OPENING: The Toad Knew from France Opener for The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare

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The Toad Knew

Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) opens the innovative new performance venue The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare with James Thierrée’s The Toad Knew from France as part of CST’s World’s Stage series, September 19–23, 2017.

James Thierrée's The Toad Knew from France All Production Photos by Richard Haughton.

Here at ChiIL Mama and ChiIL Live Shows, we've been eagerly awaiting the opening of Chicago Shakespeare Theater's new space, The Yard. The time has finally arrived and what a send up the opening production will be, with high-wire artists, dancers, contortionists and Thierrée’s extraordinary physical prowess! 



This spectacle premiered at the Edinburgh International Festival, where it was called “flamboyant, hallucinatory and ravishingly beautiful” by The Guardian. Thierrée returns to CST after his magnificent Farewell Umbrella (2007) and Bright Abyss (2005). 

THE PLAY

This fall, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre's new third theater, The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare, is home to a realm of wonder and enchantment as we welcome back cirque nouveau superstar James Thierrée (creator of CST’s sold-out runs of Farewell Umbrella and Bright Abyss). For nearly two decades, Thierrée has teased and twisted audiences’ imaginations with astonishing, theatrical creations—sometimes funny, sometimes poignant, always extraordinary. 

His newest invention, The Toad Knew, intertwines dreams with childhood terrors, burlesque, and realism to explore the wild, wondrous love shared among siblings. A collective of dancers, high-wire artists, and musicians create an intoxicating world evocative of Salvador Dalí and Tim Burton. This is artistry that defies categorization, but promises to stay with you long after you leave the Theater. 

Click HERE to purchase tickets and discover more about the new space and this production.



Cirque nouveau superstar James Thierrée presents The Toad Knew to open Chicago Shakespeare’s innovative third theater The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare in a limited engagement as part of CST’s World’s Stage series September 19–23, 2017. Photo by Richard Haughton.