Travel back in time to The Great Depression where eleven desperate tenants refuse to leave their house on Studebaker for fear of being locked out for good. This original production will bring a smile to your face as it uietly
breaks your heart.
Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past. There will be no loyalty, except loyalty toward BEAR NATION. There will be no love, except the love of Papa Bear. Always, at every moment, there will be the thrill of victory, the sensation of trampling on Packers & the like who are helpless. If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot shuffling across a human face... Forever! Bear Down!
Stories of soldiers and civilians and things that can never be. Satirist. Essayist. Poet. Storyteller. Bierce remains one of America’s most original voices. Nine new adaptations demonstrate why his lean stories of war, fantasy and horror still resonate nearly a century after the enigmatic author disappeared into the Mexican desert. Includes excerpts from the ‘Devil’s Dictionary’ and ‘Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge’ described by Kurt Vonnegut as “…the best short story ever written.”
Its official – the United States is moving forward. We have a new President taking office, sweeping international economic crisis, and the effects of global warming all around us. It’s time to fire up the Rahminator and transplant a little Midwestern charm to Washington making America: All Better!
A lean, tragicomic version of the Faustus story, An Apology … presents Doctor Faustus in the last hour of his final night on earth – irritated, whining, drunk, and repentant of nothing save his failure to keep a proper diary. Over the course of this hour he rails against his silent servant Mephistopheles and tells the fantastic tale of his life – a life filled with wonders, as well as an immeasurably vast evil.
Never have murder and mayhem been this much fun! Directed by Tony Award-winner Frank Galati, Joseph Kesselring’s classic macabre farce-comedy features acclaimed Chicago artists John Mohrlein and Dennis Zacek and award-winning Northwestern faculty Cindy Gold and Mary Poole as the sinister, but hilarious sisters.
What happens when you’re banished from your kingdom, you’re in love with a wrestler, and you have to dress as a boy just to get by? It’s a classic case of mistaken identity and forbidden love in Shakespeare’s pastoral comedy, centering on relationships between young refugees finding shelter and discovering romantic possibilities in the countryside. The beautiful, banished Rosalind disguises herself as a boy to survive in the forest and win Orlando, challenging social boundaries in the process. In the end, however, exile and readjustment result in unexpected pairings and a reinvented expatriate community in the Bard’s classic gender-bending romp.
In their newest comedy, GayCo dives into the gap: The gap between generations, between activists and pessimists, between what we expect and what we get. Skydiving lesbians try to say their vows before they cross state lines; Activists cross the line to Whactivism; young twinks and bitter old queens face-off in a final countdown; and Obama discovers that his BGFF's expect him to make good on his promises (as if!).
Assassins. Vultures. Cannibals. These are just a few of the lowly characters featured in Tympanic’s upcoming evening of explosive new work. With a colorful cast of killers, misfits, and just about every other offbeat outcast under the sun, there eight world premieres explore the horror, comedy, and humanity found in the most surreal dregs of society. Often twisted, often hilarious, and always armed to the teeth, Bastards of Young is a night of short plays unlike any other.
There’s always lots to do in Bear Country! There’s a baby cub in the den and Papa Bear has to build a new bed. The treehouse is a mess and Mama Bear wants it cleaned up! Brother Bear is dealing with a neighborhood bully. An indoor soccer game causes trouble for the entire family. And to top it off, Sister Bear is starring in the Bear Country School production of “Grizzlystiltkins” and has stage fright. Northbrook Musical Theatre For Young Audiences brings to life Stan and Jan Berenstain’s delightfully classic Berenstain Bear Books.
In the darkness of the city, one light refuses to be extinguished. Part fantasy, part burlesque show, part macabre melodrama. Jeremy Menekseoglu takes you into a dark Dickensian city where a young girl struggles to keep her innocence in a world drowning in perversion and misery.
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.
Burlesque Is More is a holiday-themed burlesque show modeled after the very popular and very racy Burlesque/Improv show “Late Night Tit-Bits.” Combining the sexiness of burlesque with the hilarity of quality improv, the only thing more sparse than the clothing are the paper-thin plots - just the way it oughta' be.
Bye Bye Liver is an over-the-top comedic romp through the joys and pitfalls of Chicago's favorite past time. Complete with interactive drinking games that pit audience versus cast, male versus female, you get the picture.
