemnon is Chapter One of Jeremy Menekseoglu’s Agon Trilogy.
The Greeks have been triumphant in the Trojan War and are now returning home with the spoils. The great General Agamemnon sets his sights on Cassandra, the Trojan Princess cursed with the power to see the future but which no one ever believes. He finds her in the temple of Athena being molested by one of his soldiers. After rescuing her and having her tormentor executed, Agamemnon imprisons her on his boat, claiming to want only her gratitude. What follows is a harrowing story of betrayal, barbarity and banishment to the monkey house. |
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| AjaxAntigone |
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The State Theatre at
St. Peter's Episcopal Church |
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| AjaxAntigone combines two of Sophocles’ earliest tragedies and confronts the topical issues of post-traumatic stress disorder, along with familial and national restoration. Ajax is the greatest Greek warrior, brought to his knees by a madness sent from the gods. Antigone is history's greatest rebel, railing against the king who disgraced her family. Their stories told simultaneously address the timeless crisis of post-war environments from two diverse viewpoints. |
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| The Analytical Engine |
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Circle Theatre |
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| In 1850 Connecticut, Hippolyta Powell has actually built the world's first computer, an analytical engine. Rather than use the machine to solve complex mathematical equations, she has used it to find her "perfect match," much to the consternation of her family, the chosen suitor, Lord Byron's daughter, and the man who truly loves her. Multiple Jeff Award winner Jon Steinhagen penned this period-perfect World Premiere with a wink to Match.com and eHarmony. |
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| Aunt Nancy and Doggie Tales |
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Cornservatory |
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| Eccentric, storytelling Aunt Nancy is back with more stories more friends and more fun. “Aunt Nancy and Doggie Tales” is the 2nd in the series of Aunt Nancy plays written and directed by the Thompson family, for Corn Productions. In the tradition of the “Ananse the Spider Man” folk tales of West Africa, the “Aunt Nancy” plays use storytelling to entertain children and teach important life lessons. This time Aunt Nancy teams up with her niece and nephew (Meenah and Shelby) and the neighborhood dogs, to solve the mystery of "The Mysterious Stranger". |
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| Beautiful City |
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Theater Mir at
Storefront Theater |
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| “This is the future” begins this darkly comic fable about urban developers, criminals, law enforcement, and even a witch, all fighting for the soul and vision of a city. Set in an urban landscape ripe for redevelopment, the parable blends off-kilter characters, fast-paced storytelling, and stinging social satire in a tale of greed, corruption, and civic responsibility. Theatre Mir’s production marks the Chicago professional premiere of this work by George F. Walker, one of Canada’s most prolific and celebrated playwrights. |
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| Best Of Second City |
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Second City |
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| The Second City Touring Company presents best scenes and songs from the company's 45-year history, plus improv, with a different show each week. |
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| Blue Man Group |
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Briar Street Theatre |
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| Blue Man Group is best known for its award-winning theatrical productions which critics have described as "ground-breaking," "hilarious," "visually stunning" and "musically powerful." These performances feature three enigmatic bald and blue characters who take the audience through a multi-sensory experience that combines theatre, percussive music, art, science and vaudeville into a form of entertainment that is like nothing else. |
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Watch a video preview of Blue Man Group
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| The Brother/Sister Plays |
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Steppenwolf Theatre |
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| On the banks of a steamy bayou, the tiny community of San Pere, Louisiana springs to life with stories of love, sexuality and coming-of-age. Influenced by lively Afro-Caribbean folklore, The Brother/Sister Plays explore the struggles that arise when the quest for self identity is at odds with community values. |
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| Chess |
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Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre at
No Exit Cafe |
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| Chess is a Cold War musical, first premiering in the 1980s, with lyrics by Tim Rice and music by former ABBA members, Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson. Among the notable hit songs from the cult musical are One Night in Bangkok and I Know Him So Well. |
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| A Chorus Line |
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Village Players Performing Arts Center |
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| A Chorus Line revolutionized the standards of Broadway musicals with its unique story amd structure. Zach and Larry are ready to cast for their next upcoming Broadway production, but Zach decides to change up things at the audition. He asks the dancers to introduce themselves. As each one hopes to become part of a singular group, they all tell their individual life stories that make them all very different. This musical shows how unity is made more beautiful by the individuality we cherish. |
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| ComedySportz |
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Comedy Sportz |
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| ComedySportz shows offer a unique blend of fast and funny improvisational comedy that is appropriate fun for all ages. The Red and Blue teams battle it out in front of a referee in games that the audience selects, and points are awarded based on how quickly and effectively the performers complete the games. The eternal battle of Red vs. Blue is improvised 5 times weekly, and the show is never the same twice! |
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| Confessions of a Tramp Stamp |
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Annoyance Theatre |
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| In his new solo show, Confessions of a Tramp Stamp, Ryan Heywood presents a night when everyone can revel in their foibles. We all make mistakes. Heywood just thinks they're funny. |
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| The Damnation of Faust |
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Lyric Opera |
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| Awesome. Profound. And wildly ahead of its time. Faust's pact with the devil has inspired scores of compositions, but none match the grandeur and scope of this berlioz extravaganza! Like a film, it moves at lightning speed from scene to scene — from enchanted forests to Heaven to Hell. Like a dream, it's filled with wondrous beings, from angels to creatures that would scare Satan himself. |
