Displaying items by tag: Chicago events

Five years is an important milestone for any arts organization, but for a contemporary dance company it also marks an artistic coming of age. Identity Performing Arts celebrated its fifth anniversary at the Edlis Neeson Theater at the Museum of Contemporary Art with a program of three works - Enliven, Muted, and the premiere of Untitled Identity - that reflected both how far the Chicago-based company has come and where it is headed.

Founded as an organization dedicated to dance education, Identity Performing Arts transitioned into a full-season contemporary dance company in 2021, presenting its inaugural live concert that fall. This anniversary gala demonstrated how that evolution has expanded into a confident repertory of original work.

I had the privilege of sitting with Rehearsal Director Mollyanne Nunn during the performance, and her insights helped me better understand what I was seeing. Contemporary dance often communicates through gesture rather than narrative, and Nunn's perspective revealed how intention, relationships, and emotional shifts were woven into the choreography.

The afternoon opened with Enliven, choreographed by Founder and Artistic Director Ginny Ching-Yin Lo, a vibrant celebration of energy in motion that blends Eastern and Western artistic influences. Performed by a nine-member ensemble, the piece moved effortlessly through an eclectic musical landscape, from delicate instrumental passages to expansive contemporary compositions.

What stood out was the company's sense of connection. Rather than presenting individual showcases, the dancers created a shared momentum, with movement passing organically from one performer to another. It was easy to see why this work earned a place at the 2024 Seattle International Dance Festival.

Identity Performing Arts in Muted. Photo by Peter Hinsdale.

The mood shifted dramatically with Muted, Lo's deeply personal exploration of silence and communication. The work examines what it means to be muted, to silence another person, and to experience connections that exist beyond words.

The seven dancers gave physical form to emotions that are difficult to articulate. Gestures of distance, hesitation, and reconciliation suggested that our most significant conversations often happen without speech. The score, culminating in a reimagining of Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings, reinforced the work's emotional weight without overwhelming it.

The evening concluded with Untitled Identity, the program's premiere and its most ambitious work. Featuring a twelve-member cast, the piece explores how identity continually shifts between our inner understanding of ourselves, and the perceptions imposed by others.

The expanded ensemble created striking visual patterns, while cinematography by Cem Koc, visual effects by Simon Parfrement, and Hannah Wien's expressive lighting design gave the performance an added theatrical dimension. The varied musical score carried the dancers through moments of tension, release, and transformation, suggesting that identity is never static but always evolving.

Seen together, the three works formed a thoughtful progression - from celebration to introspection to self-discovery. Lo's choreography provided a consistent artistic voice while allowing each piece to inhabit its own emotional landscape.

Anniversary galas often look backward, celebrating past accomplishments. Identity Performing Arts chose instead to use the occasion to look forward. By pairing established works with a compelling premiere, the company demonstrated that its greatest strength is not simply what it has already created, but its continued willingness to explore new ideas through movement.

Five years after becoming a full-season contemporary dance company, Identity Performing Arts has found a distinctive voice. This gala made one thing clear: like the identities it explores, the company remains beautifully in motion.

www.identityperformingarts.org/about

Projecting a vibe that felt more homecoming party than ballet presentation, Dance Theatre of Harlem returned to Chicago on October 17^th after a 10-year absence. The Auditorium Theatre audience took a while to assemble itself largely because people were having so much fun. DTH devotees and newbies, ballet connoisseurs and dabblers, parents and children, lithe young dancers and cane-wielding seniors all came to celebrate.

Executive Director Anna Glass, followed by Artistic Director Robert Garland, greeted the crowd. They gave shoutouts to folks in the audience with various connections to DTH and, at the same time, warmly drew everyone else into the ballet company’s extended family.  

Garland went on to discuss DTH’s origins, a reminder for some, an introduction for others. When Arthur Mitchell, the first African American to achieve principal dancer status with a major company, retired from the New York City Ballet, he headed to Brazil to establish a new company. But upon learning of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, he pivoted to Harlem, launching the troupe in 1969 to showcase African Americans as gifted exponents of classical ballet.

Dance Theatre of Harlem. Photo by Jose Calvo.

Case in point is the program’s first piece, Return, blending classicism and contemporary black culture. Choreographed by Garland and set to music by James Brown, Aretha Franklin and others, Return brings toe-shoe funk to a series of what could best be described as sketches. Twelve dancers go from bit to bit, snaky in movement and cheeky in attitude, setting the tone with Franklin’s Baby, Baby, Baby and hitting a high with Brown’s Superbad. A little hodgepodge-y overall, the work nonetheless sparked audible laughter and gasps with each virtuoso move from the dancers.

Next came Donizetti Variations, a Balanchine work premiered 66 years ago by New York City Ballet and recently mounted by DTH. The performance was a fitting, if not remarkable, interlude between Return and Firebird. As Garland noted earlier, George Balanchine discovered, trained and developed roles for Arthur Mitchell. The choreography’s exacting structure and Donizetti’s lively Romantic score demonstrate Balanchine’s 20^th century fusion of European tradition with American swiftness and minimalism.  

Closing the program was Firebird, composed by Igor Stravinsky for Michel Fokine’s 1910 work for the Ballets Russes. In 1982, John Taras choreographed a version for Dance Theatre of Harlem. Based on a Russian folk legend, Taras set the story in the Caribbean with lush sets and costumes by Geoffrey Holder.

DTH principals Alexandra Hutchinson in the titular role and Derek Brockington as the Young Man brought both technical and psychological precision to their initial pas de deux. The Firebird captivates and instructs rather than seduces, making her gift of a protective red feather a noble gesture. Romance comes later when the Young Man falls for the Princess of Unreal Beauty, danced by Kamala Saara, and uses the feather to vanquish Jhaelin McQuay’s Prince of Evil. Masterful soloists and an equally skilled ensemble built the legend gradually into a triumphant finish that brought the audience to its feet.

More information on the company can be found at Dance Theatre of Harlem.