In 1950s Paris, Dominique and Fatiguée - two fading chanteuses - eke out a meager existence, forced to perform the songs of their archrival, the legendary Edith Piaf. Then one hilarious night, they take over the cabaret to give the show of their lives, with their own songs!
Based on an extraordinary true story, Calls to Blood tells the darkly comic tragedy of the perfect American couple and their seemingly impenetrable happiness – even as they struggle to conceive the child they want so desperately. But in trying to find a solution to this continual failure, they unearth the one truth that can destroy everything upon which their perfect lives have been built. Staged in the intimate environment of the Royal George’s studio theater, the audience will be no more able to escape the emotionally powerful debate over the couple’s future than the couple’s own best friends and family.
Along comes the world's favorite spider and the piglet -- make that, Some
Piglet -- who befriends her in this musical adaptation of E.B. White's classic book.
The revamped version of this entertaining musical features the reverential retelling of the Gospels of Matthew and John in a contemporary southern setting, set to bluegrass music. The award winning musical is based on the book The Cotton Patch Gospel of Matthew and John by Clarence Jordan, a Bible scholar and Civil Rights activist. Tom Key and Russell Treyz adapted Jordan's writtings and worked with the late Harry Chapin to create this musical stage version.
Cuba and His Teddy Bear, Reinaldo Povod’s explosive drama about the relationship between a small time drug dealer and his son, receives its Midwest premiere in a co-production by UrbanTheater Company and PEOPLE*S THEATER of Chicago.
Filled with love, power, intrigue, and murder, this rarely produced work from one of America's premiere female playwrights, tells the story of a priveleged Midwestern family who must wrestle with the opposing forces of organized labor and union busters when employees at their small factory go on strike -- threatening their fortune, their friendships, and possibly their very existence. Exploring the intersection between the political and the personal, Days to Come examines the struggle for self-determination and the potential fallout that ensues when the disempowered begin to question traditional notions of class and gender.
Arthur Miller's quintessential masterpiece depicts an ordinary man, Willie Loman, a traveling salesman, in desperate pursuit of the American Dream for himself, his sympathetic wife, Linda and his two sons, Biff and Happy. Michael Menendian directs this revival, featuring Co-Artistic Director JoAnn Montemurro and Raven Ensemble Member Chuck Spencer as Linda and Willie Loman.
It’s been a sad and lonely three-year dry spell for David Pitner. But now, David has a potential new love interest, and if she gets along with his closest pals, then cue the Barry White. But as the saying goes, “With friends like these…” It’s an uproarious cross between The Forty-Year-Old Virgin and Meet the Parents, with a little bit of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels sprinkled in for good measure, in our latest After Dark Series production, Dinner for Sex Six. Come see a dinner to remember and a show you’ll never forget!
The County Fair is coming, and the grand prize in the talent competition is a trampoline! Duck wants that prize, but with Farmer Brown watching around every corner, how will he hold singing rehearsals for Cow and Sheep, or dancing practice for Pig? Hop aboard Farmer Brown’s truck and travel to the fair with this new musical about sharing your talents and reaching for your dreams, by the same team that brought you "Click, Clack, Moo."
When Elvis knocks, will you be ready? The Stein's are having an identity crisis: Mom has been "born again" and spends all day chatting with Jesus in the kitchen; Dad hasn't gotten out of his pajamas in weeks and is starting to smell; and 16 year old Rachel is coping by going "goth." Who will save this family? Jesus? Stephen Hawking? Or Rachel's awkward new classmate who shows up at their door in his Elvis jumpsuit? To everyone's surprise, the invasion of his big heart and blind optimism might be their best hope for a new beginning.
In 1914, renowned mystery writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle invites four guests to his English country home. Each visitor has a connection to the infamous “Piltdown Man,” purported to be the missing link between ape and man—later exposed as a hoax. Swinging back and forth through time, Fake investigates how “Piltdown” rattled assumptions about evolution, faith and science—and how we are transformed by our quest for the truth.
The Fantasticks is the longest-running musical in the world, and with good reason; it is a timeless fable of love that manages to be nostalgic and universal at the same time. It is a moving tale of young lovers who become disillusioned, only to discover a more mature, meaningful love. The Fantasticks is filled with catchy, memorable songs, by Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt including the haunting ‘Try to Remember.’
