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Written by Chicago poet Timothy David Rey, Zip! is a prophetic and ghostly timewarped drama about Nancy Reagan’s fervor for astrology, interlaced with a Black gay love story, set on […]
Join us for an evening that brings the soul of Chicago’s neighborhoods to the big screen! Experience the powerful stories of our community through the lens of three talented Chicago […]
Calm Waters is an exclusive event for guests with disabilities and Veterans to explore Shedd Aquarium’s exhibits and experiences in a comfortable and accepting environment. Modifications for this event will include limited capacity and streamlined entry with advance registration. Modifications for Calm Waters Include: Limited capacity and streamlined entry with advance registration A sensory friendly […]
Four Athenians run away to the forest in the name of love (reciprocated and otherwise). They find themselves in the midst of a war between Titania and Oberon, the king and queen of the fairies, over a changeling boy in Titania’s charge. In the midst of this conflict, local workers are attempting (poorly) to rehearse […]
Tegan and Sara are indie-pop royalty, twin sisters, and bestselling authors of a young adult graphic novel duology. Crush, the second book in this autobiographically-inspired series, explores the teenage world of crushes, crushing it, and being crushed by life — all wrapped in a queer lens. Join Chicago Humanities in conversation with Tegan and Sara […]
Join us as we experience poet and Yale professor Claudia Rankine and choreographer Shamel Pitts in conversation and performance. Rankine is not only the New York Times bestseller of Citizen: An American Lyric, but a MacArthur Fellow, playwright, and author of the newly released Dont Let Me Be Lonely. She brings her unique perspective on […]
MILO IMAGINES THE WORLD is a musical odyssey of imagination. Through vibrant song, expressive dance, and a whole lot of imagination, this magical, musical journey takes us through the mind of a child, as he learns to see the world as it really is. A journey from house to home, this play is a real […]
Language is constantly changing. Linguist and veteran English professor Anne Curzan is here to help us decipher its “rules.” Written with lively humor and humanity, Curzan’s newest book Says Who? is a pragmatic and accessible key that reveals how our choices about language can be a powerful force for equity and personal expression. Join Chicago […]
Expect unfiltered stories and insights as these two friends and collaborators take the stage to discuss their rise in New York's alt-cabaret and improv comedy scene to starring roles in HBO’s Peabody Award-winning, critically acclaimed comedy series, Somebody Somewhere. After a short screening of the Season 3 premiere episode, Everett and Hiller will share behind-the-scenes […]
An open-hearted, “utterly absorbing, very funny, darn near perfect play” (The Daily Beast) about leaving your comfort zone to find fulfillment. Meet Kenneth, a 38-year-old longtime bookstore worker, who is perfectly content with his after-work routine: a mai tai (or two) at the local tiki bar. But when his employer decides to close the store, […]
MILO IMAGINES THE WORLD is a musical odyssey of imagination. Through vibrant song, expressive dance, and a whole lot of imagination, this magical, musical journey takes us through the mind of a child, as he learns to see the world as it really is. A journey from house to home, this play is a real […]
What’s it like to write for the most popular late-night comedy shows in America when the news already feels like a satire of itself? Second City’s Kelly Leonard sits down with Chicago-bred talent who have written for the hottest shows in late night: Ali Barthwell (Last Week Tonight with John Oliver), Peter Grosz (The Colbert […]
Politics of Poetics is a series of readings and workshops that highlights influential contemporary poets whose practices traverse the political through writing, teaching, and activism. This fall, poet Heid E. Erdrich reads new work and selections from her award-winning book of poetry, Little Big Bully (2020) and Curator of Ephemera at the New Museum of […]
The Edith Farnsworth House, one of the most famous residences in modern architectural history, was legendary long before it could be widely accessed. Michelangelo Sabatino brings to life the house’s original design by Mies van der Rohe and discusses periods of neglect, flooding, and new ownership by Lord Peter Palumbo in his latest book, The […]
John Green (The Fault in Our Stars, The Anthropocene Reviewed) and Rebecca Makkai (The Great Believers, I Have Some Questions for You) are two of our most beloved contemporary writers. They’re also long-time admirers of each other’s work. For the first time, the two best-selling authors will come together to discuss their books and their […]
The legendary director of Men in Black, Get Shorty, and The Addams Family dishes out a delectable mix of insights and true tales that escalate from outrageous to unbelievable in his new memoir, Best Possible Place, Worst Possible Time. From battling with studio executives and producers to bad-script-solving on set to coaxing actors into finding […]
Based on the original Broadway production that ran for over thirteen years and was nominated for nine Tony Awards, and the Academy Award-winning motion picture, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast JR. is a fantastic adaptation of the story of transformation and tolerance. Disney’s Beauty and the Beast JR. features some of the most popular songs […]
Immerse yourself in the lyrical world of legendary artist and activist, Joan Baez. Sharing decades of personal poetry for the first time publicly, join us to discover how Baez has weaved her verse with experiences, activism, and her musical legacy. Bask in the inspiring stories of her childhood and poetic reflections on fellow friends and […]
Join Chicago-based performance artist Joseph Lefthand for a sharing session exploring the concepts of grief, repair, and renewal. The event begins with an introduction to Lefthand’s performance and research practice and participants are invited to join them in the Commons to exchange ideas around personal and cultural expressions of reparation. The evening concludes with a […]
Ahmad is an aging trans man who has long suppressed his desire for other men, fearing stigma and questioning if his gender identity and sexuality are at odds. He turns to an LGBTQ archive for answers, digging through oral histories and interviews from trans men past and present. He immerses himself so deeply in the […]
It has been twenty-five years since publication of bestseller, The Tipping Point. Let’s join Malcolm Gladwell as he reveals a fresh reframing of his groundbreaking first book in a startling new light. Hear the always provocative Gladwell revisit the phenomenon of social epidemics and the ways in which we have learned to tinker with and […]
ASL performance of Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 at Writers Theatre! $30.00 Tickets! Promo Code: ASLNatasha (Please enter code before selecting seat. If you run into any issues please give the box office a call at 847-242-6000) "There’s a war going on somewhere out there, and Andrey isn’t here.” Young and impulsive, […]
The cast and crew of Nothing On are scrambling to prepare for opening night, but despite their earnest efforts, the production is an absolute mess. Line flubs and lost props and missed cues, oh my! Can this beleaguered ensemble overcome egos and jealousies to pull the show together in time? Onstage antics collide with offstage […]
Edgar Arceneaux is a contemporary artist working in Los Angeles, whose primary materials are histories and memories marred by gaps in logic, clichés, and erasures. Working within these gaps, Arceneaux applies a surreal, dream-like lens to pry open the messy contents of history, and pull what we think we already know into new shapes. Arceneaux’s […]
The New York Times bestselling author and adored comedian Randy Rainbow has a few things on his mind that he wants to talk about in his newest essay collection, Low-Hanging Fruit. As a savvy social commentator who is keenly attuned to the public discourse, Randy’s unfailing intuition tells him that the perspective everyone in America […]