Four (very) well-intentioned theatre people walk into an elementary school. The work at hand: a Thanksgiving pageant that won't ruffle any feathers. What could possibly go wrong? In MacArthur Genius Larissa Fasthorse's skewering and satirical comedy, well, just about everything. Rambunctious, thorny and not altogether politically correct, The Thanksgiving Play serves up the hypocrisies of woke America on a big, family-style platter. Come get ya some.

Far from a Shakespearean tale, Ekman's 'Midsummer Night's Dream' is a mind-bending trip to a surreal realm of unearthly delights. Set during the traditional Scandinavian summer solstice festival, dancers celebrate a day of revelry and romance under the maypole, which soon unravels into an otherworldly dream. Ekman's picturesque fusion of classical and contemporary ballet blurs the line between the real and the imagined and makes us wonder, is it all a dream?

Mike Birbiglia is a comedian, writer, director, and actor who has performed his award-winning solo shows worldwide--from the Sydney Opera House to the West End of London to Broadway. His five solo shows Sleepwalk With Me, My Girlfriend's Boyfriend, Thank God For Jokes, The New One, and The Old Man & The Pool enjoyed successful runs on and off Broadway and became hit Netflix comedy specials. The shows merge storytelling and comedy in a way that The New York Times has called "Birbiglian." Birbiglia also wrote, directed, and starred in the films Sleepwalk with Me and Don't Think Twice. As an actor, Birbiglia has appeared in the films Trainwreck, The Fault in Our Stars, Popstar, A Man Called Otto as well as TV roles in Orange Is the New Black and Billions. He hosts the podcast Mike Birbiglia's Working It Out.

Best known as the star and executive producer of the hit series, THE CARBONARO EFFECT which ran for over 100 episodes on truTV and can now be seen on HBOMax, Michael Carbonaro is once again entertaining audiences around the country with his brand-new tour CARBONARO: LIES ON STAGE. A performing magician since his youth, Carbonaro went on to study experimental theater at New York University with the aspirations of entertaining audiences through a variety of theatrical mediums, including hidden-camera magic, which he later showcased frequently on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno."

Shakespeare’s classic tragedy in an intimate, in-the-round setting. Ashley Fox leads a knockout cast in a production that invites audiences to get up close and personal with their ghosts.

A captivating stageplay written by Veronica F. Franklin, takes the spotlight. Set against the backdrop of love, hope, and redemption, this gripping tale follows a couple on the verge of marriage as they confront their past to secure their future. Will their love endure the trials of doubt and faith? Prepare for a rollercoaster of emotions—from laughter to tears to empathy—as the drama unfolds, promising an unforgettable theatrical experience.

Thomas Middleton’s 1621 psychosexual revenge tragedy tells the story of the devastating effects of the patriarchy on an entire society. A captivating and clever widow, Livia, orchestrates the futures of two young women and sets in motion a wicked game of subversion and deceit. But when the mastermind breaks with social convention herself, she finds out how far the men around her will go to constrict her autonomy. In this new queer feminist take, the lacerating personal narration of two surreal transfemme drag queens frames Middleton’s timeless tale, rushing it into the here and now. Smith and Bhandari’s original adaptation dives deep, excavating the social frameworks of gender violence and the gender of violence, as the story hurtles towards a devastating and outrageous new ending for our modern times.

A desperate woman seeks help from an upper-middle class family residing in a remote area. They reluctantly allow her to enter. Once inside, obscure motives are revealed in this suspenseful comedic-thriller, where doing the right thing can go horribly wrong.

An independent, single mother who owns a small hotel on an idyllic Greek island, Donna is about to let go of Sophie, the spirited daughter she's raised alone. For Sophie's wedding, Donna has invited her two lifelong best girlfriends-practical and no-nonsense Rosie and wealthy, multi-divorcee Tanya - from her one-time backing band, Donna and the Dynamos. But Sophie has secretly invited three guests of her own. On a quest to find the identity of her father to walk her down the aisle, she brings back three men from Donna's past to the Mediterranean paradise they visited 20 years earlier. Over 24 chaotic, magical hours, new love will bloom and old romances will be rekindled on this lush island full of possibilities. Inspired by the storytelling magic of ABBA's songs from "Dancing Queen" and "S.O.S." to "Money, Money, Money" and "Take a Chance on Me," MAMMA MIA! is a celebration of mothers and daughters, old friends and new family found.

Since its sell out in London's West End, 'The Simon & Garfunkel Story' is now the World's leading theatre show concerning Simon & Garfunkel featuring a full live band and state of the art video projection and lighting. The show includes all of their hits, including 'Mrs. Robinson', 'Cecilia', 'Bridge Over Troubled Water', 'Homeward Bound' and many more. With more than 100 million album sales since 1965, Simon & Garfunkel's perfect harmonies and songs that poignantly captured the times made them one of the most successful folk-rock duos of all time. Over the years, they won 10 Grammy Awards and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990. In 1977, their Bridge Over Troubled Water album was nominated at the 1977 Brit Awards for Best International Album. In 2003, Simon and Garfunkel were awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and the following year saw their "The Sound of Silence" awarded a Grammy Hall of Fame Award.

Madeline Ashton is the most beautiful actress (just ask her) ever to grace the stage and screen. Helen Sharp is the long-suffering author (just ask her) who lives in her shadow. They have always been the best of frenemies... until Madeline steals Helen's fiance away. As Helen plots revenge and Madeline clings to her rapidly fading star, their world is suddenly turned upside down by Viola Van Horn, a mysterious woman with a secret that's to die for. After one sip of Viola's magical potion, Madeline and Helen begin a new era of life (and death) with their youth and beauty restored... and a grudge to last eternity.

Panther in the Sky is a new play about four mothers who lost their teenage sons to gun violence on the streets of Chicago and the sons who watch over them, guiding them to take action.

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

Pushed to the boiling point, three female coworkers concoct a plan to get even with the sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot they call their boss. In a hilarious turn of events, Violet, Judy, and Doralee live out their wildest fantasy - giving their boss the boot! While Hart remains "otherwise engaged," the women give their workplace a dream makeover, taking control of the company that had always kept them down. Hey, a girl can scheme, can't she?

By the creator and executive producer of the Amazon series Outer Range, Brian Watkins, BTE's production is the world premiere! Directed by Kurt Naebig. Granddad is gone. No elegies. No dirges. No dowries. It all goes in the grave. But three sisters can't forget what's buried when an impossible discovery upends their notions of loss, and gets the women asking: who among us has been digging?

It's 1979 in dangerous, smoky, glorious New York City. Our story's red-headed protagonist Li'l Orphan Arnie (Dakota Hughes) is fleeing from the guardianship of a sex-starved, meth-cooking madwoman (Sydney Genco*). Out on the streets, they befriend a slinky dancing cat (Matty Bettencourt), who leads them to a magical manhole, transporting them back in time to Paris, France in 1815. Trading in one poverty-plagued lifestyle for another, Arnie gives up the desire to find their parents and joins forces with a gang of pick-pocketing prostitutes, led by the mysterious Fagin (David Cerda*).

Annual festival of new of new one act plays, this year celebrating the theme “Face to Face.” These seven one-acts plays are each built around an intense interaction between two people and will highlight moment-to-moment acting in an intimate theater space. The show runs as one program, with the seven plays back-to-back, running approximately 90 minutes. Five are world premieres and two are Chicago premieres.