Rosemont's Parkway Bank Park entertainment district (5501 Park Place, Rosemont) will turn up the volume this summer with the return of its popular "Rockin' in the Park" free summer concert series. Presented by Feldco, the 2025 series will kick off on Sunday, May 25 and include a post-show fireworks display. Free concerts will continue every Thursday and select Friday evenings from May 29 through August 29, showcasing music by renowned tribute bands alongside food and beverage tents on the park's great lawn. All Thursday night concerts will culminate with a musical fireworks display. The 2025 lineup features a mix of returning favorites and exciting new cover bands celebrating rock legends including Rod Stewart, the Doobie Brothers, and Foreigner.

"Rockin' in the Park" concerts will run from 7 p.m. – 10 p.m. Admission to "Rockin' in the Park" is free. Outside food and coolers are prohibited. Parking is available at the Parkway Bank Park parking garage and is free with validation from any of the park's venues. This season, Parkway Bank Park will be giving away free "Rockin' in the Park" 2025 commemorative t-shirts onsite during concert hours, while supplies last. 

The 2025 Rockin' in the Park lineup is outlined below:  
* indicates post-show fireworks

Sunday, May 25: Pino Farina Band* – Adult alternative rock group, Pino Farina Band, bring audiences an energetic mix of original music and beloved covers. Lead singer and lyricist Pino Farina's powerhouse voice is often compared to late indie-artist Jeff Buckley. Known for their showmanship, Pino Farina Band's concerts dazzle fans with a blend of high-energy performances and tender, intimate songs.Thursday, May 29: Kings & Associates* – Kings & Associates have established themselves as one of Australia's most unique modern blues bands. Led by husband-and-wife duo Anjii Portolesi and Steve Portolesi, the award-winning Australian group blends blues, soul, funk, R&B and gospel together into a style that's all their own.Thursday, June 5: Infatuation STL* – Hailing from St. Louis, Infatuation is an eight-piece powerhouse of seasoned musicians united to deliver the ultimate Rod Stewart tribute experience. Fronted by the dynamic Tim Levene, the band brings Stewart's iconic hits to life with passion, precision and an electrifying stage presence that will keep audiences singing along all night.Thursday, June 12: Departure* – Celebrating 15 years, Departure recreates the look, sound and feel of the original 80s rock group, Journey. Known for their high-energy and engaging performances, Departure brings the very best of Journey to audiences of all ages.Thursday, June 19: The Dyer Davis Group* – American singer and guitarist Dyer Davis recently released his debut album, "Dog Bites Back" for WildRoots Records. The young talented artist finds inspiration in blues-based rockers such as Jeff Beck to create his unique sound, featuring fiery vocals and soulful guitar skills.

Thursday, June 26: Atomic Punks* – Direct from Los Angeles, Calif., this group pays tribute specifically to the glory days of Van Halen fronted David Lee Roth. Roth himself referred to the group as "the best tribute to Van Halen ever." For more than 20 years, the Atomic Punks have been re-creating Eddie Van Halen's classic guitar sound, while capturing all of the enthusiasm and flash Van Halen brought to the stage.Friday, June 27: 24K Magic / George Michael Reborn 

Guaranteed to keep audiences on their feet, 24K Magic pays homage to the hottest hits from popular singer-songwriter Bruno Mars. Led by Evan Saucedo, 24K Magic's performances aim to emulate Mars' signature sound, choreography and flashy fashion, offering Bruno Mars fans the ultimate tribute.Robert Bartko exudes the energy and passion of George Michael and Wham! in the 80s and 90s with George Michael Reborn. From "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go," to "Careless Whisper," George Michael Reborn embodies the vocal range, choreography and looks of George Michael and leaves audiences cheering for an encore.Thursday, July 3: Slippery When Wet* – Hailing from Atlanta, Ga., Slippery When Wet performs the exact live arrangements from Bon Jovi's 2000 "Crush" tour, 2002 "Bounce" tour, 2005 "Have a Nice Day" tour, 2008 "Lost Highway" tour and 2010 "The Circle" tour. This band's drive, musical ability and showmanship strive to duplicate the live Bon Jovi experience.Thursday, July 10: Listen To The Music* – Listen to the Music delivers an authentic, high-energy tribute to the legendary Doobie Brothers. Based in Canada and made up of top-tier musicians, the band faithfully reproduces the Doobie Brothers' greatest hits, bringing their timeless sound to life for audiences everywhere.Thursday, July 17: Live the Who* – Direct from Detroit, Mich., this band plays tribute to The Who at the band's unstoppable best from 1968-1974, capturing the feel, sound and look of the legendary rock band in each concert.Thursday, July 24: New World Men* – New World Men deliver a powerful tribute to the legendary sound of Rush, capturing the spirit and intensity of the iconic band's live performances. Featuring the exceptional talents of François Larouche, Mathieu Groulx and Marc Girard, this immersive concert experience takes audiences on a journey through Rush's most celebrated eras.Friday, July 25: Boy Band Night / Semple Band

From *NSYNC, Backstreet Boys and New Kids on The Block to Boys 2 Men, One Direction and more, the Boy Band Night plays tribute to popular boy bands will have audiences dancing and singing along all night long.Semple Band is a high-energy, Chicago-based group known for its exceptional musicianship and dynamic stage presence. Led by the charismatic Keith Semple, the band offers a high-energy performance with tunes spanning from classic '70s rock to modern pop. Their diverse medleys feature iconic artists like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson and more, while also showcasing original songs in nearly every show.Thursday, July 31: Southern Accents* – Southern Accents recreates the music, style and sound of Tom Petty professionally with immaculate precision and wildly contagious enthusiasm. United in their quest to offer the ultimate Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers experience, each member of the band looks the part, plays the part and lives the part.Thursday, August 7: Double Vision* – Featuring some of New York City's top rock musicians, Double Vision delivers an authentic tribute to Foreigner with impressive technical skill and dedication. Known for their impeccable recreation of Foreigner's greatest hits from the '70s and '80s, the band brings audiences an unforgettable experience filled with energy, sing-alongs and non-stop energy.Thursday, August 14: Ticket to the Moon* – Ticket to the Moon is an Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) tribute band hailing from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. Composed of eight talented musicians, the group is dedicated to bringing audiences the extraordinary musical arrangements of ELO through high-energy performances.Thursday, August 21: Brooklyn Charmers* – The Brooklyn Charmers are known for injecting a new, dedicated energy into the beloved musical catalogue of Steely Dan, bridging the gap between new and lifelong Steely Dan fans alike. Featuring masterful precision, the group is proud to pay tribute to Steely Dan's infectious hooks and poignant lyrics.Thursday, August 28: Rod Tuffcurls & The Bench Press* – Beloved Chicago band Rod Tuffcurls and The Bench Press delivers an electrifying, one-of-a-kind live experience. Known for their bone-crushing three-part harmonies and laser-sharp musicianship, the band delivers a powerhouse performance every time they hit the stage. With a wildly eclectic and carefully curated repertoire, each show is a joyful, genre-defying celebration that keeps audiences dancing, singing and coming back for more.Friday, August 29: Bee Gees Gold / The Wayouts

Backed by a renowned rhythm section, Bee Gees Gold recreates the look and sound of the Bee Gees from the 1960s and 1970s. Featuring the detailed vocals of John Acosta as Barry, Daryll Borges as Robin and Jeff Celentano as Maurice, the band performs legendary Bee Gees tracks from early hits such as "Massachusetts" and "I Started A Joke," to disco-era classics including "Stayin' Alive" and "You Should Be Dancing."The Wayouts play tribute to 1960s garage rock. Their concerts combine raw intensity with professional musicianship in order to bring fresh life to classic songs by artists such as The Kinks and The Animals.

