The Auditorium Philms Concert Series continues with The Holiday in Concert with the Chicago Philharmonic, December 20th

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THE AUDITORIUM PHILMS CONCERT SERIES continues with

The Holiday in Concert

with the Chicago Philharmonic

One night only, Saturday, December 20 at 7:30 PM at The Auditorium

The Chicago Philharmonic performs the Hans Zimmer score live to film

Tis the season for holiday fun with family and friends, or maybe even a special date. It's also cuffing season, ya know. What better way to set the mood than with a fun romcom and a live orchestra? Here at ChiIL Live Shows, we adore The Auditorium Philms Concert Series. This blend of iconic movies and live accompaniment by the Chicago Philharmonic makes for an incomparable live-to-film experience. Cut the clutter this season and make some memories with an experiential gift instead. 

The Auditorium (Chicago’s landmark stage at 50 E. Ida B. Wells Drive) and the Chicago Philharmonic bring a live-to-film experience of the beloved romcom The Holiday in Concert this festive season. The Chicago Philharmonic takes the Christmas classic and the score of world-renowned composer Hans Zimmer to new heights. The one-night-only presentation takes place Saturday, December 20 at 7:30 PM at The Auditorium, 50 E Ida B Wells Dr. 

Tickets are limited, starting at $48, and are available at auditoriumtheatre.org or by calling The Auditorium’s Ticket Service Center at 312.341.2300

The popular Nancy Meyers romcom The Holiday stars Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, Kate Winslet and Jack Black. The film tells the story of Amanda, who lives in LA as a movie trailer editor, and Iris, who lives in Surrey as a journalist. The two decide to swap houses for two weeks at Christmas – both trying to forget their troubled love lives, until love finds them anyway. The Holiday premiered in 2006 and was a commercial success, grossing $205.8 million worldwide. The upcoming live-to-film experience at The Auditorium with the Chicago Philharmonic brings the beloved holiday classic and Hans Zimmer’s score to Chicagoans for an unforgettable live holiday experience under the direction of long-time collaborator conductor Thiago Tiberio.

“Once again, we’re thrilled to welcome guests for another truly magical movie night,” said The Auditorium CEO Rich Regan. “Hans Zimmer’s unforgettable score from The Holiday will be brought to life by the Chicago Philharmonic in a way you’ve never experienced before. We invite everyone to come celebrate the season with music, warmth, and holiday joy here at The Auditorium.”

“We can't wait to bring this movie and score to The Auditorium,” said Chicago Philharmonic Executive Director Terell Johnson. “It's a beautiful, nostalgic way to celebrate the holidays, and another opportunity to show new audiences the magic of live symphonic performance."

About The Chicago Philharmonic Society

Founded by musicians of the Lyric Opera Orchestra in 1989, The Chicago Philharmonic Society is on a mission to reimagine the orchestra concert experience. With nearly 200 musician members and a unique system of musician governance, the organization is one of the most versatile, innovative, and ambitious orchestras in the country.

Chicago Philharmonic proudly collaborates with the greatest artists of our time, in every genre. Past collaborations have included The Joffrey Ballet, English National Ballet, Kishi Bashi, Lady Gaga, Tony Bennett, Joshua Bell, Tank and the Bangas, William Basinski, the American Ballet Theatre, Ryan Speedo Green, and more.

In 2021, Crain’s Business Chicago 40 Under 40 awardee Terell Johnson joined the organization as Executive Director. Since then, the orchestra has become a force for innovation and inclusion in the city’s performing arts ecosystem with a series of increasingly high-profile events. 2024 brought the orchestra’s debut at Lollapalooza Chicago with Icelandic jazz/pop sensation Laufey as the first orchestra to ever perform at the famed festival; a highly anticipated return to Ravinia Festival with a World Premiere tribute to Whitney Houston and a concert with the Violent Femmes; and the World Premiere tour of An Evening with Sleeping At Last culminating in a sold-out debut at Carnegie Hall. Learn more at www.chicagophil.org.


About Thiago Tiberio

Mr. Tiberio is a specialist in musical synchronization to film, having conducted orchestras in scoring sessions during most of his career. This naturally led to positions in live-to-picture concert productions, such as Star Wars Live in Concert, Pixar in Concert, Danny Elfman: Music from the Films of Tim Burton, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Lord of the Rings: Live to Projection, and others. He premiered the fully orchestrated version of Coco in Concert for Disney, closing the 2019 Ravinia Festival, with the Chicago Philharmonic.

Tiberio is the official conductor of America’s Wonders, the world’s first 3-dimensional, IMAX-style cinematic journey with live orchestra—a celebration of America’s most breathtaking national parks and cities with classical, pop, and original music meticulously synchronized to picture. He also composed and orchestrated a large portion of the music in the show.

About The Auditorium

The Auditorium, located at 50 E. Ida B. Wells Drive in Chicago, is an Illinois not-for-profit organization committed to presenting the finest in international, cultural, community, and educational programming to all of Chicago and beyond as The Theatre for the People. The organization is also committed to the continued restoration and preservation of this National Historic Landmark that originally opened in 1889. The Auditorium’s 2025-26 performance season features a dynamic mix of cultural events from ballet to rock and roll and everything in between. For more information on The Auditorium and a complete listing of events at The Auditorium please visit AuditoriumTheatre.org.

Theater Grottesco Presents ACTION AT A DISTANCE… IN 2025 NOVEMBER 13 - 16 AT FACILITY THEATER

SIX PLAYS, FOUR ACTORS, ONE STAGE: COLLIDE IN 

ACTION AT A DISTANCE… IN 2025 

A BOLD THEATRICAL CHICAGO PREMIERE OF A FAY|GLASSMAN PERFORMANCE STAGED WITH THE COLLABORATION OF THEATER GROTTESCO

NOVEMBER 13 - 16 AT FACILITY THEATER 

Santa Fe’s celebrated physical theater ensemble, Theater Grottesco, proudly announces a limited Chicago engagement for Action at a Distance … in 2025, November 13 - 16 at Facility Theater, 1138 N. California Ave. Action at a Distance … in 2025 is a bold theatrical experiment from Fay|Glassman Performance crafted in collaboration with Theater Grottesco. 

This new production, graphically scored in detail, offers a kaleidoscopic theatrical experience that is closer to music composition and dance, blending six simultaneous plays performed on a 10ft x 10ft stage by four actors. In 2018, the two companies received a national grant from the Network of Ensemble Theaters for five weeks of outlandish theatrical research and development. 