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| Dancing at Lughnasa |
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SeanachaiTheatre Company at
Irish American Heritage Center |
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| Dancing at Lughnasa is Brian Friel's joyous memory piece recounting the yearnings and sublimation of love by the five Mundy sisters. Living out a mundane existence in the rural village of Ballybeg in 1936, the family’s reputation is precariously balanced between the shame of the youngest sister’s illegitimate son, Michael, and their pride for the eldest brother, Father Jack. |
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| Dearly Beloved |
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Albright Theatre Company |
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| Dearly Beloved takes us to the small town of Fayro, Texas, for an over-the-top, “Gone with the Wind”-themed wedding. This laugh-out-loud romp down the aisle is fueled by love, sisterhood, three hundred pounds of Texas barbeque and a missing bride. |
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| The DNA Trail |
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Silk Road Theatre Project at
Chicago Temple |
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| Theatre meets science as a diverse group of playwrights each agree to take a genealogical DNA test in this identity-defying collection of short plays. For this adventurous project, Silk Road commissioned seven playwrights, each rooted in distinct immigrant narratives and cross-cultural experiences, to revisit their assumptions about identity politics and the perennial "who am I" question. Self, family, community, ethnicity, race, history, geography--it's all up for grabs! Come see where the DNA Trail leads to. |
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| 11:11 |
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The New Colony at
Victory Gardens Theater - Biograph |
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| 11:11 tells the story of the first day at Camp Methuselah Pines and the team of young Christian camp counselors who unknowingly drug themselves. As the evening unravels, secrets are shared, temptations explored, and a group of friends realize they don't have the same understanding of the same God. Inspired by the experiences of the playwrights and ensemble, '11:11' asks an age-old question of a new generation: why are we willing to fight for something we cannot see or define? |
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Watch a video preview of 11:11
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| The Emperor's New Clothes |
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Steel Beam Theatre |
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| There's lots of fun in store when Peter, the mischievous tailor, comes up with his sure-fire get-rich- quick scheme: embarrass the vain Emperor and make off with a basket of gold! |
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| Epic Proportions |
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Project 891 Theatre Co at
Chemically Imbalanced Theater |
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| Epic Proportions is a screw-ball comedy romp behind the scenes of a 1930’s motion picture. Join brothers Phil and Benny as they go to the Arizona desert to be extras in the huge Biblical epic Exeunt Omnes. Along the way, they encounter romance, danger, and a supporting cast of thousands played by 4 intrepid actors. |
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| Evolution/Creation |
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Quest Theatre Ensemble |
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| Long ago, our ancestors intuited that our world had a beginning. Today science confirms this remarkable insight. The People’s Evolution/Creation celebrates one of the greatest Creation perspectives of all time and simultaneously explores the remarkable story of Evolution. Quest Theatre Ensemble’s Evolution/Creation blends startling puppetry, spectacle and an epic score to tell the unbelievable story of the universe and you! |
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| The Fantasticks |
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Promethean Theatre Ensemble at
City Lit Theater |
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| The Fantasticks tells the familiar tale of a Boy, a Girl, Two Feuding Fathers, and the Wall between them. A timeless exploration of the bittersweet lessons taught by young love, the show is also renowned for its classic songs, including “Try to Remember” and “Soon It’s Gonna Rain.” The show’s minimalist and representational nature fits perfectly with PTE's commitment to using simplicity of design to inspire imagination and bring the audience into the world of the play. |
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| Fiddler on the Roof |
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Marriott Theatre In Lincolnshire |
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| This Tony Award-winning musical has captured the hearts of people all over the world. It is the bittersweet tale of a family coping with a changing world. Tevye, a Jewish dairyman, and his family live in a small village in 1905 Tsarist Russia. With the help of the local matchmaker, Tevye and his wife are in search of acceptable husbands for their three lively daughters. While their daughters are determined to break tradition and marry the men they love, Tevye begins to face bigger issues as Jews are being persecuted in his homeland. A hopeful celebration of the human spirit, Fiddler on the Roof features an unforgettable score with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein. |
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| Fishnets and a Drinking Problem |
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Off Off Broadzway at
The Spot |
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| The hilarious harlots of Off Off Broadzway are skipping the foreplay and heading straight for the morning after pill with their latest musical sketch comedy show! This burlesque-inspired comedy revue features the five Broadz and one confused little ringmaster who never fail to entertain the audience with their anything-goes humor. Taking the glitz, glam and daddy issues of burlesque and combining it with their bawdy comedy and their razor sharp tongues makes for a non-reveal show that reveals that a well placed joke can be more tantalizing then a striptease. Off Off Broadzway can guarantee foul mouths and free boners for the fellas! |
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| Flames and Blazes: A Musical Comedy |
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Annoyance Theatre |
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| In 1928 at the most exclusive New Years Eve party in town, the “unburnable” Marriotropolis plays host to Chicago's elite. But when the unburnable begins to burn guests and servants alike are trapped on the 40th floor high above the relenting blaze. Blinded by their own self-interests, they convince themselves everything will be all right when everything has already gone horribly wrong. Flames and Blazes promises to entertain, teach you some handy survival tips and convince you that you had a better New Year's Eve than the poor folks at the Marriotropolis hotel. |
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| Garage Rep |
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Steppenwolf Theatre |
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| Steppenwolf's Visiting Company Initiative is pleased to present Garage Rep, three productions from some of Chicago’s most innovative theatre companies, presented in rotating repertory.
