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.
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.
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.
Disney Theatrical Productions and Broadway in Chicago are proud to offer a sensory-friendly performance of Disney’s THE LION KING. With the partnership of Aspire, local nonprofit experts in disability inclusion, the show will be performed in a supportive and judgment-free environment.
This event is open to the public, but customary theater rules will be relaxed. Audience members can stand, move, talk and make noise as needed.
Accommodations include:
-House lights left on at a low level
-Trained volunteers and professionals on hand
-Sensory support encouraged and available
-Designated quiet spaces
-Lower sound levels, especially startling or loud sounds
-Open Captions available
Ticket prices start at $33 and can be purchased online at: https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/07005CA3F57D44F8
Patrons may also call (312) 977-1700 (press 5)
OR
TTY: (800) 359-2525
OR
Email accessbility@broadwayinchicago.com
For groups of 10+, call Broadway in Chicago Group Sales (312) 977-1710
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 22-23 Season.
This September, come celebrate Chicago’s South Side. We’re partnering with South Shore Works to host a day-long Arts Party at the South Shore Cultural Center: Pop in and out of mural painting, collaborative art installations, tours of South Shore, poetry readings, house music on the lawn (with food vendors!), and more. Plus, join in on the big-name events CHF is known for: a chat with award-winning food blogger Michael Twitty on Black and Jewish cuisine, a podcast taping of the popular Some of My Best Friends Are… on what it means to be a Chicagoan, and live musical performances from the legendary Great Black Music Ensemble and Hypnotic Brass Ensemble.
https://www.chicagohumanities.org/events/attend/south-shore-arts-party/
On September 16, 2022, Snow City Arts will host hundreds of guests from Chicago’s philanthropic, medical, corporate, and artistic communities. A ‘reception’ for all ages! Guests will enjoy a sit-down dinner with a unique art experience, where the work of hundreds of our young, aspiring artists, will be professionally exhibited. Snow City Arts will be honoring the Child Life Staff at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital, Rush University Children’s Hospital & Children’s Hospital University of Illinois with the 2022 Neisser Award. This celebration will include performances, auction and special guests appearances! We hope we can count on you to make this year a truly memorable Gallery Night.
https://snowcityarts.org/gallerynight2022/
On September 16, 2022, Snow City Arts will host hundreds of guests from Chicago’s philanthropic, medical, corporate, and artistic communities. A ‘reception’ for all ages! Guests will enjoy a sit-down dinner with a unique art experience, where the work of hundreds of our young, aspiring artists, will be professionally exhibited. Snow City Arts will be honoring the Child Life Staff at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital, Rush University Children’s Hospital & Children’s Hospital University of Illinois with the 2022 Neisser Award. This celebration will include performances, auction and special guests appearances! We hope we can count on you to make this year a truly memorable Gallery Night.
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.
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.
Captioned performances: Saturday, November 12 at 7:30 pm and Sunday, November 13 at 3 pm
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/
This off-beat buddy comedy pairs essential workers from two different worlds in the shared cab of a New York City garbage truck. Danny’s a white, blue-collar mansplainer hiding a heart of gold. Marlowe’s a Black, Ivy League-educated newbie learning the ropes from her old-school partner. When they’re thrown together to pick up what the world has discarded, they discover there’s more that binds them than taking out the trash.
This performance includes ASL interpretation and open captions. If you would like a good view of the ASL interpreters, please contact Community Engagement Manager Ruben Carrazana at rcarrazana@northlight.org or 847-324-1615 as the placement of the interpreters will vary from show to show.
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).
“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
BoHo Theatre Presents:
National Merit
A World-Premiere Play by Valen-Marie Santos
Directed by Enrico Spada
August 25 – September 25, 2022
Open Caption Performances Sundays September 4 & 11 at 3pm
Theater Wit, 1229 W Belmont
Box Office 773-975-8150
In NATIONAL MERIT, seven students embark on an intensive PSAT prep program in the hopes to become National Merit Scholars. As pressures rise, these high school juniors question what it means to achieve National Merit status, who gets to achieve it, and what it costs.
Running Time: 1 hour 30 minutes with intermission
There is no late seating available for this production.