About Parkway Bank Park
Rosemont's Parkway Bank Park entertainment district is a 200,000 square-foot complex home to 16 dining and entertainment venues offer upscale international cuisine, live music and comedy, state-of-the-art film, indoor skydiving, bowling and more. Conveniently located near O'Hare International Airport at 5501 Park Place, Parkway Bank Park is easily accessible from Chicago as well as the suburbs. A 20-minute drive from Chicago's Loop, Parkway Bank Park is walking distance from the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, the CTA Blue Line Rosemont station, Fashion Outlets of Chicago and the Rosemont Theatre. Convenient parking is available and is free with validation from any of the Park's venues.The current venues located within Parkway Bank Park include Adobe Gila's, Aloft Chicago O'Hare, AMC Theatre, Bub City, Crust Brewing, Fat Rosie's Taco & Tequila Bar, Fogo de Chão, iFLY Indoor Skydiving, Joe's Live, Kings Dining & Entertainment, Pete's Dueling Piano Bar, Pete's Tiki Tiki, Saltwater Coastal Grill, Sugar Factory, Verilife and Zanies Comedy Club. The venues surround a great lawn that plays host to a variety of seasonal events including concerts, festivals and a winter ice rink. For more information, visit ParkwayBankPark.com.About The Village of Rosemont
Rosemont, Illinois, Chicagoland's business and entertainment suburb, is conveniently located five minutes from O'Hare Airport and twenty minutes from Chicago's downtown. Easily accessible via the area's major highways, Rosemont is home to the Allstate Arena, Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, a wide variety of hotel and dining options, Rosemont Theatre, Fashion Outlets of Chicago, Parkway Bank Park entertainment district and Impact Field. Rosemont continues to flourish and evolve, based on 69 years of growth and under the current leadership of Mayor Bradley A. Stephens. For more information, visit www.Rosemont.com. 

Broadway In Chicago is thrilled to announce that its free SUMMER CONCERT will return to Millennium Park on August 11, 2025. The free concert, sponsored by ABC 7 Chicago, will take place on Monday, August 11, 2025 at 6:15 p.m. at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park (201 E. Randolph St). The annual event is presented with the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. Fans can expect selections from PARADE, which will already be in performances at the CIBC Theatre (18 W. Monroe), and MJ THE MUSICAL, which will begin performances at the James M. Nederlander Theatre on Tuesday, August 12; as well as upcoming subscription shows THE SOUND OF MUSIC, HELL’S KITCHEN , the modern-day holiday classic ELF THE MUSICAL, STEREOPHONIC, and 2024 Tony Award® winning Best Musical THE OUTSIDERS. More shows will be announced later this summer.

Production photos of participating shows available to download here.

The Broadway In Chicago Summer Concert is presented in collaboration with the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. Every summer in Millennium Park, the City of Chicago proudly presents symphonic music, dance, opera, Broadway hits and more—performed by some of Chicago’s best-loved cultural institutions. For the latest news and events, visit millenniumpark.org and follow Millennium Park on Facebook (@MillenniumParkChicago), Twitter, and Instagram (Millennium_Park).

For more information on the Summer Concert and Broadway In Chicago, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com.


ABOUT MILLENNIUM PARK
Discover a world-class collection of architecture, landscape design and art that provides the backdrop for hundreds of free cultural programs including concerts, exhibitions, interactive art and family activities. In Millennium Park, you’ll find a spectacular gathering spot located in the heart of the city, a destination for all Chicagoans and visitors alike. Millennium Park is the #1 attraction in the Midwest and among the top 10 most-visited sites in the U.S. It is also the anchor of an urban cultural campus (Millennium Park Campus) that includes the Chicago Cultural Center, Maggie Daley Park and The Art Institute of Chicago. Millennium Park is located on Michigan Avenue, bordered by Randolph St. to the north, Columbus Dr. to the east and Monroe St. to the south. The Park is open daily during the summer from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Plan your visit at millenniumpark.org, follow us on Facebook (@MillenniumParkChicago), Twitter, and Instagram (@Millennium_Park) and join the conversation on social media using #MillenniumPark.

ABOUT CHICAGO DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS AND SPECIAL EVENTS
The City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) supports artists and cultural organizations, invests in the creative economy, and expands access and participation in the arts throughout Chicago’s 77 neighborhoods. As a collaborative cultural presenter, arts funder, and advocate for creative workers, our programs and events serve Chicagoans and visitors of all ages and backgrounds, downtown and in diverse communities across our city—to strengthen and celebrate Chicago. DCASE produces some of the city’s most iconic festivals, markets, events, and exhibitions at the Chicago Cultural Center, Millennium Park, and in communities across the city—serving a local and global audience of 25 million people. The Department offers cultural grants and resources, manages public art, supports TV and film production and other creative industries, and permits special events throughout Chicago. For details, visit Chicago.gov/DCASE.

ABOUT BROADWAY IN CHICAGO
Broadway In Chicago was created in July 2000 and over the past 25 years has grown to be one of the largest commercial touring homes in the country. A Nederlander Presentation, Broadway In Chicago lights up the Chicago Theater District entertaining up to 1.7 million people annually in five theatres. Broadway In Chicago presents a full range of entertainment, including musicals and plays, on the stages of five of the finest theatres in Chicago’s Loop including the Cadillac Palace Theatre, CIBC Theatre, James M. Nederlander Theatre, and just off the Magnificent Mile, the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place and presenting Broadway shows at The Auditorium.
 

For more information and tickets, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com.
Follow @BroadwayInChicago on
Facebook ● Instagram ● TikTok ●Bluesky ● YouTube
#broadwayinchicago

American Blues Theater, under the continued leadership of Executive Artistic Director Gwendolyn Whiteside, presents the Chicago premiere of Artistic Affiliate Charles Smith's Golden Leaf Ragtime Blues, directed by Ensemble Member Chuck Smith. Capping off Blues' 2024-2025 season, Golden Leaf Ragtime Blues is a comedic and thoughtful tale brought to the stage by the creative team behind last season's successful The Reclamation of Madison Hemings. Running May 23 – June 29, 2025, tickets to Golden Leaf Ragtime Blues are on sale now through the American Blues Theater box office, www.americanbluestheater.com, (773) 654-3103. The press opening is schedule for May 29, 2025 at 7:00pm.

Pompey is an aging white vaudevillian; Jet is a Black teenager. Thrown together by circumstances beyond their control, they show us how basic needs and emotions transcend barriers of race, religion, and age. Don't miss Ensemble member and veteran TV star Dennis Cockrum's ("Shameless") return to American Blues Theater in the role of Pompey, along with Ensemble member Dawn Bach (Marsha), Justin Banks (Jet) and James Sherman (Ollie).

Executive Artistic Director Gwendolyn Whiteside comments, "We're thrilled to produce another collaboration between Charles Smith and Chuck Smith. Working with these two legends has been a dream for us. There is a palpable excited around American Blues as we welcome back Ensemble member Dennis Cockrum to our stage to help bring this wonderful play to life."

The creative team includes Charles Smith* (playwright), Chuck Smith* (director), Shayna Patel* (scenic), Jared Gooding* (lights), Lily Walls* (costumes & wardrobe supervisor), Rick Sims* (co-sound), Warren Levon* (co-sound), Tyson Carter (properties), Wilson Cain (dramaturg), Richard Lundy* (stage manager), Michael Trudeau* (facilities manager & ME), Nate Walczyk* (production manager) Tom Daniel* (technical director), and Chris Walls (audio supervisor).

*Denotes an Ensemble Member or Artistic Affiliate of American Blues.

About the Artists

CHARLES SMITH (playwright) is a proud Artistic Affiliate of American Blues Theater. Plays include The Reclamation of Madison Hemings, Objects in the Mirror, Free Man of Color, Knock Me a Kiss, The Golden Leaf Ragtime Blues, Freefall, The Gospel According to James, Jelly Belly, Pudd'nhead Wilson, Les Trois Dumas, Denmark, Sister Carrie, The Sutherland, Black Star Line, Takunda, Cane, and City of Gold. His plays have been produced by Indiana Repertory Theatre, Goodman Theatre, Victory Gardens Theater, The Acting Company, People's Light, The New Federal Theatre, Penumbra, Crossroads Theatre Company, Shakespeare & Company, Penguin Repertory Theatre, Ujima Theatre Company, The Colony Theatre, St. Louis Black Rep, Weissberger Theater Group, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Jubilee Theatre, Ensemble Theatre in Houston, Pegasus Theatre Chicago, Westcoast Black Rep., Robey Theatre Company, Berkeley Repertory Theater, Ensemble Theatre in Cleveland, Independent Theatre in Adelaide, South Australia, the HBO New Writers Project, the International Children's Theater Festival in Seattle, and The National Black Theatre Festival.

