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THEATER Melissa Gilbert joins 'Rehab' cast with Dan Butler
Melissa Gilbert—an Emmy-winning and Golden Globe-nominated actor, director, producer and New York Times best-selling author known for her role on TV's Little House on the Prairie—will join the cast of the upcoming world premiere of When ...
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REVIEW Randy Rainbow tackles politics, shows talent at The Chicago Theatre
YouTube sensation Randy Rainbow brought The Pink Glasses Tour to The Chicago Theatre on Oct. 22. Best known for videos that parody musical numbers with a focus on politics, the heavily curated show began with a ...
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SHOWBIZ JoJo Siwa, Haring/Ortiz mural, Jamie Lee Curtis, Billy Porter
Dancing the foxtrot alongside partner Jenna Johnson to Olivia Newton John's "Look At Me, I'm Sandra Dee (Reprise)" for Dancing with the Stars' Grease night, 18-year-old social-media star JoJo Siwa received the season's first perfec ...
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Stage Left Theatre names new artistic director
Stage Left Theatre announced Bobbi Masters as its new artistic director. Masters has directed plays at theaters around the nation such as No Strings Theatre Company in Las Cruces, New Mexico (The Bald Soprano); and Kitchen ...
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THEATER E. Faye Butler to star in 'Fannie' Oct. 25-Nov. 14
Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St., will host the run of Cheryl L. West's Fannie (The Music and Life of Fannie Lou Hamer), which will run Oct. 25-Nov. 14. E. Faye Butler stars as U.S. civil-rights ...
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Hubbard Street Dance back on the stage with 'RE/TURN'
Hubbard Street Dance Chicago (HSDC) will present Fall Series: RE/TURN to herald its return to the stage at the Harris Theater, 205 E. Randolph St. The program will feature new premieres as well as audience favorites ...
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Lyric Opera presenting 'Florencia en el Amazonas' Nov. 13-28
During Nov. 13-28, Lyric Opera of Chicago will run the company premiere of Florencia en el Amazonas—the first Spanish-language work to be presented as part of Lyric's mainstage opera season. There will be evening performances on ...
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Theater review: This Wide Night
Title: This Wide Night. Playwright: Chloe Moss At: Shattered Globe Theatre/Interrobang Theatre Project at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave. Tickets: $25-$45; SGTheatre.org. Runs through: Nov. 13 The landlord calls ...
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MUSICALS 'Pretty Woman' tickets go on sale Oct. 15
After a pre-Broadway run in Chicago and being on Broadway, Pretty Woman: The Musical, based on one of Hollywood's most beloved romantic stories of all time, returns to Chicago. The production will run at the CIBC ...
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THEATER Broken Nose presenting looter drama 'Primer' Nov. 15-Dec. 5
Broken Nose Theatre, a pay-what-you-can theater company, will run the world premiere audio drama Primer, described in a release as "a deeply honest look at the prioritization of property over people. Ensemble member Spenser Davis wrote ...
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THEATER 'A Rocky Horror Picture Party' at The Den on Oct. 30-31
Haven is presenting Science Fiction / Double Feature: A Rocky Horror Picture Party—an immersive Halloween experience that brings to life in vivid technicolor the world of the cult-classic film—directed by ...
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THEATER Rivendell's '8:46' to run Oct. 21-23, stream Nov. 1
Rivendell Theatre Ensemble (RTE)—Chicago's only Equity theater dedicated to producing new work with women at the core—announced 8:46 (Breathing Room), a new play festival of four commissioned plays each eight ...
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COMEDY Janeane Garofalo at The Den Theatre on Nov. 19-20
The Den Theatre will present comedian Janeane Garofalo for four performances on Nov. 19-20 (at 7 and 9:30 p.m. each night) on The Heath Mainstage, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave. Garofalo has had many memorable and critically ...
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DRAG Utica Queen finds a home in Chicago
Ethan Mundt rose to fame as Utica Queen in season 13 of the Emmy-winning show RuPaul's Drag Race. Ultimately placing sixth in the competition, this young, gay 25-year-old showed creativity and personality. Mundt's latest project, Homecoming ...
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THEATER 'Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog' running through Nov. 6
Black Button Eyes Productions is welcoming back live audiences with the popular internet musical Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog—an authorized fan production to benefit the Chicago charity Season of Concern—playing through ...
