Displaying items by tag: chicago theatre

Trap Door Theatre is thrilled to begin its 33rd season with the World Premiere of The Man Who Fell with the Rain, written by Andrei Kureichik and directed by resident director Kay Martinovich. The Man Who Fell with the Rain will play September 3rd – 19th, 2026 at Trap Door Theatre, 1655 W Cortland St. in Chicago. Tickets are now on sale at trapdoortheatre.com or by calling (773)-384-0494.

Based on the short story by Gabriel García Márquez, Kureichik's play is a darkly comic fable about a mysterious old man with enormous wings who falls from the sky into the yard of an ordinary couple.  As neighbors, opportunists, and skeptics descend upon the strange visitor, wonder gives way to greed, fear, and spectacle.

PRODUCTION DETAILS:

Title: The Man Who Fell with the Rain

Author: Andrei Kureichik

Translator: John Freedman

Adaptor/Director: Kay Martinovich

Cast (in alphabetical order): Carolyn Benjamin (2nd Neighbor/Woman), Tony-Elias Choufani (Fisherman/Sleepwalker), Dan Cobbler (Husband), Rich Cotovsky (Old Man with Enormous Wings), Heraldo Hermosillo (1st Neighbor/Son), Emily Lotspeich (3rd Neighbor), Laura Nelson (Wife), Keith Surney (Priest), and Gracie Wallace (Daughter of Neighbor/Spider Woman).

Location: Trap Door Theatre, 1655 W. Cortland St. Chicago, IL 60622

Regular Run: Thursday, September 3rd –Saturday, September 19th, 2026

Curtain Times: Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 8:00 pm. With a special performance on Sunday, September 13th at 7 pm including a talk back after the performance with the playwright.

Press performance: Press are encouraged to attend opening night.

Tickets: $25. Tickets are currently available at https://our.show/the-man-who-fell-with-the-rain or by calling (773) 384-0494.

About Face Theatre and Raven Theatre present a powerhouse co-production of the groundbreaking, Pulitzer Prize-winning musical A Strange Loop, with book, music, and lyrics by Michael R. Jackson and direction by About Face Theatre Artistic Associate Mikael Burke. The highly anticipated Chicago premiere will run October 8-November 8, 2026, on the Johnson Stage at Raven Theatre, 6157 North Clark Street in Chicago. 

Tickets go on sale September 8, 2026, at www.raventheatre.com, (773) 338-2177, or in-person at the Raven Theatre box office. Ticket prices range from $30-$45 with discounts for seniors, military and theatre industry.

A Strange Loop made history by winning the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, marking the first time a musical written by a Black artist received the honor. Jackson's blistering, autobiographical masterpiece went on to capture the 2022 Tony Awards for Best Musical and Best Book of a Musical. The story follows Usher, 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 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.

The cast includes: Eddie Weaver (Usher), Micah Mixon (Thought 1), Matheus Barbee (Thought 2), Christopher Wayland (Thought 3), Michael Turrentine (Thought 4), John-Payne (Thought 5), Naphtali Curry (Thought 6). The understudies are Jordan Harris (Usher), Simmery Branch (Thought 1), Aiden McCoy (Thought 2), Michael Davis Arnold (Thought 3), Shawn Smith (Thought 4) and Reginald Hemphill (Thought 5).

The creative team is: Mikael Burke (director), Kyu Park (music director), Breon Arzell (choreographer), Sydney Lynne (scenic designer), Brenden Marble (lighting designer), Hannah Kwak (sound designer), Matt Reich (associate sound designer), Janelle Smith (costume designer), Mariah Bennett (props designer), Chels Morgan (violence and intimacy designer), Terry Guest (associate director) and Christopher Richard Pazdernik (dramaturg). Christine D. Freeburg is the stage manager and Rachel Simmons and Charlotte Horton are the assistant stage managers. Catherine Miller is the casting director.

About Face Theatre Producing Artistic Director Megan Carney comments, "This co-production between About Face and Raven Theatre is a dream come true. Together we've assembled a team that is passionate about bringing complex Black queer lives to centerstage and uplifting this groundbreaking exuberant musical in Chicago. A Strange Loop meets the moment in a spectacular way, and we can't wait to share it with audiences this fall."

Raven Theatre Executive Director Jonathan Berry adds, "We are so thrilled to partner with About Face Theatre to bring the Chicago premiere of this bold, remarkable piece to the stage. It is rare to find a piece that is so fearlessly honest about an artist's experience.  A Strange Loop is a hilarious, touching, heartbreaking and ultimately uplifting journey and Mikael Burke is the perfect director to bring it to extraordinary life on the Raven stage."

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

Co-production between About Face Theatre and Raven Theatre 

Run Dates: October 8-November 8, 2026 

Previews: October 8-11, 2026

Location: All performances will take place on the Johnson Stage at Raven Theatre, 6157 N. Clark St. in Chicago.

Tickets: Raven Theatre box office, 6157 N. Clark St. in Chicago; www.raventheatre.com; 773.338.2177

General Admission: $45; Student, Military, and Industry tickets $20. Previews $30.

Tickets go on September 8, 2026.

Schedule: Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m.; Sundays at 3 p.m.

CAST

Eddie Weaver (Usher)

Micah Mixon (Thought 1)

Matheus Barbee (Thought 2)

Christopher Wayland (Thought 3)

Michael Turrentine (Thought 4)

John-Payne (Thought 5)

Naphtali Curry (Thought 6)

Understudies: Jordan Harris, Simmery Branch, Aiden McCoy, Michael Davis Arnold, Shawn Smith, Reginald Hemphill and Gabriel Levi.

Notes of Interest:

• Raven and About Face are producing together for the first time. Raven produced its first musical last season with the highly successful Octet, which extended its run before transferring to the Goodman Theatre.
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• The blistering 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. It was nominated for eleven Tony Awards and won for Best Musical and Best Book of a Musical at the 2022 Tony Awards.
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• A Strange Loop won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It is the first musical written by a Black artist to receive the honor.
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• A Strange Loop is autobiographical. Creator Michael R. Jackson spent years working as a Broadway usher at The Lion King, Mary Poppins, and Aladdin while struggling to write this piece. The show took roughly 18 years to get to Broadway, beginning as a simple personal monologue Jackson wrote shortly after graduating undergrad in 2002. Jackson clarifies that the show is an "emotional autobiography." While the literal plot points are fictionalized, the personal feelings of self-loathing, body image issues, and navigating a religious family are deeply real.
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About the Artists

Michael R. Jackson, 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. 

Mikael Burke (Director) 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 Theater); 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.

Eddie Weaver (Usher) is making his Raven Theatre debut. An Atlanta native, Eddie is an actor, singer, and mover who earned his B.A. in Theatre Performance from Columbus State University. His previous credits include: A Strange Loop (Actors Express), Three Pianos (Florida Studio Theatre), Legally Blonde, Chicken & Biscuits, Purlie Victorious, and The Prom (Charleston Stage), among others.

Micah Mixon (Thought 1) graduated from Columbia College Chicago with a BA in musical theater and a minor American Sign Language. Some of her favorite past roles: understudying for the Armelia McQueen and Nell Carter tracks in Drury Lane's Production of Ain't Misbehavin', Hailey in Final Girlies and Final Girlies (Director's Cut) at iO theater, and Tacooma in Three Little Birds at Young People's Theater.