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| The Gimmick |
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Pegasus Players at
Truman College- O'Rourke Theatre |
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| Pulitzer nominee and Obie winner Dael Orlandersmith’s one-woman show about a young girl in Harlem for whom writing and literature provide an escape from a lifetime of poverty and abuse. |
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| Glitter in the Gutter |
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Annoyance Theatre |
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| The plot unfolds in a crummy apartment with windows that look out into trash-filled alleys. Pepper LaRoo and Velveeta Fitzgerald are inseparable drag queen roommates that dream of hitting it big and leaving the frugal life behind. When things start looking up for one of them, their relationship is put to the test and the girls are forced to rethink their understanding of glamour and the importance of sisterhood. |
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| Harper Regan |
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Steep Theatre |
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| On a startlingly bright autumn night in 2008, Harper Regan walked away from her home and her husband and her daughter and she kept walking. She told nobody that she was going. She told nobody where she was going. She put everything she ever built at risk. For two lost days and nights, until it looked as though her entire life might unravel, she didn't turn back. From Uxbridge to Stockport to Manchester and back again, Harper Regan navigates the UK, exploring family, love and delusion; and how to live in a godless universe. |
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| Here Where It's Safe |
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Stage Left Theatre |
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| Zach and Abbie are an American couple desperate to have a child. Beena is a 19 year old Indian woman struggling to escape an abusive marriage and provide for her son. When financial concerns convince Abbie to hire a surrogate in India, the two women’s lives become tangled with surprising and dangerous consequences. Here Where it’s Safe is a new play by award-winning playwright and Stage Left ensemble member M.E.H. Lewis (Burying the Bones, Fellow Travellers) that asks what comes of the choices we make, and what happens when we run out of choices. |
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| I Am A Camera |
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Neo-Futurists |
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| As a picture says a thousand words, this production tells a thousand stories and inspires a thousand ideas. Greg Allen taps his roots as a darkroom photographer with this inventive homage to the photo. A photography centered experiment with themes of vision, objectivity and identity, this physical history of photography and cinema uses active imagery to discuss how how we frame the world and ourselves. |
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| I Killed My Mother |
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Theatre Y at
The Greenhouse Theater Center |
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| Bernadette, a Romanian teenage girl abandoned after birth by her mother, a Roma (Gypsy) woman, grows up in a series of Romanian orphanages. She forges a relationship with her soul-mate Clip who teaches her how to excise parasitic relationships, to “kill” or turn her back forever, even on the maternal bond, in order to realize her own extraordinary identity.
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| I Love You, Soledad! An Ode to a Very Special CNN Correspondent |
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Pub Theater at Fizz Chicago |
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| I Love You, Soledad! An Ode to a Very Special CNN Correspondent is a one-person comedy show that follows a media-obsessed young man’s quest to meet renowned news anchor, CNN’s Soledad O’Brien, and his discovery of the evil forces at work behind America’s top news media outlet, CNN. Written and performed by Albert Huber and directed by Will Litton, I Love You, Soledad! is a humorous commentary on the isolating effects that constant media access has on our culture. |
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| The Illusion |
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Court Theatre |
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| Tony Kushner brings his sophisticated style and breathtaking language to the French Baroque's most powerful romance. A father's attempt to find his estranged son raises the curtain on a world of theatrical magic, outrageous humor, and true, complicated love. |
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| The Informer |
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Prop Theatre |
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| The Informer by Charles Pike is homage to the John Ford 1935 film. Set during the Irish Rebellion circa 1922, it tells of Gippo Nolan, the love of his life Katie and his betrayal of his best friend Frankie McPhillip to the hated British. Featuring Turk Muller.
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| It Could Be Any One Of Us |
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Steel Beam Theatre |
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| The Guardian of London hails Alan Ayckbourn's 30th play as "a gently mischievous delight [whose] title is one of those lines to cherish from every country house thriller you've ever seen." This "fond parody" of the genre has a bright heart and "is a chuckling demonstration of the joy that comes from assured, masterly skill." And here's the twist: The audience chooses the murderer and the play's final scene. |
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| It Runs in the Family |
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Attic Playhouse |
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| Britain's master of the modern farce penned this fresh, split-second-timed romp. Set in the doctor’s common room of a London hospital, Dr. David Morton is rehearsing his speech for the prestigious Ponsonby Lecture, which almost certainly will propel his career into the stratosphere. In bursts an old flame, hotly pursued by her (their?) son, who is hotly pursued by the police. With the reluctant help of his sidekick Hubert, David begins piling lie on top of lie to protect his career, and everything spirals completely out of control. A delightfully frantic farce filled with snappy dialogue and non-stop comedic antics. |
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| JedIraq: Meghan's First War |
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New Suit Theatre Co at
Piccolo Theatre |
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jedIraq: Meghan's First War
In 2007, Dustin Meghan, a self-absorbed college journalist is busy working away on his latest article in a coffee shop when he is interrupted by a person he will never forget. The innocent looking girl tells him of her plan to travel to war-torn Iraq and write him back letters about the things he learns there. When asked why she would ever consider doing something so dangerous, she gives him the only reply she knows, "Because I can't stand doing nothing." What follows is a journey of understanding and risk that forces open Dustin's mind while simultaneously tying him in knots. As his articles are swept up in unexpected fame, he is left battling his own feelings of helplessness and compassion for strangers; a battle that pushes him to a decision that will ultimatley determine how he lives the rest of his life.