From a "Kung Fu rom-com" to a witchy new musical, The Goodman's popular New Stages Festival in its 22^nd year continues to offer a first glimpse at the latest works by a handful of the hottest contemporary playwrights. This year's four-play line-up includes Bruceploitation by Qui Nguyen (Vietgone); House Gyalz by Abigail C. Onwunali (Blood Be Sweet); Shook by Mike Lew (A Beat of Our Own) with music and lyrics by Zoe Sarnak (Galileo) and Wonderland by Will Eno (Thom Pain). Under Walter Artistic Director Susan V. Booth and Director of New Works Kat Zukaitis, this annual offering showcases works-in-progress in the intimate 400-seat Owen Theatre. Theater industry professionals are invited to Professionals Weekend (December 11-13), which includes special events and opportunities for networking. This year, Professionals Weekend includes readings of new works by The Goodman's 2026 New Stages Residency playwrights: Black-Eyed Peas & Collard Greens by Lachrisa Grandberry and The Last Time We Saw Them by William Glick. New Stages appears December 5-13; tickets are free and available starting October 30 at 10am at the Box Office (170 N. Dearborn), at 312.443.3800 or online at GoodmanTheatre.org/NewStages. Theater professionals interested in Professionals Weekend should RSVP by November 30 at GoodmanTheatre.org/Professionals. The Goodman is grateful for the support of The Joyce Foundation (Major Support for Diverse Artistic and Professional Development).

22^nd NEW STAGES FESTIVAL LINE-UP | Owen Theatre

Bruceploitation  
By Qui Nguyen  
Directed by May Adrales  
Readings: December 5 at 7pm and December 12 at 7:30pm

After Bruce Lee's death, a struggling Asian American actor gets his big Hollywood break... by replacing the legend... despite not knowing a lick of kung fu. Sparks fly when he meets the badass Black stuntwoman hired to train him, who's tired of making everyone else look like a hero while she stays out of frame. Turns out learning to throw a punch is way easier than keeping their hands off each other. A Kung Fu rom-com. 

Qui Nguyen is an Emmy-Award winning tv writer, filmmaker, playwright, and co-founder of the pioneering geek theatre company, Vampire Cowboys. Notable plays include Vietgone, Poor Yella Rednecks, Bike Wreck, and the acclaimed Vampire Cowboys productions of She Kills Monsters (recently awarded a 2024 Kennedy Center College Theatre Festival Gold Medallion Award), Revenge Song, Soul Samurai, The Inexplicable Redemption of Agent G, Alice in Slasherland, Fight Girl Battle World, and Living Dead in Denmark. For TV/Film, he's written for Marvel Studios, Netflix, AMC, SYFY, PBS. He most recently penned Disney's Raya and the Last Dragon (nominated for a 2022 Academy Award for Best Animated Feature) and co-directed and wrote Disney's Strange World. Qui is a proud member of the WGA and a board member of New Dramatists. 

House Gyalz 
By Abigail C. Onwunali 
Directed by Lili-Anne Brown 
Readings: December 8 at 7pm and December 13 at 11am

House Gyalz follows two Nigerian housemaids as they spiral into dangerous roleplay, examining class, power, and womanhood. When unexpected news raises the stakes of their games, they will pull out all the stops to survive. Blending sharp satire with explosive theatricality, Abigail C. Onwunali's dark comedy is a contemporary take on Jean Genet's classic The Maids.    

Abigail C. Onwunali is a Nigerian-American storyteller working across playwriting, performance, and poetry. Her plays have been developed with New York Theatre Workshop, Red Bull Theater, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Liberation Theater Company, Fault Line Theatre, and Yale Cabaret. Her play Blood Be Sweet will be part of New York Theatre Workshop's 2026–27 season. She is a 2025 New Harmony Project Fellow and recipient of the 2025 Irons in the Fire Residency, 2026 La MaMa Experiments in Playwriting Fellowship, 2026 Page 73 Writers Group, and 2025–26 NYTW 2050 Artistic Fellowship. She is a member of EST's Obie Award-winning Youngblood collective.

Shook 
Book by Mike Lew 
Music and Lyrics by Zoe Sarnak    
Directed by Moritz von Stuelpnagel 
Reading: December 11 at 7:30pm 

Something is rotten at Camp Avon, the prestigious Shakespeare summer camp for teens. Is it the star-crossed lovers facing a stage kiss? The stage management intern who wants a chance to perform so badly that she disguises herself as a camper? Or the fact that there are actual witches in the woods? All the woods a stage and all the campers merely players in this angsty musical ode to the eternal power of theatre.  

Mike Lew's plays include tiny father (Geffen, Barrington/Chautauqua, Audible); Teenage Dick (Donmar Warehouse, Ma-Yi/Public, Wooly Mammoth, Huntington, Artists Rep); Tiger Style! (TheatreWorks, SCR, Olney, Huntington, La Jolla, Alliance); Bike America (Ma-Yi, Alliance); microcrisis (Ma-Yi, InterAct); Alpha Asians; and How To Manong. His plays are currently in rep at Profile Theater. Musicals: A Beat of Our Own with Sam Willmott and Rehana Mirza (McCarter, La Jolla, Birmingham Rep); Shook with Zoe Sarnak (Northern Stage/Goodman commission); and Love Somebody with Betty Who and Rehana Mirza. Awards/Fellowships: Guggenheim, Mellon, PEN, Dramatists Guild Council/Tony Voter, New Dramatists, EST, Venturous, NYFA, MAP, Richard Rodgers, Kleban, Lanford Wilson, Helen Merrill, Weissberger, Kendeda, Heideman. Education: Juilliard, Yale.  

Zoe Sarnak is a Drama Desk–nominated and Larson Award–winning composer, lyricist, writer and orchestrator, as well as a finalist for the Ebb and Kleban Awards. Upcoming and recent works include: Galileo (with Danny Strong and Michael Weiner) opening on Broadway in 2026; NY Times Critic's Pick The Lonely Few (with Rachel Bonds) at MCC and Geffen Playhouse; Empire Records (with Carol Heikkinen) at McCarter Theatre; Particle Fever (with David Henry Hwang and Bear McCreary) premiering at La Jolla Playhouse in February 2027; A Beautiful Mind (with Sarah Treem); The Invisible Line (with Christopher Oscar Peña and Mark St. Germain) and others soon to be announced. Her work has been developed and produced at Second Stage, The Public, Roundabout Theatre Company, New York Theatre Workshop, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Geffen Playhouse, and MCC, among others. Her music has been featured by NY Times Live and the Guggenheim. 

Wonderland 
By Will Eno 
Directed by Susan V. Booth 
Reading: December 12 at 2pm

After a punishing decade-long exile in Europe, Orson Welles returns to Hollywood for a one-night only reading of Lewis Carrol's Alice in Wonderland. The borders between fiction and real life—and between his outward wants and inner demons—begin to break down, as Alice's journey becomes hopelessly entangled with Orson's past, and the evening takes a wild turn into the present. From Obie-Award winning playwright Will Eno, Wonderland paints a hopeful, tender, and at times surreal portrait of humanity and reality in the modern age.

