A cutting yet humorous behind-the-curtain drama that examines pervasive racial dynamics within the American theatre and the tolls of superficial representation on stage.
ACCLAIMED BY THE NEW YORK TIMES as “a rich, unsettling play that lives up to its title [and] lingers in one’s memory long after its conclusion.”
At a Broadway theater in New York City in the mid-1950s, a group of actors has gathered for their first day rehearsing a new play called Chaos in Belleville, an anti-lynching Southern drama. But as the cast rehearses, tensions flare between Wiletta, the Black actress in the starring role, and her white director about his interpretation of the play. What emerges is an explosive investigation of interracial politics and the need for a cultural shift in theatre and America.
Written by Alice Childress—the first Black woman to have a play professionally produced in New York City—Trouble in Mind recently enjoyed an acclaimed Broadway production nominated for four 2022 Tony Awards, including Best Revival of a Play. The critics raved that this “masterpiece of astonishing power” (New York Magazine) is “the play of the moment” (The New York Times) and “will take your breath away” (Associated Press).
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This performance of Trouble in Mind. will be audio described, featuring narration about visual elements of the production around the dialogue. Audio Description can be accessed by patrons via a headset loaned out from the Box Office before the show.
If you have any questions or would like to request any specific accommodations, please contact the Box Office at BoxOffice@TimeLineTheatre.com or (773) 281-8463 extension 6.
Full price tickets begin at $47 (including fees). To access a $27 ticket, please use code AUDIO22 at check-out or call the Box Office.
The Notebook is a new musical based on the bestselling novel that inspired the iconic film. Allie and Noah, both from different worlds, share a lifetime of love despite the forces that threaten to pull them apart, in a deeply moving portrait of the enduring power of love.
Broadway directors Michael Greif (Dear Evan Hansen, Next to Normal, RENT) and Schele Williams (Aida, Motown the Musical) team up with multi-platinum singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson on music and lyrics, book by playwright Bekah Brunstetter (writer and producer on NBC’s This Is Us), and choreography by Katie Spelman.
Book online with promo code “ACCESS” or call 312.595.5600 during regular Box Office hours (Tuesday–Sunday, noon to 5:00 p.m.). Be sure to mention “Access Shakespeare” tickets so that we may provide the best seats and service. For additional assistance, please email access@chicagoshakes.com.
The Gift Theatre presents the world premiere of The Locusts at Theater Wit.
When a serial killer frightens Ella’s small hometown of Vero Beach, Florida, she’s called down from FBI headquarters in Washington D.C. to come help. At home, she’s confronted by the life she left behind: her struggling family and the dark events of her childhood. A play that explores how lost souls manage their fear, and their desperate search for a way to survive in a world that threatens their existence.
Performing at Theater Wit-1229 w. Belmont, Chicago, IL 60657
Tickets available at theaterwit.org or by calling 773-975-8150
https://thegifttheatre.org/shows-events/the-locusts
Tickets: Previews $25. Regular run $38 – $45. Students $25. Seniors $35. Tickets are currently available at www.thegifttheatre.org, by calling (773) 975-8150 or in person at the Theater Wit Box Office.
Sensory-friendly performance: Saturday, November 19 at 7:30 pm
Audio-described performance/touch tour & conversation with the cast: Saturday, November 19 at 7:30 pm (touch tour begins at 6:45 pm)
A surprising new play about how families fall apart—and find each other again—amidst turbulent global and social change.
In 2003, newly-wed Layal and her family prepare to immigrate from Baghdad, Iraq, to a Chicago suburb. Seventeen years later, Layal’s life looks unimaginably different from what she had envisioned two decades prior, as she and her siblings explore queerness, face their grief, and discover what it takes to make home in a new place. Don’t miss this moving, powerful new play’s world premiere on the Owen Stage—fresh from Goodman’s New Stages and Future Labs programs.
Audio description and touch tour are available.
Play ball! The sensational true story of the first woman to play professional baseball knocks it out of the park as a can’t-miss theatrical event.
Toni Stone is an encyclopedia of baseball stats. She’s got a great arm. And she doesn’t understand why she can’t play with the boys. Rejected by the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League because of her race, Toni sets out to become the first woman to play in baseball’s Negro Leagues. Challenges on and off the field—from hostile crowds to players who slide spikes-first—only steel her resolve to shatter racist and sexist barriers in the sport she’s loved since childhood. An original play inspired by the book Curveball, The Remarkable Story of Toni Stone by Martha Ackmann, this New York Times Critic’s Pick will have you cheering along.
