Items filtered by date: July 2026

Metropolis Performing Arts Centre, located in the heart of downtown Arlington Heights, 111 W. Campbell St., is proud to announce the cast and creative team for The Wizard of Oz, July 8 - August 9. The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum with music and lyrics by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg. Background music by Herbert Stothart. Dance and vocal arrangements by Peter Howard. Orchestration by Larry Wilcox. Adapted by John Kane for the Royal Shakespeare Company. Based upon the classic motion picture owned by Turner Entertainment Co. and distributed in all media by Warner Bros. Directed and choreographed by Tor Campbell and music directed by Sharon Mason. Previews are Wednesday, July 8 through Friday, July 10 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, July 11 at 2 p.m. The regular performance schedule is Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 2 and 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m., with added matinee performances on Thursday, July 16 and Thursday, July 30 at 2 p.m. The performance on Saturday, July 18 at 2 p.m. will be closed captioned and the performance on Thursday, July 23 at 7:30 p.m. will be ASL interpreted. There will also be a sensory-friendly performance on Saturday, August 8 at 2 p.m. Tickets are now on sale from $25 to $49 at MetropolisArts.com or by calling the box office at 847.577.2121.

Audiences are invited to join The Cowardly Lion, Scarecrow, Tin Man, Dorothy... and Toto, too, as they follow the yellow brick road in search of their heart's desires. For the first time on Metropolis' Main Stage, L. Frank Baum's tale comes to life in this extraordinary story of heart, friendship, courage and belonging. This adaptation contains all of the Oscar-winning songs from the movie, including "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and "We're Off To See The Wizard," all while reminding audiences that there is no place like home.

In addition to the company of professional artists, summer class students from the Metropolis School of the Performing Arts, will be a part of the Munchinkin troupe. Metropolis School of Performing Arts was awarded the Illinois Theatre Association's 2025 Award of Excellence in Creative Drama/Theatre for Young Audiences. The school was also the recipient of the 2025 Nonprofit of the Year Award from the Arlington Heights Chamber of Commerce.

The cast of The Wizard of Oz includes Nora Wragg (Dorothy Gale); David Omari (Tin Man/Hickory); Nolan Robinson (Scarecrow/Hunk); Jake Elkins (Lion/Zeke); Genevieve Thiers (Gulch/Wicked Witch); Gabe Fries (Wizard/Prof Marvel); Danielle Spence (Glinda/Aunt Em); Joe Giovannetti (Uncle Henry/Guard); Rachel Arianna (ensemble, U/S Gulch/Wicked Witch); Andrew John Baker (ensemble, U/S Lion/Zeke); Corey Barlow (ensemble, U/S Scarecrow/Hunk); Kiana Beverly (ensemble); Ben Harmon (ensemble, U/S Wizard/Prof Marvel); Beck Hokanson (ensemble, U/S Uncle Henry/Guard); Emmett Knee (ensemble, U/S Tin Man/Hickory); Rebecca Mactaggart (ensemble, dance captain, U/S Glinda/Aunt Em); Lily Ramras (ensemble, U/S Dorothy); Gracie Scullion (ensemble); Angelena Browne (swing); Edward Nadenichek (swing) and Cali Spence (Toto).

The Wizard of Oz's creative team is Tor Campbell (director and choreographer); Sharon Mason (music director); Lena Romano (assistant director); Zak Jacobs (assistant choreographer); Matt Carney (casting director); Abby Truett (stage manager); Mack Finklea (assistant stage manager); Alyssa Mohn (scenic designer); Sierra Walker (lighting designer); Forrest Gregor (sound designer); David Moreland (technical director); Theresa Ham (costume designer); TBD (wig, hair and makeup designer); Kaitlyn Hettinger (props designer) and Tony Churchill (projections designer).

ABOUT TOR CAMBELL, DIRECTOR and CHOREOGRAPHER

Tor Cambell is an award-winning director, choreographer, educator and creative producer whose work centers storytelling, humanity and transformational theatrical experiences. A native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Cambell has spent nearly two decades directing, choreographing and teaching across the country and internationally, developing a reputation for emotionally rich, visually dynamic work that bridges spectacle with heart.

Cambell recently joined Interlochen Center for the Arts as the new program director of Musical Theatre while continuing his work as a freelance director and choreographer throughout the country. Recent directing and choreography credits include Covenant and A Christmas Carol at Goodman Theatre, Cabaret at Clarence Brown Theatre, The Full Monty, Hairspray, Seussical, The Prom and Sweat. He previously served as the Northwestern Directing Fellow at Goodman Theatre in Chicago and has worked professionally with organizations including Paramount Theatre, Northlight Theatre, Northwestern University. Lake Forest College, University of California Irvine and Juilliard.

ABOUT SHARON MASON, MUSIC DIRECTOR

Sharon Mason is a Chicago-based music director, educator, administrator and arts leader with more than 45 musical productions to her credit across community, educational, and professional theatre settings. Known for her collaborative leadership style and commitment to artistic excellence, Mason has served as music director for productions including Gypsy, The Addams Family, Godspell 2012, Guys and Dolls, Legally Blonde, Matilda, Footloose, The Producers, Something Rotten, Sister Act, Little Women and Seussical. Her work spans organizations including the Beverly Theatre Guild, Palos Village Players, Lake Forest Academy and other regional theatre companies. She has been described as a vital part of teams producing high-quality local musical theater. 

ABOUT METROPOLIS PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE
Metropolis Performing Arts Centre is a vibrant cultural hub that enriches the community through inspiring live performances, creative arts education and impactful partnerships. It fosters artistic excellence, cultivates multi-generational connections and offers inclusive experiences that engage and uplift all community members. Located in the heart of downtown Arlington Heights, Metropolis is not just a theatre, it is the cultural pulse of the area, surrounded by premier shopping, dining and nightlife. Metropolis offers a dynamic year-round season of professional theatre, comedy, concerts and cabaret performances along with engaging arts education for ages 3 to 85 years old. Serving more than 65,000 patrons annually from across Chicagoland and beyond, Metropolis plays a pivotal role in the community. It provides arts education programs that support thousands of aspiring young artists, as well as community engagement initiatives like the Third Act Players (musical theatre for thespians over 50), Crescendo Chorus (for singers over 55), Flourish in the Footlights (for young artists with disabilities) and Clearbrook on Cue (for artists with disabilities). Metropolis is proud to partner with local organizations such as Endeavor Health, Arlington Heights Senior Center and Clearbrook. Scholarships are available for students at the School of the Performing Arts to ensure access to the arts for all.

Metropolis Performing Arts Centre, located in the heart of downtown Arlington Heights, 111 W. Campbell St., is proud to announce the cast and creative team for The Wizard of Oz, July 8 - August 9. The Wizard of Oz is adapted by John Kane, music by Harold Arlen, lyrics by E.Y. Harburg and directed and choreographed by Tor Campbell and music directed by Sharon Mason Previews are Wednesday, July 8 through Friday, July 10 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, July 11 at 2 p.m. The regular performance schedule is Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 2 and 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m., with added matinee performances on Thursday, July 16 and Thursday, July 30 at 2 p.m. The performance on Saturday, July 18 at 2 p.m. will be closed captioned and the performance on Thursday, July 23 at 7:30 p.m. will be ASL interpreted. There will also be a sensory-friendly performance on Saturday, August 8 at 2 p.m. Tickets are now on sale from $25 to $49 at MetropolisArts.com or by calling the box office at 847.577.2121.