Join us on the 2nd Monday of each month in G.A.R. Hall to build resilience through artist-led sessions of various creative modalities. Resilience helps deal with difficult challenges with flexibility and creativity. The Resilience Series is open to anyone interested in exploring art as a healing practice. All programs are free and open to the public.
In the City’s Year of Healing, we highlight the role of arts and healing arts practitioners and continue our work honoring the purpose of the Chicago Cultural Center’s G.A.R. rooms with this series.
All events in this series are open captioned/have CART.
Monday, August 8, 6-7pm – Matchbook Memorials: Reflections on Resilience with Cabinet of Curiosity
Monday, September 12, 6-7pm – EMOTIONAL ALCHEMY: A Breath & Movement Workshop with Kiam Marcelo
Monday, October 10, 6-7pm – Creating Fertile Grounds for Healing with Red Clay Dance
Monday, November 14, 6-7pm – Creating Fertile Grounds for Healing with Red Clay Dance
Monday, December 19, 6-7pm – Elevated Sound Meditation: Mediate to Increase Resilience with Mecca Perry
https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/dca/supp_info/resilience_series.html
Join us for a popup event for disability pride. The event will have art-making, creative writing, a pop up book shop, open mic and book talk.
About this event
Disability Pride Pop-Up Event with Women & Children First
Join Access Living and Women and Children First for an afternoon of celebration in honor of disability pride!
Women and Children First Bookstore is having a Pop-up book shop, where you can find books authored by disabled writers and books that talk about disability experiences and culture. You are invited to join our creative art stations, where you can make personalized wearable buttons and participate in the Re-Wired Project (see description below)
Program:
1:00-6:00pm Pop-up book shop and creative stations where participants can:
– make buttons
– create personal narratives of disability identity and pride; and
– be a part of the Re-Wired Project
4:00-4:30pm Featured readers & open mic for those who self-identify as a member of the disability, Deaf, neurodivergent or psychiatric survivor community to share short personal narratives of disability
4:30pm Book talk, Q&A session, and book signing with Liat Ben-Moshe, author of Decarcerating Disability: Deinstitutionalization and Prison Abolition
5:30pm Book talk from disabled artist Riva Lehrer, author of GOLEM GIRL
Please note that masks are required for entry into the Access Living building and must be worn at all times.
What is Re-wired Project?
THE RE-WIRED PROJECT is inspired in part by the moving and powerful expressions of solidarity that emerged as chalky sidewalk slogans and impassioned murals throughout the City in the wake of George Floyd’s murder. The walls, sidewalks, front yards, and windows of Chicago’s diverse neighborhoods have long served as a canvas, reflecting individual and community values.
Join us and create texts and wire sculpture that represents our disability and/or Deaf community, culture and values.
Dates and Times:
Monday, 7/25, 1:00-6:00pm
Location:
Access Living
115 West Chicago Avenue, 4th floor
Chicago, IL 60654
Who can participate?
This event is open to the public. All members of the disability community and allies are welcome to attend. Participants do not need any art/craft experience or skills.
Cost:
The event is free to attend. All art-making activities will be no cost. There will be books available for purchase.
Ready to sign up?
Space is limited due to Covid safety precautions, please sign up soon by using the Eventbrite link, or email Beth Bendtsen at bbendtsen@accessliving.org. You can also call Beth at (312) 640-2156 with any questions, concerns or access needs.
Access Information:
Access Living is a scent free building. Please refrain from wearing scented products, such as scented lotion, perfume and cologne. All areas of the building are wheelchair accessible. ASL interpretation services and CART will be provided during the open mic and book reading. Please contact bbendtsen@accessliving.org with other access requests.
Organizers’ Information:
This event is brought to you by the Arts and Culture Project at Access Living, an independent living center for people with disabilities, and the Disability Culture Activism Lab (DCAL), a teaching lab housed under the department of art therapy and counseling at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. As a platform for creative disability art and advocacy projects, DCAL uses a peer support and collective care model in which disability community members and art therapy graduate students collaborate as disability culture makers for social change.
The contents of this event were developed under a grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR grant number 90RTCP0005). NIDILRR is a Center within the Administration for Community Living (ACL), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The contents of this event do not necessarily represent the policy of NIDILRR, ACL, or HHS, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.