He has been commissioned by Cleveland Play House and The Acting Company, and has received multiple commissions from Victory Gardens, Indiana Rep, and Goodman. He received the 2024 Kesselring Prize for Playwriting for his play, The Price of the Ticket. Other awards include a Joseph Jefferson Award, a John W. Schmid Award, two Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Awards, the Illinois Arts Council Governors Award, the Joyce Award, the Cornerstone National Playwriting Award, The National Black Theatre Festival's August Wilson Playwriting Award, Princess Grace Fellowship, the Theodore Ward National Playwriting Award, two Black Theatre Alliance Awards for New Work, the NBC New Voices Award, and numerous other AUDELCO, Jeff, NAACP, and Black Theatre Alliance award nominations.

He is an alumnus of New Dramatists, a graduate of the University of Iowa Playwrights Workshop, one of the founding members of the Playwrights Ensemble at the Tony Award-winning Victory Gardens Theatre in Chicago, Distinguished Professor Emeritus and Presidential Research Scholar in the Arts and Humanities at Ohio University and has taught playwriting at Northwestern University, for the Prague Summer Program in Creative Writing in the Czech Republic, and for the Center for Dramatic Art in Groznjan, Croatia.

CHUCK SMITH (director) is a proud Ensemble member of American Blues Theater where he directed Leroi Jones' Dutchman, Flyin' West, & The Reclamation of Madison Hemings. He is a member of Goodman Theatre's Board of Trustees and is a Goodman Theatre Resident Director. He is also a resident director at the Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe in Sarasota, Florida. Goodman credits include the Chicago premieres of Pullman Porter Blues; By the Way, Meet Vera Stark; Race; The Good Negro; Proof and The Story; the world premieres of By the Music of the Spheres and The Gift Horse; James Baldwin's The Amen Corner, which transferred to Boston's Huntington Theatre Company, where it won the Independent Reviewers of New England (IRNE) Award for Best Direction; A Raisin in the Sun; Blues for an Alabama Sky; August Wilson's Gem of the Ocean, Two Trains Running and Ma Rainey's Black Bottom; Objects in the Mirror, Having Our Say, Ain't Misbehavin' the 1993 to 1995 productions of A Christmas Carol; Crumbs From the Table of Joy; Vivisections from a Blown Mind and The Meeting.

He served as dramaturg for the Goodman's world-premiere production of August Wilson's Gem of the Ocean. He directed the New York premiere of Knock Me a Kiss and The Hooch for the New Federal Theatre and the world premiere of Knock Me a Kiss at Chicago's Victory Gardens Theater, where his other directing credits include Master Harold... and the Boys, Home, Dame Lorraine and Eden, for which he received a Jeff Award nomination.

Regionally, Mr. Smith directed Death and the King's Horseman (Oregon Shakespeare Festival), Birdie Blue (Seattle Repertory Theatre), Jitney and Gem of the Ocean (Nashville Shakespeare Festival), The Story (Milwaukee Repertory Theater), Blues for an Alabama Sky (Alabama Shakespeare Festival) and The Last Season (Robey Theatre Company). At Columbia College he was facilitator of the Theodore Ward Prize playwriting contest for 20 years and editor of the contest anthologies Seven Black Plays and Best Black Plays. He won a Chicago Emmy Award as associate producer/theatrical director for the NBC teleplay "Crime of Innocence" and was theatrical director for the Emmy-winning "Fast Break to Glory" and the Emmy-nominated "The Martin Luther King Suite".

He was a founding member of the Chicago Theatre Company, where he served as artistic director for four seasons and directed the Jeff-nominated Suspenders and the Jeff-winning musical Po'. His directing credits include productions at Fisk University, Vanderbilt University, Roosevelt University, Eclipse Theatre, ETA, Black Ensemble Theater, Northlight Theatre, MPAACT, Congo Square Theatre Company, The New Regal Theater, Kuumba Theatre Company, Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre, Pegasus Players, the Timber Lake Playhouse in Mt. Carroll, Illinois, the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, and the University of Wisconsin in Madison. In 2019 he received an Honorary Ph.D. from his alma mater Governors State University and has received lifetime achievement awards from The African-American Arts Alliance of Chicago, the League of Chicago Theaters and the Joseph Jefferson Awards Committee. He is a 2003 inductee into the Chicago State University Gwendolyn Brooks Center's Literary Hall of Fame and a 2001 Chicago Tribune Chicagoan of the Year. He is the proud recipient of the 1982 Paul Robeson Award and the 1997 Award of Merit presented by the Black Theater Alliance of Chicago.

DAWN BACH (Marsha) – has been a proud Ensemble member of American Blues Theater since 1993. Dawn has appeared in numerous Blues productions over the years, including Catch-22, A Stone Carver, On the Waterfront, A Lie of the Mind and Dark at the Top of the Stairs. She served as musical director/composer for Medea and wrote original music for Toys in the Attic, for which she received the After Dark Award for outstanding original music. She has hosted and narrated numerous industrial films and has appeared on the stages of Lifeline, Shakespeare Project of Chicago, Bailiwick, Next, Buffalo Theatre Ensemble, Northlight (Cowgirls, Smoke on the Mountain) and Goodman Theatre (A Christmas Carol). A long-time student of the late Mary Ann Thebus, Dawn is also a trained singer and violinist.

JUSTIN BANKS (J'Taurius, aka Jet) – is thrilled to make his premiere at the American Blues Theater. Recently, he wrote and performed in The Second City's Bob Curry Fellowship production, The Minority Report: What Had Happened Was..., and understudied for The Second City's Black By Popular Demand. Justin is also a former contributing writer for "The Onion." He studied Meisner and Viewpoints at Black Box Acting Studio's "The Academy" and is a recent graduate of Vanderbilt University. He is represented by Gray Talent Group.

DENNIS COCKRUM (Pompey) has been a proud Ensemble member of American Blues Theater since 1988. Shows at Blues include: Bad Moon, written by founding member Rick Cleveland; Desire Under the Elms by Eugene O'Neill; On the Waterfront by Budd Schulberg with Stan Silverman; Tobacco Road by Jack Kirkland; readings for The Commons series. BROADWAY: Frost/Nixon by Peter Morgan. REGIONAL: Dead End by Sidney Kingsley (Ahmanson Theatre, Los Angeles); Lincoln Park Zoo by Richard Strand (Geva Theatre, Rochester, NY); God of Isaac and Mr. 80% both by James Sherman (Victory Gardens, Chicago); Jefferson Citation recipient for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead by Tom Stoppard (Court Theatre, Chicago); FILM: Uncle Buck, Code of Silence, The Package, Murder by Numbers, Desperate Measures, Extreme Movie, Glimmer Man, Downeast, Gangster Squad, Inherit the Wind, Hail Caesar! TELEVISION: Chicago Med, Malcolm in the Middle, American Dreams, Cheers, Pretty Freekin' Scary, NCIS, Uncle Buck, Star Trek (Next Generation, Voyager, Enterprise), Firefly, King of Queens, Bookie, and seven seasons as Terry Milkovich on Shameless.

JAMES SHERMAN (Ollie) originally from Chicago, was a theatre student at Illinois State University in the 1970s. He began his professional career with The Second City in Chicago and received an M.F.A. degree from Brandeis University. Living in New York in the 1980s, James studied acting with Uta Hagen for five years and had his first professional production as a playwright. He was a founding member of the Playwrights Ensemble of the Tony Award-winning Victory Gardens Theater and had thirteen plays premiered there. He is the author of many plays including Magic Time, The God of Isaac, Beau Jest, Jest a Second!, Romance in D, From Door to Door, Jacob and Jack, The Ben Hecht Show, and Chagall In School. James' plays have been published and are regularly produced by theaters throughout the United States and have also been seen in Canada, Mexico, Australia, Argentina, Brazil, England, Germany, Austria, Turkey, Poland, South Africa, China, and Korea. In the summer of 2008, James wrote and directed the movie of his play, BEAU JEST, starring Lainie Kazan, Seymour Cassel, and Robyn Cohen. James currently teaches classes in Improvisation and American Comedy at DePaul University and Columbia College of Chicago He is a member of The Dramatists Guild of America. jamessherman.com

Fact Sheet

Title:                           Golden Leaf Ragtime Blues

Written by:                Charles Smith

Directed by:              Ensemble Member Chuck Smith                      

Featuring:                  Dennis Cockrum* (Pompey), Dawn Bach* (Marsha), Justin Banks (Jet) and James Sherman (Ollie).       