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| Jessica Presents...Yet Again |
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Gorilla Tango Theatre |
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| True to Jessica's roots, the sketches in JESSICA PRESENTS...YET AGAIN highlight the absurdity of being, feature songs about love and monologues about the 24-hour news cycle (maybe not that last one). The show's unique, frenetic energy is due in large part to the fact that the members of Jessica are both the cast and the crew of the show, incorporating light and sound cues into the very framework of the piece and making the edits as artful as the scenes themselves. |
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| Killer Joe |
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Profiles Theatre |
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| Killer Joe focuses on the Smith family, a greedy, vindictive clan of Texans who hatch a plan to murder their estranged matriarch to cash in on her insurance policy. Unable to bring themselves to do the deed, they hire Killer Joe Cooper, a full-time cop and part-time contract killer. Once he steps into their trailer, their simple plan quickly spirals out of control. |
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Watch a video preview of Killer Joe
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| Kink |
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Annoyance Theatre |
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| It's 2010 and sexual repression is alive and well in suburbia. Mom is a closet dominatrix and Dad is a closet cross-dresser. Their daughters Julie and Tammy are getting to that age where clothes may not be the only hang-ups in their closets. Homecoming is just around the corner: Julie's got a date, and Tammy's one-woman tour-de-force is sure to be the hit of the big night. But between Mom's secret dominatrix meeting and Dad's secret cross-dressing meeting, who will be there to take pictures? |
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| Late Nite Catechism |
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Royal George Theatre |
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| Join the class in this interactive comedy, now in its 13th year, as Sister teaches her own brand of religious logic. |
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| The Legend of Ginger Bred |
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Cock and Bull Theatre at
Gorilla Tango Theatre |
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| Food...Sex...Aliens....The Legend of Ginger Bred is the story of Ginger Bred a rock n' roll ex-porn star junkie who resurrects her past on the night of a major electrical storm. Ginger and her band take you on a bizarre odyssey from East Texas to Hollywood in this off-beat camp musical roller-coaster ride. |
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| Living Quarters |
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Strangeloop Theatre at
Trap Door Theatre |
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| Subtitled After Hippolytus and first produced by Dublin's Abbey Theatre in 1977, Living Quarters recasts the mythology of Theseus, Hippolytus, and Phaedra into an isolated Donegal homestead.Commandant Frank Butler returns home to Ireland as a hero after saving nine United Nations peacekeepers from enemy fire during a siege in the Middle East. Reunited to celebrate Frank's triumph are three daughters and a son by his first marriage and the young wife Frank married days before his deployment. But the revelation of secrets kept while Frank was away threatens to divide the Butler house forever. |
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| The Long Red Road |
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Goodman Theatre |
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| In this raw, provocative world premiere, Sam attempts to drink away his past and exorcise his demons on an Indian reservation in South Dakota, where he has been trying to forget his role in a tragic accident involving his family. When a visitor from his past arrives on the reservation, Sam is forced to face his guilt and take a harrowing look at the man he has become. The Long Red Road is a searing play about the way one person's anguish can tear a family apart. |
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| A Love Lost Life- The Unauthorized Story of Marlon Brando |
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Theatre Building Chicago |
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| A Love Lost Life tells of the bonds and barriers between fathers and sons manifesting in Brando's own efforts to understand fatherhood. The 90-minute biopic reveals his feelings towards his father and his confusion about being a father to his own children. Brando's final years inspired the author's title and focus. And although Marlon Brando was a famously private man, what is indisputably known about him is that he changed the way actors act. |
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Watch a video preview of A Love Lost Life- The Unauthorized Story of Marlon Brando
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| Lower Debt |
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LiveWire Chicago at
The Viaduct |
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| Set in the uncertain economic climate at the beginning of the 21st century, “Lower Debt” tells the story of an everyman who leaves his white-collar existence, and ends up in a tent city among residents who are all looking for another way to live. This ensemble-based multimedia play explores the themes of community, ownership, loss and hope while asking the question, “How did we end up here?” |
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| The M Word: A Scottish Tragedy in 5 Acts Reduced to 2 for the Attention Deficient |
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Riverfront Playhouse |
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| Under the direction of the playwright, the show follows the tradition of the playhouse's version of A CHRISTMAS CAROL, which has become a tradition for the playhouse: a troupe of itinerant actors have come to town on the back of their circus wagons to present a classic drama. In this case, the drama to be performed is Shakespeare's Scottish Tragedy, Macbeth. |
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| The Marriage of Figaro |
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Lyric Opera |
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| Sublime music, wry comedy, and penetrating reflections on life and love — Mozart gets everything right in one of Western civilization's greatest artistic achievements. And it's fun too! Figaro, the count's whip-smart valet, is set to marry Susanna, the Countess's comely maid. But the Count wants Susanna for himself! Enter Figaro with a scheme that cuts him off at the pass and teaches everyone a lesson! |
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| Master Harold... And The Boys |
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TimeLine Theatre Company |