This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.
Join us for THE RE-WIRED PROJECT to create work that represents our disability and/or Deaf community, culture and values.
Let’s talk about mental health: Re-Wired Project at Access Living
THE RE-WIRED PROJECT is inspired in part by the moving and powerful expressions of solidarity that emerged as chalky sidewalk slogans and impassioned murals throughout the City in the wake of George Floyd’s murder. The walls, sidewalks, front yards, and windows of Chicago’s diverse neighborhoods have long served as a canvas, reflecting individual and community values.
Access Living is collaborating with THE RE-WIRED PROJECT to create work that represents our disability and/or Deaf community, culture and values. If you consider yourself a member of the disability, Deaf, neurodivergent or psychiatric survivor community, please join us. We will share conversations about mental health, and also learn to unleash our creativity together!
Dates and Times:
Monday, 7/11, 2:00-5:00pm
Monday, 8/8, 2:00-5:00pm
Location:
Access Living
115 West Chicago Avenue,
Chicago, IL 60654
Who can participate?
Anyone who self-identifies as a member of the disability, Deaf, neurodivergent or psychiatric survivor community. Participants do not need any art/craft experience or skills.
Stipend:
To honor the participants’ time and labor for a 3-hour long workshop (with breaks, of course!), we are offering a $75 stipend to each participant.
Ready to sign up?
Space is limited due to Covid safety precautions. Please sign up via Eventbrite:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lets-talk-about-mental-health-re-wired-project-at-access-living-tickets-375472527437
OR email Beth Bendtsen at bbendtsen@accessliving.org.
You can also call Beth at (312) 640-2156 with any questions, concerns or access needs.
Access Information:
Due to high demand for live captioning (CART) and ASL interpretation services during the COVID-19 pandemic, we are asking participants to submit access requests 2-3 weeks in advance. Please contact bbendtsen@accessliving.org with requests.
Organizers’ Information:
This series of workshop is brought to you by the Arts and Culture Project at Access Living, an independent living center for people with disabilities, and the Disability Culture Activism Lab (DCAL). Disability Culture Activism Lab (DCAL) is housed under the department of art therapy and counseling at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. DCAL is a platform for creative advocacy projects and disability allyship training. In partnership with Access Living’s Arts and Culture Project, DCAL provides teaching and hands-on learning guided by disability justice–a framework that examines disability in connection to other forms of oppressions and identities.
Using a peer support and collective care model, disability community members and art therapy graduate students collaborate as disability culture makers for social change.
The contents of this workshop were developed under a grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR grant number 90RTCP0005). NIDILRR is a Center within the Administration for Community Living (ACL), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The contents of this workshop do not necessarily represent the policy of NIDILRR, ACL, or HHS, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.
This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.
Image Description:
Banner has a light green background. Title reads “Let’s talk about mental health: Re-Wired Project at Access Living in text that is navy, gold and white. ” Below the title is the date and location of the event. There is also an image of Re-wired art: multi-colored wire spells out the words Courage, Strong and Proper, and various other wire designs including spirals, branches and others stand out against a white wall.
Join us for THE RE-WIRED PROJECT to create work that represents our disability and/or Deaf community, culture and values.
Let’s talk about mental health: Re-Wired Project at Access Living
THE RE-WIRED PROJECT is inspired in part by the moving and powerful expressions of solidarity that emerged as chalky sidewalk slogans and impassioned murals throughout the City in the wake of George Floyd’s murder. The walls, sidewalks, front yards, and windows of Chicago’s diverse neighborhoods have long served as a canvas, reflecting individual and community values.
Access Living is collaborating with THE RE-WIRED PROJECT to create work that represents our disability and/or Deaf community, culture and values. If you consider yourself a member of the disability, Deaf, neurodivergent or psychiatric survivor community, please join us. We will share conversations about mental health, and also learn to unleash our creativity together!
Dates and Times:Monday, 8/8, 2:00-5:00pm
Location:
Access Living
115 West Chicago Avenue,
Chicago, IL 60654
Who can participate?