No Dogs in the Kitchen Theatre is thrilled to continue its third season with The Importance of Being Earnest, written by Oscar Wilde and directed by Genevieve Corkery. "The Importance of Being Earnest" will play July 9-26 at Facility Theatre in Chicago. Tickets are now on sale at nodogsinthekitchen.org. Press is encouraged to join on opening night, July 9. The cast includes Garrett Wiegel, Gus Thomas, Michaela Voit, Jasmine Luethy, David Lovejoy, Gretchen Kimmeth, and Mitch Karmis.

This "trivial comedy for serious people" is just the antidote for our trying times. First performed in 1895 and featuring broadly witty waggery, memorable characters, and mistaken identities, "The Importance of Being Earnest" is Oscar Wilde's most enduringly popular play. The farce focuses on two bachelors who invent fake personas to escape their social obligations. Romantic complications and hilarious revelations about true identities and the insignificance of marriage and reputation ensues.

The production team includes Sara Corkery (Assistant Director), Kasia Olechno (Stage Manager), Eric Edstrom (Assistant Stage Manager), Grace Patterson (Intimacy Coordinator / Sound Designer), Tom Fitzmaurice (Tech Director / Scenic Designer), Eli Green (Lighting Designer), Emma Millisor (Costume Designer), Joan Starkey (Dramaturg), Sydney Clayton and Alix Burhardt (Wardrobe / Production Assistants), Lilly Caines (Scenic / Production Assistant), and Jeff Landsman (Producer).

Production Details:
Title: The Importance of Being Earnest
Playwright: Oscar Wilde
Director: Genevieve Corkery
Cast (in alphabetical order): David Lovejoy (Lady Bracknell), Garrett Wiegel (Jack), Gretchen Kimmeth (Miss Prism), Gus Thomas (Algernon), Jasmine Luethy (Cecily), Michaela Voit (Gwendolen), and Mitch Karmis (Lane).
Location: Facility Theatre (1138 N California Ave., Chicago, IL 60622)
Dates: Regular Run: July 9 through July 26, 2026
Curtain Times: Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30pm, Saturdays at 3pm and 7pm, and Sundays at 1pm and 5pm.
Press performance: Press are encouraged to attend opening weekend.
Tickets: $35 Adult, $25 Student/Senior. Tickets are currently available at nodogsinthekitchen.org.

About the Artists
Oscar Wilde Born in Ireland in 1854, Oscar Wilde grew to become one of the most famous and well-regarded writers of his time. Outside of his dramatic work, Wilde published poems, political essays, and one novel: The Picture of Dorian Gray. Wilde's work is often viewed within the context of Aestheticism, a movement in which he was a key participant and remains a quintessential example of. Other plays include An Ideal Husband and Lady Windermere’s Fan.

Genevieve Corkery
As a lifelong theatre-lover and Chicagoland native, Genevieve (she/her) is thrilled and lucky to be creating work in the city she calls home. After graduating from Tulane University in 2022, Genevieve returned to Chicago to begin making a name for herself. Over the past three years, she has been lucky to work with Big Noise Theatre, Impostors Theatre Co., Metropolis Performing Arts Centre, The Marriott Theatre, and Trap Door Theatre, where she is an associate ensemble member. She has trained with Susan Hart Shakespeare, The Artistic Home, and The Annoyance. Genevieve is a co-Artistic Director of No Dogs in the Kitchen Theatre Company, where she has had the privilege of directing Airswimming, and performing in The Wolves. When not singing, performing, directing, writing, or tooting on her bassoon, she enjoys watching Classical Hollywood Cinema, going for long walks around the city, eating peanut butter, changing her hair color, and cosplaying as a real young professional on her laptop at local coffee shops. She is proudly represented by Gray Talent Group.

About No Dogs in the Kitchen Theatre
Joining the robust, proud tradition of Chicago storefront theatre so late in the game is no mean feat. Luckily, there is no “too late” in the theatre. In an art form that is constantly changing and growing, the conversation never concludes. We hope to assert our unique vision for what live performance can and should be, which stories and voices deserve to be highlighted, and what meaningful change we can effect with our work. While developing our artistic direction and focus, we explore texts that are political, absurd, controversial, and thought-provoking. We seek out  obscure or rarely produced texts that we believe should be well known, new texts that we can develop in unprecedented ways, and old texts that we can revive with some creative reimagining to speak to the current moment. In the ephemeral, ever-threatened and endlessly evolving performing arts, we believe it is important to draw from our rich roots, consciously engage with our present reality, and work towards shaping a more inclusive and sustainable future.

For additional information, visit https://nodogsinthekitchen.org/importance-of-being-earnest

Following is critically acclaimed productions of Sweeney Todd and Into the Woods, Kokandy Productions once again celebrates the great Stephen Sondheim with a revival of his stunning masterpiece Sunday in the Park with George, the first Chicago storefront production in over 15 years! This beloved musical will play August 13 – November 1, 2026 in the intimate Chopin Downstairs Studio, 1543 W. Division St. in Chicago. Tickets are on sale now at kokandyproductions.com or bit.ly/SundayChicago. 

Directed and choreographed by Producing Artistic Director Derek Van Barham with music direction by Nick Sula, Sunday in the Park with George features a book by James Lapine with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Casting will be announced shortly.

About the Production

Inspired by the painting, "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte" by Georges Seurat, Sunday in the Park with George merges past and present into beautiful, poignant truths about life, love and the creation of art. One of the most acclaimed musicals of our time, this moving study of the enigmatic painter, Georges Seurat, won a Pulitzer Prize and was nominated for an astounding ten Tony Awards, including Best Musical.

"Sunday in the Park with George was one of the first shows I pitched to direct when interviewing to join the company back in 2018," says Producing Artistic Director Derek Van Barham. "It's almost a decade later and we're finally visiting this astonishing masterpiece. It feels like the right time. The show offers us a chance to reflect on what we've been creating and to look forward at what we still hope to achieve – both as a company and as individual artists. Sunday reminds us not to linger too much on the future or the past, but to focus on the present moment, to connect with each other in real space and time. What a gift that will be. What a gift it is to be together in a room, taking in a piece of art, having communal and singular experiences at the same time."

The production team includes Rachel Sypniewski (Costume Design), G "Max" Maxin IV (Lighting Design), Matt Reich (Sound Design), Syd Genco (Makeup Design), Keith Ryan (Wig and Hair Design), Shane Roberie (Casting Director), Nicholas Reinhart (Production Manager), Kendyl Meyer (Stage Manager), Ethan Colish (Assistant Stage Manager), Michael Coppola (Stage Management Intern), Scot Kokandy (Executive Producer) and Derek Van Barham (Producing Artistic Director).

