Broadway In Chicago is excited to announce individual tickets for RIVERDANCE 30 – THE NEW GENERATION will go on sale on Friday, February 21. RIVERDANCE 30 – THE NEW GENERATION will play Broadway In Chicago’s Cadillac Palace Theatre (151 W. Randolph St.) for a limited one-week engagement, April 22 - 27.

RIVERDANCE 30 – THE NEW GENERATION production photos here. RIVERDANCE 30 – THE NEW GENERATION Sizzle Reels here.

ABOUT RIVERDANCE 30 - THE NEW GENERATION
RIVERDANCE 30 – THE NEW GENERATION rejuvenates the much-loved original show with new innovative choreography and costumes and state of the art lighting, projection and motion graphics. And for the first time, RIVERDANCE will welcome “The New Generation” of performers, all of whom were not born when the show began 30 years ago.

John McColgan, Director of RIVERDANCE, said “It is both a privilege and a delight to celebrate 30 years of RIVERDANCE and the unique journey it has taken us on. In those 30 years the show has transformed from a spectacle into a global cultural phenomenon – continuously evolving yet remaining true to its Irish roots. On this upcoming tour we look forward to welcoming ‘The New Generation’ of artists while paying tribute to the talented performers, creators, dedicated crew, and the millions of fans who have made RIVERDANCE a worldwide celebration of music and dance.”

Audiences will enjoy a unique and memorable performance which blends the traditional and the contemporary, showcasing the skill and passion of the world-class dancers, musicians and singers in the RIVERDANCE ensemble.

For the complete RIVERDANCE 30 – THE NEW GENERATION 2025 North American Tour schedule and updates, please visit www.riverdance.com.

Since RIVERDANCE first emerged onto the world stage, its fusion of Irish and international dance and music has captured the hearts of millions worldwide. The Grammy award-winning music and the infectious energy of its mesmerizing choreography and breathtaking performances has left audiences in awe and established RIVERDANCE as a global cultural sensation.

RIVERDANCE began its journey as the interval act in the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest, produced for television by Moya Doherty. This electrifying and innovative seven-minute dance piece was then developed into a full-length stage show by Producer Moya Doherty, Composer Bill Whelan and Director John McColgan . With its fusion of Irish and international music and dance, the show broke all box office records during its world première run in Dublin in early 1995. When the show transferred to London the reaction was unprecedented. There followed a hugely successful tour starting in New York in March 1996, where eight sold-out shows at Radio City Music Hall heralded the start of more than two decades of touring by RIVERDANCE companies throughout North America. Since its inception, RIVERDANCE has packed theatres throughout North America, Oceania, Asia, Europe, South Africa and South America.

RIVERDANCE 30 - THE NEW GENERATION is designed by lead designer Peter Canning, featuring sets by Alan Farquharson, lighting by Andrew Voller and video by Cosmo AV along with costumes by Joan Bergin and sound by Michael O’Gorman.

For more information, please visit:
Website: www.riverdance.com
Facebook: @Riverdance
X: @Riverdance
Instagram: @Riverdance
TikTok: @Riverdance

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE
Tuesday, April 22 at 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday, April 23 at 7:00 p.m.
Thursday, April 24 at 7:00 p.m.
Friday, April 25 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 26 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, April 27 at 1:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

TICKET INFORMATION
Individual tickets for RIVERDANCE 30 – THE NEW GENERATION will go on sale to the public on Friday, February 21 and range from $35.00 - $95.00 with a select number of premium tickets available. Tickets are available now for groups of 10 or more by calling Broadway In Chicago Group Sales at (312) 977-1710 or emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. For more  information, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com.

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, The Auditorium, and just off the Magnificent Mile, the Broadway  Playhouse at Water Tower Place.

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

Rivendell Theatre Ensemble (RTE), Chicago's only women-centered Equity storefront theatre, ushers in its 30th Anniversary Season with the world premiere of No Such Thing by Rivendell Ensemble Member Lisa Dillman and directed by Malkia Stampley. No Such Thing runs March 22 – April 27, 2025, with a press opening on Tuesday, April 1 at 7pm.

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 her-self 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 construct-ed 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), Shan-non Golden (Production Manager), Kristi Martens* (Stage Manager) and Autumn Dancy (Assistant Stage Manager).

"When I was younger, I had a bird's-eye view of my mother's experience as she transitioned into and be-yond middle age. It seemed as if a societal curtain had dropped—she gradually became invisible. What she experienced as she got older, I've since learned firsthand, is all too common for women in this country. When I experienced it myself, I admit it became a bit of an obsession," comments Lisa Dillman. "In writing No Such Thing, I set out to create a portrait of one woman's struggle to step over the societal boundary lines that so many women encounter as they age past society's view of who is relevant, attractive, and acceptable in our world. And I couldn't be more thrilled that this play is going to premiere at my longtime artistic home, Rivendell Theatre Ensemble, whose mission it is to elevate the lives of all women through the power of theatre."

Artistic Director Tara Mallen comments, "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 30th anniversary season!"

The Production Sponsor is Michael Litt.

About the Artists

Lisa Dillman (playwright) is a longtime ensemble member of Rivendell Theatre Ensemble, where her plays American Wee Pie, The Walls, and Chiaroscuro all premiered. Her work includes Ground, Rock Shore, American Wee-Pie, Half of Plenty, The Walls, and Just Cause (co-written with Todd Logan), among others. In addition to Rivendell, her plays have been produced by Steppenwolf Theatre, Actors Theatre of Louisville (Humana Festival), American Theatre Company, Seattle Public Theatre, Rogue Ma-chine, Station Theatre, Tipping Point Theatre, and other companies as well as at universities across the country. Dillman has received commissions from Steppenwolf, Goodman, Northlight, Baltimore Center-stage, Rivendell, and the Chicago Humanities Festival and has developed work at the O'Neill, PlayPenn, Goodman's Playwrights Unit, Chicago Dramatists (where she is a Resident Alum), ACT Theatre/ Hedgebrook Women Playwrights Festival, and others. Dillman's work is published by Samuel French/Concord Theatricals, and Dramatic Publishing, as well as anthologized in collections from Heinemann, Playscripts Inc., Smith and Kraus, and New Issues Press.

Malkia Stampley (director) is a director, actor and Goodman Theatre's BOLD Artistic Producer. Select directing credits: Primary Trust and In My Granny's Garden (Goodman Theatre); Nunsense and Nina Simone: Four Women (Milwaukee Rep), The October Storm (Raven, Jeff-nominated, Best Director), Boulevard of Bold Dreams (TimeLine), STEW (Shattered Globe), Black Nativity (Black Arts MKE), The Gift of the Magi (American Players), Five Guys Named Moe (Skylight Music), Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill (Farmers Alley), Exit Strategy (Northwestern). She is a Milwaukee native, Ensemble Member of Congo Square Theatre and co-founder of Bronzeville Arts Ensemble and Milwaukee Black Theater Festival.

Matt DeCaro (Ted) has most recently appeared as Winston Churchill in The Audience at Drury Lane Theatre where he also appeared as Big Daddy in A Cat On a Hot Tin Roof, for which he received a Joseph Jefferson Award. His recent credits include The Cherry Orchard at Goodman Theatre and Kansas City Rep's premiere of Flood. He was a company member for several seasons at Sarasota's Asolo Repertory Theater. Roles there include: LBJ in The Great Society, Oscar Hubbard in The Little Foxes, Gene in Frank Galati's Rhinoceros and Stan in Sweat. Matt has been fortunate to play in theaters across the country including Lincoln Center, Manhattan Theatre Club, Goodman Theatre, Guthrie Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre, The Old Globe Theatre, San Francisco's A.C.T., and internationally in Dublin, Toronto and China. Some favorite roles include the Judge in David Mamet's Romance, Dave Moss in Glengarry Glen Ross, Boss Mangan in Heartbreak House, Boolie in Driving Miss Daisy, and Fa Hai in Mary Zimmerman's The White Snake. His TV and film credits include The Wise Kids, Eagle Eye, "House," "The Office," "Prison Break," and "Curb Your Enthusiasm," among many others.