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| Recipient of a Drama Desk Award and a Tony Award nomination for Best Play in 1982, ’Master Harold’ ... and the Boys is considered Athol Fugard’s masterpiece, valued for both its universal themes of humanity and its skilled theater craft. Set in South Africa during the 1950s era of apartheid, it depicts how institutionalized racism can become absorbed by those who live under it. A white 17-year-old spends time with two African workers he has known all his life, and through their conversations on one rainy day we see what unites and divides them. The play’s beautiful and haunting dialogue and message of hope also inspire the recognition that there is much work to be done to bring people of different races together. |
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Watch a video preview of Master Harold... And The Boys
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| Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament |
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Medieval Times Schaumburg Castle |
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| Medieval Times is an exciting, family-friendly dinner attraction inspired by an 11th century feast and tournament. Guests are served a four-course banquet and cheer for one of six knights as they compete in the joust and other tests of skill. Expect lots of jousting, swordsmanship, thrilling hand-to-hand combat, and displays of extraordinary horsemanship as part of an exciting story set in Medieval Spain. |
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Watch a video preview Medieval Times
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| Messiah On The Frigidaire |
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Hubris Productions at
The Greenhouse Theater Center |
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| The small town of Elroy, South Carolina is thrust into the evangelical spotlight when what seems to be the image of Jesus appears on a refrigerator in a trailer park. The discovery by Lou Ann Hightower, her husband Dwayne, and her best friend Betsy, sets into motion a frenzy of conflict, communion and good old fashioned commerce. |
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| Million Dollar Quartet |
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Dee Gee Theatricals & John Cossette Productions at
Apollo Theater |
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| On December 4, 1956, an auspicious twist of fate brought together Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley. The place was Sun Records’ storefront studio in Memphis. The man who made it happen was the “Father of Rock-n-Roll,” Sam Phillips, who discovered them all. The four legends-to-be united for the only time in their careers for an impromptu recording session that embodied the birth of rock ‘n’ roll and has come to be known as one of the greatest rock jam sessions of all time. |
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Watch a video preview of Million Dollar Quartet
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| Mimesophobia |
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Theatre Seven of Chicago at
Chicago Dramatists |
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| Mimesophobia dodges between Hollywood and Hyde Park to track one family’s private tragedy as it becomes absorbed by the public eye. While Cassy, the devastated daughter, reconstructs her murdered sister’s diary, two screenwriters desperately try to spin the tragedy into cinematic gold. Meanwhile, a deranged academic meditates on the American obsession with violence. In the middle of the dark and savagely funny collage lies the question: what compels us to open doors we know are better left unopened? |
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| Monks In Trouble |
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The American Demigods at
Apollo Theater |
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| In a remote corner of the world, the brothers of a secluded monastery find their world is literally disappearing around them, piece by piece. Trapped in the path of an unholy, insatiable void, five very different men, each an eccentric, scarred refugee from the outside world, must face their darkest selves, and learn to work together to stop this phenomenon, which they fear may bring about the apocalypse. With these particular monks as champions, the entire world may soon be in trouble… |
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| Mountain Brook High School |
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Chemically Imbalanced Theater |
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| A coming of age, first love, rebellion, conflict with parents, teen angst, and alienation comedy. With special guest improv group CounterProductive Lover. Mountain Brook High School resembles any other high school - it's filled with angst, cliques, misinformed passions. Except this high school is an improv show! |
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| Mrs. Caliban |
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Lifeline Theatre |
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| Dorothy is locked in a lifeless marriage of empty domestic ritual until a fugitive Reptile-man from another world arrives on her doorstep. With him, she finds forbidden love and experiences a rebirth of her spirit, even as her grasp on reality falters. Travel with Dorothy through the fragile pathways of the human psyche as she dares to live - and love - unconventionally, in this remarkable story acclaimed as one of the greatest post-war American novels. |
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| Noises Off |
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Theatre At The Center |
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| Noises Off follows the on and off stage antics of an inept acting troupe as they stumble from bumbling dress rehearsal to disastrous closing night. Everything that can go wrong does, as actors desperately try to hang on to their lines, their performances, and the furniture. Add a slippery plate of sardines and a slew of slamming doors and you have the most sidesplitting backstage comedy ever put on paper. |
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Watch a video preview of Noises Off
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| Number of People |
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Piven Theatre |
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| Diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and grappling with the challenges of aging, a Holocaust survivor bears witness to his past in this beautiful exploration on the elusive nature of memory. This moving one-man show is written and directed by Emilie Beck, who returns to Piven after her 2008 award-winning production, Because They Have No Words. The piece was written specifically for the playwright’s father, Piven Ensemble Member Bernard Beck. |
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| Oh Coward! |
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Writers' Theatre |