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THEATER 'I'm Not A Comedian… I'm Lenny Bruce' returns Nov. 5
Theatre 68 and the Venus Cabaret Theater, 3745 N. Southport Ave., announced the return of the critically acclaimed production, I'm Not A Comedian… I'm Lenny Bruce, to Chicago beginning Friday, Nov. 5. Ronnie Marmo wrote and ...
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THEATER REVIEW Songs for Nobodies
Title: Songs for Nobodies. Playwright: Joanna Murray-Smith At: Northlight Theatre at the North Shore Center for the Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd. Tickets: $30-$89. Runs through: Sunday, Oct. 31 You won't find their names in the history ...
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Chicago Inclusion Project offers anti-racism workshops for arts organizations
--From a press release
Chicago, IL—The staff of The Chicago Inclusion Project is excited to launch a new workshop and continuum developed by staff members Jessica Vann and Arti Ishak. The workshop, entitled "Being Anti-Racist: An Active Action," is designed ...
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THEATER REVIEW: American Mariachi
Title: American Mariachi. Playwright: Jose Cruz Gonzalez At: Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St. Tickets: $25-$98; GoodmanTheatre.org. Runs through: Oct. 24 From the first moment, when a shrill "grito" proclaims the commencement of a Mariachi bolero, ...
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THEATER REVIEW Thirteen Days
Thirteen Days. adapted by Brian Pastor from the book by Robert F. Kennedy At: City Lit Theatre at Edgewater Presbyterian Church, 1030 West Bryn Mawr Ave., Tickets: $27-$32. Runs through: Oct. 24 Palace Intrigue has been ...
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THEATER 'The Last Pair of Earlies' running Oct. 27-Dec. 12 at Raven
Raven Theatre, Chicago's newest Equity-affiliated theatre, is welcoming back audiences this fall with the world premiere of Joshua Allen's The Last Pair of Earlies, directed by Wardell Julius Clark. This new drama—which follows the hardships ...
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Next OUTspoken 'Storytelling Night' Oct. 5
--From a press release
Six Chicagoans will tell compelling stories with a LGBTQ+ perspective when another OUTspoken "Storytelling Night" takes place Tuesday, Oct. 5, starting at 7 p.m., at Sidetrack Bar, 3349 N. Halsted St. All attendees must be masked ...
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THEATER 'Moulin Rouge!,' gay play 'The Inheritance' win top Tonys
Moulin Rouge! The Musical was the runaway winner at the Tony Awards on Sept. 26, snagging 10 awards. Among its honors were Best Musical, Best Performance By an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical ...
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THEATER REVIEW The Golden Girls: The Lost Episodes, Volume 5-SEX!
Title: The Golden Girls: The Lost Episodes, Volume 5—SEX! Playwright: David Cerda At: Hell In a Handbag Productions at the Leather Archives and Museum. Tickets: $27-$45. Runs through: HandbagProductions.org It could almost be the premise for ...
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THEATER Ex-'Jagged Little Pill' performers accuse production of anti-TGNC behavior
Two former cast members of Broadway's Jagged Little Pill—including Tony-nominated featured actress Celia Rose Gooding—released statements accusing the production of committing "harm to the trans and non-binary community, both onstage ...
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TimeLine Theatre Company announces 25th Anniversary Season
Video below--From a press release
Chicago, IL, September 24, 2021 — TimeLine Theatre Company, acclaimed for presenting plays that explore today's social and political issues through the lens of the past, is thrilled to announce that it will celebrate its 25th ...
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'Firebird' opens Reeling Chicago LGBTQ+ Internat'l Film Fest tonight
--From a press release
CHICAGO, Illinois — Tonight, the 39th annual Reeling: The Chicago LGBTQ+ International Film Festival invites audiences to enjoy an in-person pre-party and theater screening of 'Firebird' for Opening Night at the Music Box Theater. Director P ...
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THEATER Steppenwolf's 'Bug' running Nov. 11-Dec. 12
Steppenwolf Theatre Company will welcome audiences back for in-person performances for the first time in 20 months with its acclaimed revival of Bug by ensemble member Tracy Letts, in the Downstairs Theater on Nov. 11-Dec. 12. ...
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THEATER 'Hot Pink, or Ready to Blow' available for download
It's Pompeii meets Heathers as New American Folk Theatre continues its "season of audio theatre" with a new studio recording of its 2018 hit comedy Hot Pink, or Ready to Blow. The production was written by ...
