Theater – Page 204 –

Eddie Weaver and cast in "A Strange Loop" at Raven Theatre in a co-production with About Face. (Joe Mazza)

Review: ‘A Strange Loop’ at Raven Theatre is very off-Loop, and breathtakingly good

By Chris Jones

October 15, 2026 at 12:45 p.m.

Michael R. Jackson's musical won the Pulitzer and Tony Awards, but it's just now being...

Highland Park native Marina Franklin, who has TV and film credits, including HBO’s “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver,” is one of the headliners at the Funny is Female Comedy Festival, Oct. 22-25, at Comedy Plex in Oak Park. (Ashley Chappell)

‘Now there’s a girls’ club’: Funny is Female fest draws 50 comedians to Oak Park

By Myrna Petlicki

October 15, 2026 at 10:20 a.m.

More than 50 comics from around the country will be performing at the Funny is...

Ferdinand (Lawrence Grimm) and Will (Lenin Izquierdo) in "Any Rebellion of Will" at Trap Door Theatre. (George Hudson)

Review: ‘Any Rebellion of Will’ is an absurdist breath of fresh air at Trap Door Theatre

By Chris Jones

October 14, 2026 at 1:24 p.m.

This world premiere, penned by S.L. Daniels and accurately billed as a dark, absurdist comedy...

Chicago’s Dean Richards returns to work after a bout with COVID-19: ‘This virus is sneaky.’

By Chris Jones

December 11, 2020 at 2:18 p.m.

Dean Richards, the longtime WGN-Channel 9 and WGN 720-AM personality, is to return to the...

Goodman Theatre production manager Scott Conn carries boxes of respirators to a central storage area on March 21 in Chicago. The theatre had in storage at least 120 containers of disinfectant wipes, 150 N95 grade respirator face masks, and 4,500 pairs of disposable latex gloves.

Column: What was Chicago theater and dance in 2020? It was darkness and frustration, creativity and hope. The ghost lights remain lit.

By Chris Jones

December 10, 2020 at 5:30 a.m.

In a normal year, a Chicago theater would announce a season once. In 2020, theaters...

Free Street Theater and partners will open free community market in Back of the Yards

By Hannah Herrera Greenspan

December 10, 2020 at 8:38 a.m.

Following the distribution of about 100 bags of essential items over the summer, Chicago's Free...

Recommended holiday shows for 2020: Our top 10 critics picks this year from Chicago theater

By Chris Jones

December 9, 2020 at 6:35 a.m.

In a typical year, we'd be publishing our holiday edition of "Chris Jones Recommends," the...

Chicago playwright Derek McPhatter wins arts award of up to $50,000 to create new work

By Doug George

December 8, 2020 at 11:00 a.m.

Chicago-based playwright Derek McPhatter is the recipient of an arts award of up to $50,000...

Review: Manual Cinema forges a ‘Christmas Carol’ for a pandemic year of families forced apart

By Chris Jones

December 5, 2020 at 1:18 p.m.

"Manual Cinema's Christmas Carol" doesn't begin with the image of Marley, dead to begin with,...

Column: Recovery is coming in 2021. Will artists be off their games? Or will there be a rush of new talent and ideas?

By Chris Jones

December 3, 2020 at 5:30 a.m.

On Monday, the Bloomberg News Service had a rather chilling headline: "Rusty Pilots Making Flying...

Review: Goodman’s ‘A Christmas Carol’ is an audio play this year, a familiar story to warm your family’s season

By Chris Jones

December 2, 2020 at 1:11 p.m.

To butcher the famous Charles Dickens opener, let us note at the top that the...

Actor Harry Lennix is heading up the project and the completed building is to be called the Lillian Marcie Center, named after both Lennix's mother, Lillian, and one of his mentors on Chicago's South Side, Marcella "Marcie" Gillie.

Actor Harry Lennix plans to build ‘the Black version of Lincoln Center’ on Chicago’s South Side

By Chris Jones

December 3, 2020 at 12:10 p.m.

Actor Harry Lennix shot to fame by playing Terrence "Dresser" Williams in Robert Townsend's "The...

This building at 4343 South Cottage Grove Ave. is slated to be the African American Museum of Performing Arts and a theater.

African American Museum of Performing Arts on Chicago’s South Side

By Contributed Content

December 2, 2020 at 11:33 a.m.

A building at 4343 South Cottage Grove Ave. is slated to be the African American...