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| You're invited to a marvelous party at Writers' Theatre! Weaving together songs and literary delights, Oh Coward! celebrates one of the theater’s greatest entertainers, Noel Coward. His effervescent music and charming quips combine for an unforgettable evening of the most memorable tunes of the 20th century. |
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| The Old Settler |
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Writers' Theatre |
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| It’s Harlem in the Spring of 1943. Elizabeth and Quilly, sisters of a certain age, are quietly nursing their loneliness and healing from heartache when their lives together change abruptly. Husband Witherspoon, a handsome young border, moves to New York from the country in search of his fiancée, and ends up finding love in the most unlikely of places. Told with heartwarming sincerity, humor and a touch of poetry, The Old Settler paints a poignant picture of two women testing the bonds of family and finding the strength and forgiveness only family can offer. |
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| One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest |
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The Gift Theatre |
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| In an Oregon mental hospital, Nurse Ratched runs a perfectly disciplined ward. The patients follow her every rule and keep no secrets. Enter Randall P. McMurphy, just transferred from prison, with a love for gambling, sex, and confrontation. McMurphy bets his new friends that he can unravel Ratched in one week. Told through the foggy haze of Chief Bromden’s hallucinations, the play raises the need to question authority and to attack the subtle institutional dulling of the human spirit. The novel, written in 1962, was one of the first steps taken in a life full of rebellion, by its Merry Prankster author, Ken Kesey. Ensemble member John Kelly Connolly makes his directorial debut. |
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| Orange Flower Water |
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BackStage Theatre Company at
Chopin Theatre |
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| After years of maintaining a close, platonic friendship, David and Beth begin an inescapable love-affair with heartbreaking consequences. Through a series of theatrical, voyeuristic scenes which all take place on or around a single bed, we see the painfully intense unraveling of both troubled marriages and, eventually, the construction of a very fragile but authentic new beginning for everyone concerned. Written by one of the most promising young playwrights of this generation, Craig Wright’s Orange Flower Water is an unsparing but ultimately hopeful examination of the unremitting need that humans beings have for one another. |
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| Over The Tavern |
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Noble Fool Theatricals |
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| It's 1959 in Buffalo, New York - Elvis, drive-ins, and The Honeymooners made life fun and simple. Not for the Pazinski household though! Polish-Catholics Chet and Ellen live above their tavern with their four teenagers, each questioning family values in their own mischievous ways. And when wise-cracking 12-year-old Rudy questions the Roman Catholic Church to ruler-cracking Sister Clarissa before his confirmation, the outcome is a hilarious yet touching comedy that would even make the Cleavers at a loss for good advice! Rating: PG, some mild adult language |
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Watch a video preview of Over The Tavern
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| Peter Pan |
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Emerald City Theatre Company at
Apollo Theater |
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| Neverland beckons as Peter Pan and Wendy encounter fairies, mermaids and a ticking crocodile while trying to defeat the nefarious Captain Hook! This musical by Alyn Cardarelli and Steve Goers, the team behind Emerald City favorites How I Became a Pirate and Cinderella, will capture the imagination of little pirates and fairies everywhere! |
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| The Pillowman |
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Redtwist Theatre |
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| A spellbinding drama with pitch dark humor about a writer accused of perpetrating the very acts depicted in his murderous stories. Featuring Redtwist’s Associate Artistic Director, Andrew Jessop, as the writer, and Jeff Award-winner (for Equus), Peter Oyloe, as his slow-witted brother. Tom Hickey, from Strawdog, and Redtwister, Johnny Garcia, are the good and bad cops respectively. |
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| punkplay |
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Pavement Group at
Steppenwolf Theatre |
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| A sonic mix-tape frames the story of two boys living a suburban 80’s adolescence within a world where everyone thinks, looks and talks the same. When Duck (Alexander Lane) and Mickey (Matt Farabee) discover fast, hot, angry punk rock, it’s like nothing they’ve ever heard. Punk, in all its righteous fury, becomes a foundation for the boys to create a self-defining belief system that revolutionizes their universe. |
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| The Rant |
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Mary-Arrchie Theatre at
Angel Island Theater |
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| The Rant is a gripping drama exploring racial bias and the perilous path to justice. When an African-American autistic boy is gunned down by police in the Bronx, an investigator sets out to expose the officer’s crime only to learn that the truth itself is a sort of bias. She must wade through prejudice, deceit, and a volley of anonymous threats to find where culpability and truth really lie. |
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| Rent |
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NightBlue Performing Arts Company at
Theatre Building Chicago |
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| Rent tells the story of the trials and tribulations faced by a close-knit group of friends living in New York City’s East Village. The characters struggle with the threat of homelessness, demons of drug addiction, questions of artistic integrity, and survival in the face of the AIDS epidemic. |
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| Return To Haifa |
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Next Theatre Company |
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| Israel, 1948: during the violent birth pains of the State of Israel, a young Palestinian couple flee their home in Haifa amidst the fighting. The house is given to a Jewish couple, refugees from the detention camps of Eastern Europe. Twenty years later, days after the Six Day War, the Palestinian couple, now refugees themselves, return to see the house and everything else they left behind. A lyrical and intimate story about the lines of home, family and identity drawn across years and politics. |
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| The Ring Cycle |