Audio description and a touch tour is available.
In 1976, the artist Andy Warhol, having re-invented himself as the portrait painter of the rich and famous, travels to Tehran to take Polaroids of the Shah of Iran’s wife. Amidst taking in the Crown Jewels and ordering room service caviar, Warhol encounters a young revolutionary who throws his plans into turmoil, and opens the pop icon’s eyes to a world beyond himself.
This performance includes audio description and open captions. A touch tour will begin 2 hours before the show at 12:30pm.
To purchase tickets, use the promo code NACCESS by phone 847.673.6300 or online to receive discounted tickets at a flat rate of $40 each (standard fees still apply).
If no audio description tickets have been reserved 48 hours before the performance, the audio description service will be canceled for that performance. Please contact Ruben Carrazana at rcarrazana@northlight.org or 847-324-1615 to confirm that the audio description service is still available.
It’s often said that social media is bad for our mental health, and while that can be true, the full story isn’t so cut and dry. At CHF, Nicole Wetsman, Health Tech Reporter for The Verge moderates a panel between Dr. Megan Moreno, a leading researcher on adolescent social media, and Margot Lee, a high-profile young adult influencer about how curating public images affect our well-being.
Open captions and assistive listening devices are available.
https://www.chicagohumanities.org/events/attend/verge-social-media/
You probably know that algorithms play a huge role in what we see online, but what happens to society when this type of curated content begins to influence our real lives? Join The Verge Deputy Editor Alex Heath and a special guest for a conversation about how personalized and relatable content on social media is redefining our feeds and creating a new lens through which millions view the world.
Open captions and assistive listening devices are available.
https://www.chicagohumanities.org/events/attend/future-feed/
We’ve all been told too much social media is bad for us, but why is that? At CHF, New York Times investigative reporter and author of The Chaos Machine Max Fisher explains how, through the pursuit of unfettered profits and maximum engagement, Big Tech has rewired our minds, and instigated a cultural shift toward polarization and misinformation. Join him and David Pierce (editor at large at The Verge) for a behind-the-scenes look at how social networks prey on psychological frailties, driving people to extreme opinions and actions.
A book signing will follow this program.
Open captions and assistive listening devices are available.
Join Reza Aslan (No god but God and Zealot) for the spellbinding tale of a martyr for democracy. Howard Baskerville was a 22-year-old missionary who went to Iran in 1907 and died fighting in the Persian Constitutional Revolution. Was he the “American Lafayette of Iran” or a naive “white savior”? In this talk, Aslan explores what Baskerville’s story illuminates about how seriously we take our democratic ideals and whose freedom we actually support.
Pre-order your book and gain access to a book signing and meet and greet with Aslan following this program.
Open captions and assistive listening devices are available.
In the wake of the midterm elections, join former presidential candidate, political activist, and spiritual thought leader Marianne Williamson for an intimate conversation with Sen. Nina Turner about the state of American politics. In an era of divisiveness, Williamson comes to CHF with a new vision for American politics built on social responsibility, democracy, and deep human values.
Open captions and assistive listening devices are available.
https://www.chicagohumanities.org/events/attend/marianne-williamson/
A family responds to injustice and a daughter reckons with her political inheritance in this new play by “a poet, a playwright to pay attention to” (Variety).
Janice’s parents are prominent activists fighting for the integration of public swimming pools in 1960s Kansas. As injustice penetrates the warm bubble of her childhood, Janice grows apart from her family and starts a new life far away. When she receives a call asking her to speak at a ceremony honoring her father, she must decide whether she’s ready to reckon with her political inheritance—and a past she has tried to forget.
A Co-Production with Berkeley Repertory Theatre
Chicago’s favorite holiday tradition for four decades.
Nearly two million theatergoers have experienced Chicago’s must-see annual holiday tradition, Goodman Theatre’s A Christmas Carol. With first-rate performances— starring award-winner Larry Yando as Ebenezer Scrooge for the 15th year—and “amazing sets, gorgeous costumes and eye-popping effects” (Chicago Reader), the heartwarming story of generosity’s triumph over greed comes to vivid life. Don’t miss this 45th anniversary production of “the best Christmas story ever told” (Time Out Chicago).