Will Eno lives in Brooklyn and is a Pulitzer Finalist in Drama and winner of the Obie, Lortel, and Drama Desk awards. He wrote the book for the massively successful Skittles Commercial: The Broadway Musical, which won 7 Golden Lion awards at Cannes and 9 Clio Awards. Will teaches playwriting, most recently at Princeton University, and he mentors students at Columbia and elsewhere. His daughter Albertine acted in a workshop of her dad's new play The Green Room at the Gate Theatre in Dublin in 2025. Will was thrilled and honored to work for several years with the late and much-missed documentary film director Frederick Wiseman, who oversaw the French translation of his play The Realistic Joneses and was preparing to direct its premiere on the Paris stage in 2026. In addition to plays, Will also writes for television and film.

PROFESSIONALS WEEKEND READINGS | Alice Center for Education and Engagement

Black-Eyed Peas & Collard Greens 

By Lachrisa Grandberry 
Directed by J. Nicole Brooks 
Reading: December 11 at 3pm

In a West Side Chicago apartment building, three families prepare to welcome the New Year with the beliefs, strategies, and secrets they've relied upon for generations. But what happens when our traditions no longer align with our reality? Black-Eyed Peas & Collard Greens is a multi-generational ensemble dramedy about inheritance and what happens when those inherited truths stop serving us. Funny, heartfelt, and deeply human, Lachrisa Grandberry's newest play explores how tradition comforts us, when it confines us, and what remains when we're finally brave enough to choose something new.

Lachrisa Grandberry is a Milwaukee-born, Chicago-based playwright, lyricist and poet whose work holds space for healing, liberation and joy. Her stories are a tapestry woven from the voices and experiences of many—especially black women and girls navigating the weight of inherited patterns and unspoken truths. A 2024 Dramatists Guild Foundation National Musical Theater Fellow, she also serves as Director of NOVA Programming at Northern Sky Theater, where she curates safe spaces for writers to explore and amplify their voices. In 2022, she was named one of Wisconsin's 52 Most Influential Black Leaders. Whether through her published poetry (Shredding Rugs) or her theatrical works, Lachrisa believes that storytelling is a way to learn, unlearn, release and heal. "I know that my stories are not my own," she writes. "They belong to all of us." More at lachrisagrandberry.com

The Last Time We Saw Them 
By William Glick 
Directed by Jessica Fisch 
Reading: December 12 at 10am

In 1983, Tess, Sasha, and Amelia are young writers hoping to make their marks on Ronald Reagan's Washington.  As the years pass, their lives—and the Conservative Movement that brought them to power—are made unrecognizable by wars abroad and division at home. Spanning four turbulent decades, from the fall of the Berlin Wall to the beginning of the second Trump administration, The Last Time We Saw Them tells the story of three exceptional women whose ideals, rivalries and love of country and each other help forge the America of the 2020s.

William Glick is a Chicago-based playwright who was born and raised in Pompano Beach, Florida. His plays include The Last Time We Saw Them, Felt (Clubbed Thumb Emerging Writers Group), The Bigot (UT New Theatre), Kin Folk (World Premiere, The New Colony), the libretto for the children's opera Cry Wolf (Crane Prize for Performing Arts), and The Winter Farm (House Theatre Performance Lab).  His work has been a finalist for the Bay Area Playwrights Festival and the Heideman Award and shortlisted for the Relentless Award, the Ojai Playwriting Conference, and PlayPenn. He received his BA in Political Science from the University of Chicago and his MFA in Writing from the Michener Center at the University of Texas-Austin.

ABOUT THE GOODMAN

Since 1925, The Goodman has been a theatrical home for artists and a gathering space for Chicagoland, where bold stories spark connection, conversation and change. Now, as it enters its second century, The Goodman builds on that legacy with an eye toward the future. Under the leadership of Walter Artistic Director Susan V. Booth and Executive Director John Collins, the theater continues to champion new work—following hundreds of plays developed and a national reputation for commissioning and premiering original stories by living writers—while reimagining classics and produce large-scale musicals.

But The Goodman's reach today extends beyond its home in the heart of the Loop. From the intimate magic of The Magic Parlour, now in its third year, to the boundary-pushing world of Theater of the Mind—an immersive experience that blurs the lines between science, storytelling and sensation—and from citywide initiatives like 100 Free Acts of Theater to partnerships with artists and companies across Chicago and around the world, The Goodman is expanding what theater can be, and where it can live.

At its core, The Goodman is driven by a belief that a more empathetic, more connected city is built one story at a time. Generation-spanning productions and programs offer theater for a lifetime—from babies and young children to teens, adults and seniors—including Theater for the Very Young (ages 0–5) and the beloved annual A Christmas Carol, which has welcomed audiences for five decades. Education and Engagement programs, led by Clifford Director Jared Bellot and based in the Alice Rapoport Center, use the tools of theater to spark imagination, reflection and belonging—reaching thousands each year, the majority from underserved communities.

With nearly 200 world or American premieres, two Pulitzer Prizes, 22 Tony Awards and nearly 200 Joseph Jefferson Awards, The Goodman remains a defining force in American theater—and the first to produce all 10 plays of August Wilson's American Century Cycle. The theater also frequently serves as a production partner—from national and international companies to Chicago's Off-Loop theaters—to help amplify a wide range of theatrical voices.

Founded by William O. Goodman and his family in memory of playwright Kenneth Sawyer Goodman, the theater carries forward a legacy of artistic ambition and civic generosity. With the help of Mr. Goodman's descendants—Albert Ivar Goodman and his late mother, Edith-Marie Appleton—that spirit continues to shape its future as The Goodman expands its impact across Chicago and beyond. Marsha Cruzan is Chair of the Goodman Theatre Board of Trustees; Diane Landgren is Women's Board President; and Christopher Way is president of the Scenemakers Board for Young Professionals.

The Goodman stands on the unceded homelands of the Council of the Three Fires—the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi Nations—and acknowledges the many other Nations for whom this land now called Chicago has long been home, including the Myaamia, Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Sac and Fox, Peoria, Kaskaskia, Wea, Kickapoo, and Mascouten. The Goodman is proud to partner with the Gichigamiin Indigenous Nations Museum (Gichigamiin-Museum.org) and the Center for Native Futures (CenterForNativeFutures.org)—organizations devoted to honoring Indigenous stories, preserving cultural memory, and deepening public understanding.

 Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble (CDE) is pleased to announce its 2026 - 2027 season. CDE will open this artistic season with Copestic Vibrations: A Music Festival, Friday, Nov. 13 and Saturday, Nov. 14, followed by a fully staged production of For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf, Feburary 26 - March 13, 2027 and the season concludes with the return of the "Full Circle Festival," May 7 - 23, 2027. The 2026 - 2027 programming season includes "Passages," an intergenerational arts cohort, Sunday, Oct. 25; "Day of Healing," Sunday, Dec. 6 and the Playwrights Cohort & New Stage Play Development, led by Timothy David Rey, monthly from November 2026 through February 2027.

All performances and special events take place at Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble, 1650 W. Foster Ave. For additional information on this upcoming season and to purchase tickets, visit DanzTheatre.org.

"As Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble enters its 25th year of building commUNITY through the arts, our programming is centered around our slogan of 'one story, one voice, one person.' For Colored Girls will be reinvisioned for a new generation, our femme-focused playwrights cohort and Full Circle Festival will develop new performance works, while Copestic Vibrations will showcase the best of new talent. CDE really is the home of multidisciplinary performances and we hope that audiences will come and explore all that we offer and support our renters and their performances," shared CDE Founder and Artistic Director Ellyzabeth Adler.

The 2026 - 2027 Artistic Season Includes: 

Copasetic Vibrations: A Music Festival

Friday, Nov. 13 at 8 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 14 at 5 p.m.

Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble Auditorium, 1650 W. Foster Ave.

Tickets: $30 single-day pass | $50 Weekend pass

A music festival highlighting up-and-coming Chicagoland musicians:

GO79MAN, Bonatto, Kacie Brown & The Vision, Pisano, Shamik, Poor Thing,

Jamie Demeny's 4-Player Game, Pablo alto, Andy's Critical Hits!, Lakewaves Trio,

dicot, Bardware, Electric Mothership, and Sonic Healing

For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf

Directed by Aja Singletary

February 26 - March 13, 2027

Performance Schedule: Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m.

Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble Auditorium, 1650 W. Foster Ave.

Tickets: $35-50

Capturing the brutal, tender and dramatic lives of contemporary Black women, For Colored Girls... offers a transformative, riveting evening of provocative dance, music and poetry.

About the Director

Aja Singletary is a director, choreographer, and actor originally from Philly. Her directing credits include: Primary Occupant by Ashley Neal (Bramble's Festival of Unfinished Works), Short Changed by Jordan Gleaves (Redtwist Playfest), White by James Ijames (Walk Up), Evil Perfect by Spencer Huffman (AD, Bramble), Remembrance by Ben F. Locke (Bramble's FOUW), The Whole Sheamus Thing by L.C Bernadine and Ben Auxier (Bramble's FOUW), and On the Greenbelt (AD, Strawdog).She has also worked at various theaters including Lyric Opera, Goodman, Writers, Steppenwolf and Timeline. Offstage, you'll catch Aja quoting Spongebob, singing Disney songs, taking a boxing class and liking food videos! She thanks CDE and the For Colored Girls team for their warm welcome and for the opportunity to direct a full length production! Training: Fordham College at Lincoln Center. Representation: Gray Talent Group  

A Quote from the Director

"Shange's words carry lineage and power. They take you on a rollcoaster. I'm excited for the cast and myself to hear the music within Shange's play." Aja Singletary

Full Circle Festival

May 7 - 23, 2027

Performance Schedule: Fridays and Saturdays at 7 p.m., 8 p.m., 9 p.m. Sundays at 6 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble Auditorium, 1650 W. Foster Ave.

Tickets: $15-25

Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble has reimagined its annual Full Circle Festival, featuring physical, fringe and dance theater works between 30 and 60 minutes in length. For eight years, CDE had produced this eclectic festival for works under 15 minutes. Since reopening four years ago after being closed due to the pandemic, they have responded to the needs of the performance community even more and have found that there is a need to present longer works.

The 2026 - 2027 season special programming and events include:

Passages

Sunday, October 25 from 2 - 4 p.m.

Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble Auditorium, 1650 W Foster Ave

Tickets:

"Passages" is an intergenerational multidisciplinary arts cohort that has been working together during the summer months to build relationships between 20-25 and 65+ generations. Starting with the question of what is a rite of passage and how we grow as people, each pair has created a performance. 

Day of Healing

Sunday, December 6 at 5 p.m.

Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble Auditorium, 1650 W Foster Ave

Tickets: suggested donation

How does one heal or move forward? This Day of Healing comes on the 30th anniversary of our founder's suicide attempt. For many years, she kept silent, ashamed of her choice and the domestic abuse relationship that brought her here.  She healed in silence and only 10 years ago began talking about her journey. Now 30 years later, breaking the silence to help others know they are not alone, we will have a day of storytelling, meditation and music.  Like-minded nonprofits and resources will be on display at the event.

Playwrights Cohort & New Stage Play Development

November 2026 - February 2027

Applications Due September 20

Staged Reading: March 7  2 p.m. - 4 p.m.

Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble Auditorium, 1650 W Foster Ave

Tickets: free

Led by Timothy David Rey, this year's cohort celebrates the bold, powerful voices of femme playwrights. Inspired by and connected to our production of For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf, the cohort will explore storytelling, identity, and the transformative power of femme-centered narratives.

ABOUT CHICAGO DANZTHEATRE ENSEMBLE

Founded in 2001, Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble (CDE) is Chicago's only multidisciplinary arts organization dedicated to social justice and socially conscious work that builds community through the arts "one voice, one story, one person at a time." CDE's mission is to engage, inspire, and challenge the community, both onstage and in the classroom, through innovative and collaborative multidisciplinary storytelling to illuminate aspects of social issues. We do this in the genre of Tanztheatre, "which unites all art media to achieve an all-embracing, radical change in humankind." Through our school-based art and performance programs, CDE helps students in Chicago schools explore their own creativity, supporting their social and emotional learning. CDE provides a physical and emotional space where community conversation and cultural change can happen.

For our performance series, CDE is dedicated to creating performances that blend together dance, theatre and visual art to tell stories about the human condition. We give an artistic voice to those who are not always heard.

• Dedicated since our founding to diverse casting of age, body type and ethnicity
• Consistently listed as a "Top Theater and Dance Performance to See" by New City and Chicago Reader
• Unique collaborations with the Veterans Art Museum, Poetry Center Chicago, Cantigny Museum, Neighborhood Writing Alliance, Voice of the City and numerous dance and theater companies

• MacArthur Award Grantee for International Collaborations.  

Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble (CDE) is pleased to announce its 2026 - 2027 season. CDE will open this artistic season with Copestic Vibrations: A Music Festival, Friday, Nov. 13 and Saturday, Nov. 14, followed by a fully staged production of For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf, Feburary 26 - March 13, 2027 and the season concludes with the return of the "Full Circle Festival," May 7 - 23, 2027. The 2026 - 2027 programming season includes "Passages," an intergenerational arts cohort, Sunday, Oct. 25; "Day of Healing," Sunday, Dec. 6 and the Playwrights Cohort & New Stage Play Development, led by Timothy David Rey, monthly from November 2026 through February 2027.

Eos Theatre Company is pleased to announce their second production with Lucas Hnath's horror play The Thin Place, directed by JC Clementz (Steppenwolf's Director of Casting and Artistic Operations), playing February 5 - 28, 2027 in Bramble Arts Loft's Beatrice Theater, 5545 N Clark Street in Chicago. Tickets go on sale October 13th at www.eostheatre.org.

The Thin Place will feature Eos Theatre Company co-Artistic Directors Ashway Lawver and Rachel Sledd, with additional casting to be announced shortly.

About the Production:
The "thin place" is a place where the line between this world and another one is very thin; where the living and the dead can reconnect. Ever since she was a very little girl, Hilda tried to make contact with that "other place" by listening very carefully, not with her ears but with the space just behind and a little above her eyes. She was never all that sure that the things she could hear were real, until she met Linda, a professional psychic, who can talk to the dead. That's what Hilda wants to do, and so she befriends Linda. But as their friendship deepens, Linda unveils some uncomfortable truths. The Thin Place is a horror story about what's really going on in the space just behind and a little above your eyes.

The Production Team includes Eric Watkins (Lighting Design), Rachel Sledd (Costume Design), Ashway Lawver (Costume Design), Christopher Kriz (Sound Design), William Hughes (Set Design), Morgan Burkey (Assistant Director), and Michael Lesko (Stage Manager).

Production Details:
The Thin Place by Lucas Hnath
Directed by JC Clementz
Presented by Eos Theatre Company

Cast: Ashway Lawver (Hilda), Rachel Sledd (Slyvia). Additional casting to be announced.

Location: Bramble Arts Loft, 5545 N Clark Street, 2nd Floor, Chicago

The Thin Place Poster

Dates:
Preview: February 5, 2027, at 7:30pm
Press opening: February 6, 2027, at 7:30pm
February 11, 12, 13 15, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 27, 2027, at 7:30pm
February 7, 14, 21, 28, 2027, at 2:00pm

Ticket Prices:
General Admission: $45
Student: $15
Industry: $20
Group (10 or more): $30
Thursday performances: pay what you can

Artist Biographies:
Lucas Hnath's most recent play, Dana H., was at the Vineyard Theatre in New York. Lucas received a 2017 Tony Award nomination for Best Play with A Doll's House, Part 2. Hnath's other plays include Hillary and Clinton, The Thin Place, Red Speedo, The Christians, A Public Reading of an Unproduced Screenplay About the Death of Walt Disney, Isaac's Eye and Death Tax. He has been produced on Broadway at the John Golden Theatre and Off-Broadway at New York Theatre Workshop, Playwrights Horizons, Soho Rep and Ensemble Studio Theatre. His plays have also premiered at the Humana Festival of New Plays, Victory Gardens and South Coast Repertory. He is a New York Theatre Workshop Usual Suspect, a member of Ensemble Studio Theatre and an alumnus of New Dramatists. Awards: Whiting Award, Guggenheim Fellowship, Kesselring Prize, Outer Critics Circle Award for Best New Play, Obie Award for Playwriting, Steinberg Playwright Award and the Windham-Campbell Literary Prize. 

JC Clementz is the Director of Casting and Artistic Operations at Steppenwolf Theatre Company. Over the past decade, he has cast productions out of Chicago and New York including the Pulitzer- and Tony-winning Best Play Purpose by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins. Other Broadway credits include Little Bear Ridge Road starring Laurie Metcalf, Bug starring Carrie Coon, Linda Vista, Pass Over, and The Minutes. As a director, his credits include the Associate Director for the pre-Broadway tryout of The Devil Wears Prada: A New Musical (Broadway in Chicago), director of The Nerd, The All Night Strut!, Murder for Two, and many other productions at Milwaukee Rep, Waiting: A Song Cycle (Cherry Lane, NYC), and Murder for Two (Merrimack Rep). Proud member of SDC and the Casting Society.

Ashway Lawver is co-Founder and co-Artistic Director of Eos Theatre Company; she played Hecuba in the company's inaugural production of The Trojan Women at Bramble Arts Loft, April 2026. Recent theatre credits: The Pavilion, Sweat (The Loop Players); Murder on the Orient Express (Milwaukee Repertory Theatre); Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Lindiwe (Steppenwolf). Ashway started her stage career in NYC; highlights include performing Off-Broadway, at Radio City Music Hall and in National/International tours. She can be seen in several national commercials and feature/independent films; including Long Division (Roku, Tubi) and Promises (Amazon Prime). A transplant from Los Angeles, Ashway has her BA in Theatre/Dance (Wheaton College, MA) and is a graduate of the School at Steppenwolf. Ashway is a member of SAG and is represented by Talent X Alexander. IMdb.me/AshwayLawver

Rachel Sledd is a co-Founder and co-Artistic Director of Eos Theatre Company; she directed the company's inaugural production of The Trojan Women at Bramble Arts Loft, April 2026. Recent theatre credits include Highway Patrol (Goodman Theatre) and Junk (Milwaukee Repertory Theatre). TV/Film credits include NBC's Chicago Med, Chicago PD, the pilot's Burn and You've Got Gail, and Bride of Frankie, which has screened at over 100 film festivals internationally and for which Rachel won Best Actress in a Short at the Sydney Indie Film Festival. Rachel earned an M.F.A. from the University of Washington's Professional Actor Training Program in Seattle and teaches theatre at Harold Washington College. She is represented by DDO Artists Chicago.  

Eos Theatre Company Mission Statement:
Eos Theatre Company is a vibrant new women-led theatre company based in Chicago, dedicated to shining light into the darkness of the human experience through transformative storytelling. We strive to amplify female voices and narratives, producing bold, diverse, and thought-provoking works that challenge and inspire audiences. We believe that live theatre fosters connection, community, empathy, and understanding; we are committed to increasing access to live theatre for young people and marginalized communities. Eos is building an inclusive artistic community that promotes equity, excellence and dialogue. Through performance, education, and community partnerships, we harness the power of storytelling to inspire change and empower future generations of women in American Theatre. Created by a collective of women theatre artists with extensive experience in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles and beyond, Eos aims to deliver Chicago storefront theatre of the highest caliber.

