It's ON! One of a Kind Spring Show at THE MART April 24-26, 2026

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

THE ANNUAL 

ONE OF A KIND SPRING SHOW® CHICAGO 

WILL RETURN TO THE MART FEATURING 350+ ARTISTS, 150+ NEW EXHIBITORS, LIVE ENTERTAINMENT, GOURMET MARKET & MORE 

APRIL 24–26

Here at ChiIL Mama & ChiIL Live Shows, we've been covering The holiday and spring One of a Kind Shows for years and always meet the most interesting creatives. We also usually leave with fabulous OOAK finds. At the holiday show we shared an elevator with a group of women who came prepared, and left with rolling shopping carts packed to the brim! Express your unique self! Support indy artists and small businesses. Shop OOAK Chicago this Friday through Sunday.

The Best Place to Shop Original Work from Hundreds of Independent Artists, Designers and Makers Under One Roof, Chicago’s Favorite Spring Shopping Event Returns with a Curated Experience Including a Fine Art Gallery, Emerging Market, Gourmet Food, Drinks, Live Music and More

Chicago’s favorite 3‑day spring shopping event returns in full bloom! The One of a Kind Spring Show is pleased to announce the 2026 edition of the beloved event, taking over the 7th Floor of THE MART from Friday, April 24 through Sunday, April 26. Featuring animpressive selection of original work from more than 350 talented artists, designers and makers from across North America, attendees will have theopportunity to meet and shop directly from the show’s jury‑selected exhibitors, including 35 emerging artists and over 150 new participants debuting at the show this year. 

The One of a Kind Spring Show will showcase a vibrant mix of fine art, home décor, fashion, jewelry, ceramics, photography, gourmet goods and unique pieces perfect for spring celebrations including Mother’s Day, graduations, weddings and seasonal entertaining. Throughout the weekend attendees can enjoy live music from local performers and watch engaging artist demonstrations at center stage, indulge in artisan culinary creations in the Gourmet Market, meet rising food entrepreneurs inside The Hatchery Pavilion, and discover new favorites in the Emerging Market, featuring up‑and‑coming talent exhibiting for thefirst time.

Guests can also stroll through the curated Fine Art Gallery, where select works from exhibiting fine artists are presented in a dedicated gallery setting. Food and beverages will be available throughout the show floor with a variety of gourmet offerings provided by Foodstuffs, and courtesy carts will be available to make shopping easy and enjoyable. Each evening of the show, attendees can head outdoors to enjoy ART on THE MART, one of the world’s largest digital art projections, illuminating the iconic façade of THE MART with vivid, large‑scale displays.

“We are thrilled to be returning for our Spring Show, which continues to grow in creativity, excitement and community every year,” said Kathleen Hogan, Director of the One of a Kind Show. “Spring is the perfect time to refresh, explore and discover new work from our incredibly talented group of artists, and we can’t wait to offer an unforgettable weekend full of inspiration, artistry and connection.”

General Show Information:
The One of a Kind Spring Show® Chicago takes place at THE MART, 222 Merchandise Mart Plaza, 7th Floor, April 24–26, 2026. For tickets or more information, visit: http://oneofakindshowchicago.com/.
Tickets start at $15 for adult admissions (12+) and are valid for re‑entry all three days of the show.

Hours are as follows:
Friday, April 24: 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Saturday, April 25: 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Sunday, April 26: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

For news and real-time updates, follow the One of a Kind Show on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

About THE MART
THE MART (formerly The Merchandise Mart), located in the center of the sought-after River North submarket, is interwoven into the fabric of Chicago as aninnovator in business, technology, design, culture, art, media and more. It is one of the world’s leading commercial buildings, wholesale design centers and thepreeminent international business location in Chicago. Encompassing 4.2 million gross square feet, THE MART spans two city blocks, rises 25 stories, and is visited by an average of 30,000 people each business day and nearly 10 million people annually. Offering continuous innovation and creativity from leading manufacturers and design forward showrooms, THE MART serves as the home to Chicago's most creative and technologically innovative companies.

EXTENDED: Theater Wit's Midwest Premiere of The Ally Through May 17, 2026

Chi, IL Live Shows on our Radar:

Theater Wit adds shows, extends its Midwest Premiere of 

The Ally

the 2025 Pulitzer-nom'd play by Itamar Moses, through May 17, 2026

DeVaughn Asante Loman (left) as Baron and Jordan Lane Shappell as Asaf. Credit: Charles Osgood.

Theater Wit is excited to announce added performances and a two-week extension of its current Midwest premiere of The Ally due to popular demand.