A Christmas Carol is appropriate for ages 6 and up. The production contains loud noises, bright lights, and images that may frighten very young children. Children under 5 are not permitted in the theater. For more information contact the box office at 312.443.3800
THE ISLAND
BY ATHOL FUGARD, JOHN KANI, AND WINSTON NTSHONA
DIRECTED BY GABRIELLE RANDLE-BENT
Nov 11, 2022 — Dec 04, 2022
“[The Island] has the rough majesty of a classic… this short but potent play has lost little of its force” -The Guardian
John and Winston are political prisoners on South Africa’s infamous Robben Island, spending their days toiling at grueling, futile tasks in the prison’s quarry. At night, they secretly rehearse a two-man version of Antigone and find solace and strength in their burgeoning friendship. The Island is at once a sobering glimpse into the social, physical, and psychological wounds of Apartheid; a lesson in the complex work of liberation; and a testament to the transformative power of theatre.
Frequent collaborator Gabrielle Randle-Bent makes her solo directorial debut at Court, bringing her vision of resistance and resilience to the stage.
Accessible performances:
December 3, 2022 at 2:00pm/Touch Tour at 12:30pm (Touch Tour/Audio Description)
December 4, 2022 at 2:00pm (Open Captioning)
December 4, 2022 at 7:30pm (ASL Interpretation)
12TH ANNUAL COUNTERBALANCE
SEPTEMBER 24TH & 25TH, 2022
presented by Access Living, Bodies of Work, MOMENTA, and ReinventAbility.
IN-PERSON PERFORMANCES
(A virtual viewing option will be available in October)
Hoover-Leppen Theatre
CENTER ON HALSTED
3656 N. Halsted
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24
7:30pm
Doors open at 7:00pm
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 25
2:00pm
Sensory Friendly Performance
Doors open at 1:30pm
ACCESS FEATURES
Wheelchair Accessible, ASL Interpretation, Open Captioning, Audio Description, All Gender Restrooms
SAFETY PROTOCOLS
Masks Required
Proof of Vaccination
or Negative Covid Test
It’s hard to know who your friends are in a world that’s more divided than ever.
Tony Award-winner Robert Falls and his longtime collaborator, Pulitzer Prize finalist playwright Rebecca Gilman, team up again for their sixth Goodman production—a contemporary portrait of America’s heartland in a time when it feels like everyone’s way of life is in danger of disappearing.
Swing State is suggested for ages 14 and up. Please be aware that this production contains a gun shot and depictions of police violence and suicide. For more information contact the box office at 312.443.3800
https://www.goodmantheatre.org/SwingState
Aligned with the mission of representing marginalized voices, BWBTC has partnered with UIC’s Disability Cultural Center to tell the tale of the malicious Richard of Gloucester. Casting both non-disabled and disabled actors, this production will not only examine stage combat as a storytelling tool, but interrogate the divide between “regular” theatre and “theatre for the disabled”.
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit https://babeswithblades.org/summer-2022-bwbtc-shakespeare-richard-iii/
Use coupon code (Access) for 20% discount!
Please note:
– Live captions will be available for all performances.
– A pre-show Touch Tour will be available at 1:30pm prior to the October 9 performance.
– The October 9 performance will be followed by a talkback after the show with representatives from the UIC Disability Cultural Center
Aligned with the mission of representing marginalized voices, BWBTC has partnered with UIC’s Disability Cultural Center to tell the tale of the malicious Richard of Gloucester. Casting both non-disabled and disabled actors, this production will not only examine stage combat as a storytelling tool, but interrogate the divide between “regular” theatre and “theatre for the disabled”.
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit https://babeswithblades.org/summer-2022-bwbtc-shakespeare-richard-iii/
Use coupon code (Access) for 20% discount!
Please note: Live captions will be available for all performances.
Mild-mannered sisters Martha and Abby Brewster live in their spacious Victorian home in a quiet neighborhood in Brooklyn with an eccentric nephew, Teddy. Famed for their hospitality, Martha and Abby are adored by their neighbors and frequently entertain guests. But when their other nephew, Mortimer, discovers his aunts’ macabre secrets, a hilarious chain of events ensue in this character-driven farce.
Resident Artist Ron OJ Parson directs this beloved American classic, bringing much-needed humor and healing laughter to the stage in Court’s 2022/23 Season opener.
THE ISLAND
BY ATHOL FUGARD, JOHN KANI, AND WINSTON NTSHONA
DIRECTED BY GABRIELLE RANDLE-BENT
Nov 11, 2022 — Dec 04, 2022
“[The Island] has the rough majesty of a classic… this short but potent play has lost little of its force” -The Guardian
John and Winston are political prisoners on South Africa’s infamous Robben Island, spending their days toiling at grueling, futile tasks in the prison’s quarry. At night, they secretly rehearse a two-man version of Antigone and find solace and strength in their burgeoning friendship. The Island is at once a sobering glimpse into the social, physical, and psychological wounds of Apartheid; a lesson in the complex work of liberation; and a testament to the transformative power of theatre.