Matheus Barbee (Thought 2) is an actor and singer based in Chicago, originally from North Carolina. He is thrilled to be making his Raven and About Face debut, reuniting with Mikael Burke after collaborating on Violet at Northwestern University. Chicago Credits include Sister Act, A Christmas Carol (Drury Lane), The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Paramount), Diana the Musical (Theo Ubique), Goodnight Moon (Chicago Children's Theater), and The Play That Goes Wrong (Metropolis). Regional credits include The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (as Chip at Indiana Repertory), Shrek the Musical (as Donkey at MGM Beau Rivage), West Side Story (as Chino at Surflight), Grease (MGM Borgata). Alumnus of Northwestern University.

Christopher Wayland (Thought 3) is returning to Raven Theatre for the fourth time and is working with About Face Theatre for the first time. Previous roles at Raven include Peter in The Luckiest, Jib in Hoodoo Love, and Pharus Young in Choir Boy. He is a Professor of Acting at the Chicago College of Performing Arts and earned an MFA in Acting from The Theatre School at DePaul University. In the Chicago area, he is a member of the Rivendell Theatre Ensemble and has worked at Goodman Theatre, Court Theatre, Paramount Theatre, Marriott Theatre, Porchlight Music Theatre, First Folio Theatre, 16th Street Theater, Oak Park Festival Theatre, Jackalope Theatre Company, Griffin Theatre, Teatro Vista, Haven, Lifeline Theatre, Stage Left Theatre, and with Right Angle Entertainment. His television credits includes a recurring role on The Chi (Showtime), neXt (FOX), Chicago Med (NBC), and APB (FOX), as well as several commercials including national campaigns for Kellogg's and Lowe's.

Michael Turrentine (Thought 4) has worked as an actor, writer, dancer, and social justice educator in Chicago for over a decade and doesn't plan on slowing down soon. Some of the theaters he has worked with include Paramount Theatre, The Marriott Theatre, Drury Lane Theater, Court Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre, The Lyric Opera of Chicago, The Gift Theatre and many others. His TV credits include South Side, Emperor of Ocean Park, Somebody Somewhere and others.

John-Payne (Thought 5) is a Chicago theatre-artist and performer and is making their debut with Raven Theatre working on A Strange Loop. We hold a responsibility in being conscious and active members of our community through the art we create, and John-Payne is dedicated to making lasting change for queer/black & brown theatre folk, and challenging the structures which prohibit that change.

Naphtali Curry (Thought 6) is an actor based out of Chicago, Illinois, making his Raven Theatre debut. Some of his theatre credits include Benny in Rent (Capital City) and Donkey in Shrek The Musical National Tour (2024). His Chicago theatre credits include Mitch Mahoney in Spelling Bee (Paramount), Valentine in Twelfth Night (Chicago Shakes), Paul Williams in Real Housewives of Motown (Black Ensemble), ensemble in Rent (Porchlight).

RAVEN THEATRE tells stories of today and the past that connect us to our cultural landscape. Raven's commitment to modern drama in all of its forms, as well as its first-class education programming, have helped it remain a cultural cornerstone on the north side of Chicago for 40 years and counting. For 44 years, Raven Theatre has been the home to revivals of modern dramas and thought-provoking new works to the Northside Chicago community, as well as theatrical education to the children and schools in the surrounding neighborhoods. 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.

 Steppenwolf Theatre Company, the nation's premier ensemble theater company, is pleased to launch its 51st Season with Suzan-Lori Parks' Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Topdog/Underdog, helmed by Tony Award-winning director Kenny Leon, who returns to Steppenwolf following his hit production of King James. Ensemble members Glenn Davis (Windfall, Purpose–Chicago/Broadway, King James) and Namir Smallwood (Windfall, The Book of Grace, Bug–Chicago/Broadway) go head-to-head in this highly-anticipated revival, more than two decades after the company's celebrated 2003 production. 

Topdog/Underdog will play a limited engagement September 17 — November 1, 2026 in Steppenwolf's Downstairs Theater, 1650 N. Halsted St. in Chicago. Single tickets are currently on sale at steppenwolf.org or the Box Office at (312) 335-1650. 

About the Production:

Brothers Lincoln and Booth, named in jest, are two Black men living in America just trying to get by. Lincoln dresses like his namesake, reenacting his assassination for money and laughs. Booth stays stuck in their apartment, working tirelessly on his three-card hustle. Sibling rivalry and a lifetime of resentment come to a head in this fast-paced and ferocious thrill ride. The deck is stacked with a Tony Award-winning director, a Pulitzer Prize-winning script and a tour-de-force showdown for ensemble members Glenn Davis and Namir Smallwood. "Take thuh cards and show me whatcha got!" 

The creative team includes Arnulfo Maldonado (Scenic Design), Dede Ayite (Costume Design), Lee Fiskness (Lighting Design), Justin Ellington (Sound Design), Jyreika Guest (Violence & Intimacy Consultant), Kate DeVore (Vocal Coach), Patrick Zakem (Creative Producer), Elise Hausken (Production Manager), JC Clementz, CSA (Casting), ensemble member Laura D. Glenn (Production Stage Manager) and Jaclynn Joslin (Assistant Stage Manager). For full cast and creative team bios, click here.

Production Details:

Title: Topdog/Underdog
Playwright: Suzan-Lori Parks 
Director: Kenny Leon
Cast: ensemble members Glenn Davis (Lincoln) and Namir Smallwood (Booth)
Understudies: Anthony Fleming III (Lincoln) and Patrick Newson Jr. (Booth)

Location: Steppenwolf's Downstairs Theater, 1650 N. Halsted St., Chicago

Dates: Previews: Thursday, September 17 – Saturday, September 26, 2026
Opening: Sunday, September 27, 2026 at 6 pm
Regular run: Tuesday, September 29 – Sunday, November 1, 2026

Curtain Times: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30 pm; Saturdays at 3 pm & 7:30 pm; and Sundays at 3 pm. Please note: there will not be 7:30 pm performances on Tuesday, September 22, Thursday, October 1, Tuesday, October 6, Tuesday, October 13, Wednesday, October 21 or Thursday, October 22; there will be an added 2 pm matinee on Wednesday, October 21.

Tickets: Classic Memberships starting as low as $165 are now on sale for Steppenwolf's 2026/27 season at steppenwolf.org/myseason. Single tickets for Topdog/Underdog ($20 – $129*) are now on sale at steppenwolf.org and the Box Office at (312) 335-1650. Steppenwolf Flex Memberships are currently on sale: Black Card Memberships with six tickets for use any time for any production and RED Card Memberships for theatergoers under 30. *Pricing includes an $8.50 handling fee

Steppenwolf offers 20 tickets for $20 (no added fees) for each performance of every membership series production. Use promo code 20FOR20 to redeem this offer online, available in advance until they're sold out for every main series show. Limit 2 tickets per person. You can also purchase by phone at (312) 335-1650 on the day-of show at 12 pm for main series performances. Limit 2 tickets per person.

Accessible Performance Dates:

Audio-Described and Touch Tour: Sunday, October 25 at 3 pm (1:30 pm Touch Tour)
Open-Captioned: Thursday, October 8 at 7:30 pm & Saturday, October 17 at 3 pm
ASL-Interpreted: Friday, October 16 at 7:30 pm

Education and Engagement:

Throughout the 2026/27 season, Steppenwolf continues its commitment to the next generation of theatre learners, makers and appreciators with robust education and engagement programming. Programming includes dedicated student matinee performances during four of the five Membership Series productions including Topdog/Underdog, Adirondack Chair Circle, The Comeuppance and Ellen B., in-school residencies in partnership with Chicago Public schools, workshops, panels and events specifically geared towards teens, as well as professional development trainings and resources for educators. For additional information about Steppenwolf's Education and Engagement programming and to register your school for a field trip, visit steppenwolf.org/education-community/school-teacher-programs/field-trips.