After four months of intensive work in 2025, the fully-developed production comes to Chicago for a limited engagement. The performance schedule is Thursday, Nov. 13 - Saturday, Nov. 15 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 16 at 3 and 8 p.m. 

Theater Grottesco and Fay|Glassman Performance are committed to making the performances accessible. As part of this commitment, the companies welcome audiences with a sliding scale of ticket prices from $15 - $30.

 Tickets are on sale now and available at: LisaFayAndJeffGlassmanDuo.org/tickets. Action at a Distance ... in 2025 is an original work of new theatrical form that breaches several of theatre’s conventional boundaries. Using techniques often found in film, musical composition and dance such as innovative physical “jump cuts” and “gestural choreography,” characters and actions depart from common representations of time and space, to create moments of astonishing synchronicity, while actors fluidly transform among multiple characters and interact across disparate scenes. 

This dynamic, multilayered performance challenges traditional storytelling, immersing audiences in a constantly shifting mosaic of interactions and emotions. Action at a Distance … in 2025 follows the structural truths when people distraught and disconnected from one another live together, in imperceptible yet finely-tuned synchronicity, as do the actors on this stage. Much like the bustle of a crowded airport, Action at a Distance captures the unpredictability within human connections. 

Six original plays happen simultaneously as performed by four dynamic actors who seamlessly switch between narratives using some of the techniques invented by the Fay|Glassman Performance duo, creating an ever-shifting structural mosaic of simultaneous stories, with juxtaposition, montage, irony and satire, brought to life on a 10ft x 10ft stage. 

Six plays. One tiny stage. All happening at once. But what does that actually mean? The plays: 1. A family with a crying child frantically prepares to evacuate their home in advance of a hurricane. 2. An international human rights lawyer flees her international arms-dealing partner. 3. A filmmaker interviews a doctor who volunteered at the Occupy Wall Street tent camp in 2011. 4. A union local hosts an address by a revolutionary Venezuelan union leader. 5. An artist prepares a gallery installation of the UN negotiator's office for the 1948 Palestine Mandate, just before the negotiator’s assassination by the Stern Gang. 6. A financial mogul is unnerved by a rock, with a photo attached, smashing his window. 

The Action at a Distance … in 2025 cast includes John Flax (he/him), Apollo Garcia Orellana (he/they), Elizabeth Glass (she/her) and Danielle Louise Reddick (she/her). The creative team includes Jeff Glassman (he/him, composition/director); Lisa Fay (she/her, composition); Elizabeth Glass (she/her, Santa Fe directing assistance); William Miglino (he/him, Santa Fe rehearsal manager); Richard Norwood (he/him, lighting, Chicago); Joshua Billiter (he/him, lighting, Santa Fe); Julie Williams (she/her, production manager and consultant, Chicago); Stefan Brun (he/him, production manager and consultant, Chicago); Marc Romanelli (photography) and Mariah Olesen (she/her, media materials, consulting and photography). 

ABOUT THE LISA FAY AND JEFF GLASSMAN DUO (FAY|GLASSMAN PERFORMANCE) The Lisa Fay and Jeff Glassman Duo are known for creating theatre that ranges from humorous and disarming to mesmerizing and disorienting. Their work applies composed structures to ordinary human behavior, just as electronic music applies composed structures to ordinary sounds. The techniques they’ve developed over 40 years allow us to observe methodically re-organized behavior in social space. The reflections can be cathartic and awakening, opening windows on new ways of seeing humanity. New doubts and new truths arise about what’s happening “right now.” 

ABOUT THEATER GROTTESCO Founded in Paris in 1983, Theater Grottesco is known internationally for visual and explosive physical productions. The Grottesco Ensemble rekindles interest in live performance by juxtaposing classical and modern theatrical styles with daring, poetic research of culture and imagination, giving voice to marginal elements of contemporary society and taking audiences to the brink of emotional wonder and soulful reflection. Theater Grottesco is celebrating its 29th year in Santa Fe and is a 2017 award winner of the National Theater Program. 

ABOUT THE CREATIVE PROCESS Both companies create collaboratively, involving intensive workshops, improvisation and experimentation with an eye toward making a new work of art instead of crafting an already existing play. Devising a new play often takes years. As for the work's rigorous movement, Glassman has said, “Theater Grottesco is the only company I know of that could handle the strange physicality of this work.” Special thanks for media and publicity materials and advising to Mariah Olesen, Santa Fe; to artists Myriah Duda and Koppany Pusztai, Santa Fe; to Estevan Vigil on lights, Santa Fe; Fay|Glassman Performance for their production support and to Lisa Fay for her keen and cracking good, decades long, artistic consultation and enduring support for this project.

This program supported in part by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council

HUBBARD STREET DANCE CHICAGO'S SEASON 48 FALL SERIES RETURNS NOVEMBER 14–23, 20

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HUBBARD STREET DANCE CHICAGO RETURNS TO STEPPENWOLF THEATRE COMPANY FOR

SEASON 48 FALL SERIES

NOVEMBER 14–23, 2025

HUBBARD STREET DANCE CHICAGO RETURNS TO STEPPENWOLF THEATRE COMPANY FOR SEASON 48 FALL SERIES, NOVEMBER 14–23, 2025 Program features Ohad Naharin’s Black Milk, Bob Fosse’s Percussion IV, Aszure Barton’s A Duo and Johan Inger’s IMPASSE Tickets for the Season 48 Fall Series Are Available Now at Hubbardstreetdance.com.

Linda-Denise Fisher-Harrell, Artistic Director of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago (Hubbard Street), and Executive Director David McDermott are proud to announce programming for the company’s Season 48 Fall Series, marking Hubbard Street’s return to Steppenwolf Theatre Company following last season’s sold-out debut. The engagement runs Friday, November 14 through Sunday, November 23, 2025 in Steppenwolf’s intimate Downstairs Theater (1650 N. Halsted St.). 

Following a record-breaking, landmark year of bold premieres and historic collaborations, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago launches Season 48 with a program that showcases the company’s extraordinary physicality, range, and commitment to presenting both fresh voices and iconic works. The Fall Series includes Ohad Naharin’s Black Milk, described by the Chicago Tribune as “by turns elegant and feral”; Percussion IV, originally choreographed by Bob Fosse for his Broadway hit Dancin’ and returning to the company as part of its ongoing collaboration with The Verdon Fosse® Legacy; A Duo, a dynamic duet by Resident Artist Aszure Barton continuing her creative residency, now in its third season; and IMPASSE, Johan Inger’s theatrical, exuberant favorite brimming with joy and inventive movement. 