Frequent collaborator Gabrielle Randle-Bent makes her solo directorial debut at Court, bringing her vision of resistance and resilience to the stage.
Accessible performances:
December 3, 2022 at 2:00pm/Touch Tour at 12:30pm (Touch Tour/Audio Description)
December 4, 2022 at 2:00pm (Open Captioning)
December 4, 2022 at 7:30pm (ASL Interpretation)
https://www.courttheatre.org/season-tickets/2022-2023-season/the-island/
The beloved characters from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice return for a third and final installment of the Pemberley trilogy (Miss Bennet, The Wickhams). The youngest Darcy and Bennet sisters have become fast friends, and eagerly await the arrival of Georgiana’s secret correspondent. Mixups of manners and overprotective big brother Mr. Darcy keep romance from unfolding easily. But music, ambition, friendship, and sisterhood lead to happiness… and a love story that spans a lifetime.
This performance includes audio description and open captions. A touch tour will begin 2 hours before the show at 12:30pm.
To purchase tickets, use the promo code NACCESS by phone 847.673.6300 or online to receive discounted tickets at a flat rate of $40 each (standard fees still apply).
If no audio description tickets have been reserved 48 hours before the performance, the audio description service will be canceled for that performance. Please contact Ruben Carrazana at rcarrazana@northlight.org or 847-324-1615 to confirm that the audio description service is still available.
https://northlight.org/events/georgiana-kitty-christmas-at-pemberly/
“Feisty comedy is on the menu” (Washington Post) in two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage’s latest Broadway triumph.
Creating the perfect sandwich is the shared quest of the formerly incarcerated kitchen staff of Clyde’s, a truck stop cafe. Even as the shop’s mischievous owner tries to keep them under her thumb, the staffers are given purpose and permission to dream—finding that “sometimes a hero is more than a sandwich” (New York Times). This stirring, masterful play from the team of two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage and director Kate Whoriskey (Ruined, Sweat) makes its Chicago premiere after its Tony-nominated run on Broadway.
For tickets and more information, please visit https://www.goodmantheatre.org/Clydes
Chicago Shakespeare in the Parks presents ShakesFest: A Chicago Shakespeare Community Cabaret with FREE pop-up performances in neighborhood parks. Performers, musicians, and dancers take center stage in this exuberant musical revue of songs riffing on familiar (and not-so-familiar) lines from Shakespeare! From pop to musicals, hip hop, and the blues, Shakespeare’s words find joyful new life in unexpected ways.
This FREE, fun-for-all-ages event celebrates community-building, connection, and the magic of experiencing live performance together with family, friends, and neighbors.
Featured arts partners include: Jose “iasEL” Gonzalez, DJ Jeremy Heights, James Heitz, Emma Lyons, Noelle Klyce, Move Me Soul, Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center, and Yin He Dance.
https://www.chicagoshakes.com/plays_and_events/explore_season/parks2022
Now in its eleventh year, Chicago Shakespeare in the Parks is an important component of the Theater’s Community Practice, a year-round community connectivity program rooted in engagement with neighborhoods and collaborations with local artists.
Chicago Shakespeare in the Parks is following the health and safety guidelines of Chicago’s Night Out in the Parks program. For any weather-related performance delays or cancellations, check @chicagoshakes on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram
Chicago Shakespeare is committed to making its performances accessible to all patrons. ASL Interpretation and Audio Description are available for select performances. Assisted Listening Devices and large print programs are available at all performances.
A new musical comedy adapted from the ‘50s cult classic sci-fi film from Universal Pictures! Amateur astronomer John Putnam encounters an alien spaceship in the desert and becomes the laughingstock of his small town—until the extraterrestrial visitors make their presence known and he must convince the gathering mob that they have come in peace. A clever musical score and creative physical humor puts a new spin on Ray Bradbury’s flying saucer tale, examining society’s fear of outsiders as it simultaneously embraces the wonder of what lies just beyond the stars. Commissioned and developed by Chicago Shakespeare with Creative Producer Rick Boynton, the production reignites an artistic partnership with creators Joe Kinosian and Kellen Blair, following the triumph of their Jeff Award-winning musical, Murder for Two, which went on to an acclaimed New York run.
