| Incident on Run #1217 |
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Prop Theatre |
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| A group of unsuspecting passengers boards a westbound CTA train that takes them on the ride of their lives in Incident on Run #1217, a highly-charged new play written by Factory Theater ensemble member Manny Tamayo and directed by fellow ensemble member Matt Engle. From loitering winos to folks just trying to get home, this motley crew soon realizes that their train is destined for a truly terrifying final destination: hell. Founded in Chicago in 1992, Factory Theater is dedicated to the writing, directing, performance and production of original works written by ensemble members. |
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| It's All-Right To Have A Good Time (The Story of Curtis Mayfield) |
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Black Ensemble Theater |
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| Black Ensemble's first tribute of the season is the story of a musical giant. He was the master song writer of his time. From the music of the Impressions like "Gypsy Woman," "I'm So Proud," "Choice of Colors" to the movie hits like "Superfly," he was a genius of a musician, a dynamite songwriter and a loving human being. The music of Chicago's own Curtis Mayfield is known and celebrated all over the world. |
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| Ivywild: The True Tall Tales of Bathhouse John |
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The Hypocrites at
Chopin Theatre |
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| With the help of his best friend Hinky Dink and a deformed nosed alcoholic elephant named Princess,
Alderman John Coughlin (better known as Bathhouse John) is determined to build an amusement park--
an actual true story from Chicago’s early 1900’s. The spectacle of the abandoned park, Ivywild, was
built in the mountains of Colorado with millions of dollars grafted from Chicago's vice district at
the height of its corruption by a loud mouthed alderman who wrote bad poetry and wore
eccentric clothing. Ivywild is an original tale of a dodgy group of odd and colorful friends
revisiting us from one of our city's truly corrupt yet entertaining pages of history. |
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| The Knowledge |
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Steep Theatre |
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| The Knowledge premiered in 2011 at London's Bush Theatre as part of their "School Series": a pairing of plays examining
the current state of education in Britain. Playwright John Donnelly worked as a teacher in various schools across England
and, in The Knowledge, offers a disturbing, blisteringly funny account of a young teacher going off the rails in a failing
school system. Mr. Donnelly is a past winner of the Tom Erhardt Award, the PMA Award for Best New Writer, and the
NSDF Sunday Times Playwriting Award. |
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| The Lake Effect |
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Silk Road Rising at
Chicago Temple |
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| From the playwright of the 2010 Pulitzer Prize finalist Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, comes the world premiere of The Lake Effect. In a depressed Cleveland neighborhood amidst a fierce winter storm, an Indian American brother and sister, long estranged, are reunited by the sudden death of their father. Enter their late father's African American confidante and gambling bookie, and a slew of family secrets get unearthed. The Lake Effect sets in motion a complicated web of relationships and conflicts that challenge our perceptions of race, gender, and success. |
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| Lascivious Something |
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Signal Ensemble Theatre |
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| On a secluded Greek island, an American ex-pat (August) pursues his passions: winemaking and his breathtaking young wife Daphne. Then, on the eve of Ronald Reagan's presidential inauguration, the first tasting of the new wine is interrupted by the unexpected arrival of August's former lover. Inspired by Greek tragedy, Lascivious Something combines evocative language with sympathetic yet deeply flawed characters straight out of Euripides. |
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| Late Nite Catechism |
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Royal George Theatre |
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| Late Nite Catechism is an uproariously funny play, written by Vicki Quade and Maripat Donovan, where the irrepressible Sister teaches class to a roomful of "students." Throughout the course of the play the benevolent instructor rewards audience members for correct answers with glow-in-the-dark rosaries and other nifty prizes. Naughty students may well find themselves on stage sitting in a corner reflecting their actions. Now in its 20th year in Chicago, Late Nite Catechism is a sharp satire, but never mean. It’s simply an evening of fun and laughter. |
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| Lear |
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Red Tape Theatre - St. Peter's Episcopal Church |
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| It's King Lear. But there's no King Lear. Experimental playwright and Doris Duke Artist Award winner Young Jean Lee has penned a whimsical and psychologically disturbing look at a world in which the pater familias is noticeably absent. The children are left to run the show but they must first overcome their anxiety and regret. As the story goes off the rails, Big Bird arrives to help us make sense of the madness. |
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| Let Them Eat Chaos - The Second City Mainstage |
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Second City |
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| For better or worse, we're someone to everyone. Sometimes the title is friend and sometimes the title is enemy - unfortunately, we can't always dictate our role nor can we control our path through the world. The cast of The Second City Mainstage invites you to grab the people that mean the most to you and take a journey with them from the high seas of the Atlantic to the bohemian home of Panamanian poets. Let's leave the rest and let them eat chaos. |
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| The Liar |
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Writers' Theatre |
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| Hours after arriving in Paris, charismatic scoundrel Dorante is smitten by a pair of comely young ladies and confounded by a case of mistaken identity. Not to worry, Dorante is handsome, charming—and a pathological liar. He wins admirers wherever he goes…so long as he never has to tell the truth! Misunderstandings, secret agendas, and witty wordplay abound in this ingenious and irreverent update of a classic French romp. |
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| The Magic Parlour |
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The House Theatre of Chicago at
The Palmer House Hilton Hotel |
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| The performance contains some of his favorite pieces of magic, alongside some brand new routines in an hour-long show packed with mind-reading, levitations, escapes, and a ridiculous new adaptation of the classic “Card Stab” during which Watkins climbs inside of a fully inflated 7 foot balloon! |
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| The Marvelous Land of Oz |
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New American Folk Theatre at
The Den Theatre |
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| The Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman's adventures continue in The Marvelous Land of Oz, the sequel to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. With music and book by Anthony Whitaker -- who also directs -- this family-friendly New American Folk Theatre production is based on the children's novel of the same name by L. Frank Baum (which was written in Chicago's Humbolt Park in 1905). In it, young Tip escapes from the witch who has held him captive since birth and sets out on a magical adventure. True to Baum's original vision, this memorable folk musical mixes puppetry with live actors and a narrator. |
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| Mascot |
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Found Objects Theatre Group at
The Den Theatre |
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| In Mascot, a man, comically estranged from his family has something more important to worry
about: a restraining order keeping him from his son's high school football games. As he attempts increasingly grandiose and absurd ways to see his son play without being caught, he must confront the series of events that led to his banishment. Mascot is a humorous tragedy consumed with rage, blackmail, disguises, wet grass and whispers. |
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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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| Million Dollar Quartet |
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Apollo Theater |
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| MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET is the smash-hit musical inspired by the famed 1956 recording session that brought together rock 'n' roll icons Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley for the first and only time. That legendary night is brought to life in this thrilling musical which features a score of hits including "Blue Suede Shoes," "Great Balls of Fire," "Walk the Line," "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On," "Hound Dog" and more. Don't miss your chance to be a fly on the wall of fame... at MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET! |
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| The Misanthrope |
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Court Theatre |
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| In a society where social graces reign supreme, the cynical Alceste causes a scandal when he refuses to play his part in the charade. Torn between his love for the coquettish Célimène and the pretenses he so despises, Alceste finds himself alone in a world where words are brandished like weapons and status is defined by style. Unwilling to play the hypocrite any longer, Alceste must decide his destiny. |
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| The Miss Neo Pageant |
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Neo-Futurists |
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| The Miss Neo Pageant smashes the traditional American beauty pageant form with real stories of fully-grown girls stumbling into womanhood. The delightfully offbeat contestants walk the fine line between female rivalry and alliance, vying to become fully-realized adults in a world without winners. |
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