Anyone who self-identifies as a member of the disability, Deaf, neurodivergent or psychiatric survivor community. Participants do not need any art/craft experience or skills.
Stipend:
To honor the participants’ time and labor for a 3-hour long workshop (with breaks, of course!), we are offering a $75 stipend to each participant.
Ready to sign up?
Space is limited due to Covid safety precautions. Please sign up via Eventbrite:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lets-talk-about-mental-health-re-wired-project-at-access-living-tickets-375472527437
OR email Beth Bendtsen at bbendtsen@accessliving.org.
You can also call Beth at (312) 640-2156 with any questions, concerns or access needs.
Access Information:
Due to high demand for live captioning (CART) and ASL interpretation services during the COVID-19 pandemic, we are asking participants to submit access requests 2-3 weeks in advance. Please contact bbendtsen@accessliving.org with requests.
Organizers’ Information:
This series of workshop is brought to you by the Arts and Culture Project at Access Living, an independent living center for people with disabilities, and the Disability Culture Activism Lab (DCAL). Disability Culture Activism Lab (DCAL) is housed under the department of art therapy and counseling at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. DCAL is a platform for creative advocacy projects and disability allyship training. In partnership with Access Living’s Arts and Culture Project, DCAL provides teaching and hands-on learning guided by disability justice–a framework that examines disability in connection to other forms of oppressions and identities.
Using a peer support and collective care model, disability community members and art therapy graduate students collaborate as disability culture makers for social change.
The contents of this workshop were developed under a grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR grant number 90RTCP0005). NIDILRR is a Center within the Administration for Community Living (ACL), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The contents of this workshop do not necessarily represent the policy of NIDILRR, ACL, or HHS, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.
This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.
Image Description:
Banner has a light green background. Title reads “Let’s talk about mental health: Re-Wired Project at Access Living in text that is navy, gold and white. ” Below the title is the date and location of the event. There is also an image of Re-wired art: multi-colored wire spells out the words Courage, Strong and Proper, and various other wire designs including spirals, branches and others stand out against a white wall.
Devised & Directed by BoHo Artistic Associate Ruben Carrazana
Featuring Maria Clara Ospina, Gardy Gilbert, & Joe Zarrow
Performances at The Edge Off-Broadway, 1133 West Catalpa Ave
A lot has happened since March 2020. How do we connect when we cannot share the same physical space? How do we communicate when we feel like no one is listening? How do we move forward when the world seems to be crumbling all around us? Why do we move forward?
During the pandemic, we moved, quit jobs, fell in and out of love, learned new skills and discovered new dreams. Amidst the discomfort, the distancing, masking, and learning to live in the unknown, we found that one way or another, we changed.
To celebrate and share in these stories, BoHo Theatre is producing REMOTE, a theatrical experience devised and directed by Ruben Carrazana. Three storytellers will discover one another’s stories live onstage. Each night one ensemble member’s script will be performed, but the other two ensemble members will have never seen it before.
Each of the three performances will be completely different, so join us for three unforgettable theatrical experiences – together again.
BoHo Theatre is thrilled to offer its first open captioning for the third performance of REMOTE on Sunday, July 17 matinee at 2pm.
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.
It’s Carmela’s birthday, and her wish has already come true–she’s finally old enough to join her big brother as he does the family errands. On their way to the laundromat, past fields of what Mamí calls “flores de cempazuchitl,” Carmela finds a lone dandelion growing in the pavement. But before she can blow its puffy white fluff away, her brother asks, “did you even make a wish?” If only she can think of just the right wish to make.
Full of touching and funny fantasies, the book, and now the play, portrays Carmela’s migrant community as a vibrant place of possibility. Join families from all over the city for this moving ode to family, to dreamers, and to finding hope in the most unexpected places.
Open Captioned in English and Spanish
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.
“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/
“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
CHF welcomes you to Night Vale. This fictional spooky desert town in the American Southwest is a hit podcast created by Jeffrey Cranor and Joseph Fink, and the location of their latest novel The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives in Your Home. Join Cranor, Fink, and Mara Wilson (voice of the Faceless Old Woman) for an immersive guide into a world where ghosts, angels, and aliens roam the streets, and of course, a faceless old woman who lives secretly in your home.
