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Hell in a Handbag Productions to hold annual "Hams4Hams" Holiday Fundraiser
CHICAGO ( December 4, 2019 ) — Hell in a Handbag Productions is pleased to bring back its annualHams4Hams fundraiser during the company's two holiday productions. Since launching the initiative in 2012, Handbag has raised over ...
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Black Ensemble Theater announces 44th Season
Chicago, IL—Black Ensemble Theater's Founder and CEO Jackie Taylor announces its 44th Season: The 2020 Season of Change. The 2020 Season includes tributes to legendary heroes from throughout history, popular songs that were the B-sides of ...
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Jewish theater arts conference takes place
The Alliance for Jewish Theatre ( AJT ) hosted the largest Jewish theater arts conference in the country Nov. 3-5 in Chicago. Nearly 100 artists from North America and Israel converged in Chicago at AJT's annual ...
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Congo Square Theatre to present rare production of Day of Absence
CHICAGO ( December 2, 2019 ) — Congo Square Theatre Company, well known for its powerful portrayal of African American classics and gripping new works, commemorates its 20th Anniversary season with a rare production of the ...
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Chicago drag production in Louisville Dec. 21
For the past decade, Snow White and the Seven Drag Queens has played to sold out crowds in Boystown, at the SOHO House Chicago, in historic Provincetown and, most recently, at Louisville's own Play Dance Bar. ...
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'I Am Going to Die Alone...' through Dec. 6
Prop Thtr is continuing its 2019-20 season with the world premiere of I Am Going To Die Alone And I Am Not Afraid—a new play exploring modern oppression through the legacy of the Holocaust. The play ...
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Study reveals impact of storefront theaters
The Chicago-based Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation ( the Foundation )—an organization that offers unrestricted grants to Chicago theater companies with budgets under $1 million—recently surveyed its small-theater grantees to reveal the large impact they make ...
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PERFORMER OF THE WEEK Travis Fiero
BEHIND THE NAME: "I was stressing about finding the perfect drag name and I finally just asked my roommate what it should be and she goes 'I don't know, Travis? Yeah, do Travis' and then went ...
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THEATER FEATURE Here come the sugarplum shows!Here come the sugarplum shows!
It's the sugarplums and treacle season when theaters large and small, city and 'burbs, non-profit and commercial grow jolly, holly, happy, sappy, snowy, glowy and Doc with holiday shows, this year more than ever before, with ...
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THEATER REVIEW The Inheritance (Part One & Part Two)
By: Matthew Lopez At: Ethel Barrymore Theatre, 243 W. 47th St., New York. Tickets: 800-447-7400 or TheInheritancePlay.com; $39-$349 per play. Runs through: March 1 Can gay writers born an ocean and nearly a century apart inspire ...
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Critics' Picks
Every Holiday Show Ever!: Your favorite theater and/or neighborhood troupe probably is doing a money making holiday show. It's treacle and shameless commerce, but don't be a Scrooge/Grinch and go see one! Most ( not all ...
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THEATER REVIEW Lindiwe
Playwright: Eric Simonson; music by Ladysmith Black Mambazo. At: Steppenwolf Theatre Company, 1650 N. Halsted St. Tickets: 312-335-1650; Steppenwolf.org; $20-$114. Runs through: Jan. 5 There are hints early on that one of the lovers—Lindiwe and Adam—is ...
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OPERA REVIEW Don Giovanni
Score: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; Libretto: Lorenzo Da Ponte At: Lyric Opera of Chicago, 20 N. Wacker Dr. Tickets: 312-827-5600 or LyricOpera.org; $39-$299. Runs through Dec. 8 When opera companies revive old productions, the original director typically ...
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THEATER REVIEW The First Deep Breath
Playwright: Lee Edward Colston II At: Victory Gardens Theatre at the Biograph, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave. Tickets: VictoryGardens.org and 773-871-3000; $31-$65. Runs through: Dec. 22 Don't begrudge Lee Edward Colston II his play's running time—three acts ...
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THEATER REVIEW The First Deep Breath
Playwright: Lee Edward Colston II At: Victory Gardens Theatre at the Biograph, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave. Tickets: VictoryGardens.org and 773-871-3000; $31-$65. Runs through: Dec. 22 Don't begrudge Lee Edward Colston II his play's running time—three acts ...