Only the fiercely wicked pen of Ensemble Member J. Nicole Brooks (Black Diamond) could ignite the hidden power of this enduring myth. a re-telling of this magnitude that would make Seneca, Euripides and Jean Racine blush. Afrodite's fury is unleashed upon Haiti, the world's greatest superpower, in this story of power and lust.
A jolly group of itinerant actors sing of themselves in The Glorious Ones, a new musical about the roistering life of the clowns who paved the streets of 16th-century Italy with sight gags and sex jokes. Based on the novel by Francine Prose, the musical tells how the troupe came to be and how it captured the public's adoration with its bawdy comedy, before changing artistic fashion altered its life.
This fanciful and poignant play based on Lois Lowry's novel explores the power of dreams and the magical creatures that create them. An eager new Dream-Giver known only as Littlest One struggles to heal the hearts of an angry young boy, his grieving caregiver and his estranged mother before the haunting memories each of them carry become more than they can bear. But are the dreams Littlest One weaves strong enough to fortify and protect the fragile humans in her care? Beautifully staged using colorful masks and enchanting puppetry, GOSSAMER is recommended for ages 8 and older.
Chicago's oldest cemetery is the backdrop for Graceland, the story of four lonely Chicagoans whose lives collide one August weekend while the Blue Angels airshow is in town. As fighter jets buzz the skies from dusk till dawn, estranged brother and sister Sam and Sara try to make sense of their father's recent suicide. Sara's one night stand with Joe, an aging lothario, brings further trouble in the form of Joe's mercurial teenage son, Miles. Graceland is a World premiere comedic drama about the loneliness of family, the tenderness of strangers and the unexpected benefits of bad decisions.
From the tip-top of its super teased coif, to the bottom of its dynamic dancing toes, “You Can’t Stop the Beat” of this Broadway musical comedy phenomenon that inspired a major motion picture and won eight Tony awards, including Best Musical. Set in Baltimore in 1962, Hairspray is the story of the pleasantly plump teen, Tracy Turnblad, who will do whatever it takes to appear on the popular Corny Collins show and win the heart of Link Larkin, all without denting her ‘do. Direct from Broadway where it’s played for over 2,300 performances, Hairspray brings its hipness and hilarity to the Marriott stage.
Tom Stoppard's translation of Gerald Sibleyras' play won the Olivier Award for Best New Comedy. It's 1959 and Philippe, Gustave and Henri, three veterans from WWI keep each other company on the back terrace of a retired soldiers' home. Through a series of witty scenes, the men goad one another into new adventures. The men's cantankerous camaraderie becomes strained as they plot an expedition to Indochina, or at least as far as the poplar trees on the distant hill.
Listen to "Talk Theatre In Chicago" for an interview with Mike Nussbaum, one of the stars of Heroes. Listen
This darkly comic and boisterous look at growing up in the Chicago suburbs during the early sixties is the story of 13-year old Billy Roman and the rollicking, anxiety-riddled preparations for his Bar Mitzvah. When Billy’s rebellious older brother returns from college during the Jewish high holidays, his family—the little Roman Empire—begins to wobble and crack as it is forced to examine some hard truths about coming of age in America.
Fourteen year-old Stanley Yelnats’ bad luck lands him in Camp Green Lake where every day he is forced to dig holes under the hot Texas sun. Adapted from the book, which won the National Book Award and Newbery Medal, Holes is full of Stanley’s unexpected discoveries; local history, buried treasure, tall tales and true friendship. Recommended for ages 9 and up.
The year is 1973 and all throughout American suburbia, soldiers are returning from a falsely justified war to find a divided and disillusioned Home Front. As we prepare to bring home our troops from yet another war waged on falsehoods, is the American family any more prepared now?
Horrible, a romantically dark comedy for the holidays, is a story about love, death, cannibalism…and flowers. If you’re looking for an escape from sugarplum faeries you came to the right place.
Based on the book by celebrated Chicago writer Sandra Cisneros, The House on Mango Street is a touching and humorous collection of vignettes told by a young girl growing up in one of Chicago’s Latino neighborhoods. Esperanza Cordero dreams of a new life far away from her tiny home on rundown Mango Street in this classic coming-of-age story about those defining experiences that shape our beliefs and help us discover who we are.