LOCATION/PARKING/TRANSPORTATION

TimeLine’s new home is located at 5035 N. Broadway (at Argyle) in the heart of Chicago’s Uptown community.

TimeLine Theatre is easily reached via public transportation, located steps away from the CTA Red Line stop at Argyle. The #36 Broadway bus stops at Broadway and Argyle, the #151 Sheridan stops three blocks east at Argyle, and the #81 Foster stops at Broadway and Foster, just two blocks north.

Convenient parking is a new hallmark for TimeLine Theatre. The self-park garage at 5051 N. Broadway, two doors north of the theatre, offers up to 6 hours of parking for $10, with validation. Ask for a validation sticker from TimeLine’s Audience Services staff. The self-park surface lot at 5017 N. Winthrop in the heart of Asia on Argyle also offers discounted parking for up to 6 hours for just $7 via an app and QR code.

Nearby street and metered parking is available but limited. Please note some streets are zoned for resident parking only. Visit timelinetheatre.com/venues/timeline-theatre for additional information, including driving directions and nearby dining recommendations.

Under the leadership of Marilyn F. Vitale Artistic Director Avery Willis Hoffman and Executive Director Angel Ysaguirre, Court Theatre proudly presents America@250 – Now is the Time: Artists Go to Work, a curated set of events programmed in partnership with The Toni Morrison Foundation, Illinois Humanities, Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts, Smart Museum of Art, and UChicago Arts. Programming also includes events presented by the University of Chicago Division of Arts & Humanities, Arts + Public Life, Institute of Politics, UChicago Presents, and the Graham School. Events in the series will run from October through December at venues throughout Chicago.

Spanning theatre, visual art, music, public conversations, workshops, and community gatherings, America@250 – Now is the Time: Artists Go to Work brings together artists, cultural leaders, scholars, and audiences to explore the meaning of America's 250th anniversary through the lens of art and civic life. Taking place at cultural institutions and venues across Chicago, the series examines the nation's history, the complexities of its founding ideals, and the ongoing pursuit of freedom, identity, and belonging. Through exhibitions, performances, artist-led discussions, and opportunities for public participation, the program highlights the role of artists in challenging established narratives, fostering dialogue, and imagining what America's next 250 years might look like.

On July 4, 2026, America turned 250 years old. To reckon with the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence is to reckon with freedom declared in words long before it was lived in practice, and grapple with a history that has constantly faced erasure.

Toni Morrison taught that the measure of a nation is not in its monuments, but in the stories it has the courage to face. In the face of all the forces daunting the spirit, she famously wrote: "This is precisely the time when artists go to work. There is no time for despair."

A collective of institutions and organizations from across the University of Chicago—along with Illinois Humanities, in partnership with The Toni Morrison Foundation—have partnered to curate a suite of events that respond to Morrison's charge and amplify the deeply inspirational and vital creative work produced by Chicago-based artists working at the intersection of art and civic life.

In convening artists, thinkers, and communities, we invite you to collectively reflect on and illuminate the unfinished work this anniversary makes so strikingly apparent. All events are open to the public.

Attendees are encouraged to curate their experience from a menu of offerings:

• Ongoing: Illinois Voices 250 (Illinois Humanities)
• Ongoing: Nina Chanel Abney: Between Us (Smart Museum of Art)
• Ongoing: Charles White Across Media: A Visual Archive (Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts)
• October 17: Family Day: Proud to Be Me (Smart Museum of Art)
• October 28: "The Pursuit": A People's Salon (Illinois Humanities)
• October 29: Unfixed: Identity, Expression & Creative Freedom, a Workshop with Jenn Freeman | Po'Chop (UChicago Arts)
• November 4: Threshold: Conversations on the Stoop, featuring Candace Hunter and Cathy Coen (Arts+Public Life)
• November 5:  Court Convening 1: America@250 (Court Theatre)
• November 6: Arts and America at 250: We Stand at the Intersection of Creativity and Politics (Keynote Conversation) (Court Theatre and the Institute of Politics)
• November 6: Artists Go to Work (Keynote Conversation)
• November 6: Artists Go to Work (Breakout Sessions)
• November 6: Exhibition Opening of Charles White Across Media: A Visual Archive (Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts)
• November 6: Craig Taborn Trio (UChicago Presents)
• November 7: University of Chicago Arts & Humanities Day (University of Chicago Division of Arts & Humanities)
• November 10: Rear View Mirror Session with Duane Powell (Arts+Public Life)
• November 11: Could AI Put Our Democracy at Risk? (University of Chicago Graham School)
• November 18: Reflecting through Objects A Logan CenterWorkshop Led by Emily Hooper Lansana and William Estrada (Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts)
• December 10-20: Tituba, by Winsome Pinnock (Court Theatre)
• December 14: Tituba: Artist Talk Featuring esperanza spalding and Josephine Lee in Conversation with Avery Willis Hoffman (Court Theatre)

All events are open to the public. Tickets can be obtained from the respective venues presenting each program, or via the links on courttheatre.org.

ABOUT THE EVENTS

Illinois Voices 250

A statewide time capsule of conversations with people in all 102 Illinois counties, this project celebrates and preserves the voices of everyday Illinoisans: who we are, what we care about, and what we think is important about this moment in our country's history.

Dates: Ongoing

Presented by: Illinois Humanities

Nina Chanel Abney: Between Us

Experience Abney's large-scale mural that takes the most familiar images of American life—drawn from children's diagrams, advertising, sports, cartoons, and the news—and turns them against themselves.

Dates: Ongoing through July 2027

Presented by: Smart Museum of Art (Threshold Series)

Charles White Across Media: A Visual Archive

Bringing together album covers, book jackets, magazines, film stills, photographs, prints, and other ephemera featuring the work of Charles White (1918-1979), this exhibition examines the expansive cultural life of his imagery.

Date: November 6, 2026 - January 31, 2027

Presented by: Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts

Family Day: Proud to Be Me

Create a colorful self-portrait collage with guidance from exhibiting artist Nina Chanel Abney. Free participation; registration is requested.

Date: Saturday, October 17, 2026

Time: 10:00am - 1:00pm

Location: Smart Museum of Art (5550 S Greenwood Ave, Chicago, IL 60637)

Presented by: Smart Museum of Art

"The Pursuit": A People's Salon

Featuring commissioned work from Lisa Beasley, INSÉKTA, Mark Turcotte, avery r. young, and Ariel Zetina.