Jessica Ervin (Olivia) is an ensemble member at Rivendell Theatre Ensemble where she originated the role of Annie in Rivendell's Jeff Award-winning production of Motherhouse. Other credits with Rivendell include: Dry Land (Jeff Nomination - Actress in a Principal Role), I Wanna F*cking Tear You Apart; The Firebirds Take the Field; and understudying Scientific Method, Alias Grace, and the tour of Women at War. Ervin's other theatrical work includes roles with Goodman Theatre, Minetta Lane Theatre, Strawdog Theatre Company, A Red Orchid Theatre, American Blues Theater, Walkabout Theater Company, Route 66 Theatre Company, Kalliope and Co., and Prop Thtr. On-screen, she has appeared on Chicago Fire (NBC), and in the films Princess Cyd, Provo, Teacher, Lucid, and Late Bloomer, in addition to other shorts and a commercial for CDW NetApp. Ervin is a graduate of The School at Steppenwolf and Ball State University.

Susan Gosdick (Ren) Recent performances include: My Fair Lady (Paramount Theatre); A Christmas Story (Theatre at the Center); Women Who Steal, Indian Blood, Our Town (Artists' Ensemble Theatre); Musical Comedy Murders 1940 (Drury Lane Oakbrook); Trial By Jury, Cox and Box (Transgressive Theatre-Opera); Nathan the Wise (Chicago Festival of the Arts); Henry V, Richard II, The Merry Wives of Windsor (Shakespeare Project), The Old Globe Theatre, Lincoln Center Institute, and Ma-Yi Theatre. As a dialect coach, she has worked with Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Paramount Theatre, Marriott Theatre, Chicago Opera Theater, Pulse Theatre Chicago, Invictus Theatre Company, Music Theater Works, Shattered Globe, Artistic Home, and teaches voice / dialects at Columbia College Chicago and Roosevelt University.

Cheryl Hamada (Marilyn) recently appeared in Token Theatre's premiere production of Zac Efron. Other stage work includes Chimerica (TimeLine Theatre), Washer/Dryer (Rasaka Theatre), Yohen and Golden Child (Silk Road Rising), Race (Lookingglass Theatre Company), A Christmas Carol (Goodman Theatre), ER: Emergency Room (Organic Theatre) and Innocent Thoughts, Harmless Intentions (Next Theatre-Jeff Citation). Her TV/Film credits include her work for the WTTW and national PBS pledge drives, hosting 4 seasons of the HGTV series Extreme Homes, one season of WTTW's Your Chicago Kitchen and film roles in About Schmidt, The Dilemma, Nothing Like the Holidays, Above the Law, Chain Reaction, Chicago Hope, Boss, Unsolved Mysteries and the indie film Relative. She also appeared recently in episodes of Chicago Med and the limited series Emperor of Ocean Park.

Josh Odor (Fallon) is excited to be back working with Rivendell where he previously performed in Scientific Method, The Firebirds Take the Field and I Wanna F*cking Tear You Apart. Most recently he was in Facility's Right Now (Jeff Award for Best Ensemble), No Man's Land at Steppenwolf Theatre and Origin Story in Cincinnati at Playhouse in the Park. Odor has worked with the Goodman Theatre, Lookingglass Theatre Company, TimeLine Theatre, Steep Theater, Jackalope Theatre Company and the The Artistic Home Theater, among others over the past 20 years. TV/Film credits: The Chi, Chicago Med/PD/Fire, Boss, Betrayal, Janie Jones and The Express. He is represented by DDO Chicago and is a proud member of SAG/AFTRA.

Fact Sheet

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), Shannon Golden (Production Manager), Kristi Martens* (Stage Manager) and Autumn Dancy (Assistant Stage Manager)

Production Sponsor: Michael Litt

*= Member of Actors Equity Association

± = RTE Member

Dates: March 22 – April 27, 2025

Previews: March 22 – 29, 2025

Gala Opening: Sunday, March 30 at 6pm

Press Opening: Tuesday, April 1 at 7:00pm

Regular Run: April 3 – April 27, 2025

Schedule: Thursdays at 8:00pm

Fridays at 8:00pm

Saturdays at 4:00pm and 8:00pm

Masks Required performances: 

Saturday, April 5 at 4pm

Sunday, April 13 at 3pm

Special added performances include: 

Sunday, April 13 at 3:00pm

Monday, April 21 at 8:00pm (Industry Night) 

Sunday, April 27 at 3:00pm (Closing)

Performance with Post-Show Town Hall:

Saturday, April 12 immediately following the 4pm performance

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

Parking and Transportation: There is limited paid and free street parking in the area. The theatre is easily accessible via the Clark (#22) or Broadway (#36) bus and is a short walk from the Bryn Mawr Red Line L station.

Rivendell Theatre Ensemble: 30 Years of Transformative Impact

After three decades firmly in the cultural landscape of Chicago, Rivendell Theatre Ensemble has learned one very important thing: even in a small space you can tell big stories.

And telling big, impactful stories in an intimate environment is what Rivendell does best.

Serving as a narrative of change, Rivendell's 30th Anniversary Season continues to make a tangible difference in the world by giving voice to women through artistic recognition of their lives with the support of an award-winning ensemble of artists, combating the inequities experienced by women in the theater landscape through gender parity at all levels of theatrical production, and by creating a meaningful and rewarding experience for audiences and community by being a catalyst for conversation through relevant, insightful stories and outreach. 

Artistic Director Tara Mallen founded Rivendell Theatre Ensemble (RTE) in 1994 with a group of like-minded artists who understood that stories must be shared to open minds. And since its inception, Rivendell has grown to uniquely fill an important role in the Chicago and national theatre community as Chicago's premier women-focused storefront theatre. In its 30-year history, Rivendell has earned 12 Joseph Jefferson Awards and nearly four dozen nominations. It is recognized as a national force in new play development and as a home for women theatre artists, engaging over 200 artists and 3,000+ audience members each year through its mainstage season, new work development, and outreach.

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; The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation; Sarah and the 2 C Dogs and Amazing Edibles.

 Steppenwolf Theatre Company, the nation's premier ensemble theater company, is pleased to announce full casting for the Chicago premiere of The Book of Grace, an incendiary family portrait by Pulitzer Prize winner Suzan-Lori Parks (Topdog/Underdog), directed by Steve H. Broadnax III. 

The Book of Grace will feature ensemble member Namir Smallwood (Steppenwolf: Bug, True West–also Galway Festival, Seagull. Broadway/Off-Broadway: Pass Over. TV: American Rust) with Jerome Preston Bates (Broadway: Seven Guitars, Stick Fly, Jitney. TV: All My Children) and Zainab Jah (Broadway: Eclipsed. Off-Broadway: School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play. TV: Only Murders in the Building).

The Book of Grace will play March 27 – May 18, 2025 in Steppenwolf's Ensemble Theater in Honor of Helen Zell, 1646 N. Halsted St. in Chicago. Single tickets starting at $20 are now on sale at steppenwolf.org or the Box Office at (312) 335-1650. The press opening is Sunday, April 6, 2025 at 6 pm.

About the Production:

Grace looks for the good in everything: in her husband's rules, in the border he patrols, in the return of his estranged son. But a want for goodness cannot unwind the past, as this taut family reunion explodes in all directions. Witness this startling reminder that the search for common ground can be bloody and brutal, leaving casualties on every side of the divide.

Steppenwolf is thrilled that the Chicago premiere of The Book of Grace offers playwright Suzan-Lori Parks an opportunity to revisit this "companion" to Topdog/Underdog, deepening and expanding the world of her play for the present day.

The creative team includes Arnel Sancianco (Scenic Design), Raquel Adorno (Costume Design), Jason Lynch (Lighting Design), Curtis Craig (Sound Design & Original Music), Rasean Davonté Johnson (Projection Design) Kate DeVore (Vocal Coach), Jonathan L. Green (Dramaturg), Patrick Zakem (Creative Producer), Elise Hausken (Production Manager), JC Clementz, CSA (Casting), Michelle Medvin (Production Stage Manager) and Jaclynn Joslin (Assistant Stage Manager). For cast and creative team bios, click here.