Lauded as "an enigmatic, cool and entirely original play" by nytheater.com, the story begins on a deserted stretch of highway where a traffic cop pulls over two young men, only to find himself swept up in a web of lies that land him on the wrong side of the law. How far will he go to protect himself? Logan Brown and Matthew Benjamin's How to Act Around Cops is a hilarious take on the classic cop caper, with drugs, guns and bodies in car trunks. Weaving dark threads of casual violence with quick-fire dialogue and twisted humor, the play takes a wicked route down the traditional cops-and-robbers path with its intelligent examination of blame, innocence, and all shades of grey in between -- and will appeal to anyone who feels guilty as hell whenever they walk past a policeman.
Wanda Petronski speaks strangely, has a funny last name, and lives in the wrong part of town. Who would believe she has a closet full of one hundred beautiful dresses? The kids at Franklin Elementary School sure don't believe her. In The Hundred Dresses, Maddie Martin and Peggy Hawthorne learn first-hand the danger of stereotypes and harsh words. The Hundred Dresses is a poetic tale about the power of words and finding the courage to stand up for others, even if you are standing alone. For everyone ages 6 and up.
Bank of America Theatre (formerly LaSalle Bank Theatre)
This is the story of how four blue-collar kids became one of the greatest successes in pop music history. They wrote their own songs, invented their own sounds and sold 175 million records worldwide – all before they were thirty! JERSEY BOYS features their hit songs “Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Rag Doll,” “Oh What a Night” and “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You.”
Adapted from Peter S. Beagle's beloved fantasy novel, this grown-up fairy tale follows the quest of the Unicorn: the most beautiful creature int he world, immortal, and magical besides, as she searches for her lost brothers and sisters. A world premiere adaptation incorporating puppetry, masks, movement and music.
The people of Sleepy Hollow have gathered to tell the story of that fateful night that Ichabod Crane was spirited away by the Headless Horseman. By examining Ichabod’s story and sharing popular folk songs and ghost stories, they attempt to make sense of the horrifying tragedy that has become known as The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.
The electric and dazzling Letitia "Lettice" Douffet is a passionate, colorful middle-aged tour guide grappling with a mundane world and Lotte Schoen, her straight-laced employer who serves as her reality check.
The Lion in Winter provides a fictional glimpse into the lives of England’s King Henry II and his dysfunctional family in 1183. The play focuses on the battle between Henry and his wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine, over which one of their three sons will become the successor to the throne. It is a clever story of scheming and manipulation with a very funny script.
With their father serving as a chaplain in the Civil War, The March daughters grow up under the care of their mother in somewhat trying circumstances. Through trials and tribulations the sisters learn time and again that the love within their family is superior to material wealth. They persevere through squabbles and tragedies, but the bond only strengthens as marriages and new families emerge. This heart-warming tale of the endurance of family is perfect for the holidays and beyond. Circle's new adaptation will focus on the first part of the classic American novel, telling the story of a year in the life-- from Christmas to Christmas-- of the March sisters.
Lucinda is six years old, and all she wants is to be good. But when the Monster under her bed introduces himself one night, Lucinda finds out that staying good will be harder than she thinks. Even when she’s grown and married, the Monster turns up in the most peculiar places. Can she ever find goodness in her life, or will there always be something sinister lurking just beneath the covers? Lucinda’s Bed was previously workshopped at the Ensemble Theatre in New York.
The musical Man of La Mancha holds significant importance to one of our theatre's key backers, Michael James (his father was the original producer). Now come see what a production of Man of La Mancha means in the 21st Century!
Adapted from G.K. Chesterton's 1908 novel by Neo-Futurist ensemble member and New Leaf collaborator Bilal Dardai, The Man Who Was Thursday is part espionage thriller, part comedy of manners, part outright farce. Directed by New Leaf Artistic Director Jessica Hutchinson, The Man Who Was Thursday interrogates who we really are, where our loyalties lie and how far we’ll go to defend them.
In a time of national tragedy, the world changes overnight. On September 12, 2001, Ben Harcourt finds himself in the downtown apartment of his lover, Abby Prescott. Over the course of the night, Ben and Abby explore the choices now available to them in an existence different from the one they knew just the day before. LaBute presents the brutal realities of their relationship and explores whether one can be truly opportunistic in a time of universal selflessness.
