Oil Lamp Theater Announces the Cast for its 2025 Season Opener: THE COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (ABRIDGED), Jan. 24 - Feb. 16, 2025

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OIL LAMP THEATER ANNOUNCES CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM FOR 

THE COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (ABRIDGED)

JANUARY 24 - FEBRUARY 16, 2025

DIRECTED BY JT NAGLE

Oil Lamp Theater’s 2025 Season Begins With A Spin On The Bard’s Catalog, Written By Adam Long, Daniel Singer and Jess WInfield.

Oil Lamp Theater is proud to announce the cast and creative team for its first production of the 2025 season, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged), written by Adam Long, Daniel Singer and Jess Winfield with new revisions by Daniel Singer and Jess Winfield, January 24 - February 16, at Oil Lamp Theater, 1723 Glenview Road. The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged…) is directed by JT Nagle with a preview performance Thursday, Jan. 23 at 7:30 p.m 

The performance schedule is Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 3 and 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. with additional Wednesday performances January 29 and February 12 at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. and February 5 at 7:30 p.m. Single tickets are $30 for previews and $55 for the performance’s run. Subscriptions for the entire 2025 season and single tickets to The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) are on sale now at OilLampTheater.org. 

Oil Lamp Theater’s 2025 season begins with an irreverent, fast-paced romp through the Bard’s plays,The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) weaves through all of Shakespeare’s comedies, histories and tragedies in one wild ride that will leave audiences breathless and helpless with laughter.

The cast of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) includes Michael Ashford (he/him), Samantha Garcia (she/her) and Elizabeth Rentfro (she/her) with understudies Kyle Quinlivan (he/him); Emma Soden (she/her) and Aneesah Jemei (she/her).

The production team includes JT Nagle (he/him, director); Brenden Delcorio (he/him), stage manager); Marcus Klein (he/him) scenic designer); Ellen Markus (she/hers, properties designer); Janelle Smith (she/hers/they/them, costume designer); Hannah Wien (she/hers/they/them, lighting designer);Connor Windle (she/hers/they/them, sound designer) and Greg Korak (he/him, technical designer).

ABOUT JT NAGLE, director

JT Nagle is an actor, comedian and director from Osawatomie, Kansas. As a director, he has worked with Oil Lamp Theater (most recently directing Ripcord), Avila University, Muse of Fire and Visceral Theatre (which he co-founded). You may also have seen Nagle onstage at Oil Lamp, Remy Bumppo Theatre Company, Goodman Theatre, Kansas City Repertory Theatre, Strawdog, Shattered Globe, Heart of America Shakespeare Festival and others. His one man show, Head Stuff, was featured at Redtwist Theatre and at the KC Fringe Festival with dozens of five-star reviews that weren’t just his parents.

OIL LAMP THEATER’S 2025 SEASON

In addition to The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged), the 2025 Oil Lamp Theater season includes The Lifespan of Fact, March 14 - April 16; The Marvelous Wonderettes, June 6 - June 29; Side by Side by Sondheim, August 17 - September 7 and Gaslight (Angel Street) October 3 - 26. Five-show and four-show subscriptions for the 2025 season are on sale now at OilLampTheater.org. 

ABOUT OIL LAMP THEATER

Oil Lamp Theater is an award-winning 60-seat storefront theater located in the heart of downtown Glenview. Keith Gerth founded the theater in February 2005, originally staging 20 productions for up to thirty-five friends and guests at night in his condo in Chicago. In March 2012, the organization was incorporated as a nonprofit and established a new location in downtown Glenview, fitted with warm décor and comfortable seating, reminiscent of a home. Oil Lamp produced 53 shows over the next seven years, reaching 10,000+ patrons per year and earning “Best Live Theater in the North Shore'' for four consecutive years. At the start of 2020, Keith Gerth retired, and shortly after, the pandemic began. Despite these major changes, Oil Lamp sprung into action and organized a drive-in for a fully-produced solo show, hosted outdoor concerts and built an outdoor venue for two full productions. Seeing the impact this made and the ability to conquer any challenge, Oil Lamp returned to indoor programming with a renewed vision. Oil Lamp now produces a dynamic Main Stage Season, Speak Easy Nights, a Women on Wednesdays series and continues investing in its connection with the community.

JACKALOPE THEATRE ANNOUNCES ITS 17th SEASON AT THE BROADWAY ARMORY PARK

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JACKALOPE THEATRE ANNOUNCES ITS 

17th SEASON 

AT THE BROADWAY ARMORY PARK

The 2024 - 2025 Season includes the return of The Smuggler by Ronán Noone, the United States Premiere of Esho Rasho’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival Hit, Dummy in Diaspora; the World Premiere of Rehana Lew Mirza’s Neighborhood Watch, relaunch of its New Frontier Series and a 2025 edition of the Living Newspaper Festival

Jackalope Theatre Company is proud to announce its 17th season to be performed at the Broadway Armory Park, 5917 N Broadway St. The 2024 - 2025 season season includes the return of the one-man thriller in rhyme, The Smuggler, January 14 - 25, 2025, by Ronán Noone, directed by Gus Menary and starring Andrew Burden Swanson, the United States premiere of one of the hits of the 2024 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Dummy in Diaspora, February 26 - March 23, 2025, written and performed by Esho Rasho and directed by Karina Patel, then the world premiere of a heightened and sharp tale of Islamophobia in an American suburb from Rehana Lew Mirza, Neighborhood Watch, May 22 - June 28, 2025, directed by Artistic Director Kaiser Ahmed and the season concludes with the latest edition of the Annual Living Newspaper Festival, August 21 - 25, 2025. In addition to the season announced today, Jackalope is currently accepting submissions from artists and companies for its New Frontier Series. The New Frontiers series is Jackalope supporting stories, people and communities in new and expansive ways at the Broadway Armory. Season subscriptions may be purchased for $85 with single tickets starting at $15. Subscriptions and single tickets are on sale now at JackalopeTheatre.org or by calling the box office at 773.340.2543.