Date: Wednesday, October 28, 2026

Time: 6:00pm - 9:00pm

Location: Ramova Theatre (3520 S Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60609)

Presented by: Illinois Humanities

Unfixed: Identity, Expression & Creative Freedom, a Workshop with Jenn Freeman | Po'Chop

Through movement, reflection, improvisation, and collaborative exercises, participants will consider how identity shapes and informs how we express ourselves, how we are seen by others, and what we believe is possible. Participants should wear comfortable clothing they can move in and bring materials to write with.

Date: Thursday, October 29, 2026

Time: 4:00pm - 6:00pm

Location: Harris Studio, Green Line Performing Arts Center (329 E Garfield Blvd, Chicago, IL 60637)

Presented by: UChicago Arts

Threshold: Conversations on the Stoop, featuring Candace Hunter and Cathy Coen

Threshold: Conversations on the Stoop is a series of public talks that take place on the front porch within the Intentionality, 1960: Whose Dreams? exhibition. Candace will be in conversation with a host of scholars, artists, archivists and neighbors around questions of race, residential space, displacement, memory, and belonging.

Date: Wednesday, November 4, 2026

Time: 6:00pm - 8:00pm

Location: Arts Incubator Gallery (301 E Garfield Blvd, Chicago, IL 60637)

Presented by: Arts+Public Life

Court Convening 1: America@250>

Join this dynamic Town Hall conversation that directly explores the age-old question, "What is a Classic? And why now?" and offers an inside look at Court Theatre's 2026/27 season.

Date: Thursday, November 5, 2026

Time: 6:00pm - 8:00pm

Location: Breasted Hall, University of Chicago's Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures (1155 E 58th St, Chicago, IL 60637)

Presented by: Court Theatre

Arts and America at 250: We Stand at the Intersection of Creativity and Politics
Keynote Conversation
Artists, curators, and journalists explore America@250 through the cultural, political, and aesthetic lens of now.

Date: Friday, November 6, 2026

Time: 12:30pm - 1:45pm

Location: Penthouse, Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts (915 E 60th St, Chicago, IL 60637)

Presented by: Court Theatre and the Institute of Politics at the University of Chicago

Artists Go to Work
Keynote Conversation

Continuing our artist-centered examination of America@250, our second keynote features a conversation between Chicago-based artists who work at the intersection of art and civic life, nominated through a partnership between Illinois Humanities, Court Theatre, UChicago Arts, Smart Museum of Art, and the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts.

Date: Friday, November 6, 2026

Time: 2:30pm - 4:00pm

Location: Penthouse, Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts (915 E 60th St, Chicago, IL 60637)

Presented by: Court Theatre, UChicago Arts, the Smart Museum of Art, the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts, and Illinois Humanities.

Artists Go to Work (Breakout Sessions)

Interactive breakout sessions hosted by Chicago-based artists who work at the intersection of art and civic life, nominated through a partnership between Illinois Humanities, Court Theatre, UChicago Arts, Smart Museum of Art, and the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts.

Date: Friday, November 6, 2026

Time: 4:30pm - 6:00pm

Location: Penthouse, Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts (915 E 60th St, Chicago, IL 60637)

Presented by: Court Theatre, UChicago Arts, the Smart Museum of Art, the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts, and Illinois Humanities.

Exhibition Opening of Charles White Across Media: A Visual Archive
Bringing together album covers, book jackets, magazines, film stills, photographs, prints, and other ephemera featuring the work of Charles White (1918-1979), this exhibition examines the expansive cultural life of his imagery. Join our partners for this exciting opening!

Date: Friday, November 6, 2026

Time: 6:00pm - 8:00pm

Location: Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts

Presented by: The Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts, South Side Community Art Center, UChicago Arts, the Division of The Arts & Humanities.

Craig Taborn Trio

A frequent collaborator with Tomeka Reid and Vijay Iyer, Taborn and his Trio create a sound that is immersive, audacious, and unequivocally jazzy.

Date: Friday, November 6, 2026

Time: 7:30pm

Location: Performance Hall, Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts (915 E 60th St, Chicago, IL 60637)

Presented by: University of Chicago Presents, in partnership with the Logan Center for the Arts, Chicago Jazz Magazine, DownBeat, Jazz Institute of Chicago, and WDCB 90.9 FM.

University of Chicago Arts & Humanities Day

Now in its 46th year, UChicago Arts & Humanities Day 2026 celebrates the writers, artists, and public intellectuals grappling with the questions and concerns that shape our world.

Date: Saturday, November 7, 2026

Time: Various times

Location: Various locations

Presented by: University of Chicago | Division of Arts & Humanities and Chicago Humanities

Rear View Mirror Session with Duane Powell

Since 2017, the Quintessential Listening and Lecture Series led by music historian and DJ Duane Powell has taken audiences on a journey through the lives of musical legends and heroes. The series continues with a special celebration of Marvin Gaye, the Prince of Motown. Musical guest to be announced soon!

Date: Sunday, November 10, 2026

Time: 6:00pm - 9:00pm

Location: Performance Hall, Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts (915 E 60th St, Chicago, IL 60637)

Presented by: Arts+Public Life and the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts, in partnership with Soundrotration and Brain Trust Management. Artist and event support provided by The Toni Morrison Foundation.

Could AI Put Our Democracy at Risk?

As AI reshapes nearly every aspect of modern life, how will it impact our democracy?

Date: Monday, November 11, 2026

Time: 5:45pm - 7:30pm

Location: The University of Chicago Gleacher Center (450 Cityfront Plaza Dr, Chicago, IL 60611)

Presented by: The University of Chicago's Graham School

Reflecting through Objects A Logan Center Workshop Led by Emily Hooper Lansana and William Estrada

A blend of oral storytelling and visual response, this interactive workshop is an opportunity to examine the connection between objects and memory.

Date: Monday, November 18, 2026

Time: 5:30pm - 8:30pm

Location: Penthouse, Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts (915 E 60th St, Chicago, IL 60637)

Presented by: Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts

Tituba, by Winsome Pinnock

A multidisciplinary theatrical spectacle in an iconic location featuring original music by Grammy Award-winner esperanza spalding. A bonfire of laughter. A shift in perspective that fundamentally alters how we view an American classic. She will make the Reverend pay.

Date: December 10 - 20, 2026

Time: Various times

Location: Rockefeller Memorial Chapel (5850 S Woodlawn Ave, Chicago, IL 60637)

Presented by: Court Theatre

Tituba: Artist Talk Featuring esperanza spalding and Josephine Lee in Conversation with Avery Willis Hoffman

A special artist talk exploring the vibrant sonic world, melodies, and rhythms of Court Theatre's Tituba.