The Message Is In The Music (God Is A Black Man Named Ricky) is Black Ensemble’s new look at an old story, the fight of good against evil and the struggle between love and hate, where the battlefield is the universe and beyond. “The Message Is In The Music” tells an old story with a new twist, and in true Black Ensemble fashion, although we already know the ending, the road is paved with rollicking laughter, devilish dance and a whole lot of heavenly sounds.
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.
In the midst of the Franco-Prussian war, Ingolstadt’s substitute doctor is not exactly what he seems to be. Victor Frankenstein is brilliant, yes, but not a traditional physician by any means. Pastor Friedmann already has deep suspicions, but when Elizabeth, Victor’s fiancé, arrives unexpectedly, she ignites a dangerous spark that pits science against religion for the very souls of Ingolstadt, and possibly the world. Passions are high as Victor is convinced science will usher in a brave new world; but this has dangerous repercussions for the institutions of church and state. Elizabeth, as well as the audience, is caught in the middle, forced to consider the dangerous implications of a seemingly impossible future.
Like their heroes Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid, it's wee lads Mojo and Mickybo against the world in this bittersweet tale of innocence lost. Two actors play 17 characters in Owen McCafferty's rollicking and poignant thrill ride through 1970 Belfast.
Ding dong! Ding dong! Do you hear the school bell ring? What shall we learn about today? Science? Geography? How about soul-crushing reality? Or what happens when a monkey meets a toaster? Oh, so much to learn! Welcome to Mrs. Gruber’s Ding Dong school!
The story involves two couples living in a quiet suburban neighborhood where beneath their middle-American exteriors lurks something truly rotten. The diabolical plot continues to thicken throughout the performance until the final tense showdown between a murderer and an aggrieved widow. With performances held at the intimate setting of the Grotto in the Gorton Center, audience members will get up close and personal with these sensational characters.
Classical Broadway musical by Meredith Wilson featuring such songs as 76 trombones, Gary, Indiana and Till There Was You. The show revolves around a slick, fast talking traveling salesman who wins over a small Iowa town with the promise of a kids band while falling in love with their stubborn spinster librarian.
Besides Thanksgiving, November is a boring month…stuck between Halloween and Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanza etc etc…So why not get into some improv competition with The Original Improv Gladiators – Season Eight! On the heels of the success of TOIG – Season Seven comes a fun filled packed season of great improv teams, great improv judges and of course great improv gladiators, all here to get your comedy juices going!
Robert David MacDonald’s translation captures the dramatic beauty and power of Racine’s original French poetry. Based on ancient myths, the tragedy examines how love and unabated passions can destroy us all. “Phèdra” is cursed by the gods to love her step-son, Hippolytus, who hides a secret love affair of his own. Emotional, turbulent and sexy, Phèdra is a mythical soap opera for the contemporary audience. Directed by theater movement specialist Alison Henderson, the production will be based on movement theorist Rudolf Laban’s movement analysis
This new award-winning dark comedy centers on a writer, his stories, and
the disturbed inspirations lurking within them. When arrested and
questioned for his violent imaginings by agents of a totalitarian state,
Katurian's resolve is strengthened in a Kafka-esque quest for justice.
In tackling this disquieting tale, director BeVard seeks the truth
behind motive and the legacy of the written word.
Welcome to Highway 57! Home to fun-loving gas station pump boys Jim and LM and the very vivacious Prudie and Rhetta Cupp of the Double Cupp Diner. They live in their own country, blues and rock n roll heaven, singing through the days and dancing the nights away. Whether they’re singing about checking out the heartthrob cashier at Woolworths, having a private concert with Dolly Parton, or just wanting bigger tips, this cheery crew will get you into the groove of their rockin’ tunes.
The Corn family is off to Washington, D.C. for another mysterious adventure and Rachel is ready to lead her team to victory in the Brain Bowl but when she discovers there is more to the other team than meets the eye she has to solve the mystery. With secret passages, cryptic messages and too many twists and turns to mention, can Rachel save the day before things get out of hand? Bring the whole family and help the Corn family solve the mystery.
Resurrection explores the personal and political complexities of being a black man in America. Through monologues and poetry, Beaty creates a world of six interconnected black men ranging in age from 10 to 60 trying to work through their issues.