Production Details:

Title: The Book of Grace
Playwright: Suzan-Lori Parks
Director: Steve H. Broadnax III
Cast: Ensemble member Namir Smallwood (Buddy) with Jerome Preston Bates (Vet) and Zainab Jah (Grace),

Location: Steppenwolf's Ensemble Theater in Honor of Helen Zell, 1646 N. Halsted St., Chicago

Dates: Previews: Thursday, March 27 – Saturday, April 5, 2025
Press performance/Opening: Sunday, April 6, 2025 at 6 pm
Regular run: Thursday, April 10 – Sunday, May 18, 2025
Curtain Times: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30 pm; Saturdays at 3 pm & 7:30 pm; and Sundays at 3 pm. Please note: there will not be performances on Tuesday, April 1 at 7:30 pm, Tuesday, April 8 at 7:30 pm, Wednesday, April 9 at 7:30 pm, Tuesday, April 22 at 7:30 pm, Wednesday, April 23 at 7:30 pm, Wednesday, May 7 at 7:30 pm, Saturday, May 10 at 3 pm or 7:30 pm; Sunday, May 11 at 3 pm or Tuesday, May 13 at 7:30 pm; there will be an added matinee performance on Wednesday, May 7 at 2 pm.

Tickets: Single tickets for The Book of Grace ($20 - $102) are now on sale at steppenwolf.org and the Box Office at (312) 335-1650. Steppenwolf Flex Memberships are also currently on sale: Black Card Memberships with six tickets for use any time for any production and RED Card Memberships for theatergoers under 30.

Accessible Performance Dates:

Audio-described and Touch Tour: Sunday, May 4 at 3 pm (1:30 pm touch tour)
Open-Captioned: Saturday, May 3 at 3 pm & Thursday, May 8 at 7:30 pm
ASL-Interpreted: Friday, May 16 at 7:30 pm

Education and Engagement:

Throughout the 2024/25 season, Steppenwolf continues its commitment to the next generation of theatre learners, makers and appreciators with robust education and engagement programming. Programming includes dedicated student matinee performances during four of the five Membership Series productions including Noises Off, Leroy and Lucy, Fool for Love and The Book of Grace, in-school residencies in partnership with Chicago Public schools, workshops, panels and events specifically geared towards teens, as well as professional development trainings and resources for educators. Additionally, Steppenwolf is reimagining their community engagement and will pilot new public programming, continue accessibility programming and offer opportunities for deeper explorations for audiences throughout the season. For additional information about Steppenwolf's Education and Engagement programming and to register your school for a field trip, visit steppenwolf.org/education-and-engagement/steppenwolf-field-trip-series.

Artist Biographies:

Jerome Preston Bates (Vet) Broadway: Seven Guitars, Stick Fly, Jitney, American Son, Death of a Salesman. Off Broadway: The Refuge Plays (Roundabout Theatre Company), The Public, Beckett Theatre, Abingdon Theatre, Circle Rep, Playwrights Horizon, New Federal Theatre, Negro Ensemble Company. Regional: Seven Guitars (opposite Viola Davis, world premiere, Goodman Theatre), Yale Repertory, The Kennedy Center, Hartford Stage, Baltimore Center Stage, Arena Stage, Oregon Shakespeare Festival (Comedy of Errors, King Richard III), Old Globe (Macbeth), Folgers (King Lear in association with Classical Theatre of Harlem), Wilma Theater, Arden Theatre, Philadelphia Drama Guild, among others. Director: The Man in Room 304 (Luna Stage), Seven Guitars (Triad Stage), A Raisin in The Sun (Livingstone College), all 10 of the American Century Cycle at Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History. Writer: Electric Lady, Augusta Brown, Mr. Unemployed, Jimi Hendrix (screenplay). Film: Shaft (with Samuel L. Jackson), PEEPLES, Musical Chairs, Tio Papi, The Out of Towners. Television: All My Children, Oz, Law and Order, SVU, New York Undercover, Sesame Street, Lights Out, Notes from the Field with Anna DeVere Smith. Awards: seven time AUDELCO winner. Education/Training: LAMDA/London, University of Tennessee, Knoxville College, The New School, Professional Positions: Teaching Staff at Stella Adler School of Acting NY.

Zainab Jah (Grace) Broadway: Eclipsed, Venus, Boesman and Lena. Off Broadway: School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play (MCC); The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (Atlantic Theater Company). Regional: Hamlet (Wilma Theater); The Convert (LATC). Film: Reunion, Farewell Amor, All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, False Positive. Television: The Continental, The Blacklist, Only Murders in the Building, The Good Lord Bird, Deep State, Instinct, Blindspot, Elementary, Homeland.

Namir Smallwood (Buddy) joined the Steppenwolf Theatre Company ensemble in 2017. Steppenwolf: Seagull, Bug, True West, BLKS, Monster, Man In Love, The Hot L Baltimore, Last Night and the Night Before. Broadway: Pass Over. Off Broadway: Pipeline, Pass Over (Lincoln Center). Chicago: Primary Trust (Goodman); Charm (Northlight Theatre); The Grapes of Wrath (The Gift Theatre); East Texas Hot Links (Writers Theatre). Regional: Marin Theatre Company, Pillsbury House Theatre, Ten Thousand Things, Guthrie Theater. International: True West (Galway International Arts Festival). Television: Chicago Fire, Betrayal, Elementary, American Rust (Showtime/FreeVee); Power Book IV: Force (STARZ). Film: Rounding, About Time, Bailey's Blues.

Suzan-Lori Parks (Playwright) is a multi-award-winning American writer/musician and the first African-American woman to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for Topdog/Underdog which recently enjoyed its twentieth anniversary Broadway revival. The production won the 2023 Tony Award, (Best Revival Of A Play). Last season she had new works which received world premieres, notably, at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, Sally & Tom and, at Joe's Pub in New York City, Plays for the Plague Year (winner of The Drama Desk Award for Best Music in a Play). As a college student, Parks studied creative writing with James Baldwin, who encouraged her to begin writing for the theatre.

Steve H. Broadnax III (Director) Broadway: Thoughts of a Colored Man. Additional: Branden Jacobs-Jenkins's Appropriate at the Old Globe, Suzan-Lori Parks's Sally and Tom at the Public Theatre/ Guthrie Theatre (World Premiere), Katori Hall's Pulitzer Prize Premiere The Hot Wing King at Signature Theatre, Lee Edward Colston's The First Deep Breath, Geffen Theatre (Jeff Awards Best New Work), Dominique Morisseau's Sunset Baby at Signature Theatre and Blood at the Root at the National Black Theatre (Winner of Kennedy Center's Hip Hop Theater Creator Award) and William Jackson Harper's Premiere Travisville Ensemble Studio. Ensemble Studio Theatre member, Associate Artistic Director at People's Light Theatre, Professor of Theatre at Penn State University, and Head of MFA Directing.

Accessibility:

As a commitment to make the Steppenwolf experience accessible to everyone, performances featuring American Sign Language Interpretation, Open Captioning and Audio Description are offered during the run of each STC production (see dates above). Assistive listening devices and large-print programs are available for every performance and all our spaces are equipped with an induction hearing loop. 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/access or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Sponsor Information:

United Airlines is the Official and Exclusive Airline of Steppenwolf. Steppenwolf is also grateful for the significant season support from lead sponsors Allstate Insurance Company, Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, Crown Family Philanthropies, Caroline and Keating Crown, Good Chaos, Joyce Foundation, Lefkofsky Family Foundation, Ron and Paula Mallicoat, Northern Trust, Anne and Don Phillips, John Hart and Carol Prins, Robert Rivkin and Cindy Moelis, Shubert Foundation, Inc, Walder Foundation, and Zell Family Foundation. Steppenwolf also acknowledges generous support from premier sponsors Anonymous, ArentFox Schiff, Andrew and Amy Bluhm, Michael and Cathy Brennan, Ann and Richard Carr, Chicago Community Trust, Conagra Brands Foundation, Steven and Nancy Crown, CRC Group, Rich and Margery Feitler, Julius Frankel Foundation, FROST CHICAGO, Goldman Sachs, Shmaila Tahir and Asheesh Goel, Bob and Amy Greenebaum, Kirkland & Ellis, Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, Christopher and Eileen Murphy, The Orlebeke Foundation, Polk Bros. Foundation, Bryan Traubert and Penny Pritzker, Sacks Family Foundation, Smart Family Foundation of Illinois, Gary Sinise Foundation, Elliot A. Stultz, and Vinci Restaurant. Steppenwolf also acknowledges support from the Illinois Arts Council Agency. 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 Grainger Academy of The Joffrey Ballet celebrates the 15^th Anniversary of its choreographic competition, Winning Works, with five world premieres over two weekends in March. This year's competition winners—Karley Childress, Roderick George (Recipient of the Zach Lazar Winning Works Fellowship), Shota Miyoshi, Alejandro Perez, and Keelan Whitmore—each will present an original work created for the Grainger Academy of The Joffrey Ballet Conservatory, Trainees, and Joffrey Studio Company. With an added performance due to popular demand, Winning Works will be presented at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago's Edlis Neeson Theater (220 E. Chicago Avenue) in nine performances over two weekends, Friday-Sunday, March 14-16, and Thursday-Sunday, March 20-23, 2025. Tickets for Winning Works are $35 and are currently on sale at joffrey.org/winningworks.