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THEATER REVIEW Waiting for Godot
Author: Samuel Beckett At: Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 N Lincoln Ave. Tickets: VictoryGardens.org or 773-871-3000; $20-$40. Runs through: Dec. 15 For being the great, rule-breaking work of its time, Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot can end ...
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SHOWBIZ Megan Rapinoe, 'High School Musical,' Roxane Gay, 'Paris Is Burning'
Soccer star Megan Rapinoe accepted Glamour's Woman of the Year award—another addition to her hardware collection that includes the Golden Ball award as the top player at the World Cup in France this year, USA Today ...
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THEATER REVIEW Rutherford and Son
Playwright: Githa Sowerby At: Timeline Theatre Company at Baird Hall, 615 W. Wellington Ave. Tickets: TimelineTheatre.com and 773-281-8463; $42. Runs through: Jan. 12 Theater historians and classroom curricula have long credited Henrik Ibsen and George Bernard ...
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YEPP holds second annual 'Rise Up' event
Youth Empowerment Performance Project ( YEPP ) held its second annual Rise Up: A Celebration of Resilience Nov. 13 at Chicago Theater Works. YEPP Board Member and Co-Chair La Tony welcomed the more than 200 people ...
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THEATER SPOTLIGHT Always … Patsy Cline
Back then, stars traveled without entourages, stayed at motels, flew single engine planes and were easier to meet. Houston housewife Louise Seger met Patsy Cline in 1961 and they became friends and pen pals, until Cline's ...
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Opera Review Don Giovanni
Score: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; Libretto: Lorenzo Da Ponte At: Lyric Opera of Chicago, 20 N. Wacker Drive. Tickets: 312-827-5600 or LyricOpera.org; $39-$299.. Runs through Dec. 8 When opera companies revive old productions, the original director typically ...
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THEATER FEATURE New York theater gets political
For the first time in two years, I was in New York City recently to see some theater. I chose three highly political hot-button shows: Slave Play on Broadway, and Soft Power and Heroes of the ...
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THEATER SPOTLIGHT Sombras Tango Cabaret
It's a short run for Sombras Tango Cabaret, only through this weekend, but it promises to be exotic and colorful with the sensuality of The Tango, and a backstage story, too, all sung and danced to ...
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Critics' Picks
The Effect, Strawdog Theatre Company, through Nov. 23: Is love in the brain or in the mind, playwright Lucy Prebble asks, and can it save two human guinea pigs ( and their handlers ) in a ...
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THEATER REVIEW P.Y.G. or The Mis-Edumacation of Dorian Belle
Playwright: Tearrance Arvelle Chisolm At: Jackalope Theatre Company @ Broadway Armory Park, 5917 N. Broadway. Tickets: JackalopeTheatre.org; $27-$35. Runs through: Dec. 21 This high-energy new play from Tearrance Arvelle Chisholm ( Hooded: Or Being Black for ...
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THEATER REVIEW Romeo and Juliet
Playwright: William Shakespeare At: Chicago Shakespeare Theater at Navy Pier, 800 E. Grand Ave. Tickets: ChicagoShakes.com 312-595-5600; $35-$90. Runs through: Dec. 22 Although tribal enmity dating from 1957 could, in 2019, plausibly be labeled an "ancient ...
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THEATER REVIEW Packing
Playwright: Scott Bradley At: About Face Theatre at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave. Tickets: 773-975-8150 or AboutFaceTheatre.com; $20-$38. Runs through Dec. 7 There's so much to unpack in Packing. Scott Bradley's searing autobiographical monologue, now ...
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SHOWBIZ Out singer, 'Hamilton,' 'Sense8,' Dolly Parton, Shangela
LGBT singer Michael Longoria released a music video for "Kiss Me ( Like They Do In The Movies )," an original song written by Longoria and arranged by James Dobinson, a press release noted. The music ...
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YEPP fall fundraiser Nov. 13 at Theater Works
Youth Empowerment Performance Project ( YEPP ) will hold its inaugural fall fundraiser, "Rise Up: A Celebration of Resilience" Wed., Nov. 13, 6-9 p.m., at Chicago Theater Works, 1113 W. Belmont Ave. At the event, YEPP ...
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THEATER REVIEW Laura and the Sea
Playwright: Kate Tarker At: Rivendell Theatre Ensemble, 5779 N. Ridge Ave.. Tickets: RivendellTheatre.org 773-334-7728; $38. Runs through: Dec. 8 "The mind is a tricky camera," observes a character in Kate Tarker's dark and quirky comedy receiving ...