Artist Biographies:

Suzan-Lori Parks (Playwright) is a multi-award-winning writer and musician. She is the first African-American woman to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for Topdog/Underdog, which recently won the 2023 Tony Award for Best Revival. Her other plays include Sally & Tom (2024), Plays for the Plague Year (Drama Desk Award, Best Music, 2023) and Father Comes Home From The Wars (2014). Parks' first marathon-writing "micro diary plays," 365 Days/365 Plays were produced worldwide in what was the largest grassroots collaborative theatre project to date. She is a MacArthur "Genius" Fellow, a novelist: Getting Mother's Body (Random House); and a screenwriter: Girl 6, Genius: Aretha, and The United States vs Billie Holiday. Parks also writes songs and fronts her band "SLP& The Joyful Noise," with her punk-couture medicine show, The Tune Up, world-premiering this summer. As a college student Parks is grateful to have studied creative writing with James Baldwin, who encouraged her to write for the theatre.

Kenny Leon (Director) is a Tony Award-winning director. Broadway: The Balusters, Othello, Our Town, HOME, Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch, Topdog/Underdog, Ohio State Murders, A Soldier's Play, American Son, Children of a Lesser God, Holler If Ya Hear Me, A Raisin in the Sun, The Mountaintop, Stick Fly, August Wilson's Fences, Gem of the Ocean and Radio Golf. Off-Broadway: The Conversation (Astor Place Theatre), This World of Tomorrow (The Shed), King James, The Underlying Chris, Everybody's Ruby, Emergence-See! (The Public), Smart People (Second Stage). Opera: Amahl and the Night Visitors, Margaret Garner. Television: Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia, Colin in Black & White, 4400, Amend: The Fight for America, American Son (adapted for Netflix), Hairspray Live!, The Wiz Live!, Steel Magnolias, Dynasty, In My Dreams. Author: Take You Wherever You Go. Artistic Director Emeritus: Kenny Leon's True Colors Theatre Company. Senior Resident Director: Roundabout Theatre Company. Awards: Obie, Actors Fund Medal of Honor, George Abbott Lifetime Achievement for American Theatre, Jason Robards Award for Excellence in Theatre.

Glenn Davis (Lincoln) is an actor, producer and Artistic Director of Steppenwolf Theatre Company, alongside Audrey Francis, where he has been an ensemble member since 2017. His Steppenwolf credits include Downstate, The Christians, You Got Older, The Brother/Sister Plays, Head of Passes, King James (also Mark Taper Forum), Describe the Night, Purpose and Windfall. Broadway credits include: Purpose; Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo (also Kirk Douglas Theatre, Mark Taper Forum). Off-Broadway credits include Transfers (MCC Theatre), Wig Out! (Vineyard Theatre), Downstate (Playwrights Horizons, Outer Critics Circle Nomination) and King James (MTC). Other regional credits include Moscow x6 (Williamstown Theatre Festival). International credits include Downstate (National Theatre, UK), Edward II, The Winter's Tale and As You Like It (Stratford Festival), Othello (The Shakespeare Company). Television credits include Billions, 24, The Unit, Jericho and The Good Wife. Glenn is an Artistic Associate at the Young Vic in London and at the Vineyard Theatre in New York. He is also a partner in Cast Iron Entertainment, a collective of artists consisting of Sterling K Brown, Brian Tyree Henry, Jon Michael Hill, Andre Holland and Tarell Alvin McCraney. Cast Iron is currently in residence at The Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles. In 2021, Glenn founded The Chatham Grove Company along with his producing partner Tarell Alvin McCraney.

Namir Smallwood (Booth) joined the Steppenwolf Theatre Company ensemble in 2017. Steppenwolf: Windfall, Mr. Wolf, You Will Get Sick, The Book of Grace, Seagull, Bug, True West, BLKS, Monster, Man In Love, The Hot L Baltimore, Last Night and the Night Before. Broadway: Pass Over, Bug. Off Broadway: Pipeline, Pass Over (Lincoln Center). Chicago: The Lost Boys of Sudan (Victory Gardens Theater); Charm (Northlight Theatre); The Grapes of Wrath (The Gift Theatre); East Texas Hot Links (Writers Theater). Regional: Marin Theatre Company, Pillsbury House Theatre, Ten Thousand Things, Guthrie Theater. International: True West (Galway International Arts Festival). Television: Chicago Fire, Betrayal, Elementary, American Rust (Showtime/FreeVee); Power Book IV: Force (STARZ). Film: Rounding, About Time, Bailey's Blues.

Accessibility:As a commitment to make the Steppenwolf experience accessible to everyone, performances featuring American Sign Language Interpretation, Open Captioning and Audio Description are offered during the run of each STC production. Assistive listening devices (ALDs), large-print programs and Braille programs are available for every performance and all our spaces are equipped with an induction hearing loop. Our building features wheelchair accessible seating and restrooms, push-button entrances, a courtesy wheelchair and all-gender restrooms, with accessible counter and table spaces at our bars. For additional information regarding accessibility, visit steppenwolf.org/access or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Sponsor Information:United Airlines is the Official and Exclusive Airline of Steppenwolf. Steppenwolf is also grateful for the significant season support from lead sponsors Allstate Insurance Company, Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Crown Family Philanthropies, Caroline and Keating Crown, Julius Frankel Foundation, Lefkofsky Family Foundation, Northern Trust, Anne and Don Phillips, John Hart and Carol Prins, Shubert Foundation, Inc, Walder Foundation, and Zell Family Foundation. Steppenwolf also acknowledges generous support from premier sponsors Anonymous, Andrew and Amy Bluhm, Michael and Cathy Brennan, Ann and Richard Carr, Chicago Community Trust, Rich and Margery Feitler, FROST CHICAGO, Jessica and Dominic Green Family Fund, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, The Orlebeke Foundation, Polk Bros. Foundation, Sacks Family Foundation, Gary Sinise Foundation, Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, Thoma Bravo, and Bryan Traubert and Penny Pritzker. Steppenwolf also acknowledges support from the Illinois Arts Council and the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.            

About Steppenwolf Theatre Company:

Steppenwolf Theatre Company is the nation's premier Ensemble Theater with 51 members who are among the top actors, playwrights and directors in the field. Thrilling, powerful, groundbreaking productions have made this theatre legendary. From the early phenomenon of Balm in Gilead, to The Grapes of Wrath, August: Osage County, Downstate, The Brother/Sister Plays, and more recently, the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning Purpose, Steppenwolf Theatre has had a long-running and undeniable impact on American Theatre and Chicago's cultural landscape. Founded in 1974 by Terry Kinney, Jeff Perry and Gary Sinise, Steppenwolf started as a group of friends in their teens and early 20s performing in the basement of a school in Highland Park, Illinois. Today, the company's artistic force remains rooted in the original vision of its founders: an artist-driven theatre, whose vitality is defined by its appetite for bold and innovative work. Every aspect of Steppenwolf is rooted in its Ensemble ethos, from the intergenerational artistic programming to the multi-genre performance series LookOut, to the nationally recognized work of Steppenwolf Education and Engagement which serves nearly 15,000 teens annually. While grounded in the Chicago community, more than 40 original Steppenwolf productions have enjoyed success nationally and internationally, including Broadway, Off-Broadway, London, Sydney, Galway and Dublin. Steppenwolf also holds accolades that include the National Medal of Arts, 14 Tony Awards, two Pulitzer Prize-winning commissions and more. Led by Artistic Directors Glenn Davis and Audrey Francis, Executive Director E. Brooke Flanagan and Board of Trustees Chair Keating Crown — Steppenwolf continually redefines the boundaries of live theater and pushes the limits of acting and performance.