The return of Percussion IV to Hubbard Street marks a meaningful full-circle moment. Gwen Verdon’s admiration for the company began in the 1980s when she sought to adapt Bob Fosse’s works for concert dance, a vision that included staging Percussion IV for Hubbard Street during Fisher-Harrell’s tenure as a company dancer. Last season’s Fall Series marked the launch of a historic partnership with The Verdon Fosse® Legacy, making Hubbard Street the only company in the world authorized to hold a Bob Fosse work in its repertoire—a distinction that continues in Season 48. 

“This program brings together four works that, collectively, speak to the vast possibilities of contemporary dance,” said Fisher-Harrell. “From the raw, elemental power of Naharin’s Black Milk to the precision and lineage embodied in Fosse’s Percussion IV, the inventiveness of Barton’s A Duo, and the exuberance of Inger’s IMPASSE, each piece challenges our artists in distinct ways while offering audiences an expansive journey through movement and emotion.” 

Season 48 subscriptions and tickets are available now online or by calling the Hubbard Street Box Office at 312-850-9744, ext. 5. Tickets range from $23 to $128.80 (including fees). For ticket information, program details, or to learn more about how you can join in the movement, visit Hubbardstreetdance.com.

Hubbard Street is grateful to our Season 48 Partners Athletico Physical Therapy and the Illinois Arts Council for their continued support. 

The Season 48 Fall Series performance schedule is as follows: 

Fall Series at Steppenwolf Theatre Company (Downstairs Theater) November 14-23, 2025 

Featuring: Black Milk by Ohad Naharin Percussion IV by Bob Fosse 

A Duo by Resident Artist Aszure Barton 

IMPASSE by Johan Inger 

About Hubbard Street Dance Chicago 

Hubbard Street Dance Chicago’s mission is to awaken the human spirit through contemporary dance, envisioning a dance landscape that is relevant and accessible to all. 

For 48 years, Hubbard Street has been one of the most original forces in contemporary dance – bringing top choreographers and works to Chicago and beyond. Hubbard Street’s ever-evolving repertory, created by today’s leading choreographic voices, makes them a company that dancers aspire to join and performance venues all over the world are eager to host. To date, the main company has performed globally in 19 countries and 44 U.S. states. 

At home in Chicago, Hubbard Street performs 20 times a year and delivers renowned education programs in 50 classrooms across 17 Chicagoland schools. Hubbard Street Education utilizes the choreographic process to teach essential problem-solving skills, creativity, and collaboration - expanding our reach beyond traditional concert dance audiences, ensuring that everyone has access to world-class dance and instruction. 

Hubbard Street Dance Chicago grew out of the Lou Conte Dance Studio in 1977, and Conte served as Artistic Director for 23 years. Linda-Denise Fisher-Harrell began her tenure at the company in March 2021. In January 2022, Hubbard Street moved to their new home in Water Tower Place on Michigan Avenue and acclaimed choreographer Aszure Barton was named Resident Artist in January 2023. Visit Hubbardstreetdance.com for more information. 

About The Verdon Fosse® Legacy 

The mission of The Verdon Fosse Legacy® is to promote, preserve, and protect the artistic and intellectual property of Bob Fosse® and Gwen Verdon. Through its range of educational programs, Legacy-sanctioned teachers and reconstructeurs teach Fosse® style, technique, and work ethic to students and professionals in the US & internationally. The Legacy aims to foster and educate performers, directors, and choreographers, as well as scholars and students interested in American film and musical theatre. It partners with universities, dance studios, museums, libraries, publishing companies, film screenings, and non-profit organizations to honor the work and methodology of Gwen Verdon and Bob Fosse. The Verdon Fosse Legacy Professional Training Program’s mission is to empower today’s artists through diverse dance training, instilling the original integrity and intent of Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon’s work to build uniquely powerful entertainers for tomorrow. The Verdon Fosse Legacy oversees the licensing of Bob Fosse’s work for non-profit and for-profit commercial use. The Legacy protects the image, artistic, and intellectual property of Gwen Verdon and Bob Fosse and owns the trademarks for Fosse® and Bob Fosse® whose indelible influences can be seen across pop culture today. 

About Steppenwolf Theatre Company 

Steppenwolf Theatre Company is the nation’s premier Ensemble Theater with 49 members who are among the top actors, playwrights and directors in the field. Thrilling, powerful, groundbreaking productions have made this theatre legendary. From the 1980 phenomenon of Balm in Gilead, to The Grapes of Wrath, August: Osage County, Downstate, The Brother/Sister Plays, and now, the 2025 Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning Purpose, Steppenwolf Theatre has had a long-running and undeniable impact on American Theater and Chicago's cultural landscape. Founded in 1976, Steppenwolf started as a group of teens performing in the basement of a church. Today, the company's artistic force remains rooted in the original vision of its founders: an artist-driven theatre, whose vitality is defined by its appetite for bold and innovative work. Every aspect of Steppenwolf is rooted in its Ensemble ethos, from the intergenerational artistic programming to the multi-genre performance series LookOut, to the nationally recognized work of Steppenwolf Education and Engagement which serves nearly 15,000 teens annually. While grounded in the Chicago community, more than 40 original Steppenwolf productions have enjoyed success nationally and internationally, including Broadway, Off-Broadway, London, Sydney, Galway and Dublin. Steppenwolf also holds accolades that include the National Medal of Arts, 14 Tony Awards, two Pulitzer Prize-winning commissions and more. Led by Artistic Directors Glenn Davis and Audrey Francis, Executive Director Brooke Flanagan and Board of Trustees Chair Keating Crown — Steppenwolf continually redefines the boundaries of live theater and pushes the limits of acting and performance. Steppenwolf’s Mission: Steppenwolf strives to create thrilling, courageous and provocative art in a thoughtful and inclusive environment. We succeed when we disrupt your routine with experiences that spark curiosity, empathy and joy. We invite you to join our ensemble as we navigate, together, our complex world. steppenwolf.org, facebook.com/steppenwolftheatre, twitter.com/steppenwolfthtr and instagram.com/steppenwolfthtr.