The 2025 world premieres mark the culmination of Joffrey's national call for ALAANA (African, Latinx, Asian, Arab, and Native American) artists to submit applications for the competition. Now celebrating 15 years, former winners of the Winning Works competition include Jeffrey Cirio (2016), current Lead Principal Dancer with Boston Ballet; Chanel DaSilva (2020), who choreographed a critically acclaimed world premiere for Joffrey's 2022-23 season opener, Beyond Borders; Houston Thomas (2024), who returned to the Grainger Academy to choreograph For Mr. Ramsey Lewis, presented at Ravinia Festival; Amy Hall Garner (2011), the choreographer of the free touring work for families, Rita Finds Home, co-produced by The Joffrey Ballet and Miami City Ballet; and Stephanie Martinez (2015), a featured choreographer on the Joffrey's winter program, The Times Are Racing.

"Winning Works has always been about propelling artists into the next phase of their professional dance journeys," says Abbott Academy Director Suzanne Lopez. "For this special anniversary, we have selected artists who exemplify the innovative spirit of the Winning Works program. Karley, Roderick, Shota, Alejandro, and Keelan offer fresh perspectives and boundless creativity. Their world premieres, crafted in collaboration with the Grainger Academy of The Joffrey Ballet Conservatory, Trainees, and Joffrey Studio Company, promise to captivate audiences with exceptional artistry in this landmark year."

"Reflecting on the profound impact of Winning Works, it's remarkable to see how it has shaped the careers of emerging artists globally," shares The Mary B. Galvin Artistic Director Ashley Wheater MBE. "This program has built a reputation for nurturing the next wave of talent, empowering dancers to take charge of their careers—from the rehearsal studio to the spotlight and into leadership roles. Suzanne has curated an impressive lineup this year, featuring artists ready to push boundaries and challenge our students to explore new, creative approaches to dance. The distinctive viewpoints of these choreographers will undoubtedly drive this program forward, solidifying its role as a catalyst for innovation in dance."

"Our commitment to creating opportunities for artists from diverse backgrounds has truly enriched our institutions and our city," adds Joffrey Ballet President and CEO Greg Cameron. "This milestone achievement is a testament to the invaluable partnership with the Museum of Contemporary Art and the unforgettable moments shared with audiences at the Edlis Neeson Theater. Our shared vision of nurturing the next generation of artists has never been stronger, and we look forward to continuing this vital work together."

About The Winners

Karley Childress, originally from Memphis, Tennessee, began her dance journey at Dance Dynamics, studying various styles under So You Think You Can Dance finalist Natalie Fotopoulos. In 2014, she expanded her ballet training at Collage Dance Collective with Kevin Thomas. She attended several summer intensives, including CPYB's five-week program in 2015. Childress then trained exclusively with Ballet Memphis, studying under Janet Parke and the Rameys, performing in showcases and the production of Steve McMahon's Romeo and Juliet. She also choreographed four works for the school, including Human First (2018), Hometown Glory (2018), There Will Be Time (2018), and Tweet Tweet, Tick-Tock, AHHH (2019). Childress attended intensives with Sonya Tayeh and Milwaukee Ballet, and in 2020, joined the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, learning diverse techniques and performing various works. Graduating with a BFA in contemporary dance in May 2024, Childress aims to join a professional company and further explore choreography.

Roderick George (Recipient of the Zach Lazar Winning Works Fellowship), born and raised in Houston, Texas, began his dance training at Ben Stevenson's Houston Ballet Academy. He furthered his skills at The Alvin Ailey School, Miami City Ballet, and The LINES Ballet Professional Program while attending the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (HSPVA). George won bronze at the Youth American Grand Prix in 2005 and was a YoungArts Winner and Presidential Scholar of the Arts in 2003. He has danced with Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet, Basel Ballet, GöteborgsOperans Danskompani, and The Forsythe Company. George has collaborated with choreographers like Marie Chouinard, Jorma Elo, and William Forsythe. He showcased his choreography at Cedar Lake, Ballett Basel, and GöteborgsOperans Danskompani. George founded kNoname Artist in 2015, blending various dance forms to create unique, thought-provoking performances. His company has performed at numerous festivals, including Jacob's Pillow and Fall for Dance. Recently, George received the YoungArts Fellow Winner for 2021-2022, the Mertz Gilmore Dancer Award 2023-2026, the 2024 NPC Creation & Development Fund Award, and the inaugural Fitzpatrick Award from Jacob's Pillow.

Shota Miyoshi, born in Japan, works across jazz, ballet, tap and hip hop. Miyoshi moved to the U.S. when he was 19 years old and received his BFA in dance from SUNY Purchase College in 2022, where he studied ballet and modern techniques, such as Graham and Cunningham-style improvisation and choreography. He received an Adapt-a-Dancer Scholarship from SUNY Purchase College and joined Hubbard Street Dance as a company artist in 2022. He has performed works by Aszure Barton, Lar Lubovitch, Rena Butler, Rennie Harris, Maria Torres, FLOCK, Alice Klock and Florian Lochner, Johan Inger, Darrell Grand Moultrie, and Amy Hall Garner.

Alejandro Perez is a first-generation Mexican American from Los Angeles, California. Beginning training at the age of 12, Perez joined a street dance crew in which he competed and showcased internationally. Perez's passion continued to unfold as he enrolled at Hamilton Performing Arts High School and later received scholarships from the University of California Los Angeles, Jacob's Pillow Ballet Summer Programs, and Alonzo King LINES Ballet Training Program. Perez completed a three-week residency in the world-renowned Orsolina28 in Moncalvo, Italy, dancing under the direction of former Winning Works winner Mike Tyus. Perez has been a performer and a collaborator with Sidra Bell Dance NYC, ISHIDA Dance, Dawsondancesf, ZiRu Dance, Mike Tyus & Co., and several other companies throughout the US. Perez has set works on the LINES Ballet Training Program, Summer Program in San Francisco, Youth American Grand Prix (YAGP), California summer school for the arts, AMDA LA, and Santa Monica College.

Keelan Whitmore, a native of Rockford, Illinois, trained at Rockford Dance Company and Joffrey Ballet School/New School University, NY. He graduated from Interlochen Arts Academy and St. Mary's College L.E.A.P. Program with a BA in Dance Performance, receiving the Dean's Professional Student Award. Whitmore danced with the Kansas City Ballet (2001-2006), Suzanne Farrell Ballet, and performed at the Kennedy Center and Edinburgh International Dance Festival. As a choreographer and educator, his work has been featured by Schauspiel Dortmund, TanzTheater Münster, Kansas City Ballet, and others. He co-founded Quixotic Fusion in 2006 and danced with Alonzo King LINES Ballet (2006-2013) and TanzTheater Münster (2014-2021), receiving the Outstanding Artist Award in 2019. For the 2022-2023 season, Whitmore returned to Theater Münster, and joined BalletX as Rehearsal Director and Community Liaison for the 2023-2024 Season.

Ticket Information  

Tickets for Winning Works are $35 and are currently on sale at joffrey.org/winningworks. Performances take place on Friday, March 14 at 7:30 PM, Saturday, March 15 at 2:00 PM and 7:30 PM, Sunday, March 16 at 2:00 PM, Thursday, March 20 at 7:30 PM, Friday, March 21 at 7:30 PM, Saturday, March 22 at 2:00 PM and 7:30 PM, and Sunday, March 23 at 2:00 PM.

About the Grainger Academy of The Joffrey Ballet

Founded in 2010 as the Joffrey Academy of Dance, Official School of The Joffrey Ballet, the Grainger Academy of The Joffrey Ballet provides students of all ages, levels, and backgrounds with a world-class education built on a foundation of classical ballet.  

Based in the heart of Chicago's theater district, the 20,000-square-foot Exelon Education Center at Joffrey Tower, home to the Academy, boasts four state-of-the-art studios and facilities. In 2021, The Joffrey Ballet acquired two more state-of-the-art studios in the South Loop of Chicago. In addition, the Grainger Academy of The Joffrey Ballet received the Boeing Game Changer Award in recognition of its efforts to make dance accessible to everyone.  