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Congo Square Theatre Co. announces new Artistic Director Ericka Ratcliff
Congo Square Theatre Company, an African American theater company, announced that longtime company member Ericka Ratcliff will serve as its new artistic director, effective immediately. Ratcliff becomes only the fourth ...
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THEATER Steppenwolf presenting three Tracy Letts virtual works Sept. 29-Oct. 24
Leading up to ensemble member Tracy Letts' production Bug returning this November to Steppenwolf's Downstairs Theater, the company is bringing audiences a sampler of the playwright's voice to their homes with a trio of new virtual ...
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Frank Ferrante to return as 'Groucho' for one night
Actor/director Frank Ferrante returns to his internationally heralded stage performance for one night only in "An Evening With Groucho" on Tuesday, Oct. 26, at the Spiegeltent ZaZou, on the 14th floor of the Cambria Hotel Chicago ...
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THEATER Out actor Dan Butler to be in 'When Harry Met Rehab'
Don Clark, a Chicago-based film/theater producer as well as co-owner of the Chicago Magic Lounge, will present the world premiere of When Harry Met Rehab—a comedy that takes sobriety seriously and is based loosely on the ...
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Students urged to apply for Musical Theatre Awards
Broadway in Chicago is inviting high schools across Illinois to participate in the 11th Annual Illinois High School Musical Theatre Awards. These awards celebrate excellence in high school theater throughout the state. Beginning Thursday, Sept. 16, ...
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First Floor Theater announces 2021-22 season
--From a press release
CHICAGO, IL (Sept. 13, 2021) — First Floor Theater is excited to announce their ninth live-production season, featuring one world premiere and one Chicago premiere, along with a second round of The Blueprint Commission, it' new ...
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AstonRep Theatre Company announces 2021-22 season:
--From a press release
CHICAGO (Sept. 13, 2021) — AstonRep Theatre Company is pleased to welcome back live audiences this fall, kicking off with a revival of Yasmina Reza's frenetic dark comedy God of Carnage, translated by Christopher Hampton and ...
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THEATER 'Dear Mom, I'm Gay!' on Oct. 1-2
Dear Mom, I'm Gay!—a workshop of a new musical by David Dilsizian—is running at The Jarvis Square Theater, 1439 W. Jarvis Ave. It will take place at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 1; and 2 and ...
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Saint Sebastian Players to perform four shows during 40th season
--From a press release
The Saint Sebastian Players (SSP) announce the company is resuming live, in-person production with an expanded 40th Anniversary Season. The four-play lineup celebrates genres that have been popular with SSP ...
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Victory Gardens Theater announces plans for 2021-22 season
--From a press release
Chicago, IL— Victory Gardens Theater announces their 2021/2022 Season, which will be presented in-person at the Biograph Theater in Lincoln Park. The season will feature three mainstage productions: Queen of the Night by travis tate, the ...
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Broken Nose Theatre presenting Black LGBTQ drama 'Kingdom' Oct. 4-24
Broken Nose Theatre is launching its tenth season with an audio adaptation of its hit 2018 play Kingdom, written by resident playwright Michael Allen Harris and directed by Manny Buckley. Kingdom features ensemble members RjW Mays ...
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DANCE Ensemble Espanol to open Auditorium Theatre season Oct. 16
Ensemble Espanol Spanish Dance Theater, in residence at Northeastern Illinois University, will return to the Auditorium Theatre on Saturday, Oct. 16, at 7:30 p.m. The company will mark the finale performance of its 45th-anniversary "Zafiro Flamenco ...
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'Close-Up with Carmen' Sept. 9 at Center on Halsted
'Close-Up with Carmen'—about the intersection of drag and opera—will take place Thursday, Sept. 9, at 6 p.m. at the Hoover-Leppen Theatre at Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted St. During this event, participants will discuss cross-dressi ...
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THEATER Neo-Futurists' 'The Infinite Wrench' returns to the stage Sept. 18
Chicago's longest-running late-night show, The Neo-Futurists' The Infinite Wrench, kicks off the company's 2021-22 season of programming with a return to weekly in-person performances on Saturday, Sept. 18. The signature ...
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THEATER 'American Mariachi' at Goodman on Sept. 18-Oct. 24
Goodman Theatre is running American Mariachi—a new comedy about the freedom to dream big, written by Jose Cruz Gonzalez, directed by Goodman Resident Artistic Associate Henry Godinez and presented as part of Chicago Latino Theater Alliance's ...