“Jackalope Theatre is back at the Edgewater Armory with an incredible season including the return of The Smuggler, which played to sold out houses earlier this year,” said Artistic Director Kaiser Ahmed. “In addition, Chicago will host the United States premiere of the amazing Edinburgh festival hit from Esho Rasho, a world premiere about islamophobia and paranoia from Rehana Lew Mirza and the return of our Living Newspaper Festival. Jackalope’s 17th season continues our history of presenting productions from diverse American perspectives.”

Jackalope Theatre’s 17th season includes:

The Smuggler

January 14 - 25, 2025

Written by Ronán Noone

Directed by Gus Menary

Starring Andrew Swanson

(L to R) The Smuggler:  Ronán Noone, playwright; Gus Menary, director and Andrew Burden Swanson, "Tim Finnegan"

Previews: Tuesday, Jan. 14 at 7:30 p.m.

Press Opening: Wednesday, Jan. 15 at 7:30 p.m.

Performance schedule: Thursday, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m.,

Sundays at 2:00 p.m.

The Broadway Armory, 5917 N. Broadway St.

JackalopeTheatre.org

Tickets: $15 - $35

Jackalope Theatre Company remounts its thriller in rhyme, The Smuggler, reuniting the team behind the successful winter 2024 run, now scheduled at the Broadway Armory. It is 2025. Tim Finnegan is a clever and enterprising Irish immigrant tending bar on the island of Amity, an affluent summer enclave off the coast of Massachusetts. When his child falls ill and he loses his job, Finnegan is drawn into the dark world that exists only in the shadows of the wealthy island.

UNITED STATES PREMIERE

Dummy in Diaspora

February 26 - March 23, 2025

Written by Esho Rasho

Directed by Karina Patel

Starring Esho Rasho

(L to R) Dummy in Diaspora: Playwright/Performer Esho Rasho and Director Karina Patel

Previews: Wednesday, Feb. 26, Friday, Feb. 28 and Saturday, March 1 at 7:30 p.m.

Press Opening: Monday, March 3 at 7:30 p.m.

Performance schedule: Fridays, Saturdays and Mondays at 7:30 p.m.,

Sundays at 2:00 p.m.

The Broadway Armory, 5917 N. Broadway St.

JackalopeTheatre.org/2024-2025-season

Tickets: $15 - $35

Dummy in Diaspora is a coming-of-age solo play written and performed by Esho Rasho about a Middle Eastern American boy, Essa, whose parents are refugees. During its most recent run in the 2024 Edinburgh Festival, The Scotsman in its four-star review said Dummy in Diaspora is “brutally honest” and “chilling.” Essa confesses the experience of growing up in a country that doesn’t have a place for him. He navigates sexuality, the demands of a religion passed onto him from his parents, learning the English language, the fleetingness of youth and a nicotine demon that won't leave him alone. Absurd. Raw. Untold.

WORLD PREMIERE

Neighborhood Watch

May 22 - June 28, 2025

Written by Rehana Lew Mirza

Directed by Artistic Director Kaiser Ahmed

(L to R): Neighborhood Watch: Playwright Rehana Lew Mirza and Director Kaiser Ahmed

Previews: Thursday, May 22 - Saturday, May 24 at 7:30 p.m. and Monday, May 26 at 7:30 p.m.

Press Opening: Tuesday, May 27 at 7:30 p.m.

Performance schedule: Fridays, Saturdays and Mondays at 7:30 p.m.,

Sundays at 2:00 p.m.

The Broadway Armory, 5917 N Broadway

JackalopeTheatre.org/2024-2025-season

Tickets: $15 - $40

Neighborhood Watch is a sharp and heightened tale of islamophobia in an American suburb. Paul, a suburban family man, becomes so convinced that his new neighbor is a terrorist that in his pursuit to uncover the truth, he begins terrorizing his daughter and neighborhood.

16th Annual Living Newspaper Festival

August 21 - 25, 2025

Press Opening: Thursday, Aug, 21 at 7:30 p.m.

Performance schedule: Thursdays - Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., Sundays at 2:00 p.m. and Mondays at 7:30 p.m.

The Broadway Armory, 5917 N Broadway

JackalopeTheatre.org/2024-2025-season

Tickets: $15 - $35

The Living Newspaper Festival is inspired by the 1930s Living Newspapers of the Federal Theatre Project that created stories based on recent events. This year’s Festival will include one-act plays inspired from recent news headlines.

Performances, show times, dates are subject to change.