The critics agree, The Ally is must-see:



“It is unusual to encounter a play so ferociously intelligent and even more unusual to encounter one that respects the intelligence of its audience…more than great theatre, it is important, essential theatre.” 

- C.J. Fernandes, Stage & Cinema



“Heady and passionate questions…(The Ally) explodes with rhetoric and recrimination—mostly around Israel and Palestine, but also touching on a host of other urgent issues.” 

- Kerry Reid, Chicago Reader, adding “It’s also often a very funny play, despite the subject matter” 



“The Ally has a heightened immediacy today, and should be seen. Highly Recommended.” 

- Bill Esler, Buzz Center Stage


Originally slated to run through May 2, The Ally has now been extended through May 17. The updated performance schedule, including newly-added Saturday matinees, is Thursday and Friday at 7 p.m.; Saturday at 2 and 7 p.m.; and Sunday at 2 p.m.

Theater Wit is also offering free pre-show discussions before the next two Sunday matinees to explore and add context to the themes of The Ally, and to learn more about engaging in social movements in Chicago. Admission is free with a ticket to the 2 p.m. performance that follows.

Sunday, April 19, 12:30 p.m.

“Approaches for Social Change” with Kelly Bencola, Northwestern University

Bencola will explore different models of social change and create space to reflect on how individual strengths and values can shape your approach to making an impact.


Sunday, April 26, 12:30 p.m.

“Organizing for Jewish Safety & Collective Freedom” with artist and activist Eli Newell from IfNotNow

Newell presents perspectives on the communal organizing landscape in the Jewish world, exploring grassroots contexts on the proliferation of antisemitic ideology and how we might disrupt its exploitation.

Extension tickets go on sale Wednesday, April 17. Tickets are $18-$44. Purchase tickets at theaterwit.org, by calling (773) 975-8150, or in person at the Theater Wit box office.

Theater Wit is located at 1229 W. Belmont Ave., in Chicago’s Lake View neighborhood. Convenient parking is available for $10 across Belmont in the lot behind Kubo restaurant (pay at the Theater Wit box office.) Neighborhood street parking is available, as are private paid lots (tip: book ahead and at a discount with Spothero). Theater Wit is also accessible via the CTA 77 Belmont bus, and is three blocks west of the CTA Belmont Red/Brown/Purple line stop.

The Ally: A student manifesto forces questions about identity and faith

From the Tony Award-winning author of The Band's Visit comes a provocative new play about identity, loyalty, and the complexities of unity.

A finalist for the 2025 Pulitzer Prize, The Ally, written by Itamar Moses (Completeness, Dead Outlaw), directed by Jeremy Wechsler (Prayer for the French Republic), is now enjoying its Midwest Premiere at Chicago’s Theater Wit. 

Moses’ newest play is a darkly funny and deeply human new play that asks: just whose side are you on? When Asaf’s student asks him to sign a petition condemning police brutality, he wants to do the right thing — until he realizes the manifesto turns out to be broader than he imagined, and every choice feels like betrayal. As the debate roars through his Midwestern campus and his ex-girlfriend takes the lead, Asaf is pulled into a political storm that tests his convictions and his sense of self. Will his fumbling entrée into activism help or hurt the cause? Who’s side is Asaf – and the audience – really on?

The cast for Theater Wit’s Midwest Premiere of The Ally features Sharyon Culberson as Nakia, Eliyah Arman Ghaeini as Farid, Mira Kessler as Rachel, DeVaughn Asante Loman as Baron, Evan Ozer as Reuven, Jordan Lane Shappell as Asaf, and K Chinthana Sotakoun as Gwen. Designers are Joe Schermoly (set), Matthew Eggers (costumes), Piper Kirchhofer (lights), Jonathan Berg-Einhorn (props), Joe Cerqua (composer and sound designer), Sarah Luse (stage manager), Matthew R. Chase (production manager) and Claire Simon (casting director).

The Ally premiered off-Broadway at the Public Theater in February 2024. The New York Times called it “Important…Itamar Moses’ play offers eloquent arguments on all sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.” New York Stage Review wrote “The Ally will most certainly give you the tools to wage a cogent, forceful argument, no matter what side you’re on.”

"I recognized myself in Asaf the moment I read this play," said Jeremy Wechsler, Theater Wit Artistic Director and director of The Ally. "Before October 7th, I — like a lot of American Jews on the left — held two ideas at once: that Israel was a haven and that the occupation was wrong. Itamar Moses saw, honestly before I did, that those two ideas were becoming impossible to hold simultaneously. But there are always two ways to answer the question ‘What do I believe?': what do I think, and what do I feel? Where we land on that spectrum is a constant negotiation between ourselves and the world around us. What The Ally asks — what it really demands — is that we face that negotiation honestly. Can we be good people when our hearts and our heads aren't aligned?”