Court Theatre presents Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew November 14 – December 14, 2025

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Court Theatre announces complete cast and creative team for Marti Lyons' adaptation of 

The Taming of the Shrew

November 14 – December 14, 2025

Under the leadership of Marilyn F. Vitale Artistic Director Avery Willis Hoffman and Executive Director Angel Ysaguirre, Court Theatre is proud to present William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, adapted and directed by Marti Lyons (with Associate Director Daira Rodriguez). This production will run from November 14 – December 14, 2025 at Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Ave. 

Welcome to a tale of deception, disguise, and desire. The richest man in town has two daughters and one big problem: he refuses to marry the youngest, Bianca, until the eldest, Katherina, is married first. Much to her family’s dismay, Katherina repeatedly—and violently— rejects the men interested in her and her wealth, and refuses to sacrifice her independence. When a mysterious gentleman enters the mix, suddenly Kate sees that surrender is no sacrifice. Perhaps there is strength in submission.

Artistic Director of Remy Bumppo Theatre Company Marti Lyons turns William Shakespeare’s classic inside out, with a fresh interpretation focused on feminine desire. This is not your standard Shrew.

“​​I was drawn to adapt The Taming of the Shrew because of its unnerving timeliness,” shares Director and Adaptor Marti Lyons. “It is a piece that brims with contradictions that are urgent and resonant. This complex study of power continues to intrigue even as it provokes. I am thrilled to craft this production at Court Theatre with this superb company of artists, and I cannot wait for audiences to join us on this journey.”

Marilyn F. Vitale Artistic Director Avery Willis Hoffman adds: "One of Shakespeare’s earliest comedies, The Taming of the Shrew has been reimagined countless times because it invites us to debate vital questions about the complexity of human relationships and gender dynamics. We revere it as a classic precisely because of these complexities and perhaps because we all need a little bit of comic virtuosity to help us navigate ever-challenging times. As the first production of my tenure at Court, I look forward to diving into Shakespeare's canonical battle of wits alongside our audiences.”

The cast of The Taming of the Shrew includes Ryder Dean McDaniel (Tranio/Ensemble); Mark L. Montgomery (Baptista/Petruchio’s Servant/Ensemble); Melisa Soledad Pereyra (Katherina/Ensemble); Nate Santana (Lucentio/Ensemble); Samuel Taylor (Hortensio/Ensemble); Netta Walker (Bianca/Ensemble); Alex Weisman (Grumio/Ensemble); Monica West (Widow/Ensemble); Jay Whittaker (Petruchio/Ensemble); and Dexter Zollifcoffer (Gremio/Ensemble).

The creative team includes Jackie Fox (Scenic Designer): Kotryna Hilko (Costume Designer); Maximo Grano De Oro (Lighting Designer), with Sierra Walker (Associate Lighting Designer); Matthew Chapman (Sound Designer); Ethan Korvne (Composer); Tanya Palmer (Production Dramaturg); Becca McCracken, CSA (Director of Casting and Artist Cultivation), with Celeste M. Cooper (Associate Casting Director); Danny Fender (Production Stage Manager); and Anna Vu (Assistant Stage Manager).

Tickets and subscription packages including The Taming of the Shrew are on sale now, and can be purchased online at CourtTheatre.org or by calling the Box Office at (773) 753-4472.

Complementing this production, Court is proud to partner with Jenn Freeman/Po’Chop on a presentation of their performance, THICK: a crumbling freak show. This event is free and open to the public, and reservations are highly encouraged. More information and tickets will be available at CourtTheatre.org or by calling the Box Office at (773) 753-4472.

About the Artists
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (Playwright, 1564–1616) was an English poet and playwright. He is widely considered to be the greatest writer in the English language. He wrote 38 plays and 154 sonnets. His early plays were mainly comedies (e.g. Much Ado about Nothing, A Midsummer Night’s Dream) and histories (e.g. Henry V). By the early seventeenth century, Shakespeare had begun to write plays in the genre of tragedy. These plays— such as Hamlet, Othello, and King Lear—often hinge on some fatal error or flaw in the lead character and provide fascinating insights into the darker aspects of human nature. These later plays are considered Shakespeare’s finest achievements.

MARTI LYONS (Director and Adaptor) is thrilled to return to Court Theatre, where she most recently directed Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?. Other recent credits include the world premiere of John Proctor is the Villain by Kimberly Belflower at Studio Theatre in Washington, D.C., the world-premiere of Witch by Jen Silverman at Writers Theatre and the subsequent award-winning production at Geffen Playhouse in L.A., Botticelli in the Fire by Jordan Tannahill at Woolly Mammoth Theatre, her co-adaptation of Cymbeline at American Players Theatre, and ‘ART’ by Yasmina Reza at Remy Bumppo Theatre Company, where she is Artistic Director. Lyons is also an ensemble member at The Gift Theatre and a member of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society.

RYDER DEAN MCDANIEL (Tranio/Ensemble) is excited to be making his Court Theatre debut! He received his B.A. from Northwestern University in theatre and musical theatre. Recent credits include Hairspray (Uptown Theatre), Disaster! (Big Noise Theatre), Bacchanal (Fowl Players), Throbbin’ Wood (PrideArts), as well as As You Like It, Night Side Songs, and Cock Envy (Northwestern University). He sends a big thank you to this team, his roommates, and family. Represented by Big Mouth Talent and Asteria Artists.

MARK L. MONTGOMERY (Baptista/Petruchio’s Servant/Ensemble) has appeared in Court’s Iphigenia in Aulis, Agamemnon, and M. Butterfly. Chicago credits include Outside Mullingar (Jeff Award nominee – Performer in a Principal Role) and Brooklyn Laundry (Northlight); Camino Real, Stage Kiss, and A Christmas Carol (Goodman); Fascination (About Face); Want, The Time of Your Life, and The Wheel (Steppenwolf); In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play) and Equivocation (Victory Gardens); Hedda Gabler and The Letters (Writers). He has also appeared in more than a dozen productions with Chicago Shakespeare Theater and recently completed a tour of Julius Caesar throughout France with Théâtre National de Bretagne.

MELISA SOLEDAD PEREYRA (Katherina/Ensemble) is making her Court Theatre debut. Chicago credits: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Chicago Shakespeare), Blood Wedding (Lookingglass). Broadway credits: A Doll’s House (Hudson Theatre). Regional credits: Anna in the Tropics, The River Bride, Love’s Labour’s Lost, Macbeth, As You Like It, Romeo and Juliet, among others (American Players Theatre Core Company). Other regional work includes Huntington Theatre, Utah Shakespeare Festival, Illinois Shakespeare Festival, Indiana Repertory Theatre, South Coast Rep, among others. Upcoming television debut on an acclaimed sci-fi series on Apple TV. Represented by Gray Talent Group.