The Grainger Academy of The Joffrey Ballet, located in Chicago, Illinois, is the only school that follows the organizational mission, training syllabi, and artistic vision of The Joffrey Ballet. No other program, including those holding the Joffrey name, is sanctioned by The Joffrey Ballet.  

For more information on the Grainger Academy of The Joffrey Ballet and its programs, please visit joffrey.org/academy.

Avalanche Theatre announces its Chicago debut with the world premiere of Time is a Color and the Color is Blue by Chicago playwright Melanie Coffey, May 1–24, 2025 (Press Opening May 4) at Bramble Arts Loft, 5545 N. Clark Street. This is Avalanche’s first full production following several years developing new plays with Chicago playwrights.

Time is a Color and the Color is Blue—which was originally developed in Avalanche’s new play incubator the Next Draft Series in 2023—is a survival drama exploring climate change, grief, forgiveness, and letting go, all within a theater transformed into an ice cave. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit avalanchetheatre.com/time-is-a-color.

"Avalanche has been dedicated to new play development in Chicago for years, and we could not be more excited to bring Melanie Coffey’s play to life,” says Avalanche Theatre’s Artistic Director Alexander Attea, sound designer for the production. "In a world where it feels more relevant than ever to interrogate how our choices impact our environment and the people around us, Time is a Color and the Color is Blue serves as an incredibly powerful call to action. It’s been a joy to see this play evolve from our first workshop, and we’re honored to present its world premiere as our debut production.”

Set in an ice cave, Time is a Color and the Color is Blue follows a glaciologist, Whittaker, who becomes trapped in the cave while searching for the oldest known cave paintings. As her team waits out the storm in their lab, her mind begins to spiral, memories and guilt melding and folding in on each other just like pressurized ice thousands of feet below the surface. Trapped and losing oxygen fast, Whittaker must confront how she can ask forgiveness—from the Earth, from the ice cave, from loved ones she's hurt, and from herself.

“Time is a Color and the Color is Blue weaves a story of guilt and love and ice that breaks the surface and snaps as it comes up for air. It could only have been possible with Avalanche Theatre,” says playwright Melanie Coffey. “They helped take the bones of a play and provided the space and time and resources to meld it into what you see on stage. Going from a four-month development workshop into a production with the same theater team is a true luxury.”

Avalanche Theatre’s world premiere of Time is a Color and the Color is Blue plays May 1–24, 2025, at Bramble Arts Loft, 5545 N. Clark Street in Chicago. Press opening is Sunday, May 4 at 7 p.m. Tickets are now available starting at $15 at avalanchetheatre.com/time-is-a-color. A special edition of the script, published by Avalanche Theatre, will also be available for purchase as a ticket add-on.

The cast of Time is a Color and the Color is Blue features Avalanche Theatre ensemble members Alice Wu, Stephanie Fongheiser, Gabriela Diaz and Martina Logan. The cast also includes Bryan Nicholas Carter, Sabine Wan, Harper McCoy and Mary Mikva. Understudies for the production are Christy Cutts, Michaela Voit, Leslie Huang, Izzi King and Aden Haq.

Time is a Color and the Color is Blue is directed by Avalanche Theatre’s Executive Director Zoe Sjogerman. She is joined by assistant director and dramaturg Maddy Brown, who played a key role in shaping the development of the script during its workshop process. The design team includes scenic designers Ab Rieve and Micaela McCabe, costume designer Martina Logan, lighting designer Nathan Keiller, sound designer Alexander Attea, and stage manager Lois Chermansky. The play features original music by Eva Mattioli.

“I fell in love with this play the moment I read it. Working on this piece—from workshopping an early draft to bringing it to life in a full production—has been an incredibly meaningful and unique experience. Melanie has created a world that is both beautiful and unflinchingly honest in its exploration of intense and complex subjects. Living within this world and these words has truly been an honor,” says Executive Director Zoe Sjogerman, who helms this production after directing the play’s 2023 workshop with Avalanche.

About Avalanche Theatre

Founded in 2019 by Alexander Attea and Zoe Sjogerman, Avalanche Theatre is Chicago’s new home for new play development. With a mission centered on developing new plays by Chicago playwrights, Avalanche has workshopped scripts that have subsequently appeared on stages including the Goodman Theatre, Shattered Globe Theatre, Alleyway Theatre, Silk Road Cultural Center, Renaissance Theatreworks, and others, as well as recognition from the Maxim Mazumdar New Play Award and as Finalists & Semi-Finalists for the O’Neill National Playwrights Conference. Through its script development programs like the Next Draft Series and its monthly Show & Tell events, Avalanche is committed to elevating the voices of Chicago’s emerging playwrights. For more information, visit AvalancheTheatre.com.

Northlight Theatre, under the direction of Artistic Director BJ Jones and Executive Director Timothy J. Evans, continues its 2024–2025 season with Joshua Harmon's celebrated play Prayer for the French Republic, directed by Jeremy Wechsler in a co-production with Theater Wit. Prayer for the French Republic runs April 10 – May 11, 2025, at Northlight Theatre, 9501 Skokie Blvd in Skokie. The press opening is Thursday, April 17 at 7:30pm. 

In 1944, a Jewish couple in Paris desperately awaits news of their missing family. More than 70 years later, the couple's great-grandchildren find themselves facing the same question as their ancestors: "Are we safe?" Following five generations of a French-Jewish family, Prayer for the French Republic is a sweeping look at history, home, and the effects of an ancient hatred. Winner of the 2022 Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for Best New Off-Broadway Play, this celebrated work is from the author of Bad Jews and Significant Other.

Tickets for The Heart Sellers, Prayer for the French Republic, and Twisted Melodies are now on sale through the box office, 9501 Skokie Blvd, Skokie; 847.673.6300; northlight.org.

The cast includes Janet Ulrich Brooks (Marcelee Salomon), Rom Barkhordar (Charles Benhamou), Rae Gray (Elodie Benhamou), Max Stewart (Daniel Benhamou), Lawrence Grimm (Patrick Salomon), Maya Hlava (Molly), Henson Keys (Pierre Salomon), Kathy Scambiatterra (Irma Salomon), Torrey Hanson (Adolphe Salomon), Alex Weisman (Lucien Salomon), and Nathan Becker (Young Pierre Salomon).

The creative team is Jeremy Wechsler (director), Joe Schermoly (set designer), Mara Blumenfeld (costume designer), JR Lederle (lighting designer), Joseph Cerqua (sound designer), Nicolas Bartleson (prop designer), Katie Klemme (stage manager), and Jyreika Guest (resident violence and intimacy coordinator).

About the Artists

Joshua Harmon (Playwright) is a Tony-nominated playwright and the winner of two Drama Desk Awards and two Outer Critics Circle Awards. He graduated from the School of Drama's Dramatic Writing program in 2010. His plays include Bad Jews, Significant Other, Admissions, Skintight, and Prayer for the French Republic. He and Sarah Silverman co-wrote the libretto for The Bedwetter based on her memoir. His plays have been produced on Broadway and the West End; Off-Broadway at Roundabout Theatre Company, Lincoln Center Theater, Manhattan Theater Club and Atlantic Theater Company; across the country at Geffen Playhouse, Speakeasy, Studio Theatre, Theater Wit, About Face, Actor's Express, and The Magic, among others; and internationally in a dozen countries. He is a two-time MacDowell fellow, a 2024 Guggenheim fellow, and an Associate Artist at Roundabout.