Steppenwolf's Mission: Steppenwolf strives to create thrilling, courageous and provocative art in a thoughtful and inclusive environment. We succeed when we disrupt your routine with experiences that spark curiosity, empathy and joy. We invite you to join our ensemble as we navigate, together, our complex world. steppenwolf.org, facebook.com/steppenwolftheatre, twitter.com/steppenwolfthtr and instagram.com/steppenwolfthtr.

Vape! The Grease Parody, currently running at Chicago’s Apollo Theater through January, takes a satirical swing at the iconic 1978 film. The production leans heavily into campy, low‑brow humor, poking fun at the original and the characters who appeared in it - Danny Zuko and Sandy Olsson, made famous by John Travolta and Olivia Newton‑John, their respective groups, the T‑Birds and the Pink Ladies, and a parade of other colorful personalities. Vape! attempts to capture the same irreverent energy that made recent parody hits like Titanique and Schmigadoon! work, but it struggles to carve out its own distinct identity.

For those unfamiliar with the source material, Grease follows the summer‑fling romance between Danny Zuko, the swaggering leader of the T‑Birds, and Sandy Olsson, the wholesome new girl who unexpectedly lands at his high school. Their reunion at Rydell High kicks off a swirl of teen drama, pep‑rally posturing, and 1950s hot‑rod bravado, all set against the antics of their respective cliques. The story ultimately tracks whether Danny and Sandy can bridge the gap between their carefully curated images and who they actually are - all wrapped in a soundtrack that has produced some of the most memorable songs from a stage and screen musical.

The narrative of Vape! modernizes the classic tale by tossing an assortment of pop-culture tropes and theatrical nods at the audience. Some of these updates land, such as transforming Sandy into a washed-up mermaid or reimagining "Beauty School Dropout" as an "Influencer Dropout" sequence featuring the ensemble performing with ring lights affixed to their heads. Theater lovers will also spot references to Wicked, The Phantom of the Opera, A Chorus Line, and others. However, some of the updates – like turning Rizzo into a Scream-esque murderer – don’t.

At times, the structural additions feel somewhat disjointed. The modernizations do not always mesh smoothly with the source material, creating an odd juxtaposition where 1950s greasers and TikTok culture clash rather than complement one another.

While the original Grease carried a certain tongue-in-cheek approach beneath its mature content, Vape! leans fully into explicit and crude farce. For instance, Grease’s "Hand Jive" gets a lyrical update to become the "Handjob.”

Despite the material, the cast delivers energetic and capable performances, keeping the energy high. Will Leonard offers an enjoyable Travolta impersonation, capturing his signature vocal whine with precision – though it’s a bit disappointing he didn’t have the iconic black hair. Jenna Smith makes Sandy fun to watch, especially in the way she pokes fun at Olivia Newton‑John’s accent. Among the ensemble, Suzanne Sole and Sophia Brazada turn in standout moments, each showing off impressive vocal chops.

The creative team behind Vape! brings together a mix of comedy writers and seasoned parody specialists. Sketchworks Comedy and Catie Hogan supply the show’s core concept, while Billy Recce - of A Musical About Star Wars fame - contributes additional lyrics and book alongside Danny Salles. Jack Plotnick, known for directing Broadway’s Disaster!, steers the production, with Ashley Marinelli shaping the choreography and Lena Gabrielle overseeing music supervision and arrangements. Sketchworks also produces the show, with Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley Jackson offering input as creative consultants.

It’s clear from the theater’s decorative environment that great care has been taken with the overall experience. It’s immersive and outfitted with goofy parody posters, themed photo ops, cutouts, and even Grease‑themed cornhole. So, for devoted Grease fans looking for a lighthearted mockery of the classic, or perhaps theatergoers simply seeking silly, inconsequential escapism, Vape! offers a breezy night out.

Vape! The Grease Parody is being performed at the Apollo Theater Chicago through January 3rd, 2027. Tickets and information are available at vapethemusical.com.

Hell in a Handbag Productions celebrates its 25th year with a revival of Joan Crawford Goes to Hell, a sharp, mischievous look at the Hollywood icon through the company’s signature parody lens. It is truly perfect timing that Handbag's guiding force David Cerda has chosen to do this play in the hellish year of 2026. First staged in 1999 by Sweetback Productions, the show is currently staged at The Clutch with a fresh cast and a renewed appetite for chaos, blending biography, satire, and Crawford’s own self-mythologizing into a hypnotic, magnificent, and powerfully funny indictment of one of Hollywood’s greatest movie stars. It’s a wildly funny show, bristling with the kind of big, brazen laughs that Handbag delivers better than anyone. The premise is simple and delicious: Joan Crawford dies and lands in hell, where she’s forced to relive scenes from her life as filtered through daughter Christina’s memories, including the indelible Mommie Dearest moments, from the wire hanger tirade to the all-out battle royale between mother and daughter. 

One of the show’s sharpest structural choices is the way it pits Christina’s Mommie Dearest against Joan’s own memoir, My Way of Life. Each woman clings to her version of the truth, and the production amplifies that contradiction by having the characters volley excerpts from their respective accounts. Christina’s recollections paint a childhood marked by significant acts of child abuse and cruelty, while Joan counters with polished, self‑protective passages that insist on glamour, discipline, and maternal devotion. The back‑and‑forth becomes a theatrical tug‑of‑war over legacy itself. The truth is, legacy is all that was important to Joan Crawford because she cared more about public perception than her own children. 

Handbag’s reimagining of the most unforgettable Mommie Dearest moments hits home in both comedy and tragedy, reminding us why those scenes have stayed lodged in the cultural imagination for decades.

(left to right) Gretchen Greear and Anna Rose Steinmayer in Hell in a Handbag Productions’ revival of Joan Crawford Goes To Hell.

With Christina and Joan locked in a battle over whose version of the truth will prevail, Handbag pushes the idea even further: Joan isn’t embodied by just one performer. She’s split into three distinct incarnations, each capturing a different era and emotional temperature. David Cerda, as Joan #1, the older, not-so-remorseful, excuse-making Joan who has just passed away, delights everyone in the role with a wry, sardonic comic edge (and yes, Handbag finds a way to even make a deathbed funny). Gretchen Greear steps in as Joan #2, the impeccably polished Hollywood star, while Nicholas Ian unleashes Joan #3, the volatile, larger-than-life tempest with a hair-trigger temper. Together, the trio creates a lively rotation that keeps the show moving and underscores the contradictions that fueled Crawford’s public image. I really enjoyed watching the three Joans bounce off one another – the interplay keeps the show unpredictable in the best way.

By splitting Joan Crawford into three personalities, the production sharpens our view of the forces pressing in on her - Hollywood’s unforgiving demands, the intimidation she faced under MGM studio head Louis B. Mayer, and the specter of financial ruin - all seen through Christina’s spooky, subjective retelling of her mother’s life. 

And Cerda, now back as his premiere character Joan Crawford, also recorded an album called The Joans back in 2001, and the music is used in this play. Having also been in a band at the time we met, I remember feeling an immediate connection with David - a kind of gay fairy godmother - from the first time I heard him elicit enormous laughs from his loving audiences through Joan’s curling blood‑red lips. 