PRODUCTION DETAILS:

Title: Sunday in the Park with George

Book: James Lapine

Music & Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim

Director and Choreographer: Producing Artistic Director Derek Van Barham

Music Director: Nick Sula

Location: Chopin Downstairs Studio, 1543 W. Division St., Chicago

Dates: Previews: Thursday, August 13 – Friday, August 28, 2026

Regular run: Sunday, August 30 – Sunday, November 1, 2026

Curtain Times: Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7 pm; Sundays at 5 pm.

Tickets: Previews $28.52* general admission, $39.19* reserved seating. Regular run $55.20* general admission, $65.87* reserved seating. Students/seniors $44.52*. There will be a limited number of lower-priced tickets (with code ARTIST) available to artists for each performance. Tickets are on sale now at kokandyproductions.com or bit.ly/SundayChicago. *Ticket prices include processing fees

Sunday in the Park with George is presented through

special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI).

About the Artists

Derek Van Barham (Director and Choreographer) is the Producing Artistic Director of Kokandy Productions. Directing credits include Children of Eden in Concert (Broadway In Chicago), Jekyll & Hyde (BIC/Kokandy), Amélie, Into the Woods, Alice by Heart, Sweeney Todd, American Psycho, Head Over Heels (4 Jeff Awards and 3 Jeff nominations, Kokandy); Spring Awakening (Flint Rep); Rock of Ages (Metropolis); The View Upstairs (Circle Theatre); Miracle by Dan Savage, Poseidon (Hell in a Handbag) Natasha Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812, Carrie, Bat Boy, Merrily We Roll Along (CCPA/Roosevelt University). Choreography credits include Evil Dead (Jeff nomination), Coraline the Musical, Ghost Quartet and Shockheaded Peter (Black Button Eyes). He was previously named one of Windy City Times' 30 Under 30, and one of Newcity Magazine's 50 Players 2024 and 2026. MFA: CCPA/Roosevelt University. IG: @dvbarham

Nick Sula (Music Director) is an award-winning pianist and music director, proud to return to Kokandy Productions and the Chopin Theatre where he served as music director for the Jeff Award-winning productions of Jekyll & Hyde (Jeff Award for Outstanding Music Direction), Sweeney Todd (Jeff Award for Outstanding Music Direction), Into the Woods (Jeff Awards for Outstanding Music Direction and Orchestrations) and the Chicago Musical Theatre Festival. Other Chicago theatre music direction credits include: Octet (Raven Theatre); Anything Goes (Porchlight Music Theatre); Ghost Quartet (Black Button Eyes Productions). As a professor of musical theatre he serves as a music director, instructor and vocal coach at the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University.

About Kokandy Productions

Founded in 2010, Kokandy Productions seeks to leverage the heightened reality of musical theatre to tell complex and challenging stories, with a focus on contributing to the development of Chicago-based musical theatre artists, and raising the profile of Chicago's non-Equity musical theatre community.

The company's artistic staff is comprised of Derek Van Barham (Producing Artistic Director), Scot Kokandy (Executive Producer) and Adrian Abel Azevedo & Leda Hoffman (Artistic Associates). The Board of Directors includes Preston Cropp, Scot T. Kokandy, Danielle Sparklin and Katie Svaicer. 

For additional information, visit kokandyproductions.com. 

Some theatrical experiences ask you to sit back and watch. "The Last Word" invites you to pull up a chair, have a cocktail, and tumble headfirst into a delightfully strange fever dream about life, death, friendship, and a very famous green liqueur.

Its title refers both to a classic cocktail and to the screenplay at the center of the evening, and the two become intertwined in ways that are clever, surprising, and ultimately moving. The story revolves around Chartreuse, the legendary French liqueur whose closely guarded recipe is known by only two monks at any given time. When Mike discovers one of those monks dying in the woods and is entrusted with the only known copy of the recipe, he faces an impossible choice: return it to the monastery or risk everything to preserve it himself.

Presented as a live screenplay reading, "The Last Word" (at the iO Theater on Kingsbury) cleverly blurs the line between stage play and film script. Plays are meant to be heard; screenplays are meant to be seen. It takes a special kind of theatrical imagination to make a screenplay reading compelling. Fortunately, this production understands that challenge and embraces it. Through lighting effects, sound design, music, and a constant sense of playful invention, the audience is encouraged to visualize the movie unfolding in their minds.

The evening begins with audience members seated around a long table draped in green, scripts spread out before them, and a bottle of Chartreuse placed prominently center stage like a sacred relic. As the cast settles in and begins reading, we gradually discover who these characters are and the wild journey ahead.

A great deal of credit belongs to host and narrator Declan Grogan, who guides the audience through the evening with infectious enthusiasm. Between the screenplay's four acts, Grogan pauses the action to introduce a specially crafted cocktail inspired by that portion of the story.

The first act is paired with a Chartreuse Swizzle, a bright tropical concoction made with gin, that eases the audience into the tale. The second act features a Green drink made with homemade herbal clove liqueur whose complexity mirrors the increasingly mysterious turns of the plot. A Bijou, rich and blood red, accompanies the third act as the story deepens and the stakes become more profound. Finally, the evening concludes with the iconic Last Word, the cocktail that inspired both the title and much of the play's thematic spirit. Grogan's descriptions are delivered with such enthusiasm and detail that even audience members unfamiliar with mixology may find themselves suddenly fascinated by botanical spirits, obscure liqueurs, and the mystical allure of Chartreuse itself.

The cast—James Cullinane, Rachel Thomas, Declan Grogan, Claire Glennon, Spencer Gallagher, Colleen Grogan, and Liam Mahon—fully commits to the material's offbeat humor and emotional sincerity. What initially appears to be an eccentric comedy gradually reveals deeper themes about mortality, legacy, and the connections we leave behind.

One of the evening's most unusual choices involves video montages featuring the loved ones of cast members speaking about their affection and appreciation for the cast member. At first, the device feels unexpected, even a little puzzling. Yet by the final scene, its purpose becomes crystal clear. The production's emotional threads suddenly converge, and what seemed odd earlier becomes genuinely beautiful.

In the end, "The Last Word" asks a deceptively simple question: We will all have a last word. What will yours be? The answer arrives not through grand speeches but through shared experiences, laughter, friendship, and perhaps a perfectly balanced cocktail. This is an inventive, heartfelt, and thoroughly unique theatrical experience that l have to experience again.

Highly Recommended
When: The Last Friday of the month - June 26, July 31, August 28
Where: iO Theater, 1501 N. Kingsbury St. Chicago
Tickets: $50 general admission (Drink Package)
$20 general admission designated driver
Info: https://www.thelastwordshow.com/

This review is proudly shared with our friends at www.TheatreInChicago.com. 

Paramount Theatre’s smash hit, immersive musical Million Dollar Quartet wrapped its spring run at downtown Aurora’s Stolp Island Theatre this past weekend. 

But “Great Balls of Fire”! Tickets are already on sale for the show’s return, October 7, 2026-January 3, 2027.  

Don’t miss the fall and holiday season comeback of Paramount’s radically unique restaging of one of the most popular jukebox musicals of all time. Paramount’s Stolp Island Theatre is located at 5 E. Downer Place, Suite G, in downtown Aurora, with restaurants and easy, affordable parking just a short walk away.