ABOUT RONÁN NOONE, PLAYWRIGHT THE SMUGGLER

Ronán Noone (he/him) believes in playing with a myriad of elements to find the right way to tell a good story; a necessary story that tells us who we are, where we have been and where we are going. He believes in stories that resonate beyond the theatre’s door and that add ideas to the national conversation. He believes in the playwright as a thinker traveling in the direction of their fear. His play The Smuggler won the Best Playwright award at the 1st Irish Festival of New York in January of 2019. The Second Girl (Thirst) was the inaugural winner of the Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE) Excellence in Playwriting Award (2015) and an Edgerton Award winner in 2014. Additional plays include The Atheist, Brendan, Scenes from an Adultery, The Lepers of Baile Baiste, The Blowin of Baile Gall, The Gigolo of Baile Breag (The Baile Trilogy), The Compass Rose, Little Black Dress and A Small Death.

ABOUT GUS MENARY, DIRECTOR THE SMUGGLER

Gus Menary (he/him) directed David Greig's adaptation of Stanislaw Lem's Solaris at Book-It Repertory Theatre in Seattle, where he served as artistic director. While there, he oversaw the pivot to audio plays during the COVID shutdown and produced world-premiere audio adaptations of authors such as Octavia E. Butler, N.K. Jemisin and Oscar Wilde. As part of Book-It’s return to the stage, he produced world-premiere stage adaptations of Amy Tan’s The Bonesetter’s Daughter and Agatha Christie’s The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, as well as many other modern adaptations. As director, he led the productions of Julian Glover’s Beowulf and Bilal Dardai's world-premiere adaptation of Jamyang Norbu's The Mandala of Sherlock Holmes. Previously, he served as the artistic director of Jackalope Theatre. Under his leadership, Jackalope produced world-premieres by Ike Holter (Prowess and The Light Fantastic), Lloyd Suh (Franklinland), Idris Goodwin (The Raid) and Calamity West (In the Canyon, Rolling), among many other national and regional premieres. Onstage, he directed Aaron Loeb's Ideation, Kenneth Lin's Life On Paper, Shawn Reddy's My Name is Mudd, Andrew Swanson's Lunacy! and Moonshiner and Ike Holter's The Light Fantastic and Exit Strategy. 

ABOUT ESHO RASHO, PLAYWRIGHT/PERFORMER, DUMMY IN DIASPORA

Esho Rasho (he/him) is a Chicago-based actor and writer. He is a graduate of the BFA in acting program at The Theatre School at DePaul University. His solo play, Dummy in Diaspora, which he wrote and performed, ran at the 2024 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, where it received critical acclaim, earning four stars from The Scotsman, Broadway Baby, ThreeWeeks and Culture Fix UK. It was also given an "EXCELLENT SHOW" rating by Fringe Review and listed in a database of the best shows The Scotsman had seen at the 2024 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. He was a part of the 2024 “Criminal Queerness Playwriting Studio” cohort at The National Queer Theatre in New York and has also trained at The Second City Chicago.

ABOUT KARINA PATEL, DIRECTOR, DUMMY IN DIASPORA

Karina Patel (she/her) is a devised theatre artist, director and dramaturg originally from London, United Kingdom. She is currently the new works manager at Jackalope Theatre Company and literary associate at Chicago Shakespeare Theater. Patel has developed new and devised work with The Story Theatre, The Understudy Chicago, APIDA Arts, TimeLine Theatre Company, Avalanche Theatre, Token Theatre, 24 Hour Plays and others. She has also served as an assistant director at Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Lookingglass Theatre Company, Court Theatre and the Repertory Theatre of St Louis.

ABOUT REHANA LEW MIRZA, PLAYWRIGHT, NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH

Rehana Lew Mirza (she/her) recently held a prestigious National Playwrights Mellon residency at Ma-Yi Theatre in New York from 2016-2022, after also being a playwright in residence at La Jolla Playhouse, where her musical Bhangra Nation (previously titled Bhangin’ It, 2019 Richard Rodgers Award; developed at The Orchard Project, Rhinebeck Writers Retreat and their 3R program, Goodspeed and Project Springboard) premiered in 2022. It recently had its United Kingdom premiere at Birmingham Rep in February of 2024. Mirza’s plays include: Hatefuck (First Floor; Colt Coeur/WP); A People’s Guide to History in the Time of Here and Now (Primary Stages Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation's Women Playwrights Commission; AADA workshop production); Soldier X (Ma-Yi; Brooklyn College; NYSCA/Lark commission); Tomorrow, Inshallah (Living Room Theater, Kansas City; Storyworks/HuffPost commission); Neighborhood Watch (NNPN/InterAct commission) and Barriers (Desipina, Asian American Theater Company). She founded the award-winning South Asian theater and film company, Desipina & Co, alongside her sister Rohi Mirza Pandya in 2001, where together they produced the popular Seven.11 series (seven, 11-minute plays all set in a convenience store.) Additional awards/honors include: Kleban Award, Cape Cod Theatre Artist in Residence, NYFA Artist Fellow, TCG Fellowship with New Georges and an HBOAccess Writing Fellow. She currently holds a Julia Miles Playwriting Residency with WP Theater. She has an MFA from Columbia University and a BFA from NYU Tisch School of the Arts.