Creative Team:            Shayna Patel* (scenic), Jared Gooding* (lights), Lily Walls* (costumes & wardrobe supervisor), Rick Sims* (co-sound), Warren Levon* (co-sound), Tyson Carter (properties), Wilson Cain (dramaturg), Richard Lundy* (stage manager), Michael Trudeau* (facilities manager & ME), Nate Walczyk* (production manager) Tom Daniel* (technical director), and Chris Walls (audio supervisor).

*Ensemble member or Artistic Affiliate of American Blues Theater

Dates:                        May 23 – June 29, 2025

Schedule:                   

Wednesdays: 2:00 PM (June 4 &18) & 7:30 PM (May 28 only)

Thursdays: 7:30 PM

Fridays: 7:30 PM

Saturdays: 3:00 PM (June 7, 21, 28) & 7:30 PM (except June 7 & 21)

Sundays: 2:30 PM

Location:                    American Blues Theater, 5627 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago

Ticket prices:              Previews: $25; Regular Run: $45; Opening night with reception: $60

Box office:                   Buy online at www.americanbluestheater.com or by calling (773) 654-3103.

Public Programming and Special Events

American Blues Theater is excited to offer audiences even more ways to engage with artists, neighbors and the larger community through its two programs The Commons and @Home Accessibility Series.

The Commons features readings, live concerts, open mics, game nights, town halls and more at American Blues. The @Home Accessibility Series features readings, live concerts, and town halls from the comfort of home via Zoom. For the most up-to-date programming schedule or to purchase tickets, visit www.americanbluestheater.com. Additional programming will be announced throughout the season.

The upcoming schedule for The Commons series follows:

Piano Man

Performed by Ian Paul Custer & Friends

Sunday, May 25, 2025 at 6:00 PM

An intimate concert featuring Ensemble member Ian Custer performing the hits from Billy Joel, Elton John, Ben Folds, and other male singer/pianists.

Sounds of the Soul

Gospel Music's Anthem of Freedom

Featuring vocalist Marquetta Jackson

Monday, June 16, 2025 at 7:00 PM

Powerful gospel songs of resilience, hope, and triumph that celebrate freedom.

My Amazon Diary

Written and Performed by Rick Cleveland

Saturday, July 19, 2025 at 7:00 PM

Founding Ensemble member Rick Cleveland shares his comic and heartfelt journey through Hollywood, mental illness, and 20 years of online purchases.

The upcoming schedule for @Home series follows:

Inclusion & Allyship

Anti-racism Workshop with Belonging Specialist Tania Richard

Wednesday, May 7 at 6:30 PM Central (via Zoom)

Continuing work of the anti-racism movement, Belonging Specialist & Artistic Affiliate Tania Richard helps attendees with their journey.

Rubber Banned Book Club – Anne Frank's The Diary of a Young Girl

Tuesday, May 27 at 6:30 PM Central (via Zoom)

Featuring readings from The Definitive Edition of The Diary of a Young Girl by Ensemble member Dara Cameron and guest artist Atlie Gilbert.

Blues Views – The Artists of Golden Leaf Ragtime Blues

Tuesday, June 24 at 6:30 PM Central (via Zoom)

A discussion with playwright Charles Smith, director Chuck Smith, and actors Dawn Bach, Justin Banks, Dennis Cockrum, and James Sherman.

About American Blues Theater

Winner of the prestigious National Theatre Company Award from American Theatre Wing (Tony Awards). American Blues Theater is an Ensemble of artists committed to producing new and classic diverse stories that ask the question: "What does it mean to be American?"

The diverse and multi-generational artists have established the second-oldest professional Ensemble theater in Chicago. As of 2024, the theater and artists received 239 Joseph Jefferson Awards and nominations that celebrate excellence in Chicago theater and 44 Black Theatre Alliance Awards. The artists are honored with Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize nominations, Academy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, Emmy Awards and numerous other accolades. 

The Joffrey Ballet concludes its 69^th season with two-time Tony Award®-winning choreographer Christopher Wheeldon's enchanting and family-friendly Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Set to Joby Talbot's hallucinatory sound world of sweeping melodies and ticking clocks, the production features vibrant stagecraft and puppetry by Tony Award®-winning designer Bob Crowley, transforming Lewis Carroll's classic tale with a modern twist. The production run has been extended for the first time in the Company's history, with 14 performances across three weekends at the historic Lyric Opera House, 20 North Upper Wacker Drive, from June 5 to 22, 2025 (originally scheduled to close June 15). 

Based on Carroll's beloved story, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland takes audiences on a magical journey through a fantastical world filled with iconic characters, including the high-strung Queen of Hearts, the entrancing Caterpillar, and the tap-dancing Mad Hatter. Through a seamless fusion of humor, whimsy, and fantasy, Wheeldon makes Wonderland wonderfully real in this audience-favorite dance adventure.

A highlight of the year, the Joffrey is the first American company to bring Wheeldon's whimsical Wonderland to life. Premiering in 2011 at the Royal Opera House in London, the ballet has since toured internationally with some of the world's most prestigious ballet companies.

Renowned for blending popular culture with artistic brilliance, Wheeldon also choreographed The Joffrey Ballet's reimagined holiday classic The Nutcracker, celebrating its 10^th anniversary this year. The Joffrey first collaborated with Wheeldon on Swan Lake in 2014.

"The Joffrey holds a special place in my heart. I can't think of a more fitting U.S. company to premiere Alice's Adventures in Wonderland," says choreographer Christopher Wheeldon. "The Joffrey dancers lead the way in storytelling through dance, approaching choreography with enthusiasm and energy. Their passion allows them to fully inhabit the zany and colorful characters of Wonderland. Each year, I'm in awe of their growth in The Nutcracker; it remains one of my proudest achievements. These dancers are artists of curiosity and great integrity."

The Mary B. Galvin Artistic Director Ashley Wheater MBE said, "Collaborating with Christopher is always extraordinary. We are honored to be the first American company to perform Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, a production that dazzles on every level. This spectacular finale to our record-breaking season bursts with theatricality, whimsical stagecraft, and inspiring design. The versatility, theatricality, and technical prowess of the Joffrey artists will bring the iconic characters of Wonderland to life in the most magical way."

President & CEO Greg Cameron added, "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland embodies the Joffrey's commitment to artistic excellence and accessibility. For the first time, we've added four extra performances to expand our Joffrey for All initiatives. These added performances provide more opportunities to engage with our Community Engagement partners and affiliated schools, offering equitable access to arts education for Chicago's youth. Wonderland is a joyful and imaginative showcase of the very best the Joffrey has to offer."

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland features live music performed by the Lyric Opera Orchestra, conducted by Scott Speck, Music Director of The Joffrey Ballet.

Special thanks to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland Producing Sponsor Margot and Josef Lakonishok; Presenting Sponsors Ethel Gofen, The Negaunee Foundation, and Sonja and Conrad Fischer; Major Sponsors Mary Jo and Doug Basler, Dancing Skies Foundation, Mr. and Mrs. Ronald V. Waters III, Audrey Weaver, and the Women's Board of The Joffrey Ballet; Production Sponsors Lynda Sue Lane, M.D., Holly Palmer Foundation, Jeanette Stevens, Richard and Diane Weinberg, and an anonymous Production Sponsor; and Costume Sponsor Jane Ellen Murray Foundation.

Tickets and Schedule
The Joffrey Ballet presents Alice's Adventures in Wonderland from Thursday, June 5–Sunday, June 22, 2025; the full performance schedule is as follows: Thursday, June 5 at 7:30PM; Friday, June 6 at 7:30PM; Saturday, June 7 at 2:00PM and 7:30PM; Sunday, June 8 at 2:00PM; Thursday, June 12 at 7:30PM; Friday, June 13 at 7:30PM; Saturday, June 14 at 2:00PM and 7:30PM; Sunday, June 15 at 2:00PM; Thursday, June 19 at 7:30PM; Friday, June 20 at 7:30PM; Saturday, June 21 at 2:00PM and 7:30PM; Sunday, June 22 at 2:00PM.

Tickets are available for purchase at the Lyric Opera Box Office located at 20 N. Upper Wacker Dr. by telephone at 312.386.8905, or online at joffrey.org.

About The Joffrey Ballet 
The Joffrey Ballet is one of the premier dance companies in the world today, with a reputation for boundary-breaking performances for 69 years. The Joffrey repertoire is an extensive collection of all-time classics, modern masterpieces, and original works.  

Founded in 1956 by pioneers Robert Joffrey and Gerald Arpino, the Joffrey remains dedicated to artistic expression, innovation, and first-rate education and engagement programming. The Joffrey Ballet continues to thrive under The Mary B. Galvin Artistic Director Ashley Wheater MBE and President and CEO Greg Cameron. 