Mira Kessler (from left) as Rachel, Jordan Lane Shappell as Asaf, DeVaughn Asante Loman as Baron, Eliyah Arman Ghaeini as Farid and Sharyon Culberson as Nakia inTheater Wit's Midwest Premiere of The Ally. Credit: Charles Osgood



Evan Ozer ( left) as Reuven and Jordan Lane Shappell as Asaf in Theater Wit's Midwest Premiere of The Ally. Credit: Charles Osgood


About Theater Wit, Chicago’s “Smart Art” theater
Photos courtesy Theater Wit

As a production company, Theater Wit is the premier smart art theater in Chicago, producing humorous, challenging, and intelligent plays that speak with a vibrant and contemporary theatrical voice. As an institution, Theater Wit seeks to be the hub of the Chicago neighborhood theater scene. Led by Artistic Director Jeremy Wechsler, Wit brings together Chicago’s best storefront theater companies in its three, 99-seat spaces, where audiences find a smorgasbord of excellent productions, see the work of a parade of talented artists, and mingle with audiences from all over Chicago.

In Fall 2025, Theater Wit received a three-year, $600,000 grant from the Paul M. Angell Foundation in support of Theater Wit’s Shared Spaces program, which empowers the artistic work of independent itinerant theater producers through subsidized, affordable space rentals and tailored production, accessibility and administrative support. 

In addition to Theater Wit’s The Ally, productions playing this spring at Theater Wit include resident company Shattered Globe Theatre’s World Premiere of Paul W. Kruse’s Eelpout!, April 17-May 30; and visiting company The Artistic Home’s The Sugar Wife, now through May 3.

A great way to show support for Chicago storefront theater is to purchase a Theater Wit Membership. For a low monthly fee of $35 – often less than the price of a single ticket – $25 for students, and $62 for a dual membership - Theater Wit members see as many shows as they want on the company’s three stages, year round. Sign up at theaterwit.org/boxoffice/membership.

Fantastic Negrito at Reva and David Logan Center For The Arts April 11, 2026

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar: 

Fantastic Negrito 

Performing at Reva and David Logan Center For The Arts

April 11, 2026  

“Reimagining the blues for a new age — and audience.” - LA Times

TOP WEEKEND PICKS: TONIGHT 4/11 Fantastic Negrito at Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts! We'll be there covering the concert for ChiIL Live Shows. Can't wait to catch this incredibly talented performer live. 

Limited tickets still available: 

General 

$37.00 ($33.00 ticket price + $4.00 fees)

UChicago Faculty/Staff

$30.00 ($26.00 ticket price + $4.00 fees)

Limit 1 per valid ID

Free Youth

$0.00 (NO Ticket Fee)

Limit 1 per adult ticket. Must be under 12 years-old.

“It’s the truest testament in believing not only is change gonna come, but it is here.” - Rolling Stone

Blending grit, soul, funk, rock, and blues, Fantastic Negrito has built a global following with performances that transcend genre and are communal between artist and audience. Since winning the inaugural NPR Tiny Desk Contest, he’s continued to reshape contemporary roots music, earning acclaim at major festivals worldwide and collaborating with artists like Sting, E-40, and Tank and the Bangas -- all a testament to the breadth and power of his artistry.

“Ripping up any blueprint for how a blues album should sound.” - American Songwriter

3x GRAMMY® Award-winner Fantastic Negrito released his highly anticipated album, Son of a Broken Man, on October 18, 2024 via his own Storefront Records. This album sees Fantastic Negrito encapsulating his inimitable style, from hard-hitting guitar riffs to expressive ballads, with the unexpected twists that have become his trademark. It stands as one of his most personal works to date, exploring family, deception, and the human desire to hide the true self as he dives deep into the struggle between father and son. 

“Something like Led Zeppelin’s debut, Negrito is too weird and wired to stay in the blues channel, though he is unlikely to head off toward hobbits. He is headed somewhere, that’s for sure.” - Pitchfork

Born Xavier Amin Dphrepaulezz, Fantastic Negrito's story is a testament to resilience and the transformative power of music. By now much has been made of Negrito’s unique story – growing up in an orthodox Muslim household, a doomed major label deal, the near-fatal car crash that permanently damaged his guitar playing hand—as well as the remarkable redemption arc that began in 2015, when he won the first-ever NPR Tiny Desk Contest. He has since earned three GRAMMY® Awards for “Best Contemporary Blues Album," and shared stages with everyone from Sturgill Simpson to Chris Cornell to Bruce Springsteen. He's collaborated in the studio with the likes of Sting, E-40, and Tank and The Bangas, performed on countless headline world tours and at festivals such as Lollapalooza, Glastonbury, Newport Folk, and WOMAD, and founded the Revolution Plantation, an urban farm aimed at youth education and empowerment.