ABOUT KAISER AHMED, DIRECTOR, NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH

Kaiser Ahmed (he/him) is a Bangladeshi-American theatre director, producer, teacher and actor based in Chicago. He has worked as a director at Steppenwolf, Remy Bumppo, The Artistic Home, Northlight Theatre, Silk Road Theatre, American Blues Theatre, First Floor Theatre, Rasaka Theatre and many others. Ahmed was featured in the Kilroy's Web 2023 and named on NewCity’s Players 2019 and 2022: "Fifty People Who Really Perform For Chicago”. Kaiser was the co-founding artistic director of Jackalope Theatre Company from 2008-2012, he continued to serve as the associate artistic director through 2019 and returned as artistic director in 2020. Recent directing credits include Queen (Penobscot), Passage (Remy Bumppo), Among the Dead, Fast Company (Jackalope), and Language Rooms (Broken Nose). Kaiser is a member of the Columbia College Advisory Board and the Sarah Siddons Artistic Council, a 2015-16 Eugene O’Neill National Directors Fellowship finalist, a 2016-17 Victory Gardens Directors Inclusion Initiative recipient, and an Associate Member of SDC. He holds a BA in theatre directing from Columbia College Chicago.

ABOUT JACKALOPE THEATRE

Jackalope Theatre Company expands the definition of American Identity by engaging with communities to produce works that celebrate diverse perspectives. Jackalope is a premier home for new and exciting Off-Loop Theatre based in Chicago's Edgewater and Rogers Park neighborhoods. They are committed to cultivating new voices that contribute to an expanding American culture and mythology. Each season, Jackalope produces full-length plays, new play development programming and provides free classes in partnership with the Chicago Park District.

Jackalope Theatre expands American identity by engaging with our communities to produce works that celebrate diverse perspectives. Season 17 is made possible by the continued generosity of Season Sponsors Michael and Mona Heath.

Shannon Walsh’s documentary ADRIANNE & THE CASTLE at Music Box Theatre with filmmakers’ Q&A Nov. 23rd

Films On Our Radar:

Music Box Theatre & Intuitive Pictures present director Shannon Walsh’s fantastical documentary 

ADRIANNE & THE CASTLE

beginning November 22, 2024, with filmmakers’ Q&A November 23rd

On Saturday, Nov. 23, director Shannon Walsh, film subject Alan St-George, composer Richard Reed Parry, co-writer/creator Laurel Sprengelmeyer, and actress SLee will be in attendance for a post-film Q&A after the 7:15pm screening.

For showtimes and information, click here: https://musicboxtheatre.com/films-and-events/adrianne-the-castle.

“It’s a truly fascinating story taken to a transcendent level with a wholly original approach to the filmmaking.” — Den of Geek

“The film challenges jaded perspectives and invites viewers to reconsider the possibility of timeless, unwavering devotion. It reminds that perhaps, even in our most cynical moments, extraordinary love can still be found.” — In Review Online

“In keeping the fantasy alive, Walsh seems to honor Adrianne's wishes to forge a magical world of her own. That's what makes ADRIANNE & THE CASTLE feel so very special.” — RogerEbert.com

About ADRIANNA & THE CASTLE:

A true story of love and loss, ADRIANNA & THE CASTLE documents the unique life of the St-Georges, who built a castle to their love in rural Illinois. Now facing the future without the love of his life, Alan grapples with his grief through creative musical re-enactments of their story, transporting him into the fantasy world they created together.

Pricing: Ticket prices are $11 ($8 for Music Box members).

Become a member: https://www.musicboxtheatre.com/membership/become-a-member

About Music Box Theatre:

Operating since 1929, the Music Box Theatre has been the premier venue in Chicago for independent and foreign films for more than four decades, playing host to over 200,000 patrons annually. It currently has the largest theater space operated full time in the city. The Theatre is independently owned and operated. Its sister company, Music Box Films, is dedicated to curating a diverse repertoire of films from around the world and distributing them throughout the US. Music Box Theatre and Music Box Films both engage audiences with exciting alternatives to mainstream entertainment.

Regular events produced, presented, and hosted at Music Box Theatre include the 70mm Film Festival; Music Box Christmas Sing-a-long and Double Feature, the annual 24-hour horror-movie marathon Music Box of Horrors; and Noir City: Chicago, co-presented by the Film Noir Foundation.

Follow the Music Box Theatre on Facebook (www.facebook.com/musicboxchicago/), Twitter (@musicboxtheatre), Instagram (@musicboxchicago), TikTok @musicbox_chicago

Court Theatre Presents A Raisin in the Sun January 31 – March 2, 2025

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

Court Theatre presents

A Raisin in the Sun

Written by Lorraine Hansberry

Leon Savage, Untitled; courtesy of the South Side Community Art Center

Directed by Senior Artistic Producer Gabrielle Randle-Bent

January 31 – March 2, 2025

Court Theatre – under the continuing leadership of Executive Director Angel Ysaguirre, with interim artistic leadership from Senior Artistic Producer Gabrielle Randle-Bent and Senior Managing Producer Heidi Thompson Saunders – is thrilled to present Lorraine Hansberry’s masterpiece A Raisin in the Sun, winner of a Pulitzer Prize, Tony Award nominee for Best Play, and the first play written by a Black woman to be produced on Broadway. This production will run January 31 – March 2, 2025 at Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Ave. 