(left to right) Haley Gillman,Nicholas Ian and Ryan Kenny.

Joan’s remorse is fleeting at best. The production makes it clear that even when she’s forced to relive the worst moments of her life, including the cruelty toward Christina, the chaos she inflicted on friends, and the emotional wreckage she left behind, she rarely accepts responsibility. Instead, she pivots, excuses, reframes, or outright denies, often doubling down on the very behaviors that landed her in trouble in the first place. When Joan Crawford is asked if she had any regrets about her dramatic life decisions, she answers with a martini dry, rock solid “absolutely not” that millions of women from her generation to the present will all echo with a fury. Handbag plays this not as tragedy but as sharp comedy: Joan’s instinct for self-preservation is so strong that the devil himself can’t pry a sincere apology out of her. The result is funny, pointed, and perfectly in line with the company’s parody style.

At the same time, the play doesn’t ignore the darker realities of Crawford’s life. Even though Joan Crawford was accused of severe child abuse by two of her adopted children, the play also acknowledges that a woman alone in the world at that time - especially one operating at her level of Hollywood fame and power - would have faced enormous pressure, mind‑bending double standards, and relentless scrutiny, including outright sexist abuse both behind the scenes and sometimes in public. 

I’ve always appreciated Handbag’s knack for casting performers who can land both the joke and the heart of a moment, and this group embodies that beautifully. A steady, clear‑eyed anchor comes through in TJ O’Brien’s performance as Adult Christina, while Haley Gillman supplies a youthful spark as her younger counterpart. As Carol Ann, Ryan Kenny delivers some of the evening’s most reliable laughs, playing a maid whose patience seems almost supernatural. Lori Lee steps into a few sharply etched roles, including Helga, a housemaid and recipient of Crawford’s iconic “I’m not mad at you. I’m mad at the dirt” line, and Al Steele, the Pepsi executive who became Crawford’s fourth husband.

Good-natured and genial, Michael Rashid’s Greg brings an easy charm to the MGM lawyer who helped facilitate Christina’s adoption, though even he eventually reaches his limit with the Crawford tumult. A devilish glint runs through Nick Dorado’s turn as Mr. Deville, guiding Joan through her infernal afterlife, while Anna Rose Steinmayer and Tyler Calhoun add texture throughout the ensemble.

The magnificent projections, beautifully designed by DJ Douglass, deliciously underscore how much of Crawford’s power came from the control of her face - the slick black rolls of shiny hair, the hours of evenly applied makeup, the sweet yet searing expressions, those magnificent, even terrifying eyes. She quite literally had to possess the “looks that kill” to survive the jungle of Hollywood. The projections draw from multiple sources, each revealing a different facet of her beauty and its eventual fading, including one haunting image of her gaunt body dancing in an old nightgown near the end of her life. Handbag uses these projections to sprinkle in memorable cameo appearances: Jennifer Engstrom of A Red Orchid Theatre and Coco Sho Nell materialize as yet more versions of Joan, adding to the show’s gleeful multiplicity. 

(left to right) Gretchen Greear and ensemble members Lori Lee and TJ O’Brien. Photos by Rick Aguilar Studios.

Playwright and Artistic Director David Cerda once again proves why Handbag’s voice is so distinct, shaping the material with his trademark blend of camp, bite, and affectionate parody. In perfect sync with that tone, director Cheryl Snodgrass keeps the energy sharp and well-paced, guiding the ensemble through the show’s chaos with a steady hand and a clear understanding of how Handbag humor lands best.

I noticed early on that what makes David’s writing - and the plays he produces - so special is the deeply compassionate view of life he brings from the woman’s side of things. Cerda doesn’t just tease the audience with camp, easy and tawdry jokes, he educates, encourages and supports his audience with easy and tawdry jokes. 

Even Hell needs a good design team, and this one delivers the right mix of style, practicality, and playful flair. Marcus Klein’s scenic design uses a simple, brilliant, sparkling catwalk feel that suits the production well, giving the cast plenty of room to play without clutter. Costumes by Ben Argenta Kress are perfectly designed to reflect the period with style and humor, Syd Genco’s makeup design adds dramatic, expressive detail, and Keith Ryan’s wig work rounds out the look with steady, character-focused polish.

If you’re already a fan of David Cerda as Joan Crawford and of Hell in a Handbag Productions, you should still do yourself a favor and watch Mommie Dearest before seeing the show. You’ll laugh hysterically, and during the play you’ll fully appreciate the immaculate detail the production and cast bring to the black‑and‑white film projections, the hair and wigs, the makeup, costumes, and jewelry - all crafted to showcase the utmost in humor, radiance, and accuracy.  

For two decades, Buzz Center Stage has lovingly followed Handbag’s work, and in their 25th anniversary celebratory season, Joan Crawford Goes to Hell does what the company does best: delivers affectionate and hilarious parody with a genius wink of glamour. It’s a light, funny summer offering with a faithfully committed ensemble and a clear love for the material.

Joan Crawford Goes to Hell runs August 21st through September 27th at The Clutch, 4335 N. Western Ave. Tickets available at handbagproductions.org.

Highly recommended.

Award-winning Redtwist Theatre, launching its 22nd season with Prayer Circle, September 17 - November 8, by Erik Gernand and directed by Executive Artistic Director Dusty Brown, announces today an added special engagement to its 2026 - 2027 season, the world premiere of Flying Monkeys, produced in collaboration with the New Theatre Project, December 6 - January 17, by L.C. Bernadine and directed by Robert Falls, at Redtwist Theatre, 1044 W. Bryn Mawr Ave. Preview performances are Friday, Dec. 4 and Saturday, Dec. 5 at 7:30 p.m. Regular performance schedule includes Wednesdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3:30 p.m. Some dates adjusted for the holidays. Single tickets are on sale starting September 15 for $50 (seniors and veterans: $35; students: $10 and Fridays are Pay-What-You-Can) with subscriptions also available at RedtwistTheatre.org. 

Chicago is a city where, when all goes well, theater happens at every scale. Just weeks after his production of Don Giovanni will open at the almost 3,500-seat Lyric Opera of Chicago, Robert Falls will direct Flying Monkeys, a new play by Chicago playwright L.C. Bernadine, at Edgewater’s Redtwist Theatre, an intimate venue of just over 35 seats. 

Flying Monkeys follows two transport agents working in the so-called “troubled teen industry.” Hired by a desperate mother, they arrive in the middle of the night to legally take her 15-year-old daughter from her home and deliver her to a residential treatment program across the country. What begins as a job governed by contracts and procedure becomes increasingly complicated as everyone involved is forced to confront what they believe desperation can justify.

Falls read the play earlier this year and was drawn both to its subject and to the opportunity to stage it in an extremely intimate venue. “I’ve been an admirer of L.C. Bernadine’s plays for quite a while,” said Robert Falls. “She has a very distinctive voice — tough, funny, poetic and completely her own — and Flying Monkeys feels to me like an especially exciting new work. It takes on difficult, volatile material without reducing anyone to a type or telling us too quickly what to think. The play keeps shifting under you: your sympathies move, your assumptions get challenged and what at first seems morally clear becomes much more complicated. There are no easy villains and no easy answers, which is exactly what I find so compelling about it.” 