Jeremy Wechsler (director) is the Artistic Director of Theater Wit where he has directed the Chicago premieres of Inanimate, The Whistleblower, Hurricane Diane, The Realistic Joneses, Admissions, 10 Out of 12, Naperville, The Antelope Party, The New Sincerity, The (Curious Case of the ) Watson Intelligence (Best of 2015 – Chicago Sun Times), Bad Jews (Best of 2015 – New City), Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play (Time Out Peoples' Choice Award for Direction, Best of 2015), Seven Homeless Mammoths Wander New England (Sun Times Best of the Year 2014), Completeness, Tigers Be Still, This, The Four of Us, Feydeau-Si-Deau, Men of Steel, Thom Pain (Based on Nothing) (Jeff Award – Best Solo Performance), Two for the Show and annual favorite The Santaland Diaries. Under Jeremy's leadership, Theater Wit has emerged as the go-to destination for cutting edge contemporary work, gaining national recognition for excellence. He has directed over fifty shows at various Chicago theaters, including Tragedy A Tragedy, The Flu Season, A Taste of Honey ("US Best of 2008" in The Wall Street Journal), Now Then Again (Jeff Award - Best New Work), The Play About the Squirrel, The White Devil, This is Not a Play About Cancer, Peer Gynt, The Real Thing, Szinhaz, The Duchess of Malfi, Tragedy a Tragedy, Titus Andronicus, The Roaring Girl, Flight, The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told, This is the Rill Speaking, Hay Fever, A Month in the Country, Europe, Henry VI: Blood of a Nation, The Promise, Spin, Un Robot, Horror Academy, Kind Lady, Playing By the Rules, The Marriage of Bette and Boo, Solitaire, The Coarse Acting Show, Life is a Dream, The Prisoner's Dilemma, Cabaret and The Three Penny Opera. His productions have been nominated for and won multiple awards for design, performance, adaptation and best new work. He has been featured multiple times in the New York Times and American Theatre Magazine.

FACT SHEET

Title: Prayer for the French Republic

Written by: Joshua Harmon

Directed by: Jeremy Wechsler

In co-production with Theater Wit

Cast: Janet Ulrich Brooks (Marcelee Salomon), Rom Barkhordar (Charles Benhamou), Rae Gray (Elodie Benhamou), Max Stewart (Daniel Benhamou), Lawrence Grimm (Patrick Salomon), Maya Hlava (Molly), Henson Keys (Pierre Salomon), Kathy Scambiatterra (Irma Salomon), Torrey Hanson (Adolphe Salomon), Alex Weisman (Lucien Salomon), and Nathan Becker (Young Pierre Salomon).

Creative team: Jeremy Wechsler (director), Joe Schermoly (set designer), Mara Blumenfeld (costume designer), JR Lederle (lighting designer), Joseph Cerqua (sound designer), Nicolas Bartleson (prop designer), Katie Klemme (stage manager), and Jyreika Guest (resident violence and intimacy coordinator).

Dates: April 10-May 11, 2025

Previews: begin April 10, 2025

Press Opening: Thursday, April 17, 2025 at 7:30pm

Regular run: April 18 – May 11, 2025

Schedule:   

Tuesdays: 7:30pm (April 15 only) 

Wednesdays: 1:00pm and 7:30pm

Thursdays: 7:30pm 

Fridays: 7:30pm

Saturdays: 2:30pm (except April 12) and 7:30pm

Sundays: 2:30pm and 7:30pm (April 13 only)

Backstage with BJ – Northlight's popular discussion series with Artistic Director BJ Jones – will be held April 4 at 12pm.

An Open Captioned performance will be held on Friday, May 2 at 7:30pm. An Open Captioned and Audio Described/Touch Tour performance will be held on Saturday, May 3 at 2:30pm.

Location: Northlight Theatre is located at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd, Skokie

Tickets:

Previews: $35-$74

Regular run: $49-$91

Student tickets are $15, any performance (subject to availability)

Box Office: The Box Office is located at 9501 Skokie Blvd, Skokie.

847.673.6300; northlight.org

2024-2025 Season

The 2024-2025 season closes with the mesmerizing one-man show about Donny Hathaway, Twisted Melodies, written and performed by Kelvin Roston Jr, July 10-August 10, 2025.

Northlight Theatre aspires to promote change of perspective and encourage compassion by exploring the depth of our humanity across a bold spectrum of theatrical experiences, reflecting our community to the world and the world to our community.

Founded in 1974, the organization has mounted over 240 productions, including more than 45 world premieres. Northlight has earned 230 Joseph Jefferson Award nominations and 36 Awards, as well as 11 Edgerton Foundation for New Play Awards. As one of the area's premier theatre companies, Northlight is a regional magnet for critical and professional acclaim, as well as talent of the highest quality.

Northlight is supported in part by generous contributions BMO Harris Bank; Bulley & Andrews; Byline Bank; ComEd, An Exelon Company; Dr. Scholl Foundation; Eckenhoff Saunders Architects, Inc.; The Field Foundation of Illinois; Full Circle Foundation; Grumman Butkus Associates; Hagerty Consulting; Illinois Arts Council, a state agency; John R Halligan Charitable Fund; LionBird; Lloyd A. Fry Foundation; Mabadi Realty; Mammel Family Foundation; Modestus Bauer Foundation; Northwestern University; Paul M. Angell Family Foundation; Pritzker Foundation; The Schubert Foundation, Inc.; The Sullivan Family Foundation; The Weatherlow Foundation; Tom Stringer Design Partners.

Chicago’s Tony-Award winning Lookingglass Theatre Company is proud to share its current 2025 season including two mainstage productions, Circus Quixote, January 30 – March 30, and Iraq, But Funny, May 29 – July 20; a wide variety of Circus Quixote accessibility, education and community events including juggling workshops, a Latine Night and talkbacks in collaboration with Teatro Vista and Instituto Cervantes; performances by Lookingglass Theatre’s Young Ensemble: The Portrait of Madame X, March 2 - 4: a dream inspired unGALA on March 20 and coming this summer, the latest edition of Sunset 1919 on July 27 and Summergglass Camps, August 4 – 15. Details are included below and may also be found at LookingglassTheatre.org.

The 2025 season includes the following programs, performances and special events:

Lookingglass Theatre Company presents

Circus Quixote

January 30 - March 30

Based on Miguel de Cervantes’ “Don Quijote of La Mancha”

Adapted and Directed by Kerry and David Catlin

Circus by Sylvia Hernandez-DiStasi

Produced in Association with Actors Gymnasium Circus School & Theatre Company

Featuring Michel Rodríguez Cintra, Micah Figueroa, Julian Hester, Laura Murillo Hart, Andrea San Miguel, Ayana Strutz and Eduardo Martinez

Previews: Thursday, Jan. 30 - Saturday, Feb. 1 at 7:30 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 2 at 1:30 p.m. and Wednesday, Feb 5 - Friday, Feb. 7 at 7:30 p.m.

Press Opening: Saturday, Feb. 8 at 6 p.m.

Performance schedule for February 9 - March 30: Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 7 p.m., Thursdays at 1:30 and 7 p.m., Fridays at 7 p.m., Saturdays at 1:30 and 7 p.m. and Sundays at 1:30 p.m.

Joan and Paul Theatre at Water Tower Water Works, 163 E Pearson St. at Michigan Ave.

Tickets are $35 - $80

LookingglassTheatre.org

For more than 400 years, Miguel de Cervantes’ Don Quijote of La Mancha has inspired readers and cultures across the globe. Lookingglass’ production, first incubated at The Actors Gymnasium, brings this literary classic to life anew in 2025. Somewhere in La Mancha there lived a man who read so many books about chivalry that his brains dried up. In this world premiere, Lookingglass transports audiences tiltingly and acrobatically into the dreamy madness of Don Quixote and his impossible folly-filled quest to bring good-deed doing back into the world … whether the world wants it or not.  

Circus Quixote Accessible Programming

Accessibility Performances:.

• Mask Required Performance: Friday, Feb, 21 at 7 p.m.
• Open Caption Performance: Wednesday, March 5 at 7 p.m.
• Audio Described/Touch Tour Performance: Saturday, March 8 at 1:30 p.m.
• Masked Required Performance: Wednesday, March 12 at 7 p.m.
• Sensory Friendly/Relaxed Performance: Sunday, March 16 at 1:30 p.m.

An accessible entrance to Lookingglass is located at Pearson Street directly to the west of the main entrance at 163 E. Pearson Street using the wooden double doors.

Patrons may access The Joan and Paul Theatre at Lookingglass using the elevator or ramp located in the newly renovated lobby. Lookingglass offers accessible seating for all performances on the ground floor and balcony. These seats are accessible for all patrons who use a wheelchair, a scooter, walkers, other mobility aids or cannot use stairs. Lookingglass also has a variety of aisle seating options available.

Assistive listening devices are available for every mainstage performance at the box office free of charge. Attendees may pick up the device at the box office upon arrival.

Sensory Bags are available for every mainstage performance at the box office free of charge. Attendees may pick up the bags at the box office upon arrival.

Large print programs are available in electronic form at the box office.

If assistance booking is needed, please call 312.337.0665 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

More information on these performances atLookingglassTheatre.org/Accessibility.