John Waters (legendary filmmaker of the cult classic Pink Flamingos and blockbuster Hairspray, and author of Carsick and Mr. Know-It-All) has turned his brilliant mind to fiction: specifically his first novel and what he calls the “feel bad romance.” In Liarmouth, Waters employs his trademark combination of hilarity and obscenity, weaving a tangled tale of sex, crime, and family dysfunction, with main character Marsha Sprinkle (scammer, suitcase thief, master of disguise) at the helm. Waters joins CHF in conversation to share his secrets for writing well in a transgressive way.
Here’s to the women in music who kick in doors, who break genres, who are repeatedly asked: “What’s it like to be a girl in a band?” Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon doesn’t like the question, but her new anthology This Woman’s Work, edited with former music journalist Sinéad Gleeson, gives us multitudes of answers on their own terms. You’re invited to join Gordon, Gleeson, and the subject of the anthology’s lead essay, Laurie Anderson, for a riotous time spotlighting women’s work in the music industry, which includes claiming their stories (and songs), while simultaneously smashing the patriarchy. This conversation is moderated by Pitchfork’s Editor in Chief, Puja Patel.
America needs a roadmap for building a diverse democracy: enter Eboo Patel (former faith advisor to President Obama) and Yascha Mounk (leading expert on the crisis of liberal democracy), here with their thoughts on where to start. At CHF, Patel (We Need To Build) and Mounk (The Great Experiment) will discuss why democracy has become so fragile here and around the world, and their vision for a better, more inclusive way forward. This conversation is moderated by Zeenat Rahman (Executive Director of Institute of Politics at the University of Chicago) and is a must-attend event for anyone eager to learn about the state of our democracy and what they can do to fix it.
https://www.chicagohumanities.org/events/eboo-patel-yascha-mounk/
Former Ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch, became a household name when she courageously testified during the Trump impeachment inquiry. In her memoir Lessons From the Edge, Yovanovitch claims her narrative on her own terms, reflecting on the arc of her fascinating life and courageous career in foreign policy and diplomacy. In the midst of a massive geopolitical shift, caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine (the largest war in Europe since 1945), there is no better person to share their hard-won wisdom than Yovanovitch, who sits down at CHF with Ivo Daalder, President of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and former US ambassador to NATO.
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.
Join us for a toast and a roast to the ‘90s—a wild and confusing decade of colossal change (think the rise of the internet, the downfall of landlines, and the end of pre-9/11 politics). At CHF, celebrated culture critic Chuck Klosterman (author of The Nineties), sits down with WTTW’s Mark Bazer (The Interview Show) to make sense of this era. Whether you’re nostalgic for the ‘90s or glad they’re over, Klosterman and Bazer will take you on a ride of your life through the decade that brought about a revolution in human consciousness we’re still grappling with to this day.
https://www.chicagohumanities.org/events/chuck-klosterman/
Senate insider Adam Jentleson takes us into Capitol Hill backrooms for a behind-closed-doors look at how the Senate, once known as “the world’s greatest deliberative body,” has become one of the greatest threats to American democracy. In Kill Switch, Jentleson uncovers the means by which a minority of senators maintain their power, citing the filibuster (historically used to block civil rights legislation) as their principal weapon. At CHF, Jentleson explains how the Senate became so gridlocked and why so many of our current political challenges converge within this body. He is joined in conversation by Russ Feingold, President of the American Constitution Society and former Senator from Wisconsin.
As a teacher, legal scholar, and advocate Anita Hill has been in the public eye since her landmark testimony during Clarence Thomas’s Supreme Court confirmation hearings in 1991. But, the issue of gender violence that compelled her to testify over thirty years ago is still endemic to American life. At CHF, Hill discusses her latest book Believing, a combination of memoir, law, social analysis, and call to arms on one of the most important topics of our day. Hill is joined in conversation by Chicago Sun-Times columnist Laura S. Washington.
This event will be live captioned by Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) services. For additional access requests, visit saic.edu/access.
Join us live for a virtual lecture by artist Lauren Bon followed by an audience Q&A.