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Pride Films and Plays' "The Christmas Foundling" cast announced
Cast announced for Pride Films and Plays production of Norman Allen's THE CHRISTMAS FOUNDLING, opening to the press on December 7 and playing through January 5 Danne W. Taylor to direct heartwarming story of an orphan ...
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'Rip Nelson Celebrity Roast' Nov. 9
Hell in a Handbag Productions will present its annual benefit, The Rip Nelson Celebrity Roast, on Saturday, Nov. 9, 6-11 p.m., at Ebenezer Lutheran Church, 1650 W. Foster Ave. The "celebrity line-up" includes Lucille Ball ( ...
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Drag star's "All I Want for Christmas is Attention" tour Dec. 10
Seattle sisters and drag superstars BenDeLaCreme and Jinkx Monsoon have joined forces once again to present a new holiday extravaganza, All I Want for Christmas is Attention, to audiences across the US and the UK and ...
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Bette: Xmas at the Continental Baths opens Dec. 7
CHICAGO ( November 6, 2019 ) — Hell in a Handbag Productions is pleased to bring back its steamy cabaret sensation — with a holiday twist! Handbag diva Caitlin Jackson* recreates Bette Midler's historic concert at ...
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Oscar 2020 kickoff
party Nov. 13
The "A Night With Oscar 2020" kickoff party—featuring a Chicago ball scene talk back—will take place Wed., Nov. 13, at 6 p.m. at Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted St. With the success of the FX ...
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Internship applications being taken at Oak Park theater
Oak Park Festival Theatre is accepting applications for summer internships. Every year, 10-15 young people are accepted into the internship program from across the nation. These theater arts majors and recent college graduates learn first-hand about ...
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'Boys in the Band' starting Jan. 29
Windy City Playhouse, 3014 W. Irving Park Rd., is presenting Mart Crowley's groundbreaking play, The Boys in the Band, directed by Playhouse Associate Artistic Director Carl Menninger, beginning Jan. 29, 2020. The cast of The Boys ...
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'Drag Race' alums bring holiday show to Chicago Dec. 10
Drag queens and RuPaul's Drag Race alumni BenDeLaCreme and Jinkx Monsoon have joined forces once again to present a new holiday extravaganza, "All I Want for Christmas is Attention." BenDeLaCreme Presents is the production company behind ...
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Hell in a Handbag Productions presents The Golden Girls new Lost Episodes
CHICAGO ( October 30, 2019 ) — Celebrate the season in sunny Miami as Dorothy, Rose, Blanche and Sophia return for brand new holiday episodes in THE GOLDEN GIRLS: The Lost Episodes — The Holiday Edition, ...
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THEATER REVIEW Sugar in Our Wounds
Playwright: Donja R. Love At: Den Theatre, 1333 N. Milwaukee St. Tickets: FirstFloorTheater.com . Price: $18-35. Runs through: Nov. 23 Donja R. Love's Sugar in Our Wounds takes place during the Civil War in the shadow ...
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THEATER REVIEW Kentucky
Playwright: Leah Nanako Winkler At: The Gift Theatre at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave. Tickets: TheaterWit.org 773-975-8150; $42. Runs through: Nov. 16 When you think about people who live in rural Kentucky, do you visualize ...
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THEATER REVIEW You Are Happy
Playwright: Rebecca Deraspe; English translation: Leanna Brodie; American Sign Language translation: Mary Kate Ashe, Michelle Mary Schaefer, Brendan Connelly At: Red Theater at The Edge Off Broadway, 1133 W. Catalpa Ave. Tickets: RedTheater.org; $10-$30 Since ...
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Salute to Robert Ollis on Nov. 4
Pride Films and Plays' 2019 "Simply Sensational" benefit to salute music director Robert Ollis will take place Monday, Nov. 4, at The Broadway, Pride Arts Center, 4139 N. Broadway, at 7:30 p.m. Ollis won won the ...
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COMEDY Whitney Chitwood makes the case for Chicago
Six years ago, Whitney Chitwood was living in New York, trying to make it in theater, and feeling disillusioned, "because I did it all my life. So I would go to comedy clubs and watch shows ...
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OPERA 'Dead Man Walking' makes Lyric debut
It has taken nearly two decades for the Lyric Opera of Chicago to finally stage Dead Man Walking. But that's just a blink of an eye considering the more than four centuries of operatic history. Dead ...