Book online with promo code “ACCESS” or call 312.595.5600 during regular Box Office hours (Tuesday–Sunday, noon to 5:00 p.m.). Be sure to mention “Access Shakespeare” tickets so that we may provide the best seats and service. For additional assistance, our Customer Service Portal is also available anytime day or night.
Tony and Maria are wide-eyed teenagers from two communities in conflict, who fall in love. As their friends and family battle with one another, Tony and Maria long for “a place for us…somewhere.”
Accessibility: Audio Description, Touch Tour, ASL Interpreted
https://www.lyricopera.org/shows/upcoming/2022-23/west-side-story/
Proximity is a gripping, powerful trio of new works that confronts head-on some of the greatest challenges affecting us as a society: yearning for connection in a world driven by technology; the devastating impact of gun violence on cities and neighborhoods; and the need to respect and protect our natural resources. As the story zooms in and out from the individual to the community to the cosmic, we find ourselves in a compelling snapshot of 21st century life, with all of its complex intersections and commonalities.
https://www.lyricopera.org/shows/upcoming/2022-23/proximity/
The immortal tale of the restless, free-spirited heroine (Carmen) and Don José, the soldier who’s drawn to her in a truly “fatal attraction.”
This rivetingly modern, astonishingly inventive view of the Brothers Grimm’s fairytale features an eye-popping production that does full justice to Humperdinck’s glorious score.
https://www.lyricopera.org/shows/upcoming/2022-23/hansel-and-gretel/
Don Carlos masterfully reveals the private turmoil of very public personalities. In 16th-century Spain, King Philip II is torn apart by his own jealous suspicions that his son, crown prince Carlos, and Queen Elisabeth — Philip’s young wife and Carlos’s stepmother — are in love. The drama unfolds and washes over you with unforgettable intensity and thrilling musical splendor.
https://www.lyricopera.org/shows/upcoming/2022-23/don-carlos
High jinx ensue when Countess Adèle sequesters herself in her castle while her valiant brother is away on a crusade. In his absence, the amorous Count Ory stops at nothing (including disguising himself as a nun!) to gain entry to the castle and woo the virtuous Countess.
https://www.lyricopera.org/shows/upcoming/2022-23/le-comte-ory/
Ernani reveals Verdi at his most irresistibly melodic and dramatic. A persecuted nobleman forced to disguise himself as an outlaw, Ernani loves beautiful Elvira, but she’s pursued by two other men — her uncle, Silva, and the King of Spain, Carlo.
A Tony Award-winning masterpiece. Join us as Tevye, his wife Golde, and their five daughters experience the real joys and sorrows that have made this meaningful work an enduring part of our culture.
https://www.lyricopera.org/shows/upcoming/2022-23/fiddler-on-the-roof/
Unfolding Disability Futures is a multi-organization, site-specific performance and installation by local disabled artists throughout The Plant, a former meatpacking facility. Over the past decade, this space has been revitalized to highlight the importance of sustainable agriculture and community collaboration. Unfolding Disability Futures embraces the importance of sustainability and community care in artistic practice and performance. Performances and installations unfold throughout the space, highlighting how The Plant has been redeveloped to make the building accessible in ways that are both functional and beautiful and proposing access not as a drain but a plentiful resource in and of itself.
Unfolding Disability Futures takes place over four events on June 4-5 & 11-12. Each performance cycle, audiences will be guided through The Plant in groups of ten, experiencing six original dance works set in various locations throughout the building, as well as the six visual artist spotlights. Performance cycles begin every half hour over the duration of all four events with a total of five performances per event. Each performance cycle runs about an hour. Thie set up is intended to build in the flexibility needed to respond to current COVID protocols to ensure the safety of audiences and dancers while simultaneously allowing audiences to fully experience the architecture, performances and visual art exhibits throughout The Plant.
Additionally, we will host a post-show artist talk after the final performance cycle concludes at 5pm on Sunday, June 12 and two community workshops in April 30 and on May 15 at 3:30pm.
Masks and vaccination/negative tests required for all events. See our website unfoldingdisabilityfutures.com for more information.
**ASL Interpreters will be available for all performance cycles on Sunday, June 5 and Saturday, June 11. If you require ASL interpreters, please register for any cycle on these dates.
This show contains some images containing partial nudity in the context of the performance of care tasks. Audiences will be notified before they encounter partial nudity and be given the option to forgo portion of the event.