The cast of A Raisin in the Sun includes Shanesia Davis (Lena Younger/Mama); Brian Keys (Walter Lee Younger); Kierra Bunch (Ruth Younger); Martasia Jones (Beneatha Younger); Jeremias Darville (Travis Younger, alternating); Di'Aire Wilson (Travis Younger, alternating); Elliot Charles Johnson (Joseph Asagai); Charles Andrew Gardner (George Murchison); Julian Parker (Bobo); Vincent Teninty (Karl Lindner); and J. Nicole Brooks (Mrs. Johnson).

The creative team includes Andrew Boyce (scenic design); Raquel Adorno (costume design); Maximo Grano De Oro (lighting design); Willow James (sound design); Khalid Long, PhD (production dramaturg); Becca McCracken, CSA (casting); Kate Ocker (production stage manager); and Jaclynn Joslin (assistant stage manager).

Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun is a stunning portrayal of a family’s fight for dignity and the right to dream. As the Youngers await their recently deceased patriarch’s life insurance check, they allow themselves to imagine a bigger life – a life with room to breathe – until those plans are thrown into jeopardy. Hansberry’s language rings as wise and prescient as ever in her moving answer to Langston Hughes’s question, What happens to a dream deferred?

Staged sixty years after Lorraine Hansberry’s passing, Senior Artistic Producer Gabrielle Randle-Bent (Antigone) brings Hansberry’s masterpiece home to Chicago’s vibrant South Side and Court’s stage for the very first time.

Accompanying this production of A Raisin in the Sun is a suite of public programs, including:

●      Community Reads Series, presented in partnership with Chicago Public Library at the Blackstone Branch

○      Community Reads Social at the Blackstone Branch of the Chicago Public Library (4904 S. Lake Park Avenue)

○      Community Reads Book Club at the Blackstone Branch of the Chicago Public Library (4904 S. Lake Park Avenue)

○      Community Reads Post-Show Conversation at Court Theatre (5535 S. Ellis Avenue)

●      Agora Conversation – A Dream Deferred: Black Mobility and Housing – at the National Public Housing Museum, presented in partnership with the National Public Housing Museum (625 N Kingsbury Street)

●      Let’s Talk About Art at the Hyde Park Art Center, presented in partnership with the Hyde Park Art Center (5020 S. Cornell Avenue)

●      Bushman Screening and Lecture at the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts, presented in partnership with the University of Chicago’s Film Studies Center (915 E 60th Street)

Tickets to A Raisin in the Sun are available now, and can be purchased by calling the Box Office at (773) 753-4472 or online at  www.CourtTheatre.org. Information about the public programming offerings will be available online at  www.CourtTheatre.org.

A Raisin in the Sun is sponsored by Bel Brands USA, Mesirow, and Gustavo Bamberger and Martha Van Haitsma. A Raisin in the Sun is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com.

Featuring: Shanesia Davis (Lena Younger/Mama); Brian Keys (Walter Lee Younger); Kierra Bunch (Ruth Younger); Martasia Jones (Beneatha Younger); Jeremias Darville (Travis Younger, alternating); Di'Aire Wilson (Travis Younger, alternating); Elliot Charles Johnson (Joseph Asagai); Charles Andrew Gardner (George Murchison); Julian Parker (Bobo); Vincent Teninty (Karl Lindner); and J. Nicole Brooks (Mrs. Johnson).

Creatives: Andrew Boyce (scenic design); Raquel Adorno (costume design); Maximo Grano De Oro (lighting design); Willow James (sound design); Khalid Long, PhD (production dramaturg); Becca McCracken, CSA (casting); Kate Ocker (production stage manager); and Jaclynn Joslin (assistant stage manager).

 

Dates:             

Previews:                   January 31 – February 7, 2025

Press Opening:       February 8, 2025 at 7:30pm

Regular Run:             February 9 – March 2, 2025

 

Schedule:       

Wed/Thurs/Fri:           7:30 p.m.

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

 

Accessible Performances:       

ASL Interpretation on March 1, 2025 at 12:30pm

Touch Tour on March 2, 2025 at 12:30pm

Audio Description and Open Captioning on March 2, 2025 at 2:00pm

                     

Location:  Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Ave.

 

Tickets:           

$42.00 – $72.00 Previews

$58.00 – $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.

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.

Adults-only holiday fun: Who's Holiday! brings R-rated Cindy-Lou Who back to Chicago’s Theater Wit, Nov. 29-Dec. 29, 2024

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar 

Adults-only holiday fun:

Who's Holiday! 

brings R-rated Cindy-Lou Who back to Chicago’s Theater Wit

Nov. 29-Dec. 29

Run time is 65 minutes, no intermission. For mature audiences only!

Veronica Garza returns for her Jeff-nominated role as Cindy-Lou Who, now 40, flirty, and ready to spill the tea about the Grinch.

Veronica Garza, Jeff-nominated as Cindy-Lou Who in Theater Wit’s Who’s Holiday!, back for her fourth season, November 29-December 29. 

Credit for all Photos: Charles Osgood, unless otherwise noted.

Remember little Cindy-Lou Who, who was not more than two? 

What became of that tot, after that Grinch and what-not?

Find out when Cindy-Lou Who, now 40, returns to Chicago’s Theater Wit for her fourth season in Who’s Holiday!, a comedy with a twist of rhyme, November 29-December 29, 2024.