Performance times are Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m., Thursday and Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., and Sunday at 1 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Exceptions: No show Thursday, November 26 (Thanksgiving). Added matinee Friday, November 27 at 2 p.m. No shows December 24 or 25 (Christmas Eve and Christmas). Show time Thursday, December 31 (New Year’s Eve) is at 2 p.m.

For tickets and information, visit ParamountAurora.com, call (630) 896-6666, or stop by the Paramount Theatre box office, 23 E. Galena Blvd., Monday–Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and until show time on show days. All seats are $87 when purchased in person. Additional fees apply for phone and online orders. Note: Tickets and group outings make excellent holiday gifts.

Repeat audiences know, and newcomers really need to experience Paramount’s critically acclaimed, immersive Million Dollar Quartet. Both the theater and the show were custom built to create an intimate, jukebox musical experience like none before, inventively staged inside a replica of the original Sun Records studio in Memphis.

It was there, on December 4, 1956, where Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins famously came together to record one of the most historic jam sessions in rock ‘n’ roll history. In Paramount’s Sun Records, the musical delivers incredible, up-close live performances of some of the best songs in rock ‘n’ roll history, including “Blue Suede Shoes,” “Folsom Prison Blues,” “I Walk the Line,” “Hound Dog” and “Great Balls of Fire.”   

Million Dollar Quartet inaugurated Paramount’s new Stolp Island Theatre with great fanfare in July 2024. Dean Richards, WGN-TV/AM, said it was “like stepping into Sun Records where one special night took place." Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, called it “another example of how much the success of the nonprofit, audience-focused Paramount has transformed the center of Aurora into a live entertainment destination.” 

Chalk this success up to being a production that delivers on all fronts. As soon as audiences step into the lobby, they find themselves outside the legendary Sun Records recording studio in Memphis, Tennessee, where they can step up to the Taylor’s Good Food concession stand for affordable snacks and beverages, view displays about the history of the play and take selfies astride a vintage-style motorcycle.

Studebaker Theater (Erica Berger and Jacob Harvey), P3 Productions (Ben Holtzman, Sammy Lopez, and Fiona Howe Rudin) and Audible, in collaboration with Teatro Vista Productions, present the Chicago premiere of the acclaimed new musical Mexodus, written and performed by Brian Quijada and Nygel D. Robinson, choreographed by Tony Thomas, and directed by David Mendizábal.

Mexodus plays a limited three-week run this fall at Chicago's historic Studebaker Theater at the Fine Arts Building (410 S. Michigan Avenue) beginning November 6, 2026. Tickets go on sale next month at MexodusMusical.com.

The live-looping hip-hop musical Mexodus recently won four Lucille Lortel Awards including Outstanding Musical, four Outer Critics Circle Awards including Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical, three Drama Desk Awards including Outstanding Music, one Off Broadway Alliance Award for Best Musical, and one Drama League Award for Outstanding Production of a Musical, the first Off-Broadway musical to win the award in 30 years.

The Chicago premiere follows the musical's critically acclaimed twice-extended run at Audible's Minetta Lane Theatre in New York in 2025 and current return Off-Broadway engagement at the Daryl Roth Theatre. Mexodus is now available as an Audible Original, featuring the entire musical recorded in immersive Dolby Atmos sound design and extending its reach to millions of listeners around the world.

The Studebaker Theater engagement of Mexodus represents a homecoming for Brian Quijada and Nygel D. Robinson. Quijada is from the Chicago area, and Robinson also lived in the city. An early workshop and developmental performances of the musical were held in Chicago in 2021 and 2023.

Brian Quijada and Nygel D. Robinson said, "We couldn't be more excited to bring Mexodus to Chicago. Not only do we both have connections to the city, but much of the development of Mexodus happened there. Chicago, pull up!"

"The season's first must-see musical" (The Wrap), Mexodus reveals a hidden chapter of American history. You know the story of the Underground Railroad that ran North, but this show takes you on the path that ran South by crossing the Rio Grande into Mexico. "[An] electrifying theatrical experience" (The New York Times) created and performed by Brian Quijada and Nygel D. Robinson, this groundbreaking live-looped musical follows a freedom seeker and an unlikely ally as they forge a remarkable bond that transcends borders.

Ben Holtzman, Sammy Lopez, and Fiona Howe Rudin of P3 Productions said, "After building such a strong community around the show in New York City, we're thrilled to now bring this bold, original musical to Chicago audiences, especially at the historic Studebaker Theater. It's an honor to continue sharing the show's joy, energy, and message of solidarity with a city that feels so deeply connected to the spirit of Mexodus."

Kate Navin, Audible Head of Creative Development for North America, said: "It has been an honor to share Mexodus with the world, through the Audible Original release and on stage in New York, where it once again took the city by storm. We can't wait to present Brian and Nygel's groundbreaking musical in Chicago, where this work was nurtured during its development. As the production reaches more cities across the United States and listeners globally through Audible, we're continuing to broaden and honor this important story for audiences both in the theater and beyond."

Fine Arts Building and Studebaker Theater Proprietor Erica Berger said, "We are beyond proud to be a Co-Producer on Mexodus, one of the most exciting new musicals in recent memory. Brian Quijada and Nygel D. Robinson are two exceptional artists with strong ties to Chicago. The Studebaker Theater has been a creative home to innovative theater artists for more than 125 years, and bringing Mexodus home to Chicago further emphasizes our commitment to that legacy." Managing Artistic Director Jacob Harvey added, "We're actively building new pathways for how commercial productions can find a home in Chicago. Mexodus is our first co-producer credit on an Off-Broadway production, but it won't be the last. This is a new era for the Studebaker, cementing us as the premier Chicago venue for developmental and acclaimed productions alike."

Artistic Director Wendy Mateo of Teatro Vista Productions said, "Teatro Vista Productions cultivates the telling of stories that accurately reflect our community and increase the authentic representations of us on stage and screen. We are extremely honored to have been a part of the world premieres of Brian's Where Did We Sit on the Bus? and Somewhere Over the Border. So this is a full circle moment for us to help bring Brian and Nygel back to Chicago and to share the story of Mexodus with our audiences."

Mexodus was developed in previous productions at New York Stage and Film (2021), Baltimore Center Stage & Mosaic Theater Company of DC (Spring 2024), and Berkeley Repertory Theatre (Fall 2024).

The creative team for Mexodus includes Riw Rakkulchon (Scenic Design), David Mendizábal (Costume Design), Mextly Couzin (Lighting Design), Mikhail Fiksel (Looping Systems Architecture and Sound Design), Johnny Moreno (Video/Projections Design), Tony Thomas (Choreographer), and Claire Yenson, C.S.A. (Casting). Hope Villanueva is the Production Stage Manager, and theatrical supervision is by Cath Bates with general management by Pemberley Productions.

TICKETS

Tickets go on sale in June at MexodusMusical.com.