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MUSIC Upcoming 'Carmen' featuring queer lead, male drag
On Sept. 16 and 18 at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph St., Chicago audiences will have the rare opportunity to hear two world-class dramatic mezzo-sopranos debut new roles opposite one another ...
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MUSICALS Highland Park Players to run 'Matilda' Sept. 24-Oct. 3
The Highland Park Players return to live theater with the Tony-winning musical Matilda The Musical! opening Sept. 24 and running through Oct. 3 at the Northbrook Theatre, 3323 Walters Ave., Northbrook. Performances are Sept. 24-25 and ...
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FALL THEATER PREVIEW All together In one room: Indoor theater returns
Expanded preview
Two years ago, September would have been greeted by a cluster of opening nights—sometimes as many as three overlapping the same evening—to signal the entrance of the bright-lights-and-glamour CHICAGO THEATER SEASON. This year is 2021, howeve ...
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MOVIES 'On Broadway' to open Sept. 10 in Highland Park
As theatergoers prepare for the return of Broadway after an unprecedented absence of 18 months, Kino Lorber is releasing Academy Award nominee Oren Jacoby's documentary On Broadway. The tribute to one of the most vibrant ...
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THEATER 'School Girls' serendipity for out performer & pageant contestant Ashley Crowe
Fact and fiction are intertwining for out performer Ashley Crowe. It's as if this moment in Crowe's life is being scripted by the late Italian playwright Luigi Pirandello, who is best known for Six Characters in ...
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THEATER REVIEW The Things I Could Never Tell Steven
The Things I Could Never Tell Steven. Playwright: Jye Bryant At: PrideArts Broadway. 4139 N. Broadway. Tickets: $30; PrideArts.org. Runs through: Sept. 19 Steven is missing, to begin with—not dead, like Marley; or imprisoned, like Edmond ...
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MUSICALS 'Beautiful' in Chicago on Nov. 2-7; tickets on sale Sept. 1
Producers Paul Blake and Sony/ATV Music Publishing announced that individual tickets for the Tony- and Gramm-winning Broadway hit Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, about the early life and career of ...
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Writers Theatre announces 2021-22 season
--From a press release
Glencoe, IL—Writers Theatre Executive Director Kathryn M. Lipuma and Interim Artistic Director Bobby Kennedy announce the company's 2021/22 four-play season and are excited to welcome patrons back in-person in December ...
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Next OUTspoken show Sept. 7
An OUTspoken Storytelling Night taking place Tuesday, Sept. 7, will offer tales told by six people who will relate their stories of fun and fortune from a LGBTQ+ perspective. The entertainment will start at 7 p.m. ...
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Chicagoland performing arts venues, producers unify around vaccination, masks
--From a press release
Chicago, IL (August 17, 2021) — The League of Chicago Theatres shared today that a growing coalition of more than 65 performing arts venues and producers across Chicagoland have agreed upon Covid-19 Vaccination and Mask Requirements ...
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THEATER New iteration of 'The Golden Girls' Sept. 16-Oct. 23
Hell in a Handbag Productions will welcome back audiences this fall with the return of Chicago's favorite drag seniors in its long-running parody The Golden Girls: The Lost Episodes, Vol. 5—SEX!, written by Artistic Director David ...
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Shattered Globe Theatre extends applications for Global Playwrite Series through Aug. 31
--From a press release
CHICAGO (August 16, 2021) — Shattered Globe Theatre has extended the application deadline for its Global Playwright Series (GPS) through Tuesday, August 31, 2021. GPS is a new play development ...
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THEATER 'Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992' running Sept. 11-26
Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre will stage Anna Deavere Smith's award-winning one-woman play Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 on Sept. 11-26 at Evanston's Noyes Cultural Arts Center, 927 Noyes St. "Twilight" will run Saturdays at 7 p.m. and Sundays at ...
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Congo Square Theatre Company announces 2021-22 season
--From a press release
CHICAGO—Congo Square Theatre Company (Congo Square), one of the nation's premier African American theater companies, is proud to announce its 2021-22 season, a robust and dynamic mix of online and in-person programming, running the gamut ...
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THEATER REVIEW Rent
Playwright: book, music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson At: Possibilities Theatre Company at NorthCenter Town Square, 4100 N. Damen Ave. Tickets: suggested donation $20; https://www.eventcombo.com/e/rent-43212 or ...
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Rent 25th Anniversary Farewell Tour Goes On Sale August 11
--From a press release
CHICAGO (August 5, 2021) — Broadway In Chicago is delighted to announce tickets for The RENT 25TH Anniversary Farewell Tour will go on sale on Wednesday, August 11. The RENT 25TH Anniversary Farewell Tour is the ...