Goodman Theatre Presents the Woolly Mammoth Production of Where We Belong
In Association with the Folger Shakespeare Library
An indigenous theatre-maker journeys across geographic borders, personal history, and cultural legacies; in search of a place to belong.
In 2015, Mohegan theatre-maker Madeline Sayet travels to England to pursue a PhD in Shakespeare. Madeline finds a country that refuses to acknowledge its ongoing role in colonialism, just as the Brexit vote threatens to further disengage the UK from the wider world. In this intimate and exhilarating solo piece, Madeline echoes a journey to England braved by Native ancestors in the 1700s following treatise betrayals – and forces us to consider what it means to belong in an increasingly globalized world.
Content Transparency: This production contains flashing lights, depictions of racism, and discussions of borders, war, loss of language, residential schools, colonial theft of human remains and repatriation.
“Easily Mr. Wilson’s most adventurous and honest attempt to reveal the intimate heart of history.” -The New York Times
Amidst the Civil Rights Movement, Memphis Lee’s restaurant is slated for demolition. While Memphis fights to sell his diner for a fair price, the rest of the restaurant’s regulars search for work, love, and justice as their neighborhood continues to change in unpredictable ways.
Two Trains Running explores Black identity in the 1960s with passion and humor, demonstrating why Wilson is one of America’s most essential voices. With his singular point of view, Resident Artist Ron OJ Parson directs the penultimate play in Court’s ongoing commitment to staging all of Wilson’s American Century Cycle.
Accessible performances: June 4 @2pm TT/AD (Touch-Tour @ 12:30pm) | June 5 @2pm OC | June 5 @7:30pm ASL
“Easily Mr. Wilson’s most adventurous and honest attempt to reveal the intimate heart of history.” -The New York Times
Amidst the Civil Rights Movement, Memphis Lee’s restaurant is slated for demolition. While Memphis fights to sell his diner for a fair price, the rest of the restaurant’s regulars search for work, love, and justice as their neighborhood continues to change in unpredictable ways.
Two Trains Running explores Black identity in the 1960s with passion and humor, demonstrating why Wilson is one of America’s most essential voices. With his singular point of view, Resident Artist Ron OJ Parson directs the penultimate play in Court’s ongoing commitment to staging all of Wilson’s American Century Cycle.
Accessible performances: June 4 @2pm TT/AD (Touch-Tour @ 12:30pm) | June 5 @2pm OC | June 5 @7:30pm ASL
Selma Blair has played many memorable Hollywood roles, from “preppy ice queen” in Legally Blonde, to “the ingenue” in Cruel Intentions—but we love her most as herself. In her memoir Mean Baby, Blair gets candid about the roles that have made her compassionate and wise: from friend and mother to advocate for people with disabilities. Join Blair and Rachel Fleit (director of the documentary Introducing, Selma Blair) for an intimate conversation about acting, addiction, activism, and becoming yourself. This program will include clips from Introducing, Selma Blair.
America’s Next Top Model and Dancing with the Stars champion Nyle DiMarco knows “just how damn cool it is to be Deaf.” DiMarco’s career (which also includes executive producing the reality show Deaf U and Academy-award nominated documentary Audible) has been dedicated to celebrating what makes Deaf culture so unique and beautiful. Join DiMarco at CHF for a conversation about his new book Deaf Utopia: A Memoir—and a Love Letter to a Way of Life with Chicago Today host Matthew Rodrigues.
MCA Advisory Partners Bodies of Work and the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago invite you to Access Praxis, a collaborative and participatory event in The Commons. Combining theory and practice, “praxis” is ideas in action. Join disabled artist Justin Cooper, a former 3Arts/Bodies of Work Fellow, as he shares how narrative, accessibility, and disability aesthetics coalesce across his work in documentary film and photography. As part of Access Praxis, museumgoers will have the opportunity to meet Cooper and participate in a hands-on activity in and around the Commons related to their own experiences moving through the museum landscape.
mcachicago.org/calendar/2022/04/common-use-access-praxis-justin-cooper
Want your events to be more inclusive? Join us for a community building festival of movement workshops and access presentations! We will explore the concept of making inclusion part of the creative process from beginning to completion, as opposed to the “burden approach” of tacking it on at the end.
“Musical theater perfection…exquisite from start to finish” (BroadwayWorld).
