"That's the beauty of stand-up," comedian Dwayne Kennedy says casually, his glasses, goatee and all-black outfit mixing with his contemplative tone to give him the vibe of a philosophy profe…
Sam Shepard, the bard of America's flat highways, wide-open spaces and wounding, dysfunctional families, has died at the age of 73 in his home in Kentucky from complications from Lou Gehrig'…
Drury Lane Theatre announced casting for the Chicago premiere of "Rock of Ages" Friday. Russell Mernagh and Cherry Torres will star as Drew and Sherrie, a couple fighting to save the Sunset …
The previews accompanying last Sunday's Music Box Theatre screening of Christopher Nolan's heart-pounding "Dunkirk" " proudly shown on 70 mm film " all seemed to be rising to the same dramat…
Haven Theatre will produce the world premiere of Isaac Gomez's "The Displaced" and the Chicago premiere of Stew and Heidi Rodewald's "The Total Bent" in upcoming seasons, the company announc…
Shattered Globe Theatre announced its 2017-18 season Thursday. First up, Louis Contey will direct James Still's "The Heavens are Hung in Black" (Sept. 7-Oct. 21), an epic focusing on the …
George Gershwin's 1928 symphonic tone poem, "An American in Paris," was written on commission. Modernist and experimental, rather than obviously lush or romantic, it was intended to convey t…
Saturday "In the Wake": The Comrades present Lisa Kron's play, set during Thanksgiving in 2000, about friends and family grappling with election assumptions. Through Aug. 26 at Greenhouse Th…
About Face Theatre will present three Chicago premieres in its 2017-18 season, including Joshua Harmon's "Significant Other," which played its last performance on Broadway in April.  …
I picked up my voicemail earlier this week and found the kind of message that makes doing this job feel like a privilege. "I am below the poverty line," the older gentleman on the recording …
Chicago Shakespeare Theater has a proud history of producing family-oriented summer shows that go far beyond what you would expect at a pleasure pier. On Navy Pier in 2010, "The Emperor's Ne…
The Facility Theatre, a new theater collective lead by artistic director Kirk Anderson, announced its inaugural season Wednesday. The collective says it aims to bring veteran and emerging…
"An American in Paris," which arrives in Chicago this week for a two-week stand of its national tour, was a critical (and a modest financial) success on Broadway in 2015. But the much-antici…
The Marriott Theatre announced the cast of "Honeymoon in Vegas" Tuesday. As previously announced, the regional premiere will be lead by the original Broadway team, including director Gary…
In the Chicago of 1860, when there barely was a Chicago, McVicker's Theater had what this newspaper called "a rousing hit" with a production of "The Octoroon," a spectacular melodrama by an …
The future is female " but it's still an unholy mess. That's the dystopic premise in Scott OKen's "Fight City," now in a slam-bang world premiere with Factory Theater. Set in 2077, where a c…
"The Daily Show" is coming to Chicago's Athenaeum Theatre for a week of shows in October, Comedy Central announced Tuesday. "'The Daily Show' Undesked Chicago 2017: Let's Do This Before It G…
It feels like a long time ago that a band of dance misfits formed Chicago Dance Crash " smooshing dance forms together to create a unique fusion style that has helped launch hip-hop onto the…
The Second City has announced the cast of its 106th mainstage revue. Returning cast member Kelsey Kinney will be joined by Ryan Asher, Tyler Davis, Jeffrey Murdoch, Tien Tran and Nate Varron…
BoHo Theatre announced its 2018 season Wednesday. First up is "Cyrano" (March 3-April 15) by Edmund Rostand, translated by Michael Hollinger and adapted by Hollinger and Aaron Posner. The ni…
Steppenwolf Theatre Company announced fall programming for its multi-genre LookOut Series Monday, including performances part of the previously announced month-long Chicago International …
A quarter-century ago, a sensual Russian aerialist named Vladimir Kekhaial turned up the heat of a Chicago summer by flying around a tent, his undulating, glistening muscles hardly confined …
I don't think it's a spoiler to tell you that Tim Heidecker " the Tim half of alt-comedy duo "Tim and Eric" " ends the "Tim and Eric 10th Anniversary Awesome Tour" parading across the stage …
This week's Showcase video features two football dancers from Cirque du Soleil's "Luzia," now playing to Chicago crowds under the Grand Chapiteau. In the video, Abou Traore and Laura Biondo …
"Ah, Wilderness!" âœâœâœ Director Steve Scott's summer revival of "Ah, Wilderness!," the 1933 Eugene O'Neill comedy, is about members of the Miller family as they celebrate th…