The Joffrey Ballet is grateful for the support of its 2024-2025 Season Sponsors: Abbott Fund, Alphawood Foundation Chicago, Daniel and Pamella DeVos Foundation, The Florian Fund, Gallagher, Anne L. Kaplan, and Live Music Sponsors: Sandy and Roger Deromedi, Sage Foundation, Robert and Penelope Steiner Family Foundation, and The Marina and Arnold Tatar Fund for Live Music. The Joffrey also acknowledges Season Partners: Chicago Athletic Clubs, and Athletico Physical Therapy, official provider of physical therapy for The Joffrey Ballet. 

For more information on The Joffrey Ballet and its programs, visit joffrey.org. Connect with the Joffrey on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. 

Chicago's Rivendell Theatre Ensemble continues to celebrate its 30th Anniversary season with the World Premiere co-production of Keiko Green's GORGEOUS, directed by Kirsten Fitzgerald. The co-production with Raven Theatre runs May 1 - June 7, 2025, at Raven, 6157 N. Clark St. The press opening is Wednesday, May 7, at 7:30pm. The season includes Rivendell's current production of No Such Thing, in a world premiere production by Lisa Dillman, directed by Malkia Stampley. Rivendell continues devising work on the Folded Map Project, Tonika Johnson's groundbreaking work that addresses segregation in Chicago with core artists for a summer writing workshop. Rivendell will also host Tonika's photography in its theatre lobby throughout 2025.

About GORGEOUS

Gorgeous, written by Keiko Green and directed by Kirsten Fitzgerald, features Stephanie Shum (Jenny) and Rivendell Theatre Artistic Director Tara Mallen (Bernie). The creative team includes: Mara Ishihara Zinky (Scenic Designer), Paloma Locsin (Props Designer), Maegan Pate (Costume Designer), Seojung Jang (Lighting Designer), Connor Wang (Sound Designer), Caroline Uy (Dramaturg), and JC Widman (Stage Manager).

Jenny has a simple life; she takes care of the elderly and shows dogs professionally. When her just-a-little-bit-older boyfriend Bill dies suddenly, all Jenny wants is to get rid of his stuff and continue to show his champion Bulldog, GORGEOUS. Enter Bernie, a tornado of a woman. Amid the boxes of things that made up Bill's life, Jenny and Bernie must find a way forward for themselves and the dog.

Tickets are on sale at www.raventheatre.com. 

Rivendell Artistic Director Tara Mallen comments, "We are thrilled to be bringing Keiko Green's fresh and unapologetic voice to Chicago with this co-production between Raven and Rivendell. With Rivendell's continued commitment to amplifying women's voices and Raven's history of championing and producing new work, our combined efforts make for a production that gets at the heart of this world premiere comedy. It has been an absolute delight to share resources with the wonderful artists at Raven and it has served as a great reminder that the truly the best way forward is through collaboration and community."

FACTS:

Dates: May 1 - June 7, 2025

Press Opening: Wednesday, May 7, 2025 at 7:30 p.m.

Schedule: Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays at 7:30 p.m.; Sundays at 3 p.m.

Running Time: approximately 90 minutes with no intermission

Location: Raven Theatre, 6157 N. Clark St. in Chicago

Tickets: General Admission: $45; Previews $30 (May 1-4).

Discounts for students, seniors, military, and groups of 6 or more, are available. 

Pay-What-You-Can Performances: Saturday, May 3, Thursday, May 8, and Friday, May 23

Box Office: www.raventheatre.com 

ABOUT No Such Thing

The world premiere of No Such Thing by Rivendell Ensemble Member Lisa Dillman and directed by Malkia Stampley continues through April 27, 2025. Tickets are now available at Rivendell Theatre Ensemble, 5779 N. Ridge Avenue in Chicago, (773) 334-7728 or www.RivendellTheatre.org.

Ren was once a sought-after screenwriter. Now in late middle age, her career foundering, she finds herself at a crossroads of social and professional invisibility. Seeking the intimacy that's been missing from her friendly but sexless marriage without capsizing the rest of her life, she begins an intricately constructed affair that blends sex and storytelling. Fact and fiction collide.

No Such Thing looks at the question of what makes a life story and charts the unpredictable changes to that story in a society that tends to downsize women out of some of their most productive years.

The cast of No Such Thing includes RTE member Jessica Ervin (Olivia) with Susan Gosdick (Ren), Matt DeCaro (Ted), Cheryl Hamada (Marilyn) and Josh Odor (Fallon).

The creative team includes Lauren Nichols (Scenic Design), Evelyn Danner (Costume Design), Madeleine Reid (Lighting Design), Ethan Korvne (Sound Design), Lonnae Hickman (Props Designer), Shannon Golden (Production Manager), Kristi Martens (Stage Manager) and Autumn Dancy (Assistant Stage Manager).

Tara Mallen says, "No Such Thing is the absolute embodiment of Rivendell's 30 years of excellence – a new play developed through our Fresh Produce developmental series, featuring contributions from a cadre of genius artists, with a resonant story told from an all too often invisible perspective – a woman over sixty. We are delighted to offer Chicago yet another provocative and surprising work penned by our longtime ensemble member, Lisa Dillman, and cannot imagine a better way to kick off our thirtieth anniversary season!"

Title: No Such Thing

Written by: RTE member Lisa Dillman

Directed by: Malkia Stampley

Featuring: RTE member Jessica Ervin (Olivia) with Susan Gosdick (Ren), Matt DeCaro (Ted), Cheryl Hamada (Marilyn) and Josh Odor (Fallon).

Creative Team: Lauren Nichols (Scenic Design), Evelyn Danner (Costume Design), Madeleine Reid (Lighting Design), Ethan Korvne (Sound Design), Lonnae Hickman (Props Designer), Kristi Martens* (Stage Manager) and Autumn Dancy (Assistant Stage Manager).

Production Sponsor: Michael Litt

Dates: through April 27, 2025

Schedule: Thursdays at 8:00pm; Fridays at 8:00pm; Saturdays at 4:00pm and 8:00pm

Special added performances include: Monday, April 21 at 8:00pm (Industry Night); Sunday, April 27 at 3:00pm (Closing)

Tickets: $39 General Admission

$17 Student, Educators, Military/Veterans, Industry (Limited quantity, first-come, first-served); $28 Seniors; $49 Sponsor Admission (to help us pay artists fair wages by covering the full cost of a seat at the performance); $94 Angel Admission (1 Basic Admission, plus helping to cover discounted or free tickets to people who need them

Membership / Subscription: RIV Pass: $95 (see Rivendell productions and other events as often as desired)

Box Office: (773) 334-7728 or www.RivendellTheatre.org

ABOUT RIVENDELL THEATRE ENSEMBLE

Since 1994, Rivendell Theatre Ensemble has advanced the lives of women through theatre. Rivendell cultivates the talents of women artists—writers, actors, directors, designers and technicians—by seeking out innovative plays that explore unique female experiences and producing them in an intimate salon environment.

Rivendell employs women theatre artists, offers mind-expanding experiences with new voices and perspectives, and sparks dialogue and action on critical issues in the lives of women and their communities.

In our 30-year history, Rivendell has earned 12 Joseph Jefferson Awards and nearly four dozen nominations. We are recognized as a national force in new play development and a home for women theatre artists. We engage about 200 artists and 3,000+ audience members each year through our mainstage season and new work development.

For more information about Rivendell Theatre Ensemble, visit http://rivendelltheatre.org. Follow Rivendell on Facebook at Facebook.com/rivendelltheatre and on Instagram at @rivendelltheatre.

Rivendell Theatre Ensemble is supported by generous grants from: SIF Fund at The Chicago Community Trust; TERRA Foundation for American Art, Paul M. Angell Family Foundation; Shubert Foundation; Illinois Arts Council Agency; Bayless Family Foundation; The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation; Sarah and the 2 C Dogs and Amazing Edibles.

ABOUT RAVEN THEATRE COMPANY

Raven Theatre tells stories of today and the past that connect us to our cultural landscape. Through its plays, as well as its educational programming, Raven is committed to serving our communities' needs through the arts. Raven Theatre Company is funded in part by The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, JCCC Foundation, Paul M. Angell Foundation, Polk Bros Foundation, S&C Electric Company Fund, and The Shubert Foundation. This project is partially supported by a CityArts grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. This programming is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency. For more information visit www.raventheatre.com. 