Frank Carter famously authored self-help books. But Alice, his 16-year-old daughter, finds cold comfort in his positivity platitudes when he tragically never comes home one night. As she puzzles out the events of the day that changed her family forever, Alice’s relentless search for the facts reveals a more complicated truth. With big humor and bittersweet wit, this “luminous new musical…lush, poetic and surprisingly funny” (The San Diego Union-Tribune) explores how we move through and live with loss.
https://www.goodmantheatre.org/season/2122-Season/Life-After/Life-After-Accessibility/
It’s about damn time. Together at Last is a non-stop celebration of how we have persisted and even thrived during these impossibly difficult times. From laughing at the sheer absurdity of our current reality to cheering for our tiny wins, nothing is off-limits: family dynamics, marriage & divorce, girls’ nights out, working from home, and readjusting to society at large. Come laugh at what unites us all in a show that asks the question… is anyone out there going to save us?
After a sold out run this winter, Tyla Abercrumbrie’s world premiere play comes to the Goodman, weaving a mother’s past with her daughters’ present in a centuries-spanning tale of family, legacy and progress.
Set in the Black Victorian era, Relentless looks at the deep personal secrets we keep to protect the ones we love most. The year is 1919. After the death of their mother, two sisters come home to Philadelphia to settle her estate. Annelle is a happy socialite desperate to return to the safe illusion of a perfect life with her husband in Boston. Janet is a single, professional nurse, determined to change history and propel Black women to a place of prominence and respect. After discovering diaries left by their late mother, they find themselves confronted with a woman they never really knew, exposing buried truths from the past that are chillingly, explosively Relentless.
Developed through TimeLine Theatre Company’s Playwrights Collective
Anything can happen on live TV. And one night, it did. Emmy Award-winning actor and producer Sean Hayes (Will & Grace) stars as the irrepressible Oscar Levant.
It’s 1958, and Jack Paar hosts the hottest late-night talk-show on television. His favorite guest? Character actor, pianist and wild card Oscar Levant. Famous for his witty one-liners, Oscar has a favorite: “There’s a fine line between genius and insanity; I have erased this line.” Tonight, Oscar will prove just that when he appears live on national TV in an episode that Paar’s audience—and the rest of America—won’t soon forget. Good Night, Oscar explores the nexus of humor and heartbreak, the ever-dwindling distinction between exploitation and entertainment, and the high cost of baring one’s soul for public consumption.
“Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none”… how hard could it be? Shakespeare’s nuanced coming-of-age love story is brought to new life in the uniquely intimate setting of the Courtyard Theater, staged by acclaimed director Shana Cooper. Bold, complex characters and hilarious turns of wit and wisdom make for a vivid exploration of love and loss, courtship and class. Besotted with a man who does not return her love, the intelligent, resourceful young Helena navigates the complexities of unrequited romance, courtly drama, and the pesky meddling of her elders—only to discover the reality that happy endings are never quite as simple as they seem in fairy tales.
For our access performances, “Pay-What-You-Can” tickets, ranging from our full price of $90 to as low as $35, are available to patrons whose disability requires the use of the service (plus one companion). Book your tickets today by calling 312.595.5600 or emailing access@chicagoshakes.com. When booking tickets, please indicate your wish to participate in the Access program so we may provide the best possible seats and service. Please purchase your tickets in advance—access programs with no attendance may be cancelled 48 hours prior to the show. For more information, visit https://www.chicagoshakes.com/plays_and_events/allswell
Pharus Young is now a senior at the Charles R. Drew Prep School for Boys, an institution committed to building “strong, ethical black men,” where he endeavors to be the best leader of the school’s prestigious choir in its 50-year history. But in a world built on rites and rituals, should he conform to the expectations of his peers in order to gain the respect he desperately seeks?
Written by Oscar-winning ensemble member Tarell Alvin McCraney (Moonlight), this Tony-nominated play—threaded throughout with soul-stirring a cappella gospel hymns—is the story of a young gay black man and his battle between identity and community. Choir Boy is an elegy to quiet rebellion, filled with the sound of longing and aspiration. It is a love song in pianissimo to the unseen heart that beats inside us all.
Touch Tour begins at 1:30 pm for a 3:00 pm performance.
https://www.steppenwolf.org/tickets–events/seasons/2021-22/choir-boy/
On a long summer weekend in the Russian countryside at an estate bursting at the seams with guests, three generations collide in ensemble member Yasen Peyankov’s extraordinarily funny and lyrical adaption of Anton Chekhov’s Seagull, the play that will open Steppenwolf’s new in-the-round Ensemble Theater in Honor of Helen Zell. In classic Chekhovian style, a sparkling cast featuring many Steppenwolf ensemble members will wrestle with the eternal questions that haunt the intellectual artist class: What is Love? What is Art? When is Lunch? Join us for this historical moment in Steppenwolf’s journey as we explore the work that inspired us, laugh at the battles that consume us and celebrate, together, all that makes us grateful for each other.