ABOUT P3 PRODUCTIONS

P3 Productions is an award-winning producing team led by Ben Holtzman, Sammy Lopez, and Fiona Howe Rudin, dedicated to uplifting new voices and communities. Recent Broadway productions include Call Me Izzy, Job, and How to Dance in Ohio. Upcoming: Wanted (formerly Gun & Powder), Mexodus, and The Ninth Woman. Recent Broadway and West End Co-Producing credits: Sunset Blvd, The Last Five Years, Just For Us, A Strange Loop, Orlando, and Next to Normal (West End). Learn more: www.p3.productions and follow @p3productions.nyc.

ABOUT AUDIBLE THEATER

Audible Theater makes outstanding performances and powerful storytelling available to live audiences in New York City and millions of people all over the world. Since founding in 2018, Audible Theater's dynamic mix of live and audio theater productions have been praised as "trailblazing" (Variety), "illuminating" (Forbes), and "an exemplary use of the medium" (The Observer).

Audible Theater productions have garnered more than 60 nominations and 14 wins across the theater awards landscape. More than 120 audio theater titles have released on Audible. Audible Theater has produced the multi-award-winning and seven-time Tony Award-nominated musical Dead Outlaw, with music and lyrics by David Yazbek and Erik Della Penna, book by Itamar Moses, conceived by David Yazbek, and directed by David Cromer; Hannah Moscovitch's play Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes starring Ella Beatty and Hugh Jackman; Sorry for Your Loss written by and starring Michael Cruz Kayne;  Laura Benanti: Nobody Cares written by and starring Laura Benanti; Alex Newell and the Gospel of a Diva written by and starring Alex Newell; Nostalgia: A Love Letter to NYC written by and starring Eva Noblezada; Girls & Boys starring Carey Mulligan; Harry Clarke starring Billy Crudup; and many others at Audible's Minetta Lane Theatre in New York City. Audible Theater has also produced audio adaptions of acclaimed plays including Colman Domingo's Wild with Happy  starring Domingo, Oprah Winfrey, Sharon Washington, Alex Newell, and Tyler James Williams; David Henry Hwang's Yellow Face starring Daniel Dae Kim and Jason Biggs; David Auburn's Summer, 1976 starring Laura Linney and Jessica Hecht; and many more.

In May 2018, Audible announced that the Minetta Lane Theatre in Greenwich Village would serve as its creative home for live performances in New York, with Audible members receiving exclusive access to discounted tickets and related audio content. Since then, Audible has hosted and produced a wide variety of live performances at the Minetta Lane including dramatic plays, comedic shows, original musical performances, and more.

Since June 2017, Audible has commissioned 50 playwrights to receive support from its $5 million Emerging Playwrights Fund dedicated to developing innovative English-language works from around the globe. The initiative enables the creation of original plays driven by language and voice, keeping with Audible's core commitment to elevate listening experiences through powerful performances and extraordinary vocal storytelling. Emerging Playwrights commissions have included Evil Eye by Madhuri Shekar, The Half-Life of Marie Curie by Lauren Gunderson, Good Enemy by Yilong Liu, and more.

ABOUT AUDIBLE, INC.

Audible, Inc., an Amazon.com, Inc. subsidiary (NASDAQ:AMZN), is the leading creator and provider of premium audio storytelling, offering global audiences a powerful way to enhance and enrich their lives through extraordinary content. Audible's catalog includes more than 1,000,000 audio titles, including Audible Originals as well as audiobooks and podcasts from leading studios, print, audio and magazine publishers and world-renowned entertainers.

ABOUT THE STUDEBAKER THEATER

Located inside Chicago's landmarked Fine Arts Building, the Studebaker Theater is one of the city's most historic performance venues, led by Erica Berger and Jacob Harvey. Since its curtain first rose in 1898, the Studebaker stage has been graced by luminaries including Bob Hope, Peter O'Toole, Mae West, Ethel Barrymore, Geraldine Page, Vincent Price and many more. Following a major multi-million-dollar renovation led by Berger Realty Group and completed in 2022, the Studebaker has been home to NPR's popular news quiz show "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!" and has hosted performances from new musicals including 44: The Obama Musical, Roald Dahl's The Enormous Crocodile, and Jim Henson's Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas. Other recent productions include Ava: The Secret Conversations starring Elizabeth McGovern and Manual Cinema's Christmas Carol. Learn more at fineartsbuilding.com.

ABOUT TEATRO VISTA PRODUCTIONS

When the Chicago theater world wasn't ready for us, Teatro Vista Productions made space. For 35 years, we've told true stories that reflect our community. We're not just building on this amazing legacy; we are strengthening and expanding it for the future. Today we continue to actively engage in advocacy that seeks to increase the authentic representations of us on stage and screen. Teatro Vista Productions is led by Lorena Diaz (Executive Director), Wendy Mateo (Artistic Director) Cruz Gonzalez-Cadel (Associate Artistic Director) and Carina E. Sanchez (Board President).

Teatro Vista Productions believes artists of color are inherently genius across disciplines, experiences, media and diaspora. We center our collective of artists at the heart of everything we do. We empower them to create with their own voice by providing the tools and resources they need to thrive in the industry. Our work is timely, relevant and reflects our community. Now, as always, We Are Theater With A View. Join us across online channels at @teatrovista to experience the multidisciplinary talents of our Artistic Collective and visit teatrovista.org to stay connected to all things TVP. Pa'lante Juntos. Forward Together.

About Face Theatre is proud to announce its 32nd season featuring the Pulitzer Prize winning musical A Strange Loop and the Midwest Premiere of i never asked for a gofundme by Jayne Deely, directed by About Face Theatre Producing Artistic Director Megan Carney. In addition, the company continues its innovative touring performances and education programs throughout the region.

"About Face Theatre has always been a home for stories that challenge and affirm. The season ahead is no exception," states Megan Carney, Producing Artistic Director for About Face Theatre. "With these groundbreaking and exuberant works, we are continuing our legacy of centering fearless, joyful, and necessary LGBTQ+ voices. I can't wait to share these productions with Chicago audiences."

Overview of the Season

All performances will take place on the Johnson Stage at Raven Theatre, 6157 N Clark St in Chicago. Tickets for individual shows go on sale one month before previews at https://aboutfacetheatre.com. Secure your spot early by joining the About Face Futurists. To find out more about this monthly donor program, please visit aboutfacetheatre.com/support-us.

Showtimes are Thursday, Friday, Saturday at 7:30pm, and Sun at 3:00pm.

A Strange Loop
book, music, and lyrics by Michael R. Jackson
directed by About Face Theatre Artistic Associate Mikael Burke

In a co-production with Raven Theatre
October 8-November 8, 2026
 

Up first in October, About Face Theatre proudly presents the Chicago premiere of the Broadway smash hit A Strange Loop with book, music, and lyrics by Michael R. Jackson and Directed by About Face Theatre Artistic Associate Mikael Burke. This groundbreaking show won Best Musical and Best Book of a Musical at the 2022 Tony Awards. This is a co-production with Raven Theatre.