Circus Quixote Education and Community Programming

NEW

A LookinggClass: Juggling 101

Wednesdays, Feb. 12 – Feb. 26 and Sundays, Feb. 23 and March 9 at 6 p.m. 

Recommended for ages 8 years old and older

Tickets: $15

LookingglassTheatre.org/event/juggling-101-a-lookingclass/

This season, go behind the scenes of every Lookingglass show with workshops and classes designed to spark curiosity. During Circus Quixote, join Lookingglass and The Actors Gymnasium before select performances for a juggling lesson that will lift audiences’ spirits and get them ready to show off new party tricks.

Teen Takeover

Saturday, Feb. 15 at 1:30 p.m.

RSVP here to reserve your  $5 ticket

Theatre loving, Chicago area teens are invited for pre-show pizza and Circus Quixote artist chat before heading into the theatre for the performance. Tickets are LIMITED.

Reflect Panel Discussion Series in partnership with Teatro Vista

“Chasing the Dream: Reclaiming Cultural Narratives”

Sunday, Feb. 16 at 1:30 p.m.

Free with Circus Quixote ticket, following the show

The REFLECT Panel Discussion Series draws on a theme or social issue inherent in the current production and gives space to speak on them and with each other.

Lookingglass Ensemble Member and Teatro Vista Producing Artistic Director Wendy Mateo and Teatro Vista Managing Director Cruz Gonzalez-Cadel examine Cervantes’ text as a tool for cultural colonialism and speak about their personal intersections as Latinas with “Don Quixote.” Lookingglass Ensemble Member and Creative Producer Kareem Bandealy hosts/moderates.

REFLECT takes place following the Sunday matinees and is held, after a short break, in the Joan & Paul Theatre.

Latine Night

Friday, Feb. 28 at 5:30 p.m.

Free with Circus Quixote ticket

Latine culture is the world. And the world is here in our Chicago.

The fiesta begins at 5:30 p.m. with a pre-show mixer featuring full bar service and a vast curation of Latine Music spun by a surprise guest DJ. The evening continues with the main event – the night’s performance of Circus Quixote. and concludes with a tri-lingual (Spanish, Portuguese, English) post-show discussion featuring the cast and hosted by Lookingglass Artistic Associate J. Salomé Martinez, Lookingglass Assistant Director of Development Carlos García León and Circus Quixote Dramaturg Gabriela Furtado Coutinho.

Reflect Panel Discussion Series in partnership with Instituto Cervantes 

Dawn of Quixote: Iberia Pre & Post Reconquista

Sunday, March 9 at 1:30 p.m.

Free with Circus Quixote  ticket, following the show

The REFLECT Panel Discussion Series draws on a theme or social issue inherent in our current production and gives us a space to speak on them and with each other.

Teresa Hernando Rojo (Gestora Cultural at Instituto Cervantes) and public media personality Narimon Safavi engage in a fascinating discussion on Iberia pre- and post- Reconquista and the diverse cultural influences that would have been a part of Cervantes’ Spain. Lookingglass Ensemble Member and Creative Producer Kareem Bandealy hosts/moderates.

REFLECT takes place following the Sunday matinees and is held, after a short break, in the Joan & Paul Theatre.

Young Ensemble Returns with The Portrait of Madame X

Lookingglass Young Ensemble

The Portrait of Madame X

Written by Ensemble Member Phil Smith based on an adaptation of Alexander Pushkin’s “The Queen of Spades” by Tommy Rapley and Dennis Watkins

Directed by Ensemble Members Louise Lamson and Phil Smith 

Sunday, March 2 at 7:30 p.m.

Monday, March 3 at 7 p.m.

Tuesday, March 4 at 7 p.m.

Tickets: $35 (General Admission) and $10 (students)

LookingglassTheatre.org/young-ensemble/

Who is really holding the cards at Madame X’s high stakes Gaming Parlor? Find out as the one and only Lookingglass Young Ensemble unspools their feverish take of Alexander Pushkin’s unrivaled tale of gambling and the supernatural, “The Queen of Spades.” 

Now in its 26th year, The Lookingglass Young Ensemble is a group of Chicago-area young adults, ages 13-18, committed to building their theater skills, lifting their voices and developing their creativity through collaborative creation. The 2024/25 Young Ensemble is composed of 16 teens from all over Chicago.  

“There’s always something new I can learn and I have a very different understanding of what theatre meant,” said Young Ensemble Member Natasha Friedman. “Lookingglass is a place where everyone wants to learn and are so ready to put their whole selves in the process and that’s an important tool for growing your craft.” 

The annual Young Ensemble production weaves together language, visual spectacle, music and the unique talents and contributions of the ensemble. Inclusive, rigorous, playful and endlessly creative, the Young Ensemble builds not only better artists, but better collaborators, thinkers, and leaders.

unGALA: DREAM

Thursday, Mar. 20 at 5:30 p.m.

The Casino Club, 195 E. Delaware Place, Chicago, IL

Tickets: $750 (Sponsorships begin at $2500)

LookingglassTheatre.org/event/ungala-dream/

Join Lookingglass for an unforgettable experience that takes guests on a dream-like journey through the first night of spring—featuring an epic pajama party.

This year’s unGALA invites all to join the Lookingglass Board of Directors, Ensemble, Artistic Associates and guest artists for an evening that pushes boundaries and defies expectations—celebrating creativity, artistic innovation and the shared experience of dreaming beyond the ordinary.

WORLD PREMIERE

Iraq, But Funny

May 29 – July 20

Written by Atra Asdou

Directed Dalia Ashurina

Joan and Paul Theatre at Water Tower Water Works, 163 E. Pearson St. at Michigan Ave.

Tickets: $30 - $80

LookingglassTheatre.org/event/iraq-but-funny/

A raucous satire about five generations of Assyrian women reclaiming their stories, as narrated by a British guy. Making its world premiere at Lookingglass Theatre, Ensemble Member Atra Asdou’s original dark comedy jauntily marches through the Ottoman Empire to modern-day U.S.A. exploring history, family and dysfunction.

Sunset 1919

Sunday, July 27 at 7 p.m.

Eugene Williams Memorial Marker

125 Fort Dearborn Drive, Chicago 60615

1/4 mile north of 31st Street Beach

Free

LookingglassTheatre.org/event/sunset-1919-2024/

Sunset 1919 is an annual community art ritual performed in honor of Eugene Williams, a Black teenager who was killed for crossing an imaginary racial line on the waves of Mishigami (from Ojibwa “Great Water”). Sunset 1919 was first curated and coordinated in 2020 by Ensemble Member and Creative Producer Kareem Bandealy and Ensemble Member and Mellon Playwright in Residence J. Nicole Brooks and it offers a communal moment to acknowledge our Indigenous roots and for Black artists to merge movement, music and word in a free, spirit-guided ritual.

Youth Ensemble Summergglass Camps

August 4 - 8 and August 11 - 15

Lookingglass Theatre, 163 E. Pearson St. at Michigan Ave.

Enrollment: $450

Early bird enrollment begins Monday, Feb. 3

LookingglassTheatre.org/summergglass-camp-2025/

Through drama and creative play, the experienced teaching artists of Summergglass will focus camp days to explore creative problem solving, collaboration, story structure, speaking directly to the audience and all the inventive visual storytelling that makes Lookingglass so special.

Mornings are spent working with teaching artists to learn many of the same theatre techniques and skills used to create Lookingglass shows. During the afternoons, campers will work on their drama skills as they create and adapt original stories to share on the final day of camp. 

Paper Magic:  Shadow Puppet Camp

August 4 – 8 from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Ages: 6 – 10

Lights. Paper. Magic! Create epic adventures with shadow puppets as campers design, build and bring puppets to life using storytelling traditions from around the world.  

Through creative drama and movement games, this camp explores folk tales from around the world, inventing original heroes and villains and building magical stories to share! Learn the fundamentals of Lookingglass playmaking techniques, explore design and story structure and go to the park each day for lunch. By the end of the session, friends and family are invited to join campers on a magical adventure into, and out of, the shadows.

Mysterious City: Chicago Scavenger Hunt Camp

August 11 – 15 from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. 

