Thursday, April 22, 2021
The cowriter of We Broke Up talks about why she misses Chicago theater—and why it's hard to come home again.
Laura Jacqmin spent "a solid ten years" (2006 to 2…
Linked From www.chicagoreader.com at 10:00AMThursday, April 15, 2021
The Southport corridor venue gets new life and new leadership.
Retractions generally aren't fun for journalists. But the announcement last week that Mercury Thea…
Linked From www.chicagoreader.com at 02:40PMFriday, April 9, 2021
A movement for pay equity and transparency for theater designers scores a victory; Black Lives Black Words kicks off a new discussion series.
Back in 2019, I int…
Linked From www.chicagoreader.com at 03:10PMFriday, April 2, 2021
Possibilities produces a live Zoom version of The Dining Room, but Melody DeRogatis has post-pandemic plans for her company.
Large family gatherings may still be…
Linked From www.chicagoreader.com at 01:05PMWednesday, March 31, 2021
Studio5's virtual speakeasy, Into the Mist, has echoes of the past and resonances for today.
The temptation to time travel during the past year has been strong. …
Linked From www.chicagoreader.com at 10:00AMFriday, March 26, 2021
Two streaming shows from Theatre in the Dark and Strawdog capture the drama of obsession and isolation.
Whether you're on the vast endless seas or stuck in your …
Linked From www.chicagoreader.com at 12:45PMWednesday, March 24, 2021
The Infinite Wrench marks an anniversary in shutdown; plus Refugee Rhapsody wins the Blue Ink Playwriting Award.
When the shutdown hit a year ago, the Neo-Futuri…
Linked From www.chicagoreader.com at 10:00AMThursday, March 18, 2021
After a tumultuous year, the theater's new artistic director is ready to listen as well as lead.
It's been a dramatic year for Victory Gardens Theater, even thou…
Linked From www.chicagoreader.com at 03:30PMThursday, March 11, 2021
The new artistic director wants to take 'amazing feats of storytelling' into more diverse realms; Rick Bayless wants to give more money to local theaters.
The st…
Linked From www.chicagoreader.com at 06:20PMFriday, March 5, 2021
The longtime Chicago playwright joins a new mini-renaissance of aural drama.
In Willy Russell's 1980 play Educating Rita, the title character (a working-class ha…
Linked From www.chicagoreader.com at 02:40PMTuesday, March 2, 2021
The crown jewel of Chicago nightclubs lives on at the Newberry Library and in an upcoming documentary.
Back when nightclubs were smoke-filled rooms, where people…
Linked From www.chicagoreader.com at 03:15PMThursday, February 25, 2021
This year's lineup offers a smorgasbord of online options; plus honoring Felicia P. Fields and remembering Edward S. Weil Jr. and Sally Banes
As the numbers of t…
Linked From www.chicagoreader.com at 02:00PMFriday, February 19, 2021
Private equity firm ZMC acquires the comedy institution, while AICE advocates for representation.
This has been a helluva week for Second City news. On Wednesday…
Linked From www.chicagoreader.com at 02:20PMFriday, February 12, 2021
But the comedy games continue online; plus Raven announces a new-play development commission.
When venerable comedy institutions in Chicago get shout-outs, Comed…
Linked From www.chicagoreader.com at 03:30PMWednesday, February 10, 2021
Theatre Above the Law and A Red Orchid Theatre dive into the physics and magic of being alive together.
For the past year, I've been making the same (extremely b…
Linked From www.chicagoreader.com at 05:45PMTuesday, February 2, 2021
Chicago writer and theater artist David Blixt uncovers a trove of previously unpublished novels by the original Lois Lane.
In 1885, the Pittsburgh Dispatch ran a…
Linked From www.chicagoreader.com at 05:00PMMonday, January 25, 2021
"We need to not only be trusted, but also championed."
In my last column, I wrote about Brian Loevner and the white paper he's created through his company, BLVE …
Linked From www.chicagoreader.com at 03:00PMThursday, January 21, 2021
They're bringing kids and families together through storytelling, crafts—and a viral 80s dance video.
When the COVID-19 lockdown first hit in March, a lot of …
Linked From www.chicagoreader.com at 05:05PMFriday, January 15, 2021
Brian Loevner thinks arts organizations should consider new ways to survive—and close.
This is the first of two columns that will examine the ideas of "cultura…
Linked From www.chicagoreader.com at 01:15PMThursday, January 14, 2021
Links Hall and Chicago Shakespeare host two virtual interactive shows on isolation and connection.
Even before the deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol last w…
Linked From www.chicagoreader.com at 02:50PMTuesday, January 5, 2021
Three plays by teen writers offer historical twists, absurdity, and some on-the-nose social commentary.
Nothing about this past year has been normal. (You're wel…
Linked From www.chicagoreader.com at 06:20PMWednesday, December 23, 2020
Christmas Eve goes to 11 in Isaac Gómez's workplace comedy; About Face celebrates Black queer lives, past and present.
If you're not working retail this Christm…
Linked From www.chicagoreader.com at 12:30PMFriday, December 18, 2020
Charles Dickens and Ike Holter are unlikely twin spirit guides in two online shows.
"Ring out the old year, ring in the new, ring-a-ding-ding," says Shirley MacL…
Linked From www.chicagoreader.com at 04:10PMGetting back to normal isn't going to happen. And in many ways, it shouldn't.
On Monday, March 16, I walked into a theater for the last time in 2020. It was at T…
Linked From www.chicagoreader.com at 02:30PMTuesday, December 15, 2020
The Goodman joins the national #Enough: Plays to End Gun Violence initiative; plus a new documentary on the August Wilson Monologue Competition and an award for a dance documentarian
…
Linked From www.chicagoreader.com at 02:40PMThursday, December 10, 2020
A Dickens chestnut and a spoof of 1970s celebrity specials join the online holiday theater lineup.
For a lot of performing arts organizations, the holiday seaso…
Linked From www.chicagoreader.com at 02:40PMFriday, December 4, 2020
A departure at PrideArts, an arrival at Second City, and the closing of the Frontier and Understudy; Kristiana Rae Colón wins a new prize.
In late June, Pride F…
Linked From www.chicagoreader.com at 03:15PMWednesday, November 25, 2020
Allegations of mismanagement and harassment rock the fantasy/sci-fi theater.
Since its founding in 2012, Otherworld Theatre has been a haven for theater fans wh…
Linked From www.chicagoreader.com at 01:30PMThursday, November 19, 2020
Stages are dark, but Chicago theater and dance companies still keep a light on.
This unholy year is winding down (or so we're told), and as we veer between image…
Linked From www.chicagoreader.com at 03:45PMWednesday, November 11, 2020
The good, the bad, and the ugly of our politics are on display in two streaming shows.
The long national nightmare of the past four years may not be over, but as…
Linked From www.chicagoreader.com at 04:40PMFriday, November 6, 2020
Matthew-Lee Erlbach wants to cut the creative sector in on a new deal; the Equity Jeff Awards go virtual.
When he was a kid in Rogers Park, Matthew-Lee Erlbach s…
Linked From www.chicagoreader.com at 03:15PM 