For this Midwest premiere, InFusion Theatre Company brings creepy puppets and visual spectacle to a very human tale of an imaginative and inventive stay-at-home dad. In his Midwest farm house, he creates a beautiful yet bizarre world of puppets, costumed characters and fanciful stories for his young daughter. But all is not what it seems in this suspense-filled and disturbing tale of love, loss and danger appropriate for the Halloween season.
CST Artistic Director Barbara Gains opens the season with this epic history of Shakespeare's most fascinating villain. Fueled by a relentless ambition and savage wit, the hunchbacked Richard, Duke of Gloucester, seduces and murders his way to the English throne in a treacherous tale that has captivated audiences across the centuries.
Shakespeare’s timeless story of fatal young love gets a new look with an all-female cast in Janus Theatre’s modern dress production. This fast-paced production promises to illuminate Shakespeare’s play in a whole new way.
Hamlet, Shakespeare’s greatest drama, is retold from the perspective of his schoolmates, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, in Tom Stoppard’s comedic masterpiece. Equal parts Laurel and Hardy, Waiting for Godot and classic Shakespeare, Stoppard’s scintillating wit, far-reaching imagination and astonishing skill with words traces the journey of these fascinating characters as they struggle to avoid the inevitability of the Bard’s tragic conclusion.
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.
Margy is one of the most in-demand ladies on the block, and makes plenty of jack to keep herself in furs and gin. However, when her pimp Rocky tries to work over a visiting society dame, Margy's left in a tough spot with the police. She flees Montreal to follow the British fleet with her long-time customer Lieutenant Gregg. In a Trinidad nightclub (complete with rip-roaring live music), Margy meets the kind of man she never expected to love: one who doesn't know about her past. She must decide if she can give up her wild ways for the straight life with a boy who loves her, or if she'll always be just what she is.
Santa's elves are plotting a revolution, a killer just escaped from prison and is hitching her way home, the Reingold daughter has gone missing, & Archibald Tuck is one murderously disgruntled employee. These stories and more are all about to experience their own nightmarishly twisted holiday miracle. Bringing you joy whether you want it or not! Come experience all the tragically comedic fun this holiday season at The Annoyance.
Viral video aficionados the Lakewood Manor Players present a one-time-only live comedy event that's guaranteed to be the greatest show you'll ever see them perform on those dates. Enjoy a ride inside the brain of one of Chicago's sharpest troupes, just keep your hands inside at all times.
Masters created the town of Spoon River as an amalgam of several small towns in central Illinois, where he was raised. A variety of characters from this fictional town deliver epitaphic monologues with haunting honesty, on topics such as their lives, loves, triumphs and tragedies.
Set against the steamy backdrop of New Orleans' French Quarter, A Streetcar Named Desire tells the story of Blanche DuBois, a faded Southern belle driven to madness by fate and her brutish brother-in-law, Stanley Kowalski. Ann Keen (Director of Polarity's critically-acclaimed Hamlet) has assembled a cast chock full of Polarity ensemble members in a production that, in the Polarity tradition, breaks the play down to its gritty essentials, and rebuilds it with unique elements, such as a live violin playing counterpoint to Blanche's emotional journey.
On the corner of North & Wells, a crowd gathers to laugh, relax and enjoy a cast of six talented actors take the piss out of what our world has become and how we got here. We've lost many things, but one thing will always stay the same – Chicago. We'll always have crooked politicians, civic pride and that crazy guy at Foster & Broadway.
Created for the Infinitesimals Festival at Links Hall in Chicago in 2004 and remounted for the Winterroot Festival at Links Hall in 2005 and the Tulipanes Festival in Holland, Michigan in 2007, this piece explores the vicious cycle of modern technology that destroys and then attempts to redress the wrongs it creates. "Sublime Beauty" is paired with "Klown Kantos", a set of seven short comic pieces.
Listen to "Talk Theatre In Chicago" for an interview with Michael Montenegro, the artistic director of the newly-founded puppet theatre, Theatre Zarko, who joins Anne Nicholson Weber to talk about the unique capabilities and limitations of puppet theatre. Listen
Set in coastal Maine and Fallujah , Iraq in the summer of 2004, Summer People is about what happens behind the Home Front with a girl about to grow up, a family about to rebuild, and a soldier about to return.