Lauren Bon is an environmental artist from Los Angeles. Her practice, Metabolic Studio, explores self-sustaining and self-diversifying systems of exchange that feed emergent properties that regenerate the life web. Some of her works include: Not A Cornfield, which transformed and revived an industrial brownfield in downtown Los Angeles into a 32-acre cornfield for one agricultural cycle; 100 Mules Walking the Los Angeles Aqueduct, a 240-mile performative action that aimed to reconnect the city of Los Angeles with the source of its water for the centenary of the opening of the Los Angeles Aqueduct. Her studio’s current work, Bending the River Back into the City, aims to utilize Los Angeles’s first private water right to deliver 106-acre feet of water annually from the LA River to over 50 acres of land in the historic core of downtown LA. This model can be replicated to regenerate the 52-mile LA River, reconnect it to its floodplain, and form a citizens’ utility.
Lauren Bon is the 2021-2022 Mitchell Visiting Professor in SAIC’s Department of Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects.
This lecture is supported by the William Bronson and Grayce Slovet Mitchell Lecture Series in SAIC’s Department of Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects.
Can you believe?! Queer Eye star Jonathan Van Ness is coming to Chicago for a candid chat about Love That Story: Observations from a Gorgeously Queer Life, their new essay collection about broadening our horizons, getting comfortable with the uncomfortable, and balancing the light with the dark. Back handspring layout your way to the Harris Theater for a chat with our favorite hair stylist, standup comedian, and amateur figure skater on how to embrace our messy, gorgeous, flawed, and fabulous stories. At CHF, Van Ness is joined by host and producer of WBEZ’s Nerdette podcast, Greta Johnsen.
All tickets include a signed copy of Love That Story shipped directly to customers (U.S. addresses only). The Chicago Humanities Festival is pleased to partner with the Seminary Co-op Bookstores, a not-for-profit bookstore whose mission is bookselling.
A very limited number of VIP tickets to this program are available for $150 and include a signed copy of the book Love That Story shipped to your door, one complimentary drink at the Harris to enjoy before the show, and guaranteed premium seating in the front/orchestra section of the venue.
For more information visit: https://www.chicagohumanities.org/events/jonathan-van-ness/
Say hello to actress and comedian Molly Shannon! You may already know Shannon from her beloved SNL characters like Mary Katherine Gallagher; popular television shows like HBO Max’s The White Lotus and The Other Two (for which Shannon is nominated for a Critic’s Choice Award); and acclaimed films including Other People, Talladega Nights, and Promising Young Woman. At CHF, we have the great pleasure of introducing you to a whole new side to this superstar, whose new memoir Hello, Molly! tells the hilarious, heartbreaking, and honest story of how Shannon crafted her signature brand of daring and empathetic comedy. Shannon is joined in conversation by SNL alum Tim Meadows.
An option to purchase 2 tickets + 1 book is available by calling the CHF Box Office: 312-661-1239
The Chicago Humanities Festival is pleased to partner with the Seminary Co-op Bookstores, a not-for-profit bookstore whose mission is bookselling. All tickets include a copy of Hello, Molly! shipped directly to customers (U.S. addresses only).
A very limited number of VIP tickets to this program are available for $150 and include a signed copy of the book Hello, Molly! shipped to your door, one complimentary drink at the Harris to enjoy before the show, and guaranteed premium seating in the front/orchestra section of the venue.
For more information visit: https://www.chicagohumanities.org/events/molly-shannon/
Join us for a live performance of songs from LYNX Project’s debut album, beautiful small things. These art songs, commissioned between 2017–2020 as part of the Amplify series, feature the poetry of neurodiverse young people who are primarily nonspeaking, set to music by celebrated classical composers. In addition to song performances, there will be a presentation on nonspeaking communication and readings of poems.
The Poetry Foundation and LYNX share a commitment to creating a welcoming and inclusive performance space. Sensory accommodations will be provided.
Poetry Foundation’s events are completely free of charge and open to the public. This reading will include live captioning and ASL interpretation. If you require any other accessibility measures, please contact us by emailing events@poetryfoundation.org.