Pegasus Theatre Chicago and Director ILesa Duncan proudly announce the casting for the revival of playwright Shay Youngblood's Shakin' the Mess Outta Misery, which follows "Daughter", who returns home to eulogize the last of the women who raised her in 1960s Georgia. Shakin' the Mess Outta Misery runs at the Chicago Dramatists' Russ Tutterow Theatre, 798 N. Aberdeen, from May 15 through June 15, 2025. Tickets are $15-$35 and can be purchased at pegasustheatrechicago.org. Group sales may be arranged by contacting This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Audiences will engage with "Daughter" who, after losing her mother, is brought up by a community of women, some blood-related, some not. Her 'Big Mamas' prepare her for womanhood by sharing stories while the child re-lives vivid memories of growing up, recalling rituals, faith healings, and lessons she learned about survival, healing, deep faith, and mystery. 

Cast members include Caitlin Dobbins, Felisha McNeal, Africa Brown, Sharyon Culberson, Stacie Doublin, Justice Ford, Destynee McMichaels, and debrah neal. The creative team includes Harrison Ornelas (scenic), Josh Wroblewski (lights), Shawn Wallace (music direction), Steve Labedz (sound) Tanji Harper (choreographer), Marquecia Jordan (costumes), Sheryl Williams (TIE Consultant), Carrie Hardin (dialects), and Wendy Huber (props design). 

To honor playwright Shay Youngblood, who passed away in June of 2024, Pegasus Theatre Chicago dedicates this production to her and offers upcoming community engagement activities around healing and self-care. Supported by a grant from Healing Illinois, engagement activities and events will include a series of community Healing Circles, performance, and post-performance events from April through June 2025.  

About ILesa Duncan, Director

ILesa Duncan is Pegasus Theatre's Executive and Producing Artistic Director and the former Artistic Director and an Ensemble Member at Lifeline Theatre. At Pegasus, she has directed Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea, and Jeff Award-nominated productions of Eclipsed, Rutherford's Travels (co-adaptor), The Green Book, For Her as a Piano, and Blacula: Young, Black & Undead. At Lifeline, she directed the Jeff-nominated, Native Son, and Neverwhere, as well as From the Mississippi Delta, and Blue Shadow (2010 KidSeries Premiere). A producer, director, writer, educator, and theater-maker, Duncan is an avid collaborator on new work. She has worked with The Goodman, Writers Theatre, Congo Square, Rivendell Theatre Ensemble, Stage Left and Chicago Dramatists, as well as Contemporary American Theatre Company (Ohio), The Alliance Theatre (Atlanta), Arena Stage (Washington D.C.) and Lincoln Center Theater (New York). As an educator, she has led youth development and arts education programs in Chicago for more than 13 years. She is a past awardee of an NEA/TCG Directing fellowship and a 3 Arts Ragdale's Fellowship. She is a member of the Lincoln Center Theatre Director's Lab and the Chicago Director's Lab and is an associate artist with Chicago Dramatists (where she previously served as education and community engagement director).

About Shay Youngblood, Playwright 

Shay Youngblood penned novels, poetry, children's books, and plays, creating powerful Southern Black women characters who were unapologetically self-possessed and free in ways not typically seen in women characters in general, and Black women in particular, in the U.S. In 1989, Youngblood published her first book, The Big Mama Stories, which she adapted into the seminal play Shakin' the Mess Outta Misery. Youngblood lived all over the world, joining the Peace Corps after graduating from Clark Atlanta University and serving in Dominica, working as an au pair and model in Paris, and living in Japan as a U.S.-Japan Creative Artist Fellow. Throughout her travels, Youngblood built strategic partnerships with theatres and created opportunities for women artists.

About Shawn Wallace, Music Director

Shawn Wallace studied Music Theory and Composition at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and currently serves as Musical Director for two New Thought congregations: The Emmaus Center and the Namaste Center for Spiritual Living-Chicago. Shawn has worked for several years as a Teaching Artist throughout Chicago schools teaching record production and theatre tech.  Wallace's work with Pegasus Theatre includes composition and music direction for Rutherford's Travels, the 2017 production of Shakin' The Mess Outta Misery and with Ilesa on Middle Passage at Lifeline Theatre. He has worked with luminary artists such as Common, Ice Cube, Bobby Brown, Dwele, Johnny Gill, Jon B., Bilal, Estelle, Julie Dexter, Rene Neufville, Rakim, Eric Roberson, Maggie Brown, Ugochi and Cherisse Scott. 

About Tanji Harper, Choreographer 

Tanji Harper is a choreographer and teaching artist from the South Side of Chicago. Harper was trained by the Joseph Holmes Chicago Dance Theater, Chicago Dance Medium, Homer Bryant, and Joel Hall, and is an alumna of The Chicago Academy of the Arts under the instruction of Anna Paskevska, Winifred Haun, Claire Bataille, Roger Turner, and Randy Duncan. After high school, she trained in both Los Angeles and New York, then started dancing for both R&B and Hip Hop mainstream music acts. Her resume includes R. Kelly, Sparkle, Do or Die, Avant, and Busta Rhymes from 1997 to 1999. After touring and performing all over the country. Harper came home and began teaching in Chicago. She landed a life-changing position that would grow her into the position of Artistic Director at The Happiness Club and began piloting dance programs that grew into apprenticeships through After School Matters for Chicago Public School teens aged 14-18.

SCHEDULE

Previews: May 15^th through 18^th at 7 p.m.

Opening: Monday, May 19^th at 7 p.m.

Regular Run: May 19^th – June 15^th

TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets are $35 for General Admission, $25 for seniors, and $15 for students ages 21 and under. Tickets to Shakin' the Mess Outta Misery  are on sale at https://ci.ovationtix.com/216/production/1225929 

About Pegasus Theatre Chicago

Pegasus Theatre Chicago is a professional, nonprofit theater that has been supporting Chicago's diverse community for over forty years in the promotion and development of new artists for the stage. Pegasus Theatre Chicago is invested in theatre that provokes dialogue and inspires a shift in thinking. Pegasus Theatre Chicago produces theatre that examines social issues and engages in arts education programs that develop the next generation of writers, thinkers, and game changers.

Steppenwolf's LookOut Series is pleased to announce its action-packed summer lineup of comedy, magic, storytelling, drag and more! The Summer 2025 Season includes captivating solo works from some of Chicago's most accomplished storytellers; showcases of comedy, theatre and puppetry artists; and a 50th year celebration from Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater.

The popular local talk show The Not That Late Show comes to Steppenwolf's 1700 Theater featuring comedy, music and interviews with a to-be announced notable Chicagoan. Soon after, puppet artist Vanessa Valliere shines in her show LOOK! LOOK!, a celebration of weirdos told in three vignettes. For cult film lovers, Mamma Mia! From Memory presented by Cold Shower Productions and Clue a Drag Parody hosted by Bambi Banks-Couleé are camping it up on stage to bring you hilarious takes on iconic movies.

And if that wasn't enough, the season kicks off with the triumphant Chicago return of Gender Play, or what you Will starring Will Wilhelm. Touted as an "incredibly original theatrical production," this two-week run re-claims the famous Bard's plays by highlighting the importance of queer joy, laughter and self-discovery.

With 40 performances of 17 engagements featuring hundreds of local artists, this summer is jam packed with offerings for everyone!

All LookOut performances take place in Steppenwolf's 1700 Theater, an intimate and flexible venue nestled behind Front Bar, 1700 N. Halsted St. in Chicago. Tickets, which range in price from $18 – $53*, are now on sale by visiting steppenwolf.org/lookout or by calling the Box Office at (312) 335-1650. *Pricing includes a $3 fee

The full Lookout Summer 2025 Season (in chronological order):

Gender Play, or what you Will
Co-Created by Will Wilhelm & Erin Murray
Performed by Will Wilhelm
Directed by Emily Tarquin & Produced by Brannon Bowers
Dates: Thursday, May 15 – Saturday, May 17 at 8 pm; Wednesday, May 21 – Saturday, May 24 at 8 pm
Sunday, May 18 at 3:30 pm
Ticket Price: $38
Description: Will invites you to an impromptu party to celebrate their new friendship with one of the oldest and queerest playwrights of the English language – William Shakespeare! Total besties Will & Will reclaim the Bard's old plays in all their original homoerotic, cross-dressing, gender-fluid glory. Following a wildly successful run with About Face Theatre in 2023, Gender Play, or what you Will returns to Chicago for another mystical journey of queer joy, laughter, tarot and self-discovery.