On the heels of the government’s apology to African-Americans for slavery, the Reparations Movement was born. The movement was successful, checks were written to the descendants of slaves and the seeds for a new America were sown. Ten Square is one of the cities that emerged in "New America" and the life of the African-American community has been forever altered. We watch Roosevelt, a soldier duty bound to protect the new world order and a resident of Ten Square, negotiate his obligations to his lover, his family and his government.
Melanie Marnich’s play chronicles the real lives of women who worked at the Radium Dial Company in Ottawa, Illinois and their fiercely fought battle-as part of a class-action lawsuit-to hold the Radium Dial Company accountable for its negligence involving radium poisoning.
Thoroughly Modern Millie tells the humorous story of a young girl from Kansas who takes New York City by storm as she flaps, taps and Charlestons her way into the Roaring ‘20s. Millie experiences the hustle and bustle of Jazz Age Manhattan at a time when women were just entering the workforce and rewriting society’s rules. A funny, romantic story about following dreams and falling in love, Thoroughly Modern Millie was hailed as "a thoroughly delightful experience" by USA Today. The show features new hits including "I Turned the Corner,” "They Don't Know,” and "Long As I'm Here with You."
A treasure map discovered in a dead pirate’s sea-chest leads young Jim Hawkins on an expedition across the ocean to recover a fortune in plundered gold. Fair winds and favorable seas soon give way to mutiny, greed and the evil machinations of a one-legged scoundrel named Long John Silver. Join Jim on an unforgettable adventure to Skeleton Island, as he fights for his life - and the lives of his friends - in this legendary tale of piracy and heroism.
Is it all a game, or isn't it? Flirting between sexual fantasy and danger, acts of betrayal are turned upside down in these two short plays by Harold Pinter. Joyce Piven (Founder and Artistic Director Emeritus) returns to the stage to direct these two tales of sexual intrigue.
Written by the American actress Elizabeth Robins in 1906, Votes for Women! is an early feminist work that confronts how men sexually exploit women. The story’s heroines must not only open the eyes of their fellow female peers, but also must save men from their own dark nature. Votes for Women! is being presented in celebration of the 90th anniversary of women's suffrage in the U.S. Robins was noted for her feminist views and was a fan of playwright Henrik Ibsen, a fellow champion of women's rights. Robins was very active in the Women’s Suffrage Movement in England and wrote this play to further the cause in England and America.
Travel to Paris in 1923 for this gorgeous and incredibly funny portrait of legendary dancer Isadora Duncan. The so-called mother of modern dance is desperate to keep herself financially solvent and to realize her dream for retirement: the chance to inspire young dancers with her art. With a multi-lingual script of great heart and appeal, Sherman mixes the high comedy of a colorful cast of characters with a poignant view of the importance of the arts to move and inspire us. Through the eyes of those in Duncan’s life we glimpse her greatness and how she touched so many lives when she danced.
The Primordial Soup. 3,000,458,000 B.C. The world’s first family, a colony of salt-eating yeasts, float in the brine of the primordial soup under the rule of a tyrannical baritone. When resources deplete and fear pervades, the faith of a single-celled dreamer starts an evolutionary chain reaction that changes the course of existence forever. ATC brings together an all-star Chicago cast including Barbara Robertson, Gary Houston, Michael Mahler, Phil Ridarelli and many more. Here come the Yeasts!
Can your in-laws top the Sycamores? This family is excited to hear of daughter Alice's engagement to Wall Street heir Tony Kirby. However, Alice doesn't want to introduce Tony to her mother's bad plays, her father's hand-made fireworks, and her sister's horrible ballerina skills. As the two families get to know each other over dinner, disaster ensues causing Alice and Tony's engagement to be on the rocks. Can the ordinary and dull Kirbys learn to love the extraordinarily bizarre Sycamores? "You Can't Take It With You" is an uproarious tale of love and strange circumstances that shows why family is so important in this fast moving country.
The classic Mel Brooks movie is ALIVE! The sensational cast delivers favorite moments from the classic film, plus brand-new numbers for the stage. This inspired re-imagining of the Frankenstein legend follows bright young Dr. Frankenstein as he attempts to create a monster—but not without scary and hilarious complications. The brains behind the laughter is mad genius and three-time Tony Award-winner Mel Brooks who wrote the music and lyrics and co-wrote the book—along with his record-breaking team from The Producers.