For Falls, the shift from Lyric Opera to Redtwist reflects something essential about Chicago theater. He continued, “I cut my teeth in Chicago at Wisdom Bridge Theatre, one of the city’s first storefront theaters, a small space up two flights of stairs over a bar and a violin repair shop on Howard Street. I spent more than a decade of my life there, so coming to Redtwist really does feel like a homecoming. It’s one of Chicago’s finest theaters and there’s something about being back in a room this intimate that takes me right back to where I began.” 

“L.C. Bernadine has been an incredible friend and collaborator over the past few years, welcoming me to Chicago when I first made the move,” says Redtwist Artistic Director Dusty Brown. “After working together on the Independent Productions Initiative, I jumped at the opportunity to collaborate artistically with L.C. on her new play. Bringing Bob Falls on to direct spoke to the very thing that drew me to Chicago in the first place, the most incredible artists in the world can be found in the least likely of places. Some of our country’s greatest artists started their careers in Chicago storefronts and Bob Falls’s return is a reminder that artistic merit can’t be judged simply by the size of the theatre.”

Redtwist Theatre is producing Flying Monkeys in collaboration with the New Theatre Project. Peter Handler and Spencer Huffman will serve as producers. Founder of the New Theatre Project Spencer Huffman said, "Since our first production in 2024, L.C. has been pivotal in New Theatre Project's success as a producer. When the opportunity arose to co-produce her excellent new play with Bob directing, we jumped at it. This collaboration captures something essential about the Chicago theatre: the city's most notable director teams up with two small storefronts to produce a new play by an under-the-radar Chicago playwright. It's so exciting."

ABOUT L.C. BERNADINE, playwright 

The author of numerous plays and a frequent collaborator with The New Theatre Project, Bernadine was recently profiled in Newcity's "50 Players" as founder of the Independent Productions Initiative, which supports work outside ongoing companies. Her plays include The Whole Seamus Thing, co-written with Ben Auxier (Bramble Theatre); Welcome J-1 Students (University of Alabama Theater); Is You Is, a musical co-written with Nik Whitcomb and Erik Olsen about the 1930s “Races of Mankind” exhibit at The Field Museum (DCASE’s Chicago Cultural Center New Play Residency and then Broadway Rose Theatre, Portland, Oregon) and The Virginian, co-written with Spencer Huffman (City Lit Theatre). 

ABOUT ROBERT FALLS, director

Over a career spanning more than four decades, Robert Falls has directed new plays and reimagined classics, large-scale musical theater and opera in the United States and internationally. He began his career at Chicago’s Wisdom Bridge Theatre and later served as artistic director of Goodman Theatre for 35 years. His most recent productions include Richard Greenberg’s Holiday at the Goodman and Peter Shaffer’s Amadeus at Steppenwolf Theatre Company.

Falls’ many Broadway credits include Death of a Salesman, Long Day’s Journey into Night, Horton Foote’s Pulitzer Prize-winning The Young Man from Atlanta and Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida.

His honors include a Tony Award, Drama Desk Award, Obie Award, Helen Hayes Award, multiple Jeff Awards and the Savva Morozov Diamond Award from the Moscow Art Theatre. He was inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame in 2015.

ABOUT NEW THEATRE PROJECT, producer

The New Theatre Project is an independent theatre collective based in Chicago. The New Theatre Project intends to put artists at the far edge of their abilities so that they must discover something new to succeed. They believe there is nothing more moving than an artist on the brink. This process of artistic risk and discovery defines their work.

Promethean Theatre Ensemble announced today it will offer post-show audience talkbacks following two performances of their Chicago premiere of BLOOD OF THE LAMB. This gripping two-woman, Kafka-esque thriller by Arlene Hutton is set in a time about two days from now, when Nessa, traveling from LAX to JFK, finds herself diverted to Dallas. Trapped in a room with Val, a lawyer, Nessa just wants to leave on the next plane out. But this is Texas, and Nessa is pregnant and Val is on the phone with legislators who are pulling the strings. 
 
Playwright Hutton is available for media interviews via email. Representatives of Midwest Access Coalition will participate in talkbacks following performances on Sunday, September 13 and Thursday, September 24. Midwest Access Coalition provides pregnant people with practical support, including assistance with the cost and logistics of getting to an abortion appointment. Many of the people served by the organization are traveling out of state to access reproductive resources and care.

Anna C. Bahow, an ensemble member with Promethean and an Artistic Associate with Silk Road Cultural Center and the International Voices Project, will direct two alternate casts. One cast will feature Heather Dennis* (title role in PTE's ANTIGONE) as Nessa and Kirsten D'Aurelio as Val; and the other cast will include Meghann Tabor* (Ismene in PTE's ANTIGONE) as Nessa and Delia Ford (emeritus member of Babes with Blades) as Val. 

Bahow says, "Neither cast is billed as the "main" cast. No performance is the definitive one. That randomness is the point. Arlene Hutton's play is not about two specific women. It is about the millions of women who could be either woman, depending on where they were born, what they earn, and what state or county they are in. Change the actors and the argument in the play stays the same. Where you live still decides what happens to your body. State lines still hold, and the laws behind them keep getting harsher. 

Following opening weekend, D'Aurelio and Dennis will perform Thursdays and Saturdays, and Tabor and Ford will perform Fridays and Sundays. Tabor and Ford will perform the Thursday, September 3 preview and the Tuesday, September 29 industry night performance, and D'Aurelio and Dennis will perform the Friday, September 4 preview and the Tuesday, September 22 industry night performance.

The BLOOD OF THE LAMB design team includes Amy C. Gilman (Scenic Designer), Rachel M. Sypniewski (Costume Designer), Emily Hayman (Sound Designer), Karen Wallace (Lighting Designer), Breezy Snyder (Scenic Painter), and Tristan Brandon* (Props Designer). Also on the production team are Vanessa Copeland (Assistant Director), Alexa Berkowitz* (Production Manager), Line Bower (Technical Director), Ella Joyce Johnson (Stage Manager), and Christina Renee Jones* (Dramaturg).
 
BLOOD OF THE LAMB premiered in 2023 at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where THE GUARDIAN called the intermissionless drama "an acutely tense drama of reproductive rights." It received a 2025 Drama Desk Award Nomination for Outstanding Play for its 2024 off-Broadway premiere in 2024, which BROADWAYWORLD called "an essential must-see show." 
 
*Indicates Promethean Theatre Ensemble member.
 
Tickets are $35 general, $25 students and seniors and are on sale at https://www.prometheantheatre.org or The Den Theatre Box Office, 773-697-3830.

BLOOD OF THE LAMB
By Arlene Hutton
Directed by Anna C. Bahow
September 3 – October 3, 2026
Previews Thursday September 3 and Friday, September 4 at 8 pm 
Regular Run: Thursdays – Saturdays at 8 pm, Sundays at 3 pm.
Talkbacks following the Sept. 20 and 24 performances
Industry Night performances Tuesdays September 22 and 29 at 8 pm

The Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago 60622
Ticket Prices: $35 general, $25 students and seniors

For tickets, visit https://www.prometheantheatre.org or The Den Theatre Box Office, 773-697-3830.
 
A searing drama about bureaucratic chaos in a post-Roe America. When pregnant Nessa's transcontinental flight is diverted to Dallas, she is detained with an unexpected adversary: a court-appointed attorney assigned to represent her baby and decide her future. BLOOD OF THE LAMB is an urgent post-Roe thriller about the choices taken from us—and the choices we can still make.

INTENDED AUDIENCE This production is intended for mature audiences, ages 16 and up. The content explores intense political and medical themes surrounding reproductive rights and medical procedures. 