Touch Tour begins at 1:00 pm for a 2:30 pm performance.
https://www.steppenwolf.org/tickets–events/seasons/2021-22/seagull/
In 1905, a Black seamstress named Esther sews her way out of poverty stitch by delicate stitch, creating fine lingerie for her Manhattan clientele while longing for a husband and a future. She finds common ground with a Jewish fabric merchant, a relationship they both know cannot grow. So when correspondence with a lonesome Caribbean man leads to a marriage proposal, she accepts. But as her new marriage quickly leads to regret, Esther turns back to her sewing machine to rebuild her life and refashion her future.
There will be a touch tour at 1:30pm inside the theater where patrons will be invited into their seats for a pre-show introduction to the space and the cast.
Join SGT artists for a Touch Tour at 6:45 PM and an audio described performance at 8 PM of Rasheeda Speaking by Joel Drake Johnson, directed by AmBer D.Montgomery on Friday, May 6 Shattered Globe performs at Theater Wit, 1229 West Belmont, Chicago. Rasheeda Speaking is a comedy- turned- social thriller about workplace racism.
When two strangers meet by letter during World War II, a love story begins. U.S. Army Captain Jack Ludwig, a military doctor stationed in Oregon, begins writing to Louise Rabiner, an aspiring actress and dancer in New York City, hoping to meet her someday if the war will allow. But as the war continues, it threatens to end their relationship before it even starts. Two-time Olivier Award-winning playwright Ken Ludwig tells the poignant story of his own parents’ unlikely courtship during World War II.
Ken Ludwig’s Dear Jack, Dear Louise is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com
There will be a touch tour at 1:30pm inside the theater where patrons will be invited into their seats for a pre-show introduction to the space and the cast.
Anything can happen on live TV. And one night, it did. Emmy Award-winning actor and producer Sean Hayes (Will & Grace) stars as the irrepressible Oscar Levant.
It’s 1958, and Jack Paar hosts the hottest late-night talk-show on television. His favorite guest? Character actor, pianist and wild card Oscar Levant. Famous for his witty one-liners, Oscar has a favorite: “There’s a fine line between genius and insanity; I have erased this line.” Tonight, Oscar will prove just that when he appears live on national TV in an episode that Paar’s audience—and the rest of America—won’t soon forget. Good Night, Oscar explores the nexus of humor and heartbreak, the ever-dwindling distinction between exploitation and entertainment, and the high cost of baring one’s soul for public consumption.
Wired is an immense and intimate experience that traces the fine line between “us” and “them” through aerial and contemporary dance and the metaphoric use of barbed wire. The dancers of Wired spin and soar together in this meditation in sound, light, and movement on the gendered, racial, and disability stories of barbed wire in the United States, showing how this material shapes common understandings of who belongs. Barbed wire is designed as a material for containment. It is used, time and again, to limit individual and community movements and delineate boundaries as large as a nation state and as small as a personal fence. In Wired, this fraught material comes to highlight not only danger and contradiction, but also beauty and interconnection.
To create Wired, the artists of Kinetic Light—Alice Sheppard, Laurel Lawson, Jerron Herman, and Michael Maag—and their collaborators—composers Ailís Ní Ríain and LeahAnn Mitchell and scenic designer Josephine Shokrian—defy both gravity and assumptions about what dance can be. The artists of Kinetic Light see interdependence as a political position as well as an approach to making dance from a disability aesthetic: in which disability is a powerful creative and cultural force, and the many ways of accessing the performance are the art itself.
ASL interpretation and AD are available for all shows. There is no spoken dialogue in Wired. Audio description is available through Kinetic Light’s app, Audimance. More information will be provided to ticketholders by email in advance. Orientation to and demonstration of the app will be available in the lobby prior to all shows, along with a tactile exhibit that serves as an introduction to the Wired set, props, costumes, and theatrical elements.
Wired content and artistry will remain the same for all performances. The show shares many aspects of MCA’s Relaxed Performances. Audience members are welcome to exit and reenter.
Light haze is present in certain sections. There are no strobe lighting effects. Quiet spaces and stimulation kits are available for all performances.
The show will be livestreamed on Saturday, including ASL, with one channel being audio described. Friday and Sunday’s performances will offer an alternative lighting design.