Chicago theater star Veronica Garza returns to reprise her title role, holding court from Cindy-Lou Who’s holiday bedazzled mobile home at the base of Mount Crumpit.

First Cindy-Lou welcomes audiences inside. Next she plies them with snacks and shots. Only then does she reveal the true story of the twisted turns Cindy-Lou's life took after her Christmas Eve encounter with the Grinch.

It’s all told in R-rated Seussian rhyme, so…

Come join us for this grown-up Who's holiday fete!

Leave your kids at home (that's the safest bet.)

And try to catch up with Cindy-Lou Who's life,

She's seen some things due to her own grinch-y strife.

But nothing can dampen the holiday cheer:

Not vodka, not Rudolph, not even flat beer.

With a song in her heart, and a pipe full of weed

She'll celebrate trailer park living at need

Her wisdom dispensed with a shot and a leer.

For this is a holiday tale of such vision...

With smoking and drinking and gossip ...

...and prison.

Veronica Garza, Jeff nominated for her role as Cindy-Lou Who, returns for Theater Wit's fourth annual adults only holiday show, Who's Holiday! Credit: Charles Osgood

“A hell of a lot of fun,” raved the Chicago Reader. “Garza is a comic genius,” wrote Chicago Theater Review, hailing Who’s Holiday! “a very funny, often poignant production guided with panache by an excellent director.” 

That director is Christopher Pazdernik, who returns to direct Wit’s fourth outing of this hilarious, heartfelt holiday comedy by Matthew Lombardo. Also back is Angela Weber Miller’s Jeff Award-winning, Seuss-inspired recreation of Cindy-Lou Who’s holiday-bedazzled mobile home. Designers include Shelley Strasser, lights; Uriel Gomez, costumes; Lonnae Hickman, props, and Matthew R. Chase, sound and production manager.

The first performance and press opening night is Friday, November 29 at 7 p.m. Shows continue Saturday, November 30 at 7 p.m..; Sunday, December 1 at 3 p.m.; Monday, December 2 at 7 p.m.; Thursday, December 5 at 7 p.m.; Friday, December 6 at 7 p.m.; Saturday, December 7 at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.; Sunday, December 8 at 3 p.m.; Thursday, December 12 at 7 p.m.; Friday, December 13 at 7 p.m.; Saturday, December 14 at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.; Sunday, December 15 at 3 p.m.; Thursday, December 19 at 7 p.m.; Friday, December 20 at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.; Saturday, December 21 at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.; Sunday, December 22 at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.; Monday, December 23 at 7 p.m.; Thursday, December 26 at 7 p.m.; Friday, December 27 at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.; Saturday, December 28 at 7 p.m.; and Sunday, December 29 at 3 p.m. 

Tickets are $15-$45. Tickets for children 12 and under are $180. Purchase tickets at theaterwit.org or call the Theater Wit box office, (773) 975-8150.

Theater Wit is located at 1229 W. Belmont Ave., in the Belmont Theatre District in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood. Convenient parking is available for $8 across the street from the theater 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. 

To learn more, visit theaterwit.org or follow the company on Facebook and Instagram. 

Veronica Garza returns as an adult Cindy-Lou Who in Theater Wit's 2024 remount of Who's Holiday! Credit: Charles Osgood

Who’s Holiday! Who’s Who:

(from left) Veronica Garza plays Cindy-Lou Who in Theater Wit’s return engagement of

Who’s Holiday!  by Matthew Lombardo, directed by Christopher Pazdernik.

Veronica Garza (Cindy-Lou Who, she/her/hers) returns for her fourth year as Cindy-Lou Who, a role that earned her a Jeff Nomination, Best Actor in 2021. She also performed at Theatre Wit in Underscore Theatre’s Tonya and Nancy: A Rock Opera, for which she received a Jeff Award for her role as both Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan's mothers. Other roles include Georgie in The Full Monty, Rosalie Mullins, School of Rock (Jeff nomination, Best Supporting Actor) and the Deputy in Groundhog Day (Paramount), Roz in 9 to 5 (Firebrand), Sister Amnesia in Nunsense (Milwaukee Rep), Babs in Miracle (Royal George), Prudie in Pump Boys and Dinettes (Theatre at the Center and Timberlake Playhouse), The Homeless Lady in A New Brain (Theo Ubique), Lucy in A Charlie Brown Christmas (Broadway Playhouse) and the Fortune Teller in Sideshow (Porchlight).  

Christopher Pazdernik (director, any pronouns) made his Wit debut with Who’s Holiday! He is Producing Director for Theo, where his credits include Assassins, Godspell and 8-TRACK: The Sounds of the 70s. Previously, Pazdernik was artistic director for three seasons of Refuge Theatre Project (Jeff Awards, Best Director and Best Production of a Musical, High Fidelity), and he has had a long association with Porchlight Music Theatre, including directing eight Porchlight Revisits productions and three years working in producing, casting and company management. He recently staged The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and Avenue Q for Music Theatre Works. Also an openly HIV+ artist, Pazdernik is the founder and producer of Belting for Life, an annual benefit concert for Howard Brown Health, and co-captain of Team Option Up! for AIDS Run/Walk Chicago. 