Rising star Jacob Moskovitz ("Elle") has joined the cast of Kowalski as Marlon Brando, alongside previously announced Chicago theater veteran Johnny Galecki ("The Big Bang Theory," "The Little Dog Laughed") as Tennessee Williams. The celebrated new play by Gregg Ostrin, directed by Colin Hanlon, will come to Chicago's Lookingglass Theatre Company at the historic Water Tower Water Works, 163 E Pearson St. at Michigan Ave. in Chicago, playing September 15-October 25, 2026.

Additional casting will be announced soon.

Tickets are available at lookingglasstheatre.org and 312.337.0665. Kowalski is a part of the 26/27 Lookingglass Membership and Subscription Series. Single tickets range from $37 to $97, with a limited number of premium seats also available.

Set over one pivotal evening in 1947 Provincetown, Kowalski imagines the electrifying first meeting between Tennessee Williams and a young Marlon Brando, just as Williams searches for the actor who would forever change the destiny of A Streetcar Named Desire. Blending fact, memory, and theatrical imagination, the play offers a fascinating glimpse into the creative forces behind one of the most influential works in American theater. Kowaslki explores the intersection of ambition, artistry, desire, and the creation of theatrical history.

JACOB MOSKOVITZ (Marlon Brando) is a rising talent delivering versatile and engaging performances across film and television. Most recently, he starred in the highly anticipated Legally Blonde prequel series ELLE from Amazon and Hello Sunshine, which has already been renewed for a second season.

Moskovitz recently completed production on the Fernando Meirelles-directed Netflix feature Here Comes the Flood, appearing alongside Robert Pattinson, Denzel Washington, and Daisy Edgar-Jones. Earlier this year, Jacob also starred in Seth Meyers' produced feature Brian, which premiered to strong reviews at SXSW. He can currently be seen in the independent feature The Floaters, which was released July 10, 2026. Additional film credits include the A24 feature Y2K, directed and written by Kyle Mooney and Evan Winter, as well as Isle Child, directed and written by Thomas Percy Kim. On television, Jacob's credits include "Chicago P.D." (NBC), "The Good Fight" (Paramount+), Magnum P.I.  (NBC), and "FBI: International" (CBS).

JOHNNY GALECKI (Tennessee Williams) is an acclaimed actor best known for his starring role as 'Leonard Hofstadeter' on the award-winning CBS comedy "The Big Bang Theory," for which he earned Emmy, Golden Globe and SAG award nominations. He first gained widespread recognition as 'David Healy' on the groundbreaking sitcom "Roseanne" and has appeared in numerous film and television projects throughout his career including Hancock, Vanilla Sky, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Suicide Kings, In Time and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. His stage credits include the Tony Award-nominated Broadway play The Little Dog Laughed for which he received a Theater World Award for Outstanding Broadway Debut, The Drawer Boy, Pot Mom, The Member of the Wedding and Galileo.

GREGG OSTRIN (Playwright) A native of Los Angeles, his most recent plays include A Very Streaming Christmas and The Spy Who Went Into Rehab (Pacific Resident Theatre, Venice, California), The Soul of Motown (Stage West Theater, Calgary), Truffles (Secret Door Theater, New York City) and Rank & File (Hudson Theater, Los Angeles). His play The Beverly Hills Hotel Peace Talks just had its premiere staged reading at The Coachella Valley Rep in Palm Springs, California for its Origins series. It will be opening there in May 2025. He dedicates this play to his former mentor, the late George Furth.

COLIN HANLON (Director) is an actor, writer, director, and producer living in New York City. He most recently directed Broken Snow (with Tony Danza, Tom Cavanagh and Michael Longfellow). He also directed I Love You Because-a queer retelling in NYC, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and co-directed It's Only a Play at George Street Playhouse. He's the co-producer & star of Submissions Only. He's also an adjunct professor at NYU New Studio, LIU, Stella Adler, and Cap 21. He teaches auditioning and self-tape technique at his private studio. Still a working actor as he's been on "Modern Family," "Difficult People," "The Sinner," "The Good Fight" and currently "Uncoupled" on Showtime. Broadway: Falsettos, Rent, Wicked (First National Tour) and In Transit. Off-Broadway: NYC premiere of Dot by Colman Domingo (Vineyard Theater, dir. Susan Stroman), A.R. Gurney's last play Final Follies dir. David Saint (Cherry Lane) and I Love You Because (original cast).

About Lookingglass Theatre Company

Founded in 1988 by graduates of Northwestern University, Lookingglass Theatre Company is a nationwide leader in the creation and presentation of new, cutting-edge theatrical works and in sharing its ensemble-based theatrical techniques with Chicago-area students and teachers through Education and Community Programs. Guided by an artistic vision centered on the core values of collaboration, transformation and invention, Lookingglass seeks to capture audiences' imaginations leaving them changed, charged and empowered. Recipient of the 2011 Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre, Lookingglass has built a national reputation for artistic excellence and ensemble-based theatrical innovation. Notable world premieres include Mary Zimmerman's Tony Award-winning Metamorphoses and The Odyssey, J. Nicole Brooks' Her Honor Jane Byrne, David Schwimmer's adaptation of Upton Sinclair's The Jungle and Studs Terkel's Race: How Blacks and Whites Think and Feel about the American Obsession, Matthew C. Yee's Lucy and Charlie's Honeymoon and David Catlin's circus tribute to Lewis Carroll, Lookingglass Alice, which was captured by HMS Media and reached 1.6 million PBS viewers. Looking Alice is now available to more than four million students worldwide through Digital Theatre+. Work created by Lookingglass artists has been produced in Australia, Europe and dozens of cities throughout the United States.

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Composition, tension, balance, light, and harmony come together seamlessly in Kokandy Productions’ revival of Sondheim’s opus, ‘Sunday in the Park with George’. Director Derek Van Barham transforms the basement of the Chopin Theatre into a three dimensional reproduction of Georges Seurat’s ‘A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte’ for this beloved musical’s return to Chicago.

Sondheim was never known to write ordinary musicals. His smash hit ‘Company’ is considered the first “concept” musical. Wherein, the story has no real plot, instead themes are explored through song. ‘Sunday in the Park with George’ with whom he worked with James Lapin is similar in that it’s hard to describe exactly what it’s about, per se. In succinct terms, it’s a fictionalized account of how Georges Seurat painted his pointillism masterpiece while trying to balance interpersonal relationships. Specifically, his flailing relationship with the painting’s focal point, Dot. It’s as if Sondheim was exploring his own obsessiveness and how it hindered him in many ways.

‘Sunday in the Park with George’, which won the 1985 Pulitzer for drama, has a special connection to Chicago as the famed painting hangs in the Art Institute. The last time a local storefront theatre revived it was 2010. However, longtime Chicago theatre lovers are unlikely to forget Gary Griffin’s production at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater in 2004, later remounted in 2012. Though it’s a favored musical by many, it’s not one often produced because you really need all the right ingredients to do this one justice.

Kokandy has gathered those ingredients for this imaginatively staged new version. Derek Van Barham, who also serves as artistic director has been noodling on this show for the near decade he’s been working with Kokandy and the result is simply gorgeous.

A large and talented ensemble is led by Kevin Webb as Georges and Missy Wise Vanderzee as Dot. The two are not only incredible vocalists but each are wonderful in bringing their characters off the canvas and into real life. Webb’s take on Georges is vulnerable, less stoic, less cold,  less fixed. Vanderzee is also much warmer and less shrill than the original cast recordings. Going from 1800s Dot to 1980s elderly Marie can prove to be tricky for some actors but Vanderzee does a great job of bridging the gap with humor and pathos.