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The Building Stage |
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| The Building Stage, noted for unique retellings and adaptations of various media to the stage will have their newest and largest endeavor to date: a non-operatic theatrical re-imagining of the famous Richard Wagner opera cycle, The Ring of the Niebelung, into an epic long-form theatrical piece. |
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| Rush Limbaugh! The Musical |
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Second City |
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| Rush Limbaugh! The Musical takes us back to Rush's humble beginnings and follows his ascent to conservative dominance buoyed by characters like Ann Coulter, Karl Rove, and Donald Rumsfeld despite confrontations with Hillary Clinton and Barney Frank. The score for the show will feature a pastiche of Broadway musicals such as Spring Awakening, Wicked, and Rent. You can call it "Dispirit of the Radio." |
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| Saints and Sinners |
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Royal George Theatre |
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| There's a new nun in town and Vicki Quade, creator of the hit show Late Nite Catechism, introduces us to Mother Superior in her new show, Saints & Sinners. Mother Superior's ruler is quick, her aim is spot-on, and she wants to know who in the audience is a saint and who are the sinners! Quade calls the show “a funny look at fundraising. Mother Superior is called by the archdiocese to St. Bruno's to help in their fundraising. The economy is tough, donations are down, and someone has to save the parish! Her clever idea: a calendar of famous saints and famous sinners. |
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| A Separate Peace |
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Steppenwolf for Young Adults at
Steppenwolf Theatre |
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Set at an all-boys boarding school in New England during World War II, A Separate Peace is a fascinating look into the dark side of adolescence. The complex bonds of friendship between shy, studious Gene and his athletic, daredevil roommate Finny are tested—with shocking consequences. Based on the best-selling novel, A Separate Peace is a quintessential American classic about trust and betrayal, war and peace.
Weekday matinee performances are available for school groups only (Tuesdays- Fridays at 10 a.m.) |
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| Show Us Your Love |
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Bailiwick Chicago at
Mary's Attic |
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| Show Us Your Love celebrates love and relationships, featuring both comic and dramatic selections from some of Broadway and Off-Broadway’s very best, including HAIR, SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE, PIPPIN, FLOYD COLLINS and BROOKLYN THE MUSICAL. Audience members will have an opportunity to "show us their love" by informally voting for their favorite shows, which will influence Bailiwick Chicago’s show selection process for future seasons. |
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| Side Man |
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Metropolis Performing Arts Centre |
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| Winner of the 1999 Tony Award for Best Play and a Pulitzer Prize nominee, Side Man tells the story of Clifford and his father Gene, a brilliant musician whose career fades with the decline of jazz and the coming of rock & roll. With Gene unwilling or able to get a full time job, Clifford and his mother struggle to support each other and survive in his absence. We see the family fall apart as Gene puts his love of jazz before his family. Sharp dialogue and dimestore philosophy from the musicians in Gene’s band and the storytelling as told by son Clifford propel this amazing play. |
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| The Skin of Our Teeth |
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The Artistic Home |
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| : This Pulitzer Prize-winning comedic classic recounts the numerous travails of an average American nuclear family from New Jersey who survive some not-so-average circumstances, including the Ice Age, the Great Flood, the Napoleonic War to name a few. The play is a testament to the resiliency and fortitude of the human spirit from one of America's most celebrated playwrights. |
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| Sleeping Beauty |
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Marriott Theatre In Lincolnshire |
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| In a fanciful and far-off kingdom, the vengeful sorceress Magenta places a wicked curse on the beautiful Princess Amber. Only a kiss from her one true love can unlock the spell and wake this Sleeping Beauty before it is too late. Will Prince Hunter overcome his fears as he scales the mountains, sails the dark sea and battles a dragon to prove his love to Princess Amber? Children are invited to participate in the magic throughout this captivating and colorful fairy tale, featuring a soaring score and lively choreography. |
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| The Somewhat Gelatinous Blob From Beyond the Grave (and also the grave's in outer space) |
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Cornservatory |
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| Something is bumping off young, hope-filled, American teens—something that leaves behind bright green goo. Official United States Scientist—Smittie—knows exactly what this something is: a Boogeranious Lifeform Originating from Bylopsia-X25. At the American University of Science College, where he became a scientist, they just called it… a BLOB. But the President and his men believe that any threat of this magnitude can mean only one thing: Communists. Communists that… goo green. Irish Communists! In response to this growing danger, the President sends Smittie on the most important mission of his life: to protect the president’s one and only daughter—Midge—from these Commumicks and bring her back to the Pentagon safely. Can Midge and Smittie defeat the BLOB before it destroys the very spirit of America? |
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| Song for a Future Generation |
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Lights Out Theatre Company at
EP Theater |
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| In the future, on a space ship orbiting a star set to explode at any minute, three clones named Marika are throwing a theme party. At the party there's an angst-y psychic, a fighter pilot & his party animal best friend, a time traveler in search of the girl of his dreams, a shape-shifter, a bounty hunter, an escaped convict, and the galaxy's last living rock lobster. In the style of 1980s teen movies (and set to the tune of new-wave dance hits), these characters are all trying to find their match, their identity, and real human connections in a world of technology... all before the star explodes. |