Usher is a Black, queer playwright who spends his days working as an usher on Broadway. He spends his nights struggling to write an original musical about a Black, queer playwright who spends his days working as an usher on Broadway. Lines blur, thoughts intrude, and soon he finds himself wrestling to break free from a very strange creative loop.This blistering, groundbreaking, Pulitzer Prize winning musical explores identity, race and sexuality through the lens of a young artist at war with a chorus of his own demons and inner voices on a journey towards understanding and self love.

i never asked for a gofundme
by Jayne Deely
directed by About Face Theatre Producing Artistic Director Megan Carney
March 18 – April 17, 2027
Thursday, March 25, 2027 at 7:30pm

Millie and Avery return to Millie's hometown in Alabama seeking a quiet refuge for Avery's recovery from gender-affirming top surgery. One big misunderstanding spirals into a full-blown small-town spectacle in this hilarious and heartfelt comedy. Set against the backdrop of March Madness and the electric energy of WNBA season, the stakes keep rising. As the donations pile up and the pressure mounts, the couple is forced to confront what they truly stand to lose by telling the truth.

This remarkable new play was featured at La Jolla Latinx New Play Festival and the Distillery New Works Festival with Seattle Public Theater. The play was a Finalist at the National Playwrights Conference Eugene O'Neill Theater Center.

Mikael Burke (he/him), director of A Strange Loop, is a Chicago-based director, deviser, and educator. A Princess Grace Award-winner in Theatre and Jeff Award-winning director, his recent credits include: Oak by Terry Guest (Urbanite Theatre, World Premiere); Othello by William Shakespeare (Theatreworks Colorado Springs); Short Shakes! Romeo & Juliet (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre); Notes from the Field by Anna Deveare Smith (TimeLine Theatre, Chicago Premiere); The Salvagers by Harrison David Rivers (Yale Repertory Theatre, World Premiere); Tambo & Bones by Dave Harris (Refracted Theatre Company, Chicago Premiere, winner of 8 Jeff Awards); Blues for an Alabama Sky by Pearl Cleage (Remy Bumppo Theatre Company); The Magnolia Ballet by Terry Guest (About Face Theatre, Chicago Premiere, winner of 2 Jeff Awards); Clyde's by Lynn Nottage (Theaterworks Hartford). Mikael is also an adjunct faculty member at DePaul University and Roosevelt University. MFA, The Theatre School at DePaul University | mklburke.com

Megan Carney (she/her), director of i never asked for a gofundme, is the Producing Artistic Director of About Face Theater in Chicago, a company dedicated to advancing LGBTQ+ equity through community building, education, and performance. She has worked extensively as a director, playwright, and teaching artist. Megan's work as a director and playwright has premiered in Chicago, New York, and through touring productions around the country including Audrey Cefaly's The Gulf (About Face Theatre) Danielle Pinnock's Body/Courage (Rivendell), Lisa Dillman's The Walls (Rivendell at Steppenwolf), and Holly Hughes' Let Them Eat Cake (Dixon Place, NYC) among many others. Megan served as the Director of the Gender and Sexuality Center, one of the Centers for Cultural Understanding and Social Change, at the University of Illinois at Chicago where she produced cultural programs and advanced inclusive policies. Carney is a certified mediator with the Center for Conflict Resolution and has a MFA in Theatre Arts from Virginia Tech with a focus on Directing and Public Dialogue. Her work has been recognized with theatre industry awards, the GLSEN Pathfinder Award, an APA Presidential Citation, and induction in Chicago's LGBT Hall of Fame.

Jayne Deely (they/them), writer of i never asked for a gofundme, is a Queens, NY born and bred boricua playwright and performer. Selected works: Legacy, When Pluto was a planet, I never asked for a gofundme, Walter Mercado Presents: A Queer Puerto Rican (Not Just) Christmxs Spectacular, and unqle play. Their plays have been developed with Seattle Public Theatre, the New Harmony Project, Breaking the Binary, Fresh Ground Pepper, theatre b, American Stage, Renaissance Theaterworks, and others. They were recently named to the Kilroy's Web 25-26 (for I never asked for a gofundme) and are currently under commission with a Sloan grant from EST. Jayne is a proud member of AEA, SAG-AFTRA, and the Dramatists Guild, and is based in Queens, NY. MFA, IU Bloomington.

Michael R. Jackson, writer of A Strange Loop, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, composer, and lyricist is the creator of A Strange Loop, which the New York Times has called a "bravura meta-musical." The piece – which took Jackson eighteen years to create – won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2020, eleven Tony Award nominations, a New York Drama Critics Circle Award, and two Tony Awards – for Best New Musical and Best Book. Jackson has been named one of TIME Magazine's "100 Most Influential People" (2022) and has received numerous awards including a New Professional Theatre Festival Award, a Jonathan Larson Grant, a Lincoln Center Emerging Artist Award, an ASCAP Foundation Harold Adamson Award, a Whiting Award, the Helen Merrill Award for Playwriting, the Windham-Campbell Prize, and a Dramatist Guild Fellowship. He has appeared on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, CBS Sunday Morning, and Late Night with Seth Meyers, to name a few. He wrote book, music, and lyrics for the musicals White Girl In Danger and A Strange Loop (2019 world premiere at Playwrights Horizons in co-production with Page 73 Productions). Jackson holds a BFA and MFA in playwriting and musical theatre writing from the NYU Tisch School of the Arts.

RAVEN THEATRE is proud to be a cultural cornerstone of Chicago's north side, where its artistic excellence is known among theatergoers and artists alike. Long acclaimed for its revivals of classic plays, Raven also gives voice to emerging playwrights whose work will help to shape the theatrical canon for years to come. Founded in 1983, Raven moved into its current home in 2002 with its 85-seat Johnson Stage and its 56-seat Schwartz Stage.

ABOUT FACE THEATRE advances LGBTQ+ equity through community building, education, and performance. Since our founding in 1995, we've been a national leader in producing groundbreaking theater throughout Chicago that centers and affirms people who identify as LGBTQ+ and other intersecting identities. Working with nationally recognized and emerging artists of all ages, our programs include award-winning productions, touring shows, a Youth Ensemble, and new work development through Re/Generation Studio. Learn more and get involved at aboutfacetheatre.com.

Broadway In Chicago will bring its free annual SUMMER CONCERT to Millennium Park on Monday, August 10, 2026. Sponsored by ABC 7 Chicago, the concert begins at 6:15 p.m. at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion (201 E. Randolph St.) and is presented in partnership with the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE).

The one night only event will feature performances from current and upcoming Broadway In Chicago productions, including THE NOTEBOOK, which will already be in performances at the James M. Nederlander Theatre (24 W. Randolph St.), and THE OUTSIDERS, which will already be in performances at the Cadillac Palace Theatre (151 W. Randolph St.), along with selections from WAITRESS and subscription titles JEKYLL & HYDE (Kokandy Productions), DIRTY DANCING: THE MUSICAL, OPERATION MINCEMEAT: A NEW MUSICAL, JERSEY BOYS, and MAYBE HAPPY ENDING . Additional shows will be announced later this summer.

Presented in collaboration with DCASE, the Broadway In Chicago Summer Concert is part of Millennium Park’s summer season, showcasing symphonic music, dance, opera, and Broadway favorites performed by some of Chicago’s leading cultural institutions. For more information, visit millenniumpark.org and follow Millennium Park on Facebook (@MillenniumParkChicago), Twitter, and Instagram (Millennium_Park).