NATE SANTANA (Lucentio/Ensemble) is an Artistic Collective member at Teatro Vista and Creative Producer at Shattered Globe, where he recently directed Lobby Hero. Theatre: Ironbound (Raven Theatre); The Thanksgiving Play, Ironbound (Steppenwolf); The Legend of Georgia McBride, Georgiana and Kitty: Christmas at Pemberley (Northlight); Frankenstein, Sense and Sensibility (Indiana Repertory); Short Shakespeare! Romeo and Juliet, Short Shakespeare! Twelfth Night (Chicago Shakespeare); Marvin’s Room (Shattered Globe); Balm in Gilead, Golden Boy (Griffin); The Abuelas, White Tie Ball (Teatro Vista); The Rainmaker (BoHo). Television: Chicago Med, Chicago P.D., Suits, and The Exorcist. He studied at the School at Steppenwolf, the Moscow Art Theatre, and received his B.A. from Valparaiso University.

SAMUEL TAYLOR (Hortensio/Ensemble) returns to Court Theatre, having previously appeared in The Lady from the Sea. He is an Artistic Associate at Lookingglass Theatre. Other Chicago credits include work at Steppenwolf, TimeLine, Redmoon, and Chicago Shakespeare Theater. He is a Co-Founder of the Back Room Shakespeare Project and author of the book My Life with the Shakespeare Cult. Regional credits include work at American Players Theatre, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Syracuse Stage, and the Guthrie Theater. On-camera credits include recurring roles on Boardwalk Empire, Red Line, and Crisis.

NETTA WALKER (Bianca/Ensemble) returns to Court after appearing in The Lion in Winter. Other Chicago credits include: How to Defend Yourself (Victory Gardens); Yen (Jeff Award – Performer in a Supporting Role, Raven Theatre); Hamlet, The Grapes of Wrath (The Gift); No Child (Definition Theatre); Continuity (Goodman); among many others. Film: Come As You Are, Whole. She played Keisha for three seasons on All American and All American: Homecoming, and has appeared in The Chi, The Big Leap, and Chicago Fire. Her original play keerah is being workshopped by Definition Theatre’s Amplify Festival, and she was selected as the playwright for the Blueprint Commission with First Floor Theater. Proudly represented by Paonessa Talent.

ALEX WEISMAN (Grumio/Ensemble) was previously in The Good Book at Court. Recent Chicago credits: Prayer For the French Republic (Northlight/Theater Wit) and An Act of God (Paramount). He is a two-time Jeff Award winner for The History Boys and Hand to God. Broadway: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (OBC). Select television: Frank on Sesame Street (GLAAD New Media Award), Chicago Fire/Med/P.D., Ted Lasso, New Amsterdam, Empire, Inventing Anna. Film: A Complete Unknown, An Acceptable Loss, and others. Founding stakeholder with Back Room Shakespeare and NU grad.

MONICA WEST (Widow/Ensemble) is making her Court Theatre debut. Chicago credits include Hand to God (Paramount Theatre); The Matchbox Magic Flute, The Music Man (Goodman Theatre); Eastland, Moby Dick (Lookingglass Theatre Company). Off-Broadway: The Glass Menagerie (Roundabout Theatre Company); Red Light Winter (Barrow Street Theatre); Germans in Paris (59E59). International: Dirty Dancing: The Classic Story on Stage (Royal Alexandra Theatre). Regional highlights: Guthrie Theater, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Westport Country Playhouse. TV: Chicago Med, Chicago Fire, Law & Order, Underemployed. Ms. West is a graduate of Marquette University and an M.F.A. candidate in writing at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

JAY WHITTAKER (Petruchio/Ensemble) returns to Court Theatre, having previously appeared in The Romance Cycle, Travesties, Cyrano, The Glass Menagerie, and The Wild Duck. Jay has worked at Goodman, Steppenwolf, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, and Northlight. Off-Broadway: Frank’s Home at Playwrights Horizons and Rose Rage at The Duke on 42nd Street. Regionally: Huntington, Shakespeare Theatre, and the Old Globe. Film: Unexpected Treasures, Gray Matter, Let’s Go to Prison, Death of a President, Dust Clouds, The Sea. Television: The Orville, Scream Queens, Chicago P.D., Prison Break, Early Edition. Jay recently wrote a short film that has premiered at five film festivals, and he is currently producing the feature film.

DEXTER ZOLLICOFFER (Gremio/Ensemble) has appeared at Court Theatre in Our Lan’ (2025 Spotlight Reading Series), The Lady from the Sea, King Hedley II, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, and others. Other theatre credits: Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, The Little Foxes, Dartmoor Prison (Goodman); Charm (Jeff Award – Actor in a Principal Role, Northlight); To Kill a Mockingbird, A Lesson Before Dying (Steppenwolf); Relatively Close, Knock Me a Kiss (Victory Gardens); and The Overwhelming (Next). Television and film credits include: Ghostlight, South Side, Joe Pera Talks to You, Chicago Fire, Chicago Med, Detroit 1-8-7, The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain, and Who Gets the Dog.

Dates: Previews: November 14 – November 21, 2025

Press Opening: November 22, 2025 at 7:30pm

Regular Run: November 23 – December 14, 2025

Schedule: Wed/Thurs/Fri: 7:30 p.m.

Sat/Sun: 2:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.

Accessible ASL Interpretation on Saturday, December 6, 2025 at 2:00pm

Performances: Touch Tour on Sunday, December 7, 2025 at 12:30pm
Open Captioning and Audio Description on Sunday, December 7, 2025 at 2:00pm

Location: Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Ave.

Tickets: $42.00 – $74.00 Previews
$60.00 – $90.00 Regular Run

Student, group, and military discounts available
Box Office: Located at 5535 S. Ellis Avenue, Chicago; (773) 753-4472 or www.CourtTheatre.org.

Winner of the 2022 Regional Theatre Tony Award, Court Theatre reimagines classic theatre to illuminate our current times. In residence at the University of Chicago and on Chicago’s historic South Side, we engage our audiences with intimate and provocative experiences that inspire deeper exploration of the enduring questions that confront humanity and connect us as people.

