This multi-disciplinary art piece inspired by the geographical area of southern Illinois called American Bottom begins life here as an experimental audio fiction, written in verse, performed by a full cast, and featuring original music and illustrations. Kevin disappeared in rural Illinois near the site of the Cahokia Mounds. American Bottom follows the thoughts of the people who knew him; unearthing the many layers of life and story connected to the place he called home.

Circo Hermanos Vazquez will be celebrating its 50th anniversary this year! Delivering their best show yet with a turbo-charged take on the traditional circus that's sure to thrill audiences of all ages. From graceful dancers and daring trapeze artists to a hilarious clown. This gasp-inducing performance gathers tons of amazing world known talent under the big top for a huge dose of family fun. Come and join the celebration with us!

Note: Circus Vazquez is at Westfield Old Orchard through June 21. It will be at Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg from June 25 - July 4. For tickets to the Woodfield Mall performance instead Click Here.

One of Shakespeare's hysterical comedies! Egeon travels to Ephesus with his son Antipholus and servant, Dromio. Antipholus learns that he has a twin brother, separated from him at birth and assumed lost at sea during a shipwreck in his infanthood. The other set of twins, also named Antipholus and Dromio, live in Ephesus, and the new arrivals cause a series of hilarious incidents of mistaken identity.

A Royal Wedding is looming. The Duchess and The Soon-to-be-Duchess are meeting face-to-face for the first time to go over everything you ever needed to know to become a duchess. There are rules. There's a way of doing things. Remember, everybody is watching. And you don't want to know what happens if you step out of line. Duchess! Duchess! Duchess! looks at the hidden costs of being the "luckiest girl in the world."

You're gonna want to sit down for this news. We're warming up the bentwood chairs and ready to invite you back inside our theater! Join humans on stage making humans in the audience laugh as we toast being together again. Our Mainstage performances are a celebration of our resilience, our relationships, and our mutual need to get back into the habit of making eye contact. We've been pushed apart both physically and politically for way too long...now it's time to enjoy some good, clean (or at the very least...ultra-hygienic) togetherness.

A groundbreaking audio adaptation of I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, a Chicago story about family, community and coming together even when that feels impossible. Julia, a Chicago high school student, navigates the trials and tribulations of following her dreams of becoming a writer alongside the death of her sister, Olga-who might not have been quite as perfect as she seemed. Author of the novel Erika L. Sanchez has created an indelible protagonist in student Julia Reyes, who searches for her truest self while navigating the struggles of adolescence-depression, grief, self-doubt-in addition to the anxieties unique to a child of immigrants with a foot in two very different worlds. Julia is torn between a future limited by the same socioeconomic forces that curtail the opportunities open to her parents and her fervent ambitions to seek a more expansive life for herself as a writer.

The world-premiere staging of James DeVita's new play, told largely in Shakespeare's own words. It's plague time, and Shakespeare's characters are out of sorts (and out of work). Several of our favorites reunite at The Boar's Head Tavern to celebrate life, and ruminate on the state of the world.

KICKBACK is an online festival of original plays and performances that highlights the intersection of queerness and Blackness in all its beauty and glory. When just being alive and living your best life is an act of rebellion, it's time to turn up the music and make some noise! About Face Theatre has commissioned a cohort of Black LGBTQ+ artists to create new works in conversation with Rebuild Foundation's extensive collection of African-American art and cultural artifacts. This bold online performance series will be an unapologetic celebration of Black lives now and through the ages.

Join Music Theater Works for an evening filled with beloved hits from the 50s and 60s. This flashback performance features the songs made famous by iconic names like Buddy Holly, The Supremes, Aretha Franklin, The Beatles, The Temptations, and many others. This concert is guaranteed to bring a smile to your face, helping audiences remember some favorite music memories from the past and introducing these artists and hits to a new generation.

Famed third-generation magician, Dennis Watkins, is taking his one-of-a-kind magical experience The Magic Parlour online for a completely new virtual offering dubbed "The Magic Parlour at Home." The new virtual magic show, designed for group and family viewings, will offer multiple performances every Friday and Saturday evening in July. After the roaring success of several livestreams hosted on The Magic Parlour's Facebook page, Watkins developed "The Magic Parlour at Home" to dazzle audiences with new and interactive magic and mindreading available directly on their screens.

Ghostlight Ensemble brings back its popular Make/Believe festival in 2021 with six short plays by playwrights from around the country to be presented virtually in June. This curated festival features a mix of short plays by local and out-of-state playwrights that were written for audiences 10 and under, but which are also meant to be enjoyed by all ages.

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.

THIS NEWS MIGHT REQUIRE ALL-CAPS. The Second City's favorite lower-case stage is back, live and in-person! Join our raring-to-go cast of comedians for this laugh-packed adventure. From improv games to classic sketches from the archives, this experience is a great way for us all to laugh our way into the new normal. We can't wait to welcome you back to The Second City e.t.c, where laughs (and masks!) are mandatory.

The red folder belongs to a first grader. It is the source of all his woes. Years later, he seeks vengeance.

The scene is the ornate, deserted Victorian boathouse on the Talley place in Lebanon, Missouri; the time 1944. Towards the end of World War II and after a year of writing love letters, Matt Friedman, a bookish, totally honest, and delightfully funny accountant and Jewish immigrant, returns to Lebanon, Missouri, to ask Sally to marry him. Sally, a 31-year-old nurse, is nothing like her conservative Protestant family and neighbors who would never approve of their marriage and is reluctant to put her trust in a future with Matt. After years of giving up on love, the two begin to imagine the possibilities of having a life together. This show will take place in a new outdoor venue located at St. David's Episcopal Church at 2410 Glenview Road in Glenview.

The sinking of the RMS Titanic has long been studied for its historical significance and unmistakable hubris. A survivors' story fraught with intrigue, Owen McCafferty's Titanic (Scenes from the British Wreck Commissioner's Inquiry, 1912) tells the story using verbatim testimonies from witnesses of the wreck. What emerges is a startling portrait of class, chaos, and moral ambiguity. Vanessa Stalling (Jeff Award-winning director of Photograph 51 and United Flight 232) brings her singular artistry to McCafferty's text. Leveraging audio technology, she and her team will create an expansive soundscape that allows the testimonies of each individual to resonate with audiences through a heightened, visceral experience that pushes the boundaries of design and theatrical performance. A digital version will be available to stream for patrons who do not yet wish to attend in person.

It's Christmas Eve and a group of Wally World employees are about to lose it. On the one day of the year the mega-department superstore is supposed to close its doors, secrets come to life that may destroy more than their holiday cheer. Their manager Andy is doing everything in her power to keep her store in line and her employees in check. But can hard truths from her past ruin everything she's ever worked for? Wally World is a festive, poignant examination of finding magic in the mundane as ten employees do everything, they can to find purpose in a place that has never seen purpose in them.