For more information on the Summer Concert and Broadway In Chicago, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com.

ABOUT MILLENNIUM PARK
Millennium Park is an iconic cultural destination in Chicago's downtown. The anchor of an urban cultural campus (Millennium Park Campus) that includes the Chicago Cultural Center, Maggie Daley Park and The Art Institute of Chicago, the park is the #1 attraction in the Midwest and among the top ten most-visited sites in the United States. Millennium Park is located on Michigan Avenue, bordered by Randolph St. to the north, Columbus Dr. to the east and Monroe St. to the south. The Park is open 6 a.m.–11 p.m. daily. For the latest news and events, download the Millennium Park app, visit millenniumpark.org , like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram, @Millennium_Park. 

ABOUT CHICAGO DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS AND SPECIAL EVENTS
The City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) supports artists and cultural organizations, invests in the creative economy, and expands access and participation in the arts throughout Chicago’s 77 neighborhoods. As a collaborative cultural presenter, arts funder, and advocate for creative workers, our programs and events serve Chicagoans and visitors of all ages and backgrounds, downtown and in diverse communities across our city — to strengthen and celebrate Chicago. DCASE produces some of the city’s most iconic festivals, markets, events, and exhibitions at the Chicago Cultural Center, Millennium Park, and in communities across the city — serving a local and global audience of 25 million people. The Department offers cultural grants and resources, manages public art, supports TV and film production and other creative industries, and permits special events throughout Chicago. For details, visit Chicago.gov/DCASE and  stay connected via our newsletters and social media . 

ABOUT BROADWAY IN CHICAGO
Broadway In Chicago was created in July 2000 and over the past 26 years has grown to be one of the largest commercial touring homes in the country. A Nederlander Presentation, Broadway In Chicago lights up the Chicago Theater District entertaining up to 1.7 million people annually in five theatres. Broadway In Chicago presents a full range of entertainment, including musicals and plays, on the stages of five of the finest theatres in Chicago’s Loop including the Cadillac Palace Theatre, CIBC Theatre, James M. Nederlander Theatre, and just off the Magnificent Mile, the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place and presenting Broadway shows at The Auditorium™.

For more information, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com.
Follow @broadwayinchicago on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Bluesky #broadwayinchicago

Award-winning Porchlight Music Theatre announces today that the recent stars of Porchlight in Concert’s production of Follies, Tony Award-nominee Felicia P. Fields and Broadway’s Anthony Rapp, have joined the Artistic Advisory Board. Porchlight's Artistic Advisory Board consists of seasoned professionals who have excelled in their theatrical disciplines and who have a vested interest in the artistic and professional advancement of the company. For more information on Porchlight Music Theatre, go to PorchlightMusicTheatre.org.

“Felicia has been a part of Porchlight productions and special events for many years and we look forward to her joining us as an Advisory Board Member, ” said Artistic Director Michael Weber. “And Anthony, having just moved back to Chicago, is looking to be more involved in the city’s vibrant theatre scene. On behalf of everyone at Porchlight, I welcome these two great additions.”

“When Michael Weber asked me to join the Artistic Advisory Board, I immediately said ‘yes!’” added Felicia P. Fields. “I have always found a home on their stage and am excited to be a part of this Board and help guide Porchlight into the future.”

“One of the first offers when I returned to Chicago came from Porchlight for this spring’s Follies,” commented Anthony Rapp. “I had an incredible experience working with the entire team on that special event. I not only appreciate their dedication to music theater, but their desire to create memorable experiences for their audiences. I am grateful for the invitation to join this impressive Board.”

The Advisory Board is a valued resource for the artistic director, executive director and other facets of the company in their support and guidance to achieve Porchlight's mission as Chicago's center for music theatre. The membership includes artists from Chicago and across the United States including Wm. Eric Bramlett, John Bucchino, E. Faye Butler, Cheri Coons, Kevin Depinet, Raúl Esparza, William Finn*, Joel Grey, Larry Grossman, Kenny Ingram, Linda Kline, Jesse Klug, Sean Allan Krill, Donna McKechnie, Dominic Missimi, Jill Moore, Lonny Price, Hollis Resnik*, Chita Rivera*, Bill Russell, Chuck Smith, L. Walter Stearns, Leslie Uggams, Ben Vereen, Bob Walton, Jim Walton and Maury Yeston.

*Denotes the advisory member is deceased. 

ABOUT FELICIA P. FIELDS

Felicia P. Fields is a proud Southsider and has worked in theater for 40 years at home in the Chicagoland area, as well as traveled and toured throughout the United States and Europe. Seasoned in theater, she has also directed and co-directed several projects with Ron OJ Parsons and most recently with Definition Theaters Amplified series. Tony-nominated for her creation of the role of “Sofia” in The Color Purple on Broadway, she also began the first national tour. She has many awards to her credit as well as on-camera and voice-over credits. She has her own Blues show, Pearl Rollin With The Blues and has performed many times at Chicago’s Blues Festival, Taste of Chicago and Navy Pier. She works with theatres in her community and has tutored and mentored many young people and several celebrities. She is blessed with a supportive family including two children, Sidney and Aubriel, both who are singers, and four fabulous grandchildren. Governor Quinn declared July 24, Felicia P. Fields Day.

ABOUT ANTHONY RAPP

Anthony Rapp is thrilled to return to live and work in the city of his birth. Chicago is also where he earned his Equity card 45 years ago, when he was nine years old. He has since appeared on Broadway, Off-Broadway, in National Tours, at Regional Theatres and in films and on television. But his proudest work these days is as the father, with his husband Ken, of their two sons, Rai (aged 3) and Keony (aged 2).

ABOUT PORCHLIGHT MUSIC THEATRE

Porchlight Music Theatre, in its 31st season, is the award-winning center for music theatre in Chicago. Through live performance, youth education and community outreach, we impact thousands of lives each season, bringing the magic of musicals to our theatre home at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts in the Gold Coast and to neighborhoods across the city. Porchlight has built a national reputation for boldly reimagining classic musicals, supporting new works and young performers, and showcasing Chicago’s most notable music theatre artists, all through the intimate and powerful theatrical lens of the “Chicago Style.” 

Porchlight's history over three decades includes more than 70 mainstage works with 15 Chicago premieres and five world premieres. 

Porchlight's education and outreach programs serve schools, youth of all ages and skill levels and community organizations. Porchlight annually awards dozens of full scholarships and hundreds of free tickets to ensure accessibility and real engagement with this uniquely American art form. 

The company’s many honors include 178 Joseph Jefferson Award (Jeff) nominations and 50 Jeff awards, as well as 44 Black Theatre Alliance (BTA) nominations and 15 BTA awards. In 2019, Porchlight graduated to the Large Theatre tier of the Equity Jeff Awards and has been honored with seven awards in this tier to date including Best Ensemble for Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Ladies (2019) and Best Production-Revue for Blues in the Night (2022). 