WildDoor Theater Makes Chicago Debut With SMOKEFALL At Theater WIT November 10 – December 21, 2025

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WILD DOOR THEATER MAKES ITS CHICAGO DEBUT WITH

NOAH HAIDLE’S SMOKEFALL 

AT THEATER WIT,

NOVEMBER 10 – DECEMBER 21

Gallant Directs the Poetic Meditation on how Families Fracture, Endure and Find Grace in the Ordinary

A new voice joins Chicago’s vibrant theater scene this fall as Wild Door Theater proudly launches its inaugural production, Smokefall, November 10 - December 21, by Noah Haidle and directed by Andrew Gallant, at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave. Performed in the round for an intimate and immersive audience experience, Smokefall marks Wild Door Theater’s debut, signaling the company’s mission to create bold, heartfelt work that bridges theatrical imagination and emotional truth. 

The performance schedule is Thursdays - Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. There are no Thursday performances, Nov. 13 and Nov. 27 and an added performance, Wednesday, Nov. 26 at 7:30 p.m. The running time, including intermission, is two hours. Tickets are $25–$39 and are available at WildDoorTheater.com.

Blending magical realism with aching humanity, Smokefall unfolds inside a crumbling Midwestern home where three generations navigate love, loss and the passage of time. Talking fetuses debate existence, a father vanishes and an apple tree grows through the home — all in a poetic meditation on how families fracture, endure and find grace in the ordinary.

Smokefall defies easy categorization: part family drama, part philosophical meditation and part surreal dreamscape. As Violet prepares to bring twin boys into the world, unseen forces swirl around her—the past and future, birth and decay, love and loss. With scenes shifting between heartbreak and humor, Smokefall explores what it means to begin again even when everything seems to fall apart.

“What moves me most about Smokefall,” says Director Andrew Gallant, “is how each character faces the quiet unraveling of their own small corner of the world — and yet, amidst that growing darkness, they find hope, courage and strength in one another. That’s what makes this play both timely and timeless.”

Performed in the round for an intimate and immersive audience experience, Smokefall marks Wild Door Theater’s debut — signaling the company’s mission to create bold, heartfelt work that bridges theatrical imagination and emotional truth.

The cast of Smokefall includes Isabella Isherwood (she/her, ensemble); Lucky Star (he/they, ensemble); Vilmarie Rosario (she/her, ensemble); Richard Schumacher (he/him, ensemble); Lauren Secrest (she/her, understudy); Katie Hope Noble (she/her, understudy) and Noah Moulton (he/him, understudy).

The production team is Andrew Gallant (he/him, director); Lauren Secrest (she/her, assistant director/assistant stage manager); Joshua Bennett (he/him, stage manager); Spencer Donovan (he/him, scenic designer); Saawan Tiwari (she/they, costume designer); Andy Cahoon (he/him, technical director); Kate Schnetzer (she/her, sound designer); Josiah Croegaert (he/him, lighting designer) and Adanna Eziri (she/her, props designer).


ABOUT NOAH HAIDLE, Playwright

Noah Haidle’s plays have been produced at South Coast Repertory, The Long Wharf Theater, The Goodman Theater, The Woolly Mammoth Theatre, The Huntington Theater and The Roundabout Theatre Company. Haidle has been commissioned by The Goodman Theater and written a screenplay for Scott Rudin Productions. He is a graduate of Princeton University and The Juilliard School, where he was a Lila Acheson Wallace playwright-in-residence. He is the recipient of three Lincoln Center Le Compte Du Nouy Awards, the 2005 Helen Merrill Award for Emerging Playwrights and an NEA/TCG theater residency grant.


ABOUT ANDREW GALLANT, Director

Andrew Gallant holds an M.F.A in acting from DePaul University, a postgraduate diploma from the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, a BA in theatre from UW-Madison and is a proud member of Actor’s Equity. For the last 15 years, Gallant has worked professionally in Chicago as an actor, playwright, director and artistic director. His plays I Wish to Apologize to the People of Illinois, At the Center and Out of Tune Confessional were staged at The Agency Theater and his play Mackerel Sky is currently being adapted into a short film with festival submissions pending.




ABOUT WILD DOOR THEATER

Wild Door Theater embraces bold theatrical storytelling to create transformative experiences for Chicago audiences. With roots in the city’s storefront theater scene, they value truthful, ensemble-driven performances as they reimagine classics and develop new works that challenge, connect and inspire the community. On stage and beyond, they are committed to cultivating emerging talent, championing unexpected perspectives and recentering theater as vital to civic life.

(BACA) ANNOUNCES THE 2025 BLACK EXCELLENCE AWARDS NOVEMBER 3, 2025 AT BLACK ENSEMBLE THEATER

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

BLACK ARTS & CULTURE ALLIANCE OF CHICAGO (BACA) ANNOUNCES

THE 2025 BLACK EXCELLENCE AWARDS

THE EVENING OF CELEBRATION WILL BE HELD MONDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2025

AT BLACK ENSEMBLE THEATER

Special honors will be awarded to Pemon Rami, Eve L. Ewing

and Professor Roxanne Stevenson, in addition to nominees in literature. visual arts, dance, theater and music

The Black Arts & Culture Alliance of Chicago (BACA) announces the 2025 Black Excellence Awards, honoring and celebrating Chicago theatre, dance, music, film, literary, and visual artists. The 24th annual event will be held at 7:30pm on Monday, November 3, 2025, at Black Ensemble Theater, 4450 N. Clark St. in Chicago.

For Black Excellence Awards tickets, event updates, and more information about the Black Arts and Culture Alliance of Chicago, visit https://www.bacachi.org/. Tickets are $50; $25 for students and seniors.

Throughout the evening, three Special Honor Awards will be presented to: Pemon Rami (Excellence in Film); Eve L. Ewing (Excellence in Literature); and Professor Roxanne Stevenson (Excellence in Music and Music Education).