Gender Fucked Productions Presents:
Trans Scribe: A New Works Festival
Dates: Friday, June 6 and Saturday, June 7 at 8 pm
Sunday, June 8 at 7 pm
Ticket Price: $28 – $43
Description: Trans Scribe is a new play festival like you've never seen before. This three-night event features 10-minute plays, new musical theatre songs, a new one act musical, a new one act play and a new full length play all written by Trans playwrights that call Chicago home.

Black Best Friend
By Colette Gregory
Dates: Thursday, June 12 – Saturday, June 14 at 8 pm
Ticket Price: $25
Description: This one-woman show hilariously dissects Black media tropes with satirical sketches, comedic songs and recognizable characters. Colette Gregory deconstructs sexuality, religion and everything from Black Conservatives to Love is Blind contestants.

Stir Friday Night Presents:
Rice to the Occasion
An AAPI Comedy Showcase
Dates: Friday, June 20 and Saturday, June 21 at 8 pm
Ticket Price: $28
Description: For 30 years Stir Friday Night, Chicago's longest-running AAPI comedy team, has been making people laugh. This show is no exception. As they gear up for their milestone 30^th anniversary sketch revue in the fall, Stir Friday Night has roped some of their best and funniest ensemble members for Rice to the Occasion, an evening of sizzling, flavorful comedy. MSG included.

Betty Theft Presents:
CROOKED
Dates: Thursday, June 26 at 8 pm
Featuring: Betty Theft, Bambi Banks-Couleé, Irregular Girl, Ramona Slick, Celeste, Penis Envy, Lezbian Minnelli and Mister Mistress
Ticket Price: $23
Description: CROOKED is an alternative drag revue that celebrates the dark, bizarre and uncanny. Hosted by Betty Theft, CROOKED invites you to come take a peek at what lurks behind the curtain...

Paige Thompson Presents:
Magic Through the "Paige's"
Dates: Saturday, June 28 at 8 pm
Sunday, June 29 at 7 pm
Ticket Price: $33
Description: Witness a one-of-a-kind magic show with award-winning magician Paige Thompson as she takes an audience through the chapters of her magical life. Each trick reveals a new "Paige" of her journey, from childhood performances to the moments that shaped her magical career.

80 Minutes Around the World: Immigration Stories
Produced and hosted by Nestor "THE BOSS" Gomez
Dates: Saturday, July 5 and Saturday, July 6 at 8 pm
Ticket Price: $28
Description: 80 Minutes Around the World: Immigration Stories showcases stories by immigrants, refugees and allies on their immigration experiences. Founded by 60+ time Moth Story Slam winner Nestor Gomez, each performance brings together a wide breadth of participants including storytellers, writers, comedians and other performers.

Sex, Race & Jesus
By R.C. Riley
Directed by Emmi Hilger Dates: Friday, July 11 and Saturday July 12 at 8 pm
Ticket Price: $23
Description: Sex, Race & Jesus is a story of trial and triumph. R.C. Riley takes a journey through three relationships: with their body, their soul and their higher power. This introspective and raw show is a depiction of intimacy intertwined with personal revelations and powerful convictions.

The Not That Late Show
Dates: Thursday, July 17 at 8 pm
Ticket Price: $23
Description: The Not That Late Show is a late night talk show for Chicago, by Chicago. For one night only The Not That Late Show staff creates comedic material inspired by local and national news, internet happenings and whatever else is on their mind!

Karaoke Storytellers
Dates: Saturday, July 19 at 8 pm
Ticket Price: $23
Description: Music affects each of us individually, and the emotions we associate with a song are determined by our specific history. Karaoke Storytellers lends a microphone to four Chicago entertainers who have a story to tell about a song that means something to them – and then they might just sing it, too.

LOOK! LOOK!
By Vanessa Valliere
Featuring Lindsey Noel Whiting Dates: Thursday, July 24 – Saturday, July 26 at 8 pm
Ticket Price: $28
Description: Three vignettes, two actors, one circus slug, a load of puppets, a bit of clown, a big dance number and a ukulele. Fresh off a sold out run at the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival, LOOK! LOOK! is a celebration of the gross and beautiful, the sweet and creepy, the euphemistic and earnest and – most importantly – the weirdos.

Cold Shower Comedy Presents:
Mamma Mia! From Memory: If She's Mamma, and I'm Mia, Then Who's Flying The Plane?
Dates: Thursday, July 31 at 8 pm
Ticket Price: $23
Description: Cold Shower Comedy, once again, tasks itself with the challenge of recreating a movie with zero reference to the source material. Armed with some BFAs and childhood memories, they will retell the story of three dads, one diary and countless 1970's disco classics.

Rat Mass
Dates: Saturday, August 2 at 8 pm
Ticket Price: $18 – $28
Description: At Rat Mass, we worship rats. Through comedy, performance art and audience participation, you will become indoctrinated into a world of shadows and trash. Join the mass for music, rituals and games to rid yourself of your human woes and unleash your inner creature. *This show is for audiences 21 and over.

"Dear Steve...it's Allie"
Featuring Allie N Steve Mullen Dates: Friday, August 8 and Saturday, August 9 at 8 pm
Ticket Price: $13 – $53
Description: "Dear Steve...it's Allie" is a solo theatrical autobiography and narrative concert told with songs and stories and pictures. Allie plays the piano and mountain dulcimer while she talks to Steve about the heartland boy and devoted father she watched from a distance, and the life she now lives as a trans elder, composer and artist.

You're Being Ridiculous: GIRL, BYE
Dates: Thursday, August 14 – Saturday, August 16 at 8 pm
Saturday, August 16 at 3:30 pm
Ticket Price: $30
Description: At You're Being Ridiculous, real people tell true stories about their lives. Each performance is linked by rotating themes, and by the desire to make you laugh... and, once in a while, cry. This time we're taking the garbage out and saying GIRL, BYE to all of life's annoyances. Join us as we take it to the curb.

Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater Presents:
Flamenco Tablao
Dates: Friday, August 22 and Saturday, August 23 at 8 pm
Ticket Price: $33 – $53
Description: Join Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater as they kick off their Golden 50^th Anniversary Celebration as the premier company and center of Spanish dance and music in Chicago. In Flamenco Tablao, the Ensemble will present a suite of passionate and expressive Flamenco dances and music from the southern part of Spain with Andalusian Roma, Latin American and Caribbean influences. The program features dancers from the company with guest musicians.

Bambi Banks-Couleé Presents:
Clue a Drag Parody
Dates: Thursday, August 28 – Saturday, August 30 at 8 pm
Ticket Price: $28
Description: Clue a Drag Parody is a murder mystery farce starring some of Chicago's best and brightest queens. Whether it's Mrs. White in the ballroom with the candlestick or Colonel Mustard in the library with the rope, come ready to solve the mystery of this whodunit!

Accessibility:

Steppenwolf's 1700 Theater is equipped with an induction hearing loop and assistive listening devices (ALDs) are available upon request. Our building features wheelchair-accessible seating and restrooms, push-button entrances, a courtesy wheelchair, and all-gender restrooms, with accessible counter and table spaces at our bars. For additional information regarding accessibility, visit steppenwolf.org/plan-your-visit/accessibility or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Sponsor Information: 

The LookOut Series is supported in part by the Walder Foundation. United Airlines is the Official and Exclusive Airline of Steppenwolf. Steppenwolf salutes lead sponsors Allstate Insurance Company, Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, Crown Family Philanthropies, Caroline and Keating Crown, Good Chaos, John Hart and Carol Prins, Joyce Foundation, Lefkofsky Family Foundation, Northern Trust, Anne and Don Phillips, Pritzker Traubert Foundation, Shubert Foundation, Inc, Walder Foundation, and Zell Family Foundation. Steppenwolf also acknowledges generous support from premier sponsors ArentFox Schiff, Andrew and Amy Bluhm, Ann and Richard Carr, Chicago Community Trust, Conagra Brands Foundation, Steven and Nancy Crown,  CRC Group, Julius Frankel Foundation, FROST CHICAGO, Kirkland & Ellis, Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, The Orlebeke Foundation, Polk Bros. Foundation, Sacks Family Foundation, Smart Family Foundation of Illinois, Gary Sinise Foundation, and Vinci Restaurant. Steppenwolf also acknowledges support from the Illinois Arts Council. This project is partially supported by a CityArts Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events.