Through the global pandemic, Porchlight emerged as one of Chicago’s leaders in virtual programming, quickly launching a host of free offerings like Sondheim @ 90 Roundtables, Movie Musical Mondays, Porchlight by Request: Command Performances and WPMT: Classic Musicals from the Golden Age of Radio. In 2021, Porchlight launched its annual summer series, Broadway in your Backyard, performing at parks and venues throughout the city. 

Hot off their record-breaking, award-winning runs of Jekyll & Hyde and Amélie, Kokandy Productions is pleased to launch its 2026 Season with the revolutionary "love-rock" musical HAIR, playing July 2 – September 13, 2026 on The Chopin Theatre Mainstage, 1543 W. Division St. in Chicago. Directed and choreographed by Brennan Urbi with music direction by Kara Olander, HAIR features book and lyrics by Gerome Ragni & James Rado and music by Galt MacDermot. Tickets are on sale now at kokandyproductions.com or bit.ly/HairChicago.  

Uniting for an exhilarating summer of peace, love and fury, HAIR features Gavin Rhys as Claude, Catherine Rodriguez O'Connor as Sheila, Zac Richey as Berger, Amy Yesom Kim as Crissy, Chosen Mitchell as Dionne, Stone Teselle as Woof, Nicki Rossi as Jeannie and Joshua Emmanuel as Hud with an ensemble including Diana Marilyn Alvarez, Shayla Florence, Niki-Charisse Franco, Isadora Coco Gonzalez, Wolfie J, Matteo Palm, Quinn Simmons and Kijani X.

Swings include Morgan Barber, Kevin Chlapecka, Allyriane Huq, Mizha Lee Overn, Víctór López, Jack Saunders and Maliha Sayed.

About the Production

The American tribal love rock musical HAIR celebrates the sixties counterculture in all its barefoot, long-haired, bell-bottomed, beaded and fringed glory. To an infectiously energetic rock beat, the show wows audiences with songs like "Aquarius," "Good Morning, Starshine," "Hair," "I Got Life" and "Let The Sunshine In." Exploring ideas of identity, community, global responsibility and peace, HAIR remains relevant as ever as it examines what it means to be a young person in a changing world.

Director and choreographer Brennan Urbi comments, "This is a show about chosen family and active community, exploring how we can build support and fight for each other – no matter the generation, place or time. We have a knockout cast who are ready to rock! By building today's versions of these well-known characters, we're going to find out how this iconic '60s score reverberates all the way to Summer 2026."

The production team includes Eleanor Kahn (Scenic Design), Rachel Sypniewski (Costume Design), G "Max" Maxin IV (Lighting Design), Matt Reich (Sound Design), Lauren Ramos (Properties Design), Syd Genco (Makeup Design), Keith Ryan (Wig Design), Kirsten Baity (Intimacy Director), Chels Morgan (Cultural Competency Specialist), Shane Roberie (Casting Director), Nicholas Reinhart (Production Manager), Kendyl Meyer (Associate Production Manager), David Moreland (Technical Director), Lynsy Folckomer  (A1), Alfonso Moreno (A2), Shelby Burgus (Stage Manager), Yasmeen "Yaz" Abiad (Assistant Stage Manager), Michael Coppola (Stage Management Intern), Scot Kokandy (Executive Producer) and Derek Van Barham (Producing Artistic Director).

PRODUCTION DETAILS:

Title: HAIR: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical

Book and Lyrics: Gerome Ragni & James Rado

Music: Galt MacDermot

Director and Choreographer: Brennan Urbi

Music Director: Kara Olander

Cast (in alphabetical order): Diana Marilyn Alvarez (Ensemble), Joshua Emmanuel (Hud), Shayla Florence (Ensemble), Niki-Charisse Franco (Ensemble), Isadora Coco Gonzalez (Ensemble), Wolfie J (Ensemble), Amy Yesom Kim (Crissy), Chosen Mitchell (Dionne), Catherine Rodriguez O'Connor (Sheila), Matteo Palm (Ensemble), Gavin Rhys (Claude), Zac Richey (Berger), Nicki Rossi (Jeannie), Quinn Simmons (Ensemble), Stone Teselle (Woof) and Kijani X (Ensemble).

Swings: Morgan Barber, Kevin Chlapecka, Allyriane Huq, Mizha Lee Overn, Víctór López, Jack Saunders and Maliha Sayed.

Location: The Chopin Theatre Mainstage, 1543 W. Division St., Chicago

Dates: Previews: Thursday, July 2 – Friday, July 17, 2026

Regular run: Sunday, July 19 – Sunday, September 13, 3026

Curtain Times: Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7 pm; Sundays at 5 pm. Please note: there will not be a performance on Saturday, July 4; there will be an added performance on Monday, July 6 at 7 pm.

Tickets: Previews $28.52* general admission, $39.19* reserved seating. Regular run $55.20* general admission, $65.87* reserved seating. Students/seniors $44.52*. There will be a limited number of lower-priced tickets (with code ARTIST) available to artists for each performance. Tickets are on sale now at kokandyproductions.com or bit.ly/HairChicago. *Ticket prices include processing fees

HAIR is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Tams-Witmark LLC.

www.concordtheatricals.com

About the Artists

Brennan Urbi (Director and Choreographer) is a stage artist who works with community members, artists and actors alike to build a process specific to the questions and skill sets of the group. B's NYC credits include Into the Woods, Macbeth, Strays, (un)belonging*, Blood Grudge, Electric World, My Best Friend's Cabaret, Singing Lessons, iii sisters, Connection is Unstable, The Munchies, Leo's Requiem and Alley Between the House. Assistant on Blackout Songs (MCC) I think Big Cat... (Roundabout). In Chicago, B directed Half-Baked, The Beauty of Your Eyes and Civics and Humanities and assisted productions including Spring Awakening, Children of Eden, Hair and Another Room in Your Head.  MFA Directing Columbia University, Recipient of the Neo-Futurist Artist of Color scholarship, BFA Acting Chicago College of Performing Art. Founding member of Pick Six. www.brennanurbi.com @brennan_urbi.

Kara Olander (Music Director) is a multi-instrumentalist, music director and actor in the Chicago area. As a pit musician of many years, her mission is to foster a band and cast that feels empowered to groove in their own individuality. Past shows include Always, Patsy Cline (Drury Lane), Amélie (Kokandy), Porchlight Sings the Season (Porchlight Music Theatre), LOKI: The End of the World Tour (Lifeline Theatre), Rock of Ages (Metropolis), Tell Me On a Sunday (Theo Ubique) and Houston, You Have a Problem (Streamline Theatre). 

About Kokandy Productions

Founded in 2010, Kokandy Productions seeks to leverage the heightened reality of musical theatre to tell complex and challenging stories, with a focus on contributing to the development of Chicago-based musical theatre artists, and raising the profile of Chicago's non-Equity musical theatre community.

The company's artistic staff is comprised of Derek Van Barham (Producing Artistic Director), Scot Kokandy (Executive Producer) and Adrian Abel Azevedo & Leda Hoffman (Artistic Associates). The Board of Directors includes Preston Cropp, Scot T. Kokandy, Danielle Sparklin and Katie Svaicer. 

For additional information, visit kokandyproductions.com.