Ages 8 – 14

The Mysterious City Society needs your help! Together, campers will build a summer adventure demanding all of their creativity and daring-do. The mission: report to the historic Lookingglass Water Tower theatre for a scavenger hunt camp that will take campers through the Lookingglass, beyond the pumping station pipes and back in time through the pop culture, music and movements and milestones of Chicago’s not-so-distant past. Young adventurers will learn the fundamentals of Lookingglass playmaking techniques, explore the structure of scavenger hunts and choose “your own adventure” stories, search for clues on walking field trips and work with Lookingglass teaching artists to create an original scavenger hunt play to share with family and friends.

ABOUT LOOKINGGLASS THEATRE COMPANY

Founded in 1988 by graduates of Northwestern University, Lookingglass Theatre Company is a nationwide leader in the creation and presentation of new, cutting-edge theatrical works and in sharing its ensemble-based theatrical techniques with Chicago-area students and teachers through Education and Community Programs. Guided by an artistic vision centered on the core values of collaboration, transformation and invention, Lookingglass seeks to capture audiences’ imaginations leaving them changed, charged and empowered.

Recipient of the 2011 Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre, Lookingglass has built a national reputation for artistic excellence and ensemble-based theatrical innovation. Notable world premieres include Mary Zimmerman’s Tony Award-winning Metamorphoses and The Odyssey, J. Nicole Brooks' Her Honor Jane Byrne, David Schwimmer’s adaptation of Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle and Studs Terkel’s Race: How Blacks and Whites Think and Feel about the American Obsession, Matthew C. Yee's Lucy and Charlie's Honeymoon and David Catlin’s circus tribute to Lewis Carroll, Lookingglass Alice​​, which was captured by HMS Media and reached 1.6 million PBS viewers.Looking Alice is now available to more than four million students worldwide through Digital Theatre+. Work created by Lookingglass artists has been produced in Australia, Europe and dozens of cities throughout the United States.

Drury Lane Theatre opens its 2025/26 with the thrilling Chicago Regional Premiere of The Da Vinci Code, based on the novel by Dan Brown, adapted by Rachel Wagstaff and Duncan Abel, and directed by Elizabeth Margolius. Witness the action-packed novel live on stage as Professor Robert Langdon and cryptologist Sophie Neveu race against the clock to unlock the secrets of Da Vinci, April 9 – June 1, 2025 at Drury Lane Theatre, 100 Drury Lane in Oakbrook Terrace.  

Based on the best-selling novel of the century, Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code transforms into a thrilling new immersive experience in this Chicago Regional Premiere. Innovative staging and dynamic effects plunge you into a world where renowned professor Robert Langdon and cryptologist Sophie Neveu race through a labyrinth of ancient clues and modern dangers. As shadows hold secrets, surveillance lurks at every turn, and centuries-old conspiracies emerge in real time, you'll discover The Da Vinci Code as you've never encountered it before. What truths hide behind sacred walls? What deadly traps await those who dare to seek answers? Experience the theatrical event of the year that transforms one of the most provocative thrillers ever told into a pulse-pounding journey of revelation.

The creative team includes Elizabeth Margolius (director-last directed Drury Lane's groundbreaking production of The Fiddler on The Roof), Scott Penner (scenic designer), Nicole Boylan (costume designer), Lee Fiskness (lighting designer), Joshua Schmidt (sound designer and composer), Anthony Churchill (co-projection designer), Mike Tutaj (co-projection designer), Bridget Rzymski (wig and hair designer), Eva Breneman (dialect coach), Darren Leonard (associate director), and Larry Baker (production stage manager). 

The Da Vinci Code will be presented at Drury Lane Theatre, 100 Drury Lane in Oakbrook Terrace, April 9 – June 1, 2025. Single tickets go on January 17, 2025 at 10 a.m. and will be available by phone at (630) 530-0111 or online at www.drurylanetheatre.com. Groups of 10 or more can receive special group pricing. 

Fact Sheet / The Da Vinci Code

Title:                                              The Da Vinci Code

Adapted by:                                 Rachel Wagstaff and Duncan Abel

Based on the novel by:             Dan Brown

Content Advisory:                      The Da Vinci Code contains simulated gunshots and violence.

Directed by:                                    Elizabeth Margolius

Creatives:                                           

Elizabeth Margolius (director), Scott Penner (scenic designer), Nicole Boylan (costume designer), Lee Fiskness (lighting designer), Joshua Schmidt (sound designer and composer), Anthony Churchill (co-projection designer), and Mike Tutaj (co-projection designer). Bridget Rzymski (wig and hair designer), Eva Breneman (dialect designer), Darren Leonard (associate director), and Larry Baker (production stage manager).

Dates:                                              April 9 – June 1, 2025

Press Opening:                          Thursday, April 17, 2025 at 7pm

Schedule:                                      Wednesdays: 1:30 p.m.

                                                           Thursdays: 1:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.

                                                           Fridays: 7:00 p.m.

                                                           Saturdays: 3:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.

                                                           Sundays: 2:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.                               

Location:                                       Drury Lane Theatre at 100 Drury Lane in Oakbrook Terrace

Tickets:                                              

Tickets range from $75 - $150

Group discounts available to groups of 10 or more

Dining and show packages available

Senior discounts available

Box Office:                                         

100 Drury Lane in Oakbrook Terrace

(630) 530-0111

Monday through Sunday from 10am to 5pm

or visit DruryLaneTheatre.com

Season and Membership Information

Concluding the 2024/25 season is the inspiring true story Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (January 29, 2025 – March 23, 2025). The 2025/2026 season opens with the Chicago premiere of The Da Vinci Code (April 9 – June 1, 2025), followed by a love letter to a country music icon in Always...Patsy Cline (June 11 - August 3, 2025); the riveting thriller Dial M for Murder (September 3 - October 26, 2025); the divine feel-good musical comedy Sister Act (November 12, 2025 - January 11, 2026) and the exhilarating music of the Miami Sound Machine in On Your Feet! The Story of Emilio & Gloria Estefan (January 28 - March 22, 2026).

Drury Lane Theatre's performance schedule for the 2025/2026 season is as follows: Wednesdays at 1:30 p.m., Thursdays at 1:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m., Fridays at 7:00 p.m., Saturdays at 3:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., and Sundays at 2:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.

Lock in your seats for a season of spectacular theatre with Drury Lane's new Membership Program! Members have exclusive access to uniquely tailored benefits designed to enrich their Drury Lane experience, all at a cost savings of more than 50% off single ticket prices. Membership includes Tier One seating for all five Drury Lane Theatre productions, free ticket exchanges, dedicated dining credits at Lucille Restaurant, exclusive event invitations, Member pre-sales and unlimited single ticket discounts. Membership prices range from $229.25 - $260.75. For more information, visit DruryLaneTheatre.com.

Group tickets start at $45 and Student group tickets start at just $35. On-site dining is available at Lucille Restaurant with convenient pre-show or post-show prix fixe menus. To book a group of 10 people or more, call Group Services at 630-570-7272 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Gift certificates to Drury Lane can be purchased in any denomination, never expire, and can be used for performances, at Lucille Restaurant or for Drury Lane Events. Gift certificates can be purchased online at drurylanetheatre.com/gift-certificates or by calling the box office.

Dining and Special Events

Excellence isn't limited to the stage at Drury Lane! Before or after the show, theatergoers can indulge in delicious onsite dining at Lucille Restaurant featuring seasonal pre-fixe menus and an elevated atmosphere to complete their experience. Boasting over a century of collective expertise in hospitality, the dedicated team ensures that you will be cared for with freshly prepared meals, handcrafted cocktails, and exceptional service. At Drury Lane, everything is in one place, so you will never be late for your performance.

About Drury Lane Theatre  

Built from scratch. Built in Oakbrook. Built for you. 

Founded by Anthony DeSantis over 70 years ago, Drury Lane remains a family-run organization under the leadership of President Kyle DeSantis. Drury Lane Theatre continues as a major force in the Chicagoland theatre scene, producing world-class theatre in collaboration with some of the nation's leading actors, directors, and creative minds. Drury Lane Theatre produces the highest quality theatrical experience that immerses and supports our artists and audiences in the exploration of what it means to be human and to experience the transcending power of the performing and visual arts. Drury Lane strives to create an environment in which every individual or group is welcomed, respected, supported, valued and able to fully experience and participate in this transformative art form. 

The theatre has staged more than 2,000 productions and has been nominated for over 360 Joseph Jefferson Awards. Drury Lane proudly employs thousands of professional actors, musicians, designers, and crew members to entertain upwards of nine million audience members and counting.