Matthew Lombardo (playwright, he/him/his) Broadway: High with Kathleen Turner at the Booth Theatre and Looped starring Valerie Harper in a Tony-nominated performance at The Lyceum Theatre. Off-Broadway: Who’s Holiday! (with Lesli Margherita) at the Westside Theatre; Tea at Five (with Kate Mulgrew) at the Promenade Theatre; Mother and Child (with Ann Wedgeworth) at Second Stage; End of the World Party at the 47th Street Theatre (director) and Guilty Innocence at The Actors’ Playhouse. His work has been produced at such prestigious theaters as Hartford Stage, Cleveland Playhouse, American Repertory Theatre, Seattle Rep, Arena Stage, Pasadena Playhouse, Cincinnati Playhouse, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis and others. Television credits include Another World (WGA Award Nomination for Outstanding Achievement in Writing). As a producer, he has presented concerts throughout the country for Broadway legends such as Carol Channing, Patti LuPone, Tommy Tune, Bernadette Peters, Barbara Cook, Billy Porter, Betty Buckley, Andrea McArdle and Faith Prince.

Who’s Holiday! returns to Theater Wit not without controversy. In 2017, Lombardo was locked in a legal battle with Dr. Seuss Enterprises over accusations of copyright infringement, delaying the play’s New York premiere for nearly a year. A U.S. District Court eventually ruled in Lombardo’s favor, citing his depiction of an adult Cindy-Lou Who living in a trailer on Mount Crumpit as “fair use.” Freed of red tape, Who’s Holiday! went on to be hailed “a raunchy riff on Dr. Seuss’s yuletide tale” (New York Times) that “dares to be as tasteless as possible while replicating Seuss’s trademark rhythms” (Time Out New York).

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

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.

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 – or $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.

Northlight Theatre to produce the world premiere of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women November 29 – January 5, 2025

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

Northlight Theatre to produce the world premiere of

Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women

Adapted by Lauren Gunderson

From the novel by Louisa May Alcott

Directed by Associate Artistic Director Georgette Verdin

Due to early demand, an additional week of performances has been added to the run

November 29 – January 5, 2025

Northlight Theatre, under the direction of Artistic Director BJ Jones and Executive Director Timothy J. Evans, continues its 2024–2025 season with Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women adapted by Lauren Gunderson from the novel by Louisa May Alcott, directed by Associate Artistic Director Georgette Verdin.

Due to early demand a week has been added to the run, which was originally scheduled to close December 29, 2024. Little Women runs November 29, 2024 – January 5, 2025, at Northlight Theatre, 9501 Skokie Blvd in Skokie. I'll be out for the press opening, December 5th, covering for ChiIL Live Shows, so check back soon for my full review. 

The cast includes Tyler Meredith (Louisa/Jo), Janyce Caraballo (Meg), Demetra Dee (Beth), Yourtana Sulaiman (Amy), Lucy Carapetyan (Marmee/Aunt March), John Drea (Laurie), and Erik Hellman (John/Friedrich).

Four sisters find their voices in 19th century New England, proving that sisterly bonds are more powerful than the friendships, hardships, romantic entanglements, and inevitable losses they face along the way. In a time marked by societal expectations, the shared love and feminine strength of the March sisters shines through. Captivating readers for generations, this beloved classic is a timeless tale of family, resilience, and a determined young writer finding her way in the world.

In a unique creative partnership, Northlight is one of four regional theaters that have jointly commissioned playwright Lauren Gunderson to adapt the classic novel. This new theatrical work will enjoy a “rolling” world premiere with four independent productions occurring between 2024-2026 in each of the partnering theaters’ home locale. It will play first at Northlight Theatre with subsequent productions at City Theatre Company (Pittsburgh, PA) People’s Light (Malvern, PA), and TheatreWorks Silicon Valley (Palo Alto, CA). The co-commission partnership represents an example of how regional nonprofit producers continue to adapt to post-pandemic financial realities while exploring new partnerships that allow for the continued investment in the commissioning of new work for the stage. All four theaters have a history of producing plays by Gunderson.

The creative team is Sotirios Livaditis (set design), Raquel Adorno (costume design), Emma Deane (light design), Christopher Kriz (original music and sound design), Nicolas Bartleson (props design), Jake Snell (production assistant) and Sarah Slight (dramaturg). The stage manager is Katie Klemme.

The Lead Sponsor for Little Women is Byline Bank.

Tickets are available through the box office at 9501 Skokie Blvd in Skokie; 847.673.6300; northlight.org.

About the Artists

Lauren Gunderson (Playwright) is one of the most produced playwrights in America since 2015 topping the list thrice including 2022/23. She is a two-time winner of the Steinberg/ATCA New Play Award for I and You and The Book of Will, the winner of the William Inge Distinguished Achievement in Theatre Award, the Lanford Wilson Award and the Otis Guernsey New Voices Award; a finalist for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, Weisberger Award, and John Gassner Award for Playwriting; and a recipient of the Mellon Foundation’s Residency with Marin Theatre Company. She studied Southern Literature and Drama at Emory University, and Dramatic Writing at NYU’s Tisch School where she was a Reynolds Fellow in Social Entrepreneurship. Her play The Catastrophist, about her husband virologist Nathan Wolfe, premiered digitally in January 2021. She co-authored the Miss Bennet plays with Margot Melcon, and The Half-Life of Marie Curie premiered off-Broadway and is now at Audible.com. Her work is published at Bloomsbury (Revolutionary Women: A Lauren Gunderson Anthology, anthropology, I and You), Playscripts (I and You; Exit Pursued By A Bear; The Taming and Toil And Trouble), Dramatists Play Service (The Revolutionists; The Book of Will; Silent Sky; Bauer, Natural Shocks, The Wickhams and Miss Bennet) and Samuel French (Emilie). Her picture book Dr Wonderful: Blast Off to the Moon is available from Two Lions/Amazon. She is the book writer for musicals with Ari Afsar (Jeannette), Dave Stewart and Joss Stone (The Time Traveller’s Wife), Joriah Kwamé (Sinister), Kait Kerrigan and Bree Lowdermilk (Justice and Earthrise), and Kira Stone (Built for This). She is a board member of The Playwrights Foundation.