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| Super Happy Fun Show |
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Cornservatory |
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| Due to popular demand the Super Happy Fun Show has brought back!! So join Corn Productions as they are super happy to bring you the most fun of all late-night improv: the aptly-named Super Happy Fun Show. |
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| Taming of the Flu |
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Second City |
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| While hope and change won't stop you from getting sick, they may help you pay the hospital bills. And if you believe that, we have a great policy to sell you. We're sick of the flu, sick of the health care system, and sick of the cameras catching us running the red lights. Although technology & Twitter have supposedly made us a smaller world, people have never felt farther apart. Taming of the Flu connects with everyone: put-upon Chicago cabbies, Canadian ex-patriots and even a visit with French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife, Carla Bruni. |
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| That's Weird, Grandma |
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Barrel Of Monkeys at
Neo-Futurists |
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| An assortment of scenes and songs created by Chicago Public School students and produced by actors, musicians, comedians and playwrights. The hour-long show changes each week, based on audience votes. |
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| Tommy Gun's Garage |
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Tommy Gun's Garage |
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| The restaurant-cabaret presents a Roaring 20s-themed musical comedy revue in a speakeasy seting, with dining and drinking integrated into the show. |
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| Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind |
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Neo-Futurists |
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| Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind is the theater's signature show and one of the longest-running shows in Chicago. A one-hour blitz of 30 extremely brief plays, it changes every week as ensemble members add new plays. |
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| The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs |
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Emerald City Theatre Company at
Apollo Theater |
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| There are two sides to every story. The Big Bad Wolf says his is the true story. This is a hilarious retelling of the popular story, which Publishers Weekly called the "Funniest book of the year." In this highly interactive production, the audience joins Random Adjective, Ace Reporter, in using reporting skills to uncover the truth. The "true" story is then selected by the audience at each performance. |
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| Trust |
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Lookingglass Theatre |
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| Ensemble Member David Schwimmer directs the World Premiere of his visceral new script about how a seemingly innocent encounter threatens to unravel the fabric of a normal American household. Lookingglass examines how families navigate today’s uncharted technological landscape. When children have the freedom to interact with complete strangers online, where is the line that parents must draw between fostering independence and protecting from harm? |
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| Twelve Angry Men |
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Raven Theatre |
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| The stakes are high in this thrilling courtroom drama where a jury of twelve men are deciding the fate of a teenager accused of murdering his abusive father. When prejudices are tested and all the evidence is weighed this jury of peers must face the shocking truth. Raven Guest Artist and Founding Member of Congo Square Theatre Ensemble, Aaron Todd Douglas directs this ultimate courtroom drama. |
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| The Twins Would Like to Say |
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Dog & Pony Theatre Company at
Steppenwolf Theatre |
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| The Twins Would Like to Say breathes life into the extraordinary true story of identical twins June and Jennifer Gibbons. The young girls made a secret and powerful pact that went unbroken for more than 20 years: speak to no one but each other, do everything in unison. But in the privacy of their room, the girls’ fantasy life blossomed as they wrote novels of teenage lust and rebellion.
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| Uncle Vanya |
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Strawdog Theatre |
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| Chekhov’s classic about a country doctor’s forbidden love for his brother’s beautiful wife gets a smoldering translation from former Steppenwolf Associate Artistic Director and current Artistic Director of Trinity Rep Curt Columbus. Strawdog company member Kimberly Senior returns after directing their critically acclaimed “Cherry Orchard” in 2009 and “Three Sisters” in 2005. |
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| Vanishing Points |
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Point Of Contention Theatre Company at
BoHo Theatre @ Heartland Studio |
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| Based on the true and unsolved murders of three members of the Peak Family of Grand Island, Nebraska, Vanishing Points follows Beth, a college art student, through the aftermath of her family’s violent deaths. |
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| Wild Nights with Emily |
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Caffeine Theatre at
Lincoln Square Theater |
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| A quirky queer comedy about a poet’s secret life, Wild Nights With Emily skips around in time and space, switching narratives in an energetic exploration through the life, the forbidden love, and the death of Miss Emily Dickinson… as you’ve never seen her before.
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| Wilson Wants It All |
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The House Theatre of Chicago at
Chopin Theatre |
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| In 2040, the future of a divided nation is in the hands of a single man as he manipulates the fate of twin daughters, heirs to an American political dynasty. Separated at birth, they now find themselves caught on opposite sides of an escalating U.S. conflict. Following in the footsteps of the speculative fiction of Ray Bradbury and Philip K. Dick, Wilson Wants It All draws inspiration from the narrative core of A Tale of Two Cities, the 1993 feature film Dave, and the mythology of the Kennedy Camelot era. |
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