All guests over the age of two must wear a mask inside the Poetry Foundation building. Guests over the age of five must show proof of vaccination and booster up to the level to which they are eligible for their age group. Guests over the age of 18 must show ID alongside their proof of vaccination. If you cannot meet these requirements, you will not be granted entry to the event. All in-person events will be made available online for free at poetryfoundation.org/video. Please note that some performers may choose to perform without a mask.
These guidelines are up to date as of March 7, 2022.
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/events/156862/lynx-project-beautiful-small-things-in-person
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.
The Second City has no time for regrets in the 45th e.t.c. revue, The Best Decision You’ve Ever Made. This choose-your-own comedy (mis)adventure explores the choices we make and how they impact our world in a hilarious, heartfelt, and interactive way. From ASMR to the CTA, first dates to last goodbyes, and gender reveal parties to the birth of Jesus, we’re not just addressing the elephants in the room—we’re inviting them to the dungeon basement dance party. Make the best decision ever and come experience this show, where you’re an essential part of the fun…and we’re all encouraged to celebrate what makes us unique.
After getting a single suggestion, the cast of six professional comedians asks the audience to choose a detective. Enjoy as they invent a tale of crime, secrets, and scandals right before your eyes. The performers will keep track of facts, follow leads, and conclude who is the murderer, all while you take in a comedy experience unlike any you’ve seen before. During the show, they’ll employ the tropes, character archetypes, and influences of Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, Sherlock Holmes, Nick and Nora Charles, Encyclopedia Brown, and just a dash of Scooby-Doo.
Spay
A World Premiere
By Madison Fiedler
Directed by Georgette Verdin
Williamson, West Virginia has been aptly nicknamed “Pilliamson” as long as the Attridge sisters have called it home. In the wake of their mother’s overdose, the two sisters have taken very different paths. As Harper raises Noah’s child, vowing to tread new ground, Noah finds herself unable to break old cycles – until a stranger promises a way to do just that. Madison Fiedler’s provocative new drama SPAY interrogates the question of autonomy in small-town Appalachia.
Find out for yourself why The Second City has been the first name in laughter for over sixty years! From the stages that launched the careers of Tina Fey, Stephen Colbert, Steve Carell and more comes the next generation of comedy superstars.
The Best of The Second City features some of the best sketch comedy and songs from our comedy vaults updated for the modern era, as well as some of our newest classics and our trademark improvisation performed by The Second City Touring Company’s best and brightest…and funniest!
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.
https://www.goodmantheatre.org/Oscar
“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
“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.
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.
https://www.steppenwolf.org/tickets–events/seasons/2021-22/seagull/
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.
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.
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.
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.
“King” LeBron James’s reign in Cleveland brings promise, prosperity and renewal to a city in desperate need of all three. It also brings together two unlikely friends in a bond forged by fandom. Told over twelve years (from LeBron’s rookie season to an NBA Championship) King James is an intimate exploration of the place that sports occupy in our lives and relationships. Ensemble member Rajiv Joseph’s clever and fast-paced comedy traces the arcs of two friends whose turbulent relationship is best navigated through their shared love of basketball—and the endless amiable arguments that erupt from that love. All the while, the promise and burden of LeBron’s talent and legacy loom large.
https://www.steppenwolf.org/tickets–events/seasons/2021-22/king-james/
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.
https://www.steppenwolf.org/tickets–events/seasons/2021-22/choir-boy/
Combining improvisation with sculpture, sound, and lights, M___ER taps into the tangled relationships we have with familiar people and things to examine the shifting dynamics of intimacy between audience members’ senses of self, others, and objects. The title suggests various interpretations of its missing letters; the performance itself addresses ideas such as “mother,” “murder,” and “matter,” while still leaving room for ambiguity. M___ER is a nonlinear, scenic examination of entanglements, from mothers to matter. Investigating relationships that are common to almost everyone, the performance probes the precarity inherent to physical proximity or emotional closeness.
Using her training as an improviser and the inexhaustible possibilities each audience member brings, Knight’s work regularly puts Black femmes—often herself—in contested and confrontational positions of power. Knight guides her audiences through indeterminate situations that illuminate the relationships at play in performance and in our everyday lives. The controlled chaos of these mysterious group interactions provokes laughter and occasional discomfort, using irrationality to make meaning out of our contemporary culture.