About Steppenwolf Theatre Company:

Steppenwolf Theatre Company is the nation's premier Ensemble Theater with 49 members who are among the top actors, playwrights and directors in the field. Thrilling, powerful, groundbreaking productions - from Balm in Gilead and Grapes of Wrath to August: Osage County, Downstate and The Brother/Sister Plays - have made this theatre legendary. Founded in 1976, Steppenwolf started as a group of teens performing in the basement of a church. Today, the company's artistic force remains rooted in the original vision of its founders: an artist-driven theatre, whose vitality is defined by its appetite for bold and innovative work. Every aspect of Steppenwolf is rooted in its Ensemble ethos, from the intergenerational artistic programming to the multi-genre performance series LookOut, to the nationally recognized work of Steppenwolf Education and Engagement which serves nearly 15,000 teens annually. While grounded in the Chicago community, more than 40 original Steppenwolf productions have enjoyed success nationally and internationally, including Broadway, Off-Broadway, London, Sydney, Galway and Dublin. Steppenwolf also holds accolades that include the National Medal of Arts, 12 Tony Awards, and more. Led by Artistic Directors Glenn Davis and Audrey Francis, Executive Director Brooke Flanagan and Board of Trustees Chair, Keating Crown - Steppenwolf continually redefines the landscape of acting and performance.

Steppenwolf's Mission: Steppenwolf strives to create thrilling, courageous and provocative art in a thoughtful and inclusive environment. We succeed when we disrupt your routine with experiences that spark curiosity, empathy and joy. We invite you to join our ensemble as we navigate, together, our complex world. steppenwolf.org, facebook.com/steppenwolftheatre, twitter.com/steppenwolfthtr and instagram.com/steppenwolfthtr.

The Opera Festival of Chicago announces the cast and creative team for The Love of Three Kings (L’Amore dei tre Re), with music by Italo Montemezzi, a libretto by Sam Benelli, directed by Sasha Gerritson, conducted by Uff. Emanuele Andrizzi with a cast of more than 40 performers and an orchestra of 39 musicians. Performances are Friday, May 9 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, May 11 at 2 p.m. at the Athenaeum Center, 2936 N. Southport Ave. Single tickets are $25 - $50 with subscriptions available at OperaFestivalChicago.org.

Forty years after conquering Altura, the blind king Archibaldo faces growing resentment from its people. He recalls the conquest as a thrilling victory, likening it to winning a beautiful woman. His son, Manfredo, is married to the Alturan princess Fiora, who secretly loves another Alturan prince, Avito. Though Archibaldo suspects Fiora’s infidelity, his blindness and uncooperative servants leave him without proof.

Amid love duets and tense confrontations, Archibaldo grows increasingly enraged and strangles Fiora at the end of the second act. In the final act, Fiora’s body lies in a crypt as the Alturans mourn. Archibaldo poisons her lips, intending to trap her lover. Avito kisses Fiora and dies, revealing their affair to Manfredo, who, in grief, also kisses her and succumbs. Archibaldo enters to confirm his scheme but is devastated to hear the voice of his dying son.

In addition to The Love of Three Kings (L’amore dei tre re), the Opera Festival continues with its Young Artists program performing a delicious program featuring songs inspired by food in opera, Delicatessen Recital, June 5, the Opera Festival of Chicago's leading artists then appear in concert for Love is a Triangle, June 14, with the season concluding with Ruggero Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci, June 27 and 29.

“The 2025 Festival, our fifth season, is going to be a season of celebration here at the Opera Festival of Chicago. This organization began forging its path in the opera world in 2021 with the mission of presenting Italian opera masterworks that rarely-if ever- grace the stage in the United States,” said General Director Sasha Gerritson. “These fully staged productions featured star-studded casts and have included several United States and Chicago premieres. We look forward to welcoming audiences from all over the Chicagoland area to this year’s season, which is based on a powerful theme, “Love is a Triangle,” and continues our mission in 2025 with concerts and two Italian masterworks.”

The cast of The Love of Three Kings features Andrea Silvestrelli (bass, King Archibaldo); Maria Kanyova (soprano, Fiora); Franco Pomponi (baritone, Manfredo); Andrew Morstein (tenor, Avito); Matthew DiBattista (tenor, Flaminio); Aldo Alan Navarette (Giovanetto/Fanciulo); Jade Dashá (soprano, Ancella/Giovanetta) and Viktoria Vizin (mezzo-soprano, Una Vecchia).

In addition, there will be a chorus including Floriana Bivona; Lizzie Broeker; Melanie Budreck, Winifer Castaneda; Jorie Clark; Brooke Craig; Ryan Daly (cover, Avito); Angela DeVenuto (cover, Fiora); Katrina Dubbs; Theresa Egan; David Green; Abigail Greer Arcamona; Lauren Ingebretsen; Marlina Karimi; Ally Lewkowski; Joe Lodato (cover, Manfredo); Jake Luellen; Samantha Mcgonigal (cover, Una Vecchia); Margaret Meierhenry; Grisella Milla; Chimerie Obianom; Jennifer Parr (cover, Ancella/Giovanetta); Brian Pember; Leah Rockweit, Pamela Spann; Meg Thomas-Cary; Leo Radosavljevic (cover, Archibaldo);

 Jose Vargas Ramirez; Carmen Vizin-Esquivel; Kevin Wheatle and Jonathan Wilson (cover, Manfredo).

The creative team for The Love of Three Kings includes Uff. Emanuele Andrizzi (conductor); Sasha Gerritson (director/supertitle design); Richard Robbins (chorus master); Catherine O’Shaunessy (assistant conductor); Darren Brown (production manager); Bill Morey  (costume designer); Erzebet Schneider (costumes supervisor); Shane Cinal (set designer); Andres Fiz (projections designer); Mike Goebel (lighting designer); Mary Mazurek (recording engineer); Melanie Saso (hair and wigs designer); Errin Austin (makeup designer); Hannah Zizza (supertitle operator); Gisella Milla (assistant to the director); Sebastian Medina (master electrician); Hannah Wein (assistant lighting designer); Rachel Rock (stage manager); James Juliano (SHOUT!) (publicity director); Lorenzo Formosa (house manager); Natalie Zoia (orchestra manager); Emily Zwijack (social media); Jacob Little (production assistant); Kaylea Meyers (production assistant); Irina Feoktistova (accompanist) and Leo Radosavljevich (chorus accompanist)

ABOUT SASHA GERRITSON, GENERAL DIRECTOR

Sasha Gerritson is a highly sought after opera and musical theater stage director who directs for many local and regional companies, specializing in traditional productions of believed repertoire. For the Opera Festival of Chicago, Gerritson received rave reviews for her production of Assassinio nella Cathedrale (2023). She also is regularly involved with Music Theater Works where she recently directed Guys and Dolls (March 6 - 30, 2025), Lerner & Loewe’s Brigadoon (2023) and Irving Berlin’s White Christmas (2022) both to great critical acclaim.

Gerritson served as the Opera and Music Theatre director of Northeastern Illinois University from 2010-2022, has directed for Musica Nelle Marche (Urbino, Italy), Opera Piccola, DePaul University, the Cherub Music Theatre program for Northwestern University, in addition to various other summer programs in the area.

In addition to her stage direction work, she is a choral conductor and singer, serving as the director of music ministries for the Park Ridge Community Church. She also proudly serves on a number of boards city-wide, including The Brookfield Zoo, the Navy Pier Foundation, the Goodman Theatre and DePaul University, for which she is vice chair.

Gerritson lives in Glenview with her husband, Eugene Jarvis, and their two sons.

ABOUT OPERA FESTIVAL OF CHICAGO

The Opera Festival of Chicago presents world-class standard productions of Italian opera masterpieces in Chicago that rarely grace the stage in the United States. In doing so the Opera Festival of Chicago aspires to: generate an inquisitive operatic appetite within Chicago audiences; make its work – and its cultural context – accessible to a wide audience; provide a stimulating and inspirational environment of Italian opera for artists and audiences alike; provide a vital opportunity for young artists entering the profession to uphold the high integrity and demands of Italian opera with artists and musicians who are established professionals and to highlight and celebrate the immense talent that has originated from the Chicagoland area.