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Billy Porter drops in at Sidetrack
Musical Monday at Sidetrack blasted through the stratosphere when entertainer extraordinaire Billy Porter dropped in on October 28. ...
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Chicago Theatre Week dates announced
Chicago Theatre Week ( CTW )—an annual celebration of the tradition of theatergoing in Chicago during which visitors and residents can access value-priced tickets—will take place Feb. 13-23, 2020. As a program of the League of ...
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Remy Bumppo, Court lead Jeff Awards, Teatro Vista honored
CHICAGO, IL - The 51st Annual Jeff Awards Ceremony took place on October 21, 2019, during a spirited evening at Drury Lane Oakbrook. "Frankenstein," produced by Remy Bumppo Theatre Company, took home five awards, including Best ...
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Critics Picks
The Color Purple, Drury Lane Theatre, Oakbrook Terrace, through Nov. 3—Director Lili-Anne Brown allows this speedy musical adaptation of Alice Walker's Pulitzer Prize-winning to properly breathe with great emotional performances and gorgeous singing. SCM X, Sideshow ...
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A Man of No Importance at Pride Films and Plays through Nov. 10
Pride Films and Plays will stage the first Chicago production in more than a decade of A Man of No Importance, the heartwarming musical created by Lynn Ahrens, Stephen Flaherty, and Terrence McNally, the team that ...
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THEATER REVIEW Exquisita Agonia
Playwright: Nilo Cruz At: Aguijon Theatre, 2707 N. Laramie Ave. Tickets: Aguilontheatre.org . Price: $15-30. Runs through: Nov. 24 Elisabeth Kubler-Ross defined the "five stages of grief" as denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance, saying that ...
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THEATER REVIEW The Effect
Playwright: Lucy Prebble At: Strawdog Theatre Company, 1802 Berenice Ave. Tickets: Strawdog.org; $35. Runs through: Nov. 23 It doesn't take a mind-reader to note that the first flush of love often produces symptoms mimicking those of ...
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THEATER REVIEW Sunset Boulevard
Authors: Andrew Lloyd Webber ( music ); Don Black & Christopher Hampton ( book/lyrics ) At: Porchlight Music Theatre @ Ruth Page Center, 1016 North Dearborn Street. Tickets: 773-777-9884; PorchlightMusicTheatre.org; $39-$66. Runs through: Dec. 8 Porchlight's ...
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Ravinia president/CEO leaving post in 2020
Ravinia President and CEO Well Kauffman announced Oct. 19 that he will depart the festival upon completing his 20th anniversary year at its helm, following the 2020 season and the opening of the RaviniaMusicBox experience center. ...
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Story Jam features local celebs in a show to raise money for immigrant youth
Chicago, IL November 17th, 2019—Story Jam, a show that is part live-lit and part music concert combining storytellers and songwriters with a rocking band, will return to City Winery on Sunday, November 17th at 12pm for ...
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Firebrand Theatre to present Always… Patsy Cline
By Ted Swindley Directed by Brigitte Ditmars. Musical Direction by Andra Velis Simon. November 16 — December 15, 2019 at The Den Theatre CHICAGO ( October 16, 2019 ) — Firebrand Theatre is pleased to launch ...
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Cirque du Soleil names cast for holiday production at Chicago Theatre
Chicago, IL ( October 16, 2019 ) — Cirque du Soleil and The Madison Square Garden Company ( NYSE: MSG ) announced today the casting and creative team for the all-new family production, 'Twas the Night ...
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THEATER REVIEW Twice, Thrice, Frice
Playwright: Fouad Teymour At: Silk Road Rising, 77 W. Washington Street. Tickets: 312-857-1234; SilkRoadRising.org; $38. Runs through: Nov. 10 This world premiere comedy concerns assimilated, Upper Middle Class American Moslem women. Amira ( Catherine Dildilian ), ...
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Lesbian author/advocate Julie Justicz writes on 'Difficulty'
Chicago attorney/social justice advocate Julie Justicz has a history of fostering an affinity for the written word. Her first novel, Degrees of Difficulty, was a 20-year process—but it's finally available wherever books are sold. "I'm an ...
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'Destinos' festival offers something for everyone
By Amelia Orozco
The Chicago Latino Theater Alliance ( CLATA )—a non-profit 501( c )( 3 ) organization formed in 2016 by the three most prominent Chicago Latino arts organizations: International Latino Cultural Center, National Museum of Mexican Art, ...
