2019 Holiday Guide to Chicago Theatre
Did you know that 2019 is the Year of Chicago Theatre? Home to a community of creators, risk-takers, and big hearts, Chicago theatre is a hotbed for exciting new work and hundreds of world premieres every year. From joy to heartache and every feeling in between, Chicago’s exceptional ensemble of talent provides exhilarating experiences that make audiences come alive. This spirit of Chicago theatre is found in all of our neighborhoods, from downtown theatres to behind the storefronts, in a diverse collection of over 200 dynamic theatres.
Did you know that 2019 is the Year of Chicago Theatre? Home to a community of creators, risk-takers, and big hearts, Chicago theatre is a hotbed for exciting new work and hundreds of world premieres every year. From joy to heartache and every feeling in between, Chicago’s exceptional ensemble of talent provides exhilarating experiences that make audiences come alive. This spirit of Chicago theatre is found in all of our neighborhoods, from downtown theatres to behind the storefronts, in a diverse collection of over 200 dynamic theatres.
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NORTHWEST<br />
Forts: Build Your Own Adventure<br />
Filament <strong>Theatre</strong> 4041 N. Milwaukee | CHILDREN’S/<br />
FAMILY: Using cardboard boxes, sheets, clotheslines,<br />
and more, you will build adventures of your own devising.<br />
With theatrical design elements working <strong>to</strong>gether<br />
<strong>to</strong> support creative play, your family is sure <strong>to</strong> be swept<br />
away in the adventure. Nov 30 - Jan 26<br />
CHICAGO SUBURBS<br />
Fun Home The Wirtz Center at Northwestern<br />
University 30 Arts Circle Dr, Evans<strong>to</strong>n | 847-491-7282 |<br />
MUSICAL: A refreshingly honest, wholly original musical<br />
about seeing your parents through grown-up eyes.<br />
Through Nov 24<br />
NEAR NORTH<br />
Grey House A Red Orchid <strong>Theatre</strong> 1531 N. Wells |<br />
312-943-8722 | NEW WORK: A new horror play about<br />
the gravity of the past, and the cruel inevitability of its<br />
pull. Through Dec 1<br />
NEAR NORTH<br />
Grinning from Fear <strong>to</strong> Fear The Second City<br />
e.t.c. Theater 1608 N. Wells | 312-337-3992 | COMEDY:<br />
From psycho killers <strong>to</strong> big pharma, coming out <strong>to</strong> your<br />
family <strong>to</strong> coming undone in your nightmares, The Second<br />
City’s fearless force of comedy commandos takes<br />
on everything that makes us all unfalteringly unique.<br />
Rated R. Through Dec 29<br />
DOWNTOWN<br />
Hamil<strong>to</strong>n Broadway In <strong>Chicago</strong> at the CIBC <strong>Theatre</strong><br />
18 W. Monroe | 800-775-2000 | MUSICAL: Featuring<br />
a score that blends hip-hop, jazz, blues, rap, R&B, and<br />
Broadway, Hamil<strong>to</strong>n is the s<strong>to</strong>ry of America then, <strong>to</strong>ld by<br />
America now. Through Jan 5<br />
FAR NORTH<br />
Hoodoo Love Raven <strong>Theatre</strong> 6157 N. Clark |<br />
773-338-2177 | DRAMA: This spellbinding s<strong>to</strong>ry – punctuated<br />
with blues music – about love, magic, and the<br />
dangers we face when chasing our desires makes its<br />
return <strong>to</strong> <strong>Chicago</strong>. Through Dec 15<br />
CHICAGO SUBURBS<br />
Hope is a Thing With Feathers Young<br />
People’s Company at Piven <strong>Theatre</strong> Workshop 927<br />
Noyes St, Evans<strong>to</strong>n | 847-866-8049 | COMEDY/DRAMA:<br />
The s<strong>to</strong>ries will focus on trauma and resilience as a result<br />
of experiences they had during their most vulnerable<br />
stages of brain development. Dec 11 - 15<br />
NORTHWEST<br />
I Am Going <strong>to</strong> Die Alone and I Am Not<br />
Afraid Prop Thtr 3502 N. Els<strong>to</strong>n | 773-539-7838 |<br />
NEW WORK: Told through both imagined and his<strong>to</strong>rical<br />