The evening’s nominees are:

Literature
For Excellence in Community Engagement: Underground Bookstore, Da Book Joint, and Salty Books and Beans


Visual Arts
Gallery Exhibition: Faie African Art Gallery, Gallery Guichard, and Blanc Gallery

Artist: Dayo Laoye, Natasha Moustache, George Crump, and Ahmad Lee


Dance
Performance: Praize Production, Deeply Rooted, and Red Clay Dance

Choregraphy: Maiya Redding, Nicole Clarke Springer, Enneressa LaNette, Rasheida Smith and Brandee Lathon


Theater
Production: Definition Theater, Black Ensemble Theater, Theater 47, MPAACT and Pegasus Theater

Production Director: Jackie Taylor, Tyrone Phillips, Carla Stillwell, Daryl D. Brooks, John Ruffin and Ilesa Duncan

Actor Male: Ronald L. Connor, Vincent Jordan, Tamarus Harvel and Michael Kenady

Actor Female: Rhonda Preston, Alexandria Crawford, Tamara Batiest, Ariya Hawkins and Caitlin Dobbins

Special Recognition Director: Lili Ann Brown, Malika Stampley, Ron OJ Parson, Shanesia Davis, Awoye Timpo and Gabrielle Randle-Bent

Special Recognition Actor/Actress: Anji White, Gregory Fenner, Namir Smallwood, Brittney Mack, Kelvin Roston, Jr. and Shanesia Davis

Music
Female Vocalist: Lucy Smith and Zemrah

Male Vocalist: Gregory Gibbs, Theodis Rogers Jazz Trio and Jovan Watson


About The Black Arts & Culture Alliance of Chicago
The mission of the Black Arts & Culture Alliance of Chicago is to collectively advance excellence in the work of the Black arts and culture sector. The Alliance works to increase interaction, communication and development of black arts organizations and artists, while delivering programs that increase their visibility, marketability, stability, and sustainability.

Founded in 1997 as the African American Arts Alliance of Chicago and rebranded the Black Arts & Cultural Alliance of Chicago (BACA) in 2023, BACA offers a diverse range of events and programs that celebrate the rich heritage of the Black arts community in Chicago. Events and programs are designed to engage, educate, and inspire individuals (artists and patrons) who are passionate about Chicago’s Black arts and culture.

With new leadership in November 2024, the organization has been reorganized and revitalized, including a return to its original mission and a new focus in building the Board and programming, increasing membership, and creating websites that appropriately support BACA’s mission and purpose.

BACA is going strong after 28 years, with a full slate of events and programs celebrating the rich heritage of the Black arts community in Chicago.

In August 2025, BACA launched the Black Arts Directory of Chicago to serve as a vibrant online hub for African American and minority performing arts and culture in Chicago and beyond. The directory spotlights theatre, dance, music, and cultural events to celebrate rich artistic traditions. BACA prioritizes connecting audiences with diverse cultural experiences, showcasing the talents of Black and Brown artists that showcase the dynamic ingenuity and creativity of Chicago’s Black artists and organizations. It celebrates the rich narratives, historical relevance and artistic expressions that define African American and minority performing arts.

To find out more and view the Black Arts Directory visit https://www.blackartsdirectory.org/. The Black Arts Directory is made possible by an Arts Recovery Program grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.

The BACA staff is Executive Director Luther Goins, Grants Writer & Development Manager Ilesa Duncan, and PR, Marketing & Design Director Doc Wheeler. The Board of Directors includes President Jackie Taylor, Vice President Sydney Chatman, and members Cheryl Lynn Bruce, Troy O. Pryor, Portia McFarland, William Gill, Ericka Ratcliff, Shawn Wallace, Daryl D. Brooks, and Roxanna Conner.



Upcoming BACA Events and Programs include:

Black Excellence Awards Ceremony 2025
Monday, November 3, 2025, 7:30pm-9:00pm
Black Ensemble Theater, 4450 N Clark St, Chicago
Tickets: $25-$50
https://www.bacachi.org/

The Black Excellence Awards Ceremony, presented annually by the Black Arts & Culture Alliance of Chicago, honors, celebrates, supports, and promotes Chicago theatre, dance, music, film, literary, and visual artists.

Martin Luther King Celebration: The Black Arts & Culture Town Hall
January 19, 2026

This celebration and panel discussion honors the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and discusses the challenges and commonalities faced by Black artists and arts organizations and will launch the 2026 Black to Black Workshop Series.


Black to Black Series: Entertainment Business for the Black Artist
March 2026

Workshops
Black to Black Series: Working & Thriving in Chicago
May 2026
Panel Discussion

Cookout In The Blackyard Summer Networking Event
August 2026
Join BACA for an amazing networking opportunity featuring barbecue, drink, music, and fun.


Black to Black Series: History & Fundamentals of Black Organizations
October 2026
Workshops & Auditions

Black Excellence Awards
November 2026

Black Arts Hall of Fame 2026
November 2026



About Black Arts & Culture Alliance of Chicago (BACA)
The mission of the Black Arts & Culture Alliance of Chicago is to collectively advance excellence in the work of the Black arts and culture sector. The Alliance works to increase interaction, communication and development of black arts organizations and artists, while delivering programs that increase their visibility, marketability, stability, and sustainability.

For tickets, event updates, and more information about the Black Arts and Culture Alliance of Chicago, visit https://www.bacachi.org/.

A 225+ Artist Carmina Burana at Lyric Opera of Chicago November 14–18, 2025

Chi, IL Live Shows On Our Radar

What you need to know about 

Carmina Burana

More than 225 artists bring Orff’s classic work to the Lyric stage

Running time: Approximately 1 hour and 5 minutes, no intermission.

Lyric Opera of Chicago presents the company premiere of Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, November 14–18, 2025. For three performances only, Music Director Enrique Mazzola conducts the Lyric Opera Orchestra and Chorus in this 20th-century masterpiece, joined by soprano Jasmine Habersham, tenor David Portillo, baritone Ian Rucker, and the Uniting Voices Chicago children’s choir. From the thunderous opening chorus "O Fortuna" to passages of hushed intimacy, Carmina Burana captures the full sweep of human experience in music that is at once visceral, dramatic, and unforgettable.

Three performances only: Friday, November 14 at 7:00 p.m.; Sunday, November 16 at 2:00 p.m.; and Tuesday, November 18 at 7:00 p.m.

The songs of fate, fortune, and fleeting joy. Orff’s score is based on a set of medieval poems discovered in Bavaria, written by students and clergy between the 11th and 13th centuries. His selections explore love, lust, gambling, drinking, and the transience of life with bold rhythmic drive and theatrical force. The result is music that feels both primal and timeless, a raw spectacle of choral power, lush orchestration, and unforgettable immediacy.

Every note resonates with power and precision. Music Director Enrique Mazzola conducts the Lyric Opera Orchestra with a distinctive blend of clarity, vigor, and stylistic insight. Internationally recognized as a leading interpreter of bel canto, French repertoire, and early Verdi, he has appeared at major houses including La Scala, the Metropolitan Opera, and Deutsche Oper Berlin, as well as festivals from Salzburg to Glyndebourne. At Lyric, he has led productions that showcase his ability to illuminate the majesty and power of large-scale choral writing such as Mozart’s Requiem (2023/24), Verdi’s Aida (2023/24), Beethoven’s Fidelio (2024/25), and the Wondrous Sound celebration of chorus and orchestra (2024/25).