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THEATER SPOTLIGHT Arts in the Dark
Do you love a parade? And Halloween? Kick off the spooky season with Arts in the Dark, a one-night-only magical parade of bands, dancers, costumes, floats, puppets and lanterns that celebrates Halloween as the "artist's holiday." ...
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CRITICS'PICKS
Be Here Now, Shattered Globe Theatre at Theater Wit, through Oct. 19. By rejecting romcom clichés, Deborah Zoe Laufer's mostly comedy leads to a smarter, quirkier and even MORE romantic happy ending in this well staged ...
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THEATER REVIEW Sundown, Yellow Moon
Playwright: Rachel Bonds; songs by The Bengsons At: Raven Theatre, 6157 N. Clark St. Tickets: 773-338-2177; RavenTheatre.com; $43-$46. Runs through: Nov. 17 Some online research confirmed that this play was autobiographical, at least in general if ...
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THEATER REVIEW Invisible
Playwright: Mary Bonnett At: Her Story Theatre at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave. Tickets: HerStoryTheatre.org, 773-327-5252; $35. Runs through: Nov. 3 It could be a scene out of a Beth Henley play: townswomen clustered around ...
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THEATER REVIEW Back in the Day
Playwright: Miranda Gonzalez At: UrbanTheater Company, 2620 W. Division St. Tickets: $15-30; clata.org/destinos-backintheday. Runs through: Nov. 2 Immersive theater is tough to get right. So many factors come into play, especially the balance of audience comfort ...
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LGBT HISTORY MONTH The rise of the ballroom scene through the ages
By Laura Smythe laura@epgn.com
What is ballroom? The first time Jacen Bowman attended a house meeting, he had no idea what LGBTQ ballroom culture was. Going into his final year in high school, Bowman was approached to join a "modeling ...
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About Face Theatre to present Packing
Learning who you are means knowing where you come from, and where you belong. From writer/performer Scott Bradley ( Scooty & JoJo's Alien Queen and Carpenters Halloween; AFT's We Three Lizas and The Homosexuals ) comes ...
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THEATER REVIEW A Doll's House
Playwright: Henrick Ibsen ( adapted by Sandra Delgado and Michael Halberstam ) At: Writers Theatre, 325 Tudor Ct., Glencoe. Tickets: WritersTheatre.org. Price: $35-80. Runs through: Dec. 15 I have a mixed relationship with Nora Helmer, the ...
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THEATER REVIEW Big Fish
Authors: Andrew Lippa and John August At: Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave. Tickets: BoHoTheatre.com or 773-975-8150; $25-$35. Runs through: Nov. 17 When Big Fish had its' pre-broadway Chicago tryout back in 2013, director Susan ...
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Guy Branum, queer comic, coming to Zanies
Out comedian Guy Branum is returning to Chicago with a brand new zany stand up act. Hailing from Yuba City, California, he went to college at the University of California, Berkley and later studied at the ...
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The Simon and Garfunkel Story extended through Dec. 8
CHICAGO ( October 10, 2019 ) — Broadway in Chicago is delighted to announce the internationally-acclaimed hit theatre show THE SIMON & GARFUNKEL STORY is extended through December 8. Additional tickets will go on sale at ...
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Lesbian comedian's release show Oct. 17
Chicago-based lesbian comedian Whitney Chitwood will have a new album, The Bakery Case, out Friday, Oct. 18—and she will have a release show the previous night. The release show will take place Thursday, Oct. 17, at ...
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THEATER REVIEW X
Playwright: Alistair McDowall At: Sideshow Theatre at the Biograph, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave. Tickets: VictoryGardens.org 773-871-3000; $20-$30. Runs through: Oct. 27 The bunker drama—more specifically, the post-Armageddon bunker drama—has been a staple of speculative allegories since ...
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CRITICS' PICKS
The Delicate Tears of the Waning Moon, Water People Theatre at Steppenwolf, through Oct. 13—Playwright/actor Rebeca Aleman combines a moving, fragile human story with potent politics in her timely tale of a journalist recovering from traumatic ...
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THEATER SPOTLIGHT A Man of Good Hope
Through Oct. 13 only, Chicago Shakespeare Theater hosts South Africa's Isango Ensemble in the highly-praised, A Man of Good Hope, a fact-based story about a young Somali refugee coming of age in South Africa, escaping civil ...
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