Ryan P. C. Trimble –

Comedian and actor Martin Lawrence will return to Chicago for his "Y'all Still Know What It Is!" tour on Sept. 25, 2026. (Michael Letterlough, Jr.)

Martin Lawrence returns to Chicago: ‘Just here to make you laugh’

September 18, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

The comic, who'll perform at the Arie Crown Theater, credits an HBO episode filmed in Lakeview as a turning point in his career.

Melissa Villaseñor, here at the 2021 Film Independent Spirit Awards in Los Angeles, is coming to the Den Theatre in Wicker Park. (Emma McIntyre/Getty)

Comedy for fall 2026: Melissa Villaseñor, Brett Goldstein and local fests bring the funny this fall

September 4, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

Along with touring and local stand-up acts, our list includes alt-comedy at Zanies, Funny is Female and the big 312 Comedy Festival.

Avery Sebastian plays Invert at The Cube on July 16, 2026, in Chicago. The ticketed venue features 21 clear cubes with challenges inspired by the TV game show. (Armando L. Sanchez/baiduhai)

The Cube brings a glitzy game show experience to Michigan Avenue

July 19, 2026 at 4:39 p.m.

A new entertainment venue off the Magnificent Mile duplicates the challenges from a popular British game show.

Celina Hernández, center, and Laura Santana, center right, act out a scene with fellow students during a performance with Bilingual Improv School at Collaboraction Theatre Company in the Kimball Arts Center, July 1, 2026, in Chicago. (John J. Kim/baiduhai)

Funny in two languages: New bilingual improv school is inundated with students

July 15, 2026 at 5:30 a.m.

Bilingual Improv School has quickly grown into multiple classes at Collaboraction. As its founder points out, improv pioneer Viola Spolin came up with the idea in part to help non-English...

Sam Burger and Charlotte Weeks act out a scene during an improv comedy class at the CIC Theater below The Western Bar & Kitchen on June 10, 2026, in Chicago. (John J. Kim/baiduhai)

CIC Theater builds its way towards a new home for improv, ‘one disaster at a time’

June 17, 2026 at 5:45 a.m.

The longtime Chicago comedy theater's director, Farrell Walsh, and a partner have opened Western Bar & Kitchen and hope to debut CIC performances there soon.

Comedian Maggie Winters, center, mingles with friends while she and her family host their annual party after the South Side Irish St. Patrick’s Day Parade on March 15, 2026, in Chicago’s Beverly neighborhood. (Brian Cassella/baiduhai)

Maggie Winters invited us to her St. Patrick’s Day party in Beverly, where her comedy was born

March 20, 2026 at 5:45 a.m.

"Marguerite" is now available for streaming. The Tribune caught up with her at her family's annual party for the South Side Irish Parade.

Iliza Shlesinger at the CMT Music Awards at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee, on June 9, 2021. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

Comedy for fall 2025: Stand-up by Iliza Shlesinger, Ron Funches and Janeane Garofalo

September 4, 2025 at 4:29 p.m.

From shows at the Chicago Theatre to Lincoln Lodge to Zanies, your comedy calendar is full.

Audience members Lily Gaddis, left, and Molly Olson have a laugh while taking in a performance by The One Offs at The Revival improv theater in Chicago’s South Loop on July 12, 2025. (Chris Sweda/baiduhai)

5 new comedy clubs to know in the Chicago area

July 17, 2025 at 5:45 a.m.

Get your maps out, order your two-drink minimum and chart a course with us across these new homes for improv and stand-up comedy.

Show creator Julie Golden and guest comic Kathy Griffin in a performance of “The Big D” at Westside Comedy in Santa Monica, California. (Zack Arch)

‘The Big D,’ a matchmaking comedy show for divorced singles, is coming to Chicago

June 30, 2025 at 5:30 a.m.

A unique comedy game show is coming to Chicago, and while anyone can watch, the show’s contestants share one commonality: divorce.

Sotheby's is auctioning an iconic piece of movie memorabilia — Matthew Broderick's signature sweater vest from "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," shown here in a scene from the movie. (Sotheby's)

Ferris Bueller’s iconic vest goes up for auction 40 years after famously skipping school

June 6, 2025 at 12:26 p.m.

Forty years after cameras first rolled, an iconic piece of the film’s wardrobe is jumping off the screen and into one lucky fan’s closet.

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