Georgette Verdin (Director/Associate Artistic Director) is a Cuban-American freelance director, the Associate Artistic Director of Northlight Theatre and a company member with Rivendell Theatre Ensemble. Recent directing credits include: the adaptation of Dial M for Murder (Northlight); the revival of Night Watch and the Chicago Premiere of Ironbound (Raven Theatre); the U.S. premieres of The Writer (Steep Theatre) and Out of Love (Interrobang Theatre Project); the World Premieres of The Singularity Play (Jackalope Theatre); A Mile in The Dark (Interrobang Theatre Project/Rivendell); Enough to Let the Light In (Teatro Vista); Chagall in School (Grippo Stage Company); and Spay (Rivendell). Georgette is a three-time Jeff nominated director and was the 2022 Michael Maggio Directing Fellow at Goodman Theatre. She is an Associate Member of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society. georgetteverdin.com.

Janyce Caraballo (Meg) is returning to Northlight, where she was last seen as Georgiana in Georgiana and Kitty: Christmas at Pemberley. Select Chicago: A Christmas Carol (Drury Lane); Shakespeare in the Parks (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre); Romeo and Juliet, Hope: Part 2 of a Mexican Trilogy (Teatro Vista); Seussical (Marriott); Suddenly, Last Summer (Raven Theatre); Hot Pink (New American Folk Theatre); The Full Monty (Theo Ubique). Regional: Peninsula Players, Indiana Repertory Theatre, American Players Theatre, First Folio Theatre, TheatreSquared. She received her Master of Fine Arts from The Theatre School at DePaul University and is represented by Paonessa Talent Agency. 

Lucy Carapetyan (Marmee/Aunt March) previously appeared at Northlight in Dial M for Murder and You Can’t Take It With You. Recent Chicago productions include Ironbound (Raven), The Singularity Play (Jackalope), and The Writer (Steep, where she's an ensemble member). Other Chicago credits include First Love is the Revolution, Earthquakes in London, Linda (Steep Theatre); Right To Be Forgotten, Nice Girl (Raven); Animal Farm (Steppenwolf). Lucy works as a motion capture actor for Injustice and Mortal Kombat video games, and as a freelance Intimacy Director and Casting Director. TV: Fargo season 4, Somebody Somewhere, Chicago Fire, Proven Innocent. Film: Brooklyn 45, Departing Seniors. She is represented by Paonessa Talent.

Demetra Dee (Beth) is making her Northlight debut. Corduroy (Chicago Shakespeare); The Penelopiad, The Nacirema Society, Relentless (Goodman); Chlorine Sky (Steppenwolf); Relentless (Timeline); Stew, Be Here Now (Shattered Globe); Cullud Wattah (Victory Gardens); The Last Pair of Earlies, Middle Passage (Lifeline); Comfort Stew, Migration (ETA Creative Arts Foundation); The Colored Museum (Pegasus Theatre Chicago); The Greenbook (Chicago Dramatist). Television: Power Book IV: Force (Starz), The Bear (FX). Education: BFA in theater, East Carolina University. Agency: DDO Chicago. www.demetradee.com

John Drea (Laurie) Northlight Theatre debut. Chicago: Little Bear Ridge Road (Steppenwolf); The Sound Inside (Goodman); Solaris (Griffin Theatre, Jeff Nomination); Chagall in School (Grippo Stage Company, Jeff Nomination); Twelfth Night, Cymbeline (Midsommer Flight); American Psycho (Kokandy Productions); Skunk and Badger, Whose Body? (Lifeline Theatre); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Goodly Creatures Theatre). Off-off Broadway: OneIronaut (The Outer Loop). Regional: Deathtrap (Constellation Stage). Television: Ashley Green, The Onion. Upcoming film: PIP! (Sacred Arthouse). He is represented by Gray Talent Group. @johndrea1998

Erik Hellman (John/Friedrich) Previous shows at Northlight include Georgiana and Kitty, Miss Bennet, Shining Lives, and Lost in Yonkers. Recent shows in Chicago include: 1776, The Sound of Music (Marriott); Lindiwe, Familiar, The Burn (Steppenwolf); Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, Othello, Mousetrap, The Misanthrope, Proof, The Mystery of Irma Vep (Court); Smart People, Marjorie Prime (Writers); Eastland (Lookingglass); and Luna Gale (Goodman). Film/TV work includes The Dark Knight, Walden, Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, The Good Fight, Mrs. America, Fargo, 61st Street, and the David Fincher