Perhaps no other adjective is more apt to describe this production than bittersweet. Nearly devoid of melodrama and yet cuts right to the emotional bone. Under Nick Sula’s music direction Sondheim’s orchestrations are performed with such attention to detail that audiences hang around well past the curtain call. Some of the best choral arrangements ever composed for the stage finds their stride as the company and music moves fluidly through G “Max” Maxin IV’s brilliant staging.

Van Barham has made something special here. Moving the staging from the traditional proscenium to an in-the-round black box provides so much more room to play around with the spectacle of live theatre. Rather than aiming for utmost fidelity to the ‘Sundays’ that have come before it, Kokandy opts to create their own signature production that will be remembered as one of Chicago’s best.

Through November 1 at Kokandy Productions at Chopin Theatre. 1543 W Division St. 773-278-1500

https://www.kokandyproductions.com/

From its beginning in 1992 on the tiny stage of a modest theater, Dance for Life (DFL) has grown and grown over the decades into something glorious.  Its purpose over the last 35 years, as conceived by DFL’s creator, Keith Elliott, then with the Joseph Holmes Chicago Dance Theatre, has never altered or faltered.  Mobilize a community devastated by a deadly scourge.  Raise money to help the stricken. Build solidarity within Chicago’s professional dance culture.  Initially and always a festival of dance chiefly focused on that second point, a few things have changed with time.  Although AIDS has virtually been vanquished, at least in the first world, health and other needs within the dance community have not diminished.  In 2025, DFL affiliated Chicago Dance Health Fund awarded $75,000 to dancers and other dance professionals facing critical need. 

The annual celebration of dance very much remains a way for dancers to help other dancers by practicing their art.  These days its being done on a much grander scale and showcasing a far wider range of what world class dance looks like and even feels like in the present day.

There were hints the 35^th annual Dance for Life performance at the Auditorium Saturday night would be particularly memorable and they all centered on dress.  Although venue is always a factor, dance audiences are not especially circumspect when it comes to presentation.  Much of the attire on display in the concert hall’s spacious lobby that evening was not only stylish, dashing and glamorous, some pieces touched on the spectacular.  Collectively, the energy they generated heightened the sense of expectation that already hung heavy in the air.  The display proved just the right harbinger to forecast a sensational night of dance.

Bulging at the seams with the exceptional, the latest iteration of DFL showcased ten dance companies along with two additional finale works - and even a third, a raffle performance. In addition to the traditional large-scale finale that always closes the show, the program would also include a sizzling bonus dance performance that was also featured in the inaugural DFL concert. 

This year’s show opened with elegance.  Danced to the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Deeply Rooted Dance Theater’s Beyond Mortal used sweep and grace to beautifully capture the secular spirituality of Mozart’s score.  Choreographed by the company’s Artistic Director Nicole Clarke-Springer, it reveals how one Black-led dance company lives up to its mission to “diversify the aesthetics of contemporary dance”.  Fireworks scripted in the language of the ethereal, Beyond Mortal ushered in the night with a nod to serenity and poise.

Giordano Dance Chicago. Photo by Cheryl Mann.

Giordano Dance Chicago decided to leave a different stamp on the gala by amping up a version of its signature heat.  There would be several excerpts featured throughout the evening and Giordano chose the best of its 2011 Sabroso to spellbind the thousands seated in the ornate theater.  Not only were the dancers speed and precision blinding, their joy blasted from the stage.  Triggering genuine awe and lighting up the room with cheers.

The temperature would ebb and flow throughout the night and after such a prodigious display of white-hot energy, a cool down came in the form of romantically sublime ballet.  This year a pair of fresh Joffrey faces, Hyuma Kiyosawa and Yumi Kanazawa, superlatively danced Postcards, founder Robert Joffrey’s ode to love, innocence and Paris of the 1920s.  With Jorge Ivars’ ravishing accompaniment on piano, the dance ushered in an extended moment of enchantment.

A slight pause and rocket engines soon screeched again with Loud, created by KC Bevis and performed by the Ensemble of Chicago Dance Crash.  Street dance and concert dance converged to make scorching hot magic in this mesmerizing performance. Here dance takes on a decidedly charismatic persona. One defined by strength, vigor, dexterity and boundless native imagination.   Jazzed up with the burning beats of DJ B-Gram P, the heady mix of club and dance culture lit the theater on fire.  One of many highlights that evening, Loud proved once again boundaries in dance simply don’t exist.  

Both Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater and later Trinity Irish Dance Company stole the show with drama and the ability to turn the sound of synchronized feet striking a stage floor into transfixing music.  In this case eliciting two completely different emotional responses that were both riveting.

Trinity Irish Dance Company. Photo by Todd Rosenberg.

Ballet 5:8 luxuriated in the freedom and unique beauty of contemporary ballet.  On their heels was another band of boundary pushers.  Chicago Dance Artists Piece performed Harrison McEldowney and Jeremy Plummer’s Red, White & Black; employing aerial concepts devised by Plummer.  Aerial acrobatics, dance and music by F.U.N. came together to blend brawn-flecked whimsy with a healthy dash of wholesome excitement.

After intermission, and dressed up in colorfully glam togs, Visceral Dance Chicago tapped into mischief. Dancing R E V E L, set to Maurice Ravel’s Bolero, they vamped, seduced and cavorted to the timeless music of an international classic. Devilishly choreographed by Nick Pupillo, it was not only brilliant and unexpected, it was massive delight to watch.

Visceral Dance Chicago. Photo by Cheryl Mann.

Two other works were even more impactful.  One was a dance featured in the very first Dance for Life performance called The Man That Got Away.  Sultry, sexy and a solid story told in dance, it featured only two dancers.  One acted simply as a prop.  The other, Johnathon Dole, was the soloist who danced the part of a shattered heart. One that begged and pleaded not to be ignored and cast aside.  Dole’s was the kind of dancing that kept rising and rising until it struck magnificent.  Buoyed by the right dancer, the right music and the power of bold expressive choreography, The Man That Got Away induced amazement and roars of approval.

The other masterwork was more restrained but no less beautiful or potent.  Robyn Mineko Williams and Artists danced a portion of Cloudline, a dream-state piece that used a 30-foot-silk cloth to help accentuate the dance’s atmosphere.  Two lovers find one another and embody the mystery and overwhelming satisfaction true love manifests through dance. As portrayed in movement by Morgan Clune and Amari Frazier, a more convincing display of that ideal is impossible to imagine.  A benchmark piece, its sudden and surprising ending provoked a collective gasp and then robust ovations.

This year’s concert honors choreographer, mentor and teacher Randy Duncan.  Mr. Duncan has created most DFL closing works since its inception, including Renewed; this year’s finale. Made up of dancers from the night’s performing companies, freelancers and students, they comprise a large contingent.  And in the muteness of Richard Dayhoff’s quiet gray costumes, there was a somber cast that shadowed their numbers. 

As the dance developed and took shape to music and lyrics by Ira Antelis, you could see the themes of resilience and positive conviction shining through.  A rejoicing in emerging from darkness to thrive once again.  The essence of Dance for Life. 

Dance for Life

August 22, 2026

The Auditorium Theatre

50 Ida B. Wells Drive

Chicago, IL  60605

For more information:  https://www.cdhf.org/danceforlife