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Chenoweth and Menzel to co-host 'Wicked in Concert' PBS special
PBS's Wicked in Concert special on Aug. 29 will be co-hosted by the musical's original Broadway stars, Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel, Deadline reported. The event is slated to feature performances by Mario Cantone, Gavin Creel, ...
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THEATER REVIEW School Girls; or, the African Mean Girls Play
Don't be fooled by the title. If you arrive at the Goodman Theatre expecting a cross-ethnic copy of the seminal 2004 Hollywood film involving spoiled, shallow, WASP-y suburban teenagers and their clueless parents, you won't find ...
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THEATER TimeLine announces leadership changes, new venue
TimeLine Theatre Company announced that Managing Director Elizabeth K. Auman will be transitioning her responsibilities away from day-to-day management of the company in order to focus exclusively on the project ...
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Neo-Futurists' The Infinite Wrench returns for weekly in-person shows
--From a press release
CHICAGO (August 3, 2021)—Chicago's longest running late-night show, The Neo-Futurists' The Infinite Wrench, returns for weekly in-person performances on Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021 (opening night Monday, Sept. 20), 19 months ...
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THEATER 'Intimate Apparel' surfaces in Utah after delayed Northlight staging
Some Chicago-area theaters plan to welcome back live audiences with shows that were physically on their stages at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown last year. That's not the case with Intimate Apparel at Northlight ...
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First-ever managing artistic director of Fine Arts Building named
Following a comprehensive national search, theater director and producer Jacob Harvey has been named the first-ever managing artistic director of the historic theaters at Chicago's Fine Arts Building at 410 S. Michigan Ave. Harvey returns to ...
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THEATER Proof of vaccination required to attend 'Teatro Zinzanni'
Randolph Entertainment, presenting Teatro ZinZanni in Chicago, announced that it will be requiring all guests older than 12 to show proof of vaccination to attend its dinner and performance. This requirement will apply to all performances ...
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About Face Theatre's 27th season to be produced at The Den Theatre beginning March
--From a press release
CHICAGO (July 27, 2021) — About Face Theatre is excited to announce its return to live, in-person theatre with its 27th season. Dedicated to telling queer stories that advance dialogue about gender and sexuality, AFT will ...
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Winifred Haun & Dancers announces 2021-22 season, return to live performances
--From a press release
Chicago & Oak Park, IL — Winifred Haun & Dancers will return to in person theater events and live programming for the upcoming 2021|22 Season. The Company will be presented at the Pritzker Pavilion, Ruth Page ...
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THEATER Sideshow offers residency, announces digital house parties
Sideshow Theatre Company announced it will be offering a nine-month artistic residency to Chicago-based playwright Preston Choi. Through the residency, Sideshow will provide Choi with artistic and dramaturgical support as ...
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OUTspoken storytelling to host six takes from LGBTQ+ perspective
--From a press release
The month of August is hot - but OUTspoken at the Sidetrack will be even hotter on Aug. 3 when six storytellers will tell tales of fun and fortune from a LGBTQ+ perspective! The program will start at 7:00 pm at ...
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SHOWBIZ Script contest, LGBTQ film, Lady Gaga, Showtime, out sprinter
GLAAD and The Black List—the writer-centric entity whose work includes its annual list, screenplay marketplace, writer labs, and film and television productions—announced plans for The 2021 GLAAD List, the third ...
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DANCE Deeply Rooted named to INFLUENCERS Cohort
Chicago's Deeply Rooted Dance Theater is one of five dance companies (and the only Midwestern one) named to the International Association of Blacks in Dance's (IABD's) INFLUENCERS Cohort for the 2021 COHI/MOVE program. The five ...
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Ravinia to unveil 'Bernstein's Answer' immersive theater experience
--From a press release
HIGHLAND PARK, IL—On Saturday, August 7, the Ravinia Festival and Jeffrey P. Haydon, its President and CEO, will officially unveil the Ravinia Music Box (RMB) and its immersive theater experience, titled Bernstein's Answer, and fully open ...
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THEATER 2nd Story announces first half of 2021-22 season
One of Chicago's longest-running storytelling collectives, 2nd Story, announced the first half of its 23rd season of programming for 2021-22. The season will feature nearly 30 world-premiere stories and storyteller debuts, as well as 20 of ...
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