“You’ll see that newly rediscovered purpose in his eyes and hear it in his voice.” - NPR

Listen to his album here: Son of a Broken Man

For full tour dates and information check out his site HERE.

League of Chicago Theatres' Deal Hunt Is Back April 14-22, 2026

 League of Chicago Theatres welcomes Spring with the return of Deal Hunt

 Dozens of participating shows are offering an additional $5 off

already discounted tickets on Hot Tix

The League of Chicago Theatres announces the popular spring theatre promotion Deal Hunt, bringing audiences the best of Chicago theatre at unbeatable prices.

 

Redeemable from April 14-22, 2026, Hot Tix patrons receive an extra $5 off already-discounted theater tickets for participating performances throughout the Spring season by using the code “Deal Hunt” at www.HotTix.org.

 

Marissa Lynn Jones, Executive Director of the League of Chicago Theatres, comments, “We are so excited about Spring’s arrival, bringing with it an abundance of new productions to Chicago stages. To kick-start the season, we are proud to bring back Deal Hunt to Hot Tix, making theatre even more accessible and affordable than ever.”

 

To date, 36 productions are participating, including: A Streetcar Named Desire, MadKap Productions at Skokie Theatre; Amplify Queer Joy, Chicago Playback Theatre Ensemble at Center on Halsted; Birthday Candles, Buffalo Theatre Ensemble at McAninch Arts Center; Building American Pop, Chicago a cappella  at Nichols Concert Hall; Chamber Music Series: Saint-Saëns, Vieuxtemps, and Fauré, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center at Harris Theater for Music and Dance; Comedy Pageant, Stars & Garters Theater; Cosmic Comedy Hour and The Cosmic Underground Show, Cosmic Underground Theater; Deep Schwa, Doing Our Moms, Improvised Jane Austen, The Armando Diaz Experience, Whirled News Tonight and Devil’s Daughter at iO Theater; DIVIDED, The Center for Performing Arts at Governors State University; Do Something Pretty, Rivendell Theatre Company; Eelpout!, Shattered Globe Theatre at Theater Wit; Father of the Bride, Drury Lane Theatre; FreakShow & Tell, Stars & Garters Theater; Heartbreak Hotel, Marriott Theatre; I Hate Hamlet, Saint Sebastian Players at St. Bonaventure; Jetlag, Physical Theater Festival at The Dance Center at Columbia College Chicago; Lizzy & The Triggermen, The Center for Performing Arts at Governors State University; LOKI-The End of the World Tour, Lifeline Theatre; M.A.S.T.E.R.M.I.N.D.S., Stars & Garters Theater; Modern Gentleman, About Face Theatre at Raven Theatre; moonwatchers, Lazy Susan Theatre Co.at Greenhouse Theater Center; Nomad by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Eastman, Harris Theater for Music and Dance; Octet,Raven Theatre; Out Here, Court Theatre; Rising Stars Burlesque Revue, Stars & Garters Theater; Ruthless! The Musical, Citadel Theatre Company; The Cuttlefish, or the Hyrcanian Worldview, Trap Door Theatre; The Sugar Wife, The Artistic Home at Theater Wit; The Trojan Women, Eos Theatre Company at Bramble Arts Loft; and Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!, at Studebaker Theater.

 

About Chicago theatre 

Chicago theatre is the leader in the U.S. with more than 250 theatres throughout Chicagoland, comprising a rich and varied community ranging from storefront, non-union theatres to the most renowned resident theatres in the country, including 7 which have been honored with Regional Tony Awards, and the largest touring Broadway organization in the nation. Chicago’s theatres serve 5 million audience members annually and have a combined budget of more than $250 million. Chicago produces and/or presents more world premieres annually than any other city in the nation. Each year Chicago theatres send new work to resident theatres across the country, to Broadway, and around the world. For more information, visit www.chicagoplays.com.

 

The League of Chicago Theatres’ Mission Statement

Theatre is essential to the life of a great city and to its citizens. The League of Chicago Theatres is an alliance of theatres, which leverages its collective strength to support, promote and advocate for Chicago’s theatre industry. Through our work, we ensure that theatre continues to thrive in our city.