Date: Monday, December 14, 2026

Time: 6:00pm - 7:30pm

Location: Performance Hall, the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts (915 E 60th St, Chicago, IL 60637)

Presented by: Court Theatre

Winner of the 2022 Regional Theatre Tony Award, Court Theatre reimagines classic theatre to illuminate our current times. In residence at the University of Chicago and on Chicago's historic South Side, we engage our audiences with intimate and provocative experiences that inspire deeper exploration of the enduring questions that confront humanity and connect us as people.

Trap Door Theatre is thrilled to continue its 33rd season with a Chicago Premiere of Oh, Buddy, written by Hal Cosentino and directed by Jeremy Ohringer. Oh, Buddy will play November 12th – December 19th, 2026 at Trap Door Theatre, 1655 W Cortland St. in Chicago. Tickets are now on sale at trapdoortheatre.com or by calling (773)-384-0494.

It's hard to be the New Guy in the world's most generic office. It's even harder to be the New Guy when you're the New Guy because you came out as transgender. And has anybody noticed that the boss is a Big Furry Monster? OH, BUDDY is a dark, absurdist comedy about how the bizarre demands of binary gender affect the way we take on roles in the workplace and beyond. 

PRODUCTION DETAILS:

Title: Oh, Buddy

Author: Hal Cosentino

Director: Jeremy Ohringer

Cast (in alphabetical order): Jack Bowes (New Guy), Haven Crawley (Emery), Mackenzie Jones (Lady), Shail Modi (Buddy), and Dustin Valenta (Dude).

Location: Trap Door Theatre, 1655 W. Cortland St. Chicago, IL 60622

Regular Run: Thursday, November 12th –Saturday, December 19th, 2026 (No performances on 11/26-28)

Curtain Times: Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 8:00 pm. Sundays 12/6 and 13 at 3:00 pm. With a special performance on Sunday, December 6th at 3:00 pm including a talk back after the performance with the playwright.

Tickets: $25. Tickets are currently available at https://our.show/oh-buddy or by calling (773) 384-0494.

Teatro Vista Productions (TVP), the Midwest's only Latine-led Equity theatre company, in collaboration with Audible, presents Cafecito & Loops: A Mexodus Listening Tour Headed South, a FREE series of Sunday listening parties leading up to the Chicago premiere of Brian Quijada and Nygel D. Robinson's hip hop musical Mexodus, playing at The Studebaker Theater November 7-21, 2026.

Cafecito & Loops will be held Sundays, October 11, 18, 25 and November 1, from noon to 4pm, at various locations throughout Chicago, with each stop mirroring a chapter in the play's journey.

"Teatro Vista is thrilled to partner with Audible, the Studebaker and P3 Productions to support Mexodus with Cafecito & Loops, an intentional journey that connects our communities directly to the play's groundbreaking music and message," says Teatro Vista Productions Artistic Director Wendy Mateo. "By mapping this listening tour southward we are tracing a path of artistic expression and resistance across Chicago. This free series is about making space for connection, conversation, and collective joy in neighborhoods that power our city's vibrant cultural landscape."

Teatro Vista Productions will host four listening parties featuring excerpts from the Audible Original, which features the entire musical recorded in immersive Dolby Atmos sound design, each stop acting as a chapter in the experience. These listening parties will be scattered throughout the city, strategically en route from Teatro Vista Productions' homebase at The Exchange in Jefferson Park to where Mexodus is playing at the Studebaker Theater downtown. The events are free and open to all.  Reservations are encouraged at: https://www.teatrovista.org/cafecito-and-loops-rsvp.

Teatro Vista Productions previously produced the world premieres of Brian Quijada's critically acclaimed Where Did We Sit on the Bus in 2016 (in association with DCASE and Victory Gardens Theater) and Somewhere Over the Border in 2022 as part of a rolling world premiere with Syracuse Stage and GEVA Theatre.

The Cafecito & Loops schedule is as follows:

Sunday, October 11, 12pm-4pm

The Exchange, home of Teatro Vista Productions in Jefferson Park

4800 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago

Sunday, October 18, 12pm-4pm

Magnifico Coffee Roasters & Coffee Shop in Avondale

3063 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago

Sunday, October 25, 12pm-4pm

Caña in West Town

1406 W Grand Ave, Chicago

Sunday, November 1, 12pm-4pm

Groundswell Coffee Roasters at the Fine Arts Building in the Chicago Loop

410 S Michigan Ave, Chicago

About Mexodus

Studebaker Theater, P3 Productions and Audible,

in collaboration with Teatro Vista Productions present

Mexodus

Written and performed by Brian Quijada and Nygel D. Robinson

Choreographed by Tony Thomas

Directed by David Mendizábal

Studebaker Theater, 410 S Michigan Ave, Chicago

November 7-21, 2026

Press Opening: Saturday, November 7, 2026 at 7:30pm

Creators Brian Quijada and Nygel D. Robinson perform this groundbreaking hip-hop musical, using live instruments to build a soundscape live each night incorporating looping to layer rhythms, melodies, and harmonies to create full arrangements on the spot at each performance.

Told through bold storytelling and sick beats, Mexodus reimagines the Underground Railroad heading south to Mexico—unearthing a powerful, untold chapter of American history. Called "thrilling" by The Washington Post and "genius in motion" by the San Francisco Chronicle, this is theatre you feel in your body and your bones.

Tickets for Mexodus are available through the Studebaker Theater Box Office, https://www.fineartsbuilding.com/events/mexodus/ or by calling (312) 753-3210.

About Teatro Vista Productions

Teatro Vista is a non-profit theatre and production company dedicated to multidisciplinary artists of color whose artistic expression on stage and beyond is rooted in the transformative power of owning and telling our own stories.

When the Chicago theater world wasn't ready for us, Teatro Vista Productions made space. For 36 years, we've told true stories that reflect our community. We're not just building on this amazing legacy; we're strengthening and expanding it for the future. Today we continue to actively engage in advocacy that seeks to increase the authentic representations of us on stage and screen.

Teatro Vista Productions believes we are stronger together — across disciplines, across experiences, across mediums, across diasporas. We center our collective of artists at the heart of everything we do. We empower our artists to create with their own authentic voice by providing the tools and resources they need to thrive in the industry. Our work is timely, relevant and authentically reflects our community. Now, as always, We Are Theater With A View.

The company is led by Executive Director Lorena Diaz, Artistic Director Wendy Mateo, and Associate Artistic Director Cruz Gonzalez-Cadel.

Follow TVP on social media & YouTube to experience the multidisciplinary talents of our Artistic Collective and stay connected. @teatrovista