s<strong>to</strong>ries of rebels like Francesca Mann, who shot a Nazi<br />
officer while being taken <strong>to</strong> the gas chambers, this is a<br />
devised play about resilience and tenacity in the face of<br />
violence. Through Dec 5<br />
NEAR NORTH<br />
I’m Not a Comedian... I’m Lenny Bruce<br />
Royal George <strong>Theatre</strong> 1641 N. Halsted | 312-988-9000<br />
| COMEDY: Star Ronnie Marmo brilliantly chronicles the<br />
life and death of the most controversial comedian of all<br />
time. Mature audiences only. Through Dec 1<br />
NEAR WEST<br />
In the Next Room or the Vibra<strong>to</strong>r<br />
Play UIC <strong>Theatre</strong> 1044 W. Harrison | 312-996-2939<br />
| COMEDY/DRAMA: In a seemingly perfect Vic<strong>to</strong>rian<br />
home, proper gentleman and scientist Dr. Givings has<br />
innocently invented an extraordinary new device for<br />
treating “hysteria” in women (and occasionally men): the<br />
vibra<strong>to</strong>r. Adjacent <strong>to</strong> his labora<strong>to</strong>ry, his wife tries <strong>to</strong> tend<br />
<strong>to</strong> their newborn daughter – and wonders exactly what<br />
is going on in the next room. Nov 15 - 24<br />
FAR NORTH<br />
The Infinite Wrench The Neo-Futurists 5153 N.<br />
Ashland | 773-878-4557 | EXPERIMENTAL: A mechanism<br />
that unleashes a barrage of two-minute plays for a live<br />
audience. Each play offers something different—some<br />
are funny, others profound. All of the plays are truthful<br />
and tackle the here-and-now, inspired by the lived<br />
experiences of the performers. Recommended for<br />
ages 14 and up. Open Run<br />
NEAR NORTH<br />
The iO Theater iO Improv 1501 N. Kingsbury |<br />
312-929-2401 | IMPROV: A premier venue for longform<br />
improvisational performances and classes.<br />
Shows include The Armando Diaz Experience, The<br />
Del<strong>to</strong>nes, FELT, The Improvised Shakespeare Co., Virgin<br />
Daiquiri, Whirled News Tonight, and more.<br />
CHICAGO SUBURBS<br />
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor<br />
Dreamcoat Music Theater Works at Cahn<br />
Audi<strong>to</strong>rium 600 Emerson St, Evans<strong>to</strong>n | 847-920-<br />
5360 | MUSICAL: A Pharaoh who looks a lot like Elvis,<br />
12 singing and dancing brothers, a remarkable narra<strong>to</strong>r,<br />
and Joseph himself make this tuneful and colorful show<br />
perfect for the holiday season. Recommended for ages<br />
8 and up. Dec 21 - 31<br />
FAR NORTH<br />
Keely and Du Intrinsic <strong>Theatre</strong> Company at The<br />
Frontier 1106 W. Thorndale | 248-915-8737 | DRAMA:<br />
Du, a right <strong>to</strong> life activist, and Keely, a pregnant rape<br />
victim she is confining, transcend their circumstances<br />
and the ideological issues that separate them. Keely and<br />
Du is a mind-probing issue play with a gripping human<br />
face. Through Nov 24<br />
NEAR NORTH | SATURDAYS AT 5PM<br />
Late Nite Catechism Nuns4Fun at the Royal<br />
George <strong>Theatre</strong> 1641 N. Halsted | 312-988-9000 |<br />
COMEDY: This two-act solo performance features Sister<br />
rewarding students for correct answers with glowin-the-dark<br />
rosaries and other nifty prizes. Naughty<br />
students may well find themselves on stage sitting in<br />
a corner reflecting upon their actions. Open Run<br />
FAR NORTH<br />
Laura and the Sea Rivendell <strong>Theatre</strong><br />
5779 N. Ridge | 773-334-7728 | NEW WORK: It’s company<br />
outing day, and Laura, one of the <strong>to</strong>p travel agents,<br />
is having the best/worst day of her life. So much so that<br />
she decides <strong>to</strong> end it all. Afterwards, her colleagues try<br />
<strong>to</strong> piece things <strong>to</strong>gether on a memorial blog. But how do<br />
you mourn someone you didn’t know that well? Through<br />
Dec 8
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