Chorus Director Michael Black directs the 100-member Lyric Opera Chorus, one of the most distinguished ensembles of its kind in the world and a cornerstone of Lyric’s performances. Renowned for the beauty of their sound and stylistic versatility, the Chorus has collaborated with conductors including Enrique Mazzola, Sir Andrew Davis, Jakub Hrůša, Marco Armiliato, Harry Bicket, James Gaffigan, and Emmanuel Villaume. In the 2024/25 Season, the Chorus showcased its versatility to new audiences across the city and surrounding areas in the Great Choral Works community tour, performing operatic favorites alongside spirituals and musical theater selections. For Carmina Burana, the Chorus is joined by 50 treble voices from Uniting Voices Chicago (formerly Chicago Children’s Choir), directed by Josephine Lee, whose artistry and youthful energy provide a brilliant complement to Orff’s massive choral forces.

A dazzling trio of soloists brings these iconic vocal lines to life. Soprano Jasmine Habersham, who made her Lyric debut in the 2024/25 Season as Ashley in Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek’s The Listeners, has quickly become known for her radiant tone and vibrant stage presence. Chicago audiences may also know her from her starring role as Claudette Colvin in Chicago Opera Theater’s world premiere of Jasmine Barnes and Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton’s She Who Dared last summer. She has starred as Juliette in Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette with Opera San José, Susanna in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro with Madison Opera, and Cleopatra in Handel’s Giulio Cesare with Atlanta Opera, and she recently appeared in Barcelona at the Gran Teatre del Liceu as Frasquita in Bizet’s Carmen. Her concert work has taken her to stages with the Baltimore Symphony, Dallas Symphony, and Rochester Philharmonic.

Tenor David Portillo, a distinguished alumnus of Lyric’s Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center, has performed ten roles with the company since his debut in 2007, including Arbace in Mozart’s Idomeneo, and Andres in Berg’s Wozzeck. A regular at the Metropolitan Opera, he has sung Tamino in Mozart’s The Magic Flute, Count Almaviva in Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia, and the Chevalier de la Force in Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmélites. His credits span Glyndebourne, Houston Grand Opera, Washington National Opera, and the Salzburg Festival. Portillo was honored with the 2024 Sphinx Medal of Excellence, and his upcoming engagements include Frederic in Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance with Seattle Opera and Jupiter in Handel’s Semele at Dutch National Opera.

Baritone Ian Rucker, another proud Ryan Opera Center alumnus, has built a strong presence at Lyric since his debut in the 2022/23 Season. His company appearances have included Raimbaud in Rossini’s Le Comte Ory, Moralès in Bizet’s Carmen, the Foreman in Janáček’s Jenůfa, and Schaunard in Puccini’s La Bohème. He returns in 2025/26 as Guglielmo in Mozart’s Così fan tutte. Beyond Lyric, Rucker has performed Dandini in Rossini’s La Cenerentola with Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Count Almaviva in Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro with Scottish Opera, and the title role in the world premiere of Oliver Leith’s The Story of Billy Budd at Festival d’Aix-en-Provence. A recent prizewinner at the prestigious Neue Stimmen competition, he has also sung at the Salzburg Festival and with Palm Beach Opera. Originally from Wisconsin, Rucker studied at the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire and Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music.

The production team for Carmina Burana includes Lighting Designer Sarah Riffle and Projection Designer Adam Larsen.

A landmark premiere for Lyric. With its sheer sonic power, unforgettable choral writing, and themes that still resonate today, Carmina Burana is one of the most electrifying works in the concert repertoire. This long-awaited Lyric premiere is set to be a highlight of the Chicago cultural season.

IMPORTANT TO KNOW

· Language: Sung in Latin, Middle High German, and Old French, with easy-to-follow English titles projected above the stage.

· Pre-performance talks: Ticketholders are invited to a free 30-minute preview by Dr. Johann Buis one hour before each performance in the Ardis Krainik Theatre. Seating is unreserved; ticket required for entry.

· Accessibility: Braille and large-print programs, high-powered opera glasses, assistive listening devices, and booster seats are available from the Steiner Parquet coat checks at all performances. For more information, visit lyricopera.org/accessibility.

· Location: Lyric Opera House, 20 N. Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL.

For more information and tickets, visit lyricopera.org/carmina or call 312.827.5600.


Lyric’s 2025/26 Season is presented by the Robert and Penelope Steiner Family Foundation.

Lyric’s presentation of Orff’s Carmina Burana is generously made possible by Irene D. Pritzker in honor of Michael Black.

Maestro Enrique Mazzola is generously sponsored by Alice & John Butler, H. Gael Neeson, Sylvia Neil & Daniel Fischel, the Robert and Penelope Steiner Family Foundation, Mary Stowell, and the Zell Family Foundation as members of the Enrique Circle.

Lyric Opera of Chicago thanks its Official Airline, United Airlines, and acknowledges support from the Illinois Arts Council.



About Lyric

Lyric Opera of Chicago is committed to redefining what it means to experience great opera. The company is driven to deliver consistently excellent artistry through innovative, relevant, celebratory programming that engages and energizes new and traditional audiences.

Under the leadership of General Director, President & CEO John Mangum and Music Director Enrique Mazzola, Lyric is dedicated to reflecting, and drawing strength from, the diversity of Chicago. Lyric offers, through innovation, collaboration, and evolving learning opportunities, ever-more exciting, accessible, and thought-provoking audience and community experiences. We also stand committed to training the artists of the future, through The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center; and to becoming increasingly diverse across our audiences, staff, programming, and artists — magnifying the welcoming pull of our art form, our company, and our city.

Through the timeless power of voice, the splendor of a great orchestra and chorus, theater, dance, design, and truly magnificent stagecraft, Lyric is devoted to immersing audiences in worlds both familiar and unexpected, creating shared experiences that resonate long after the curtain comes down.

Join us @LyricOpera on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Threads and Facebook. #LongLivePassion

For more information, visit lyricopera.org.




Lyric Opera of Chicago
20 N. Wacker Drive
Suite 860
Chicago, IL 60606
United States

Photo: John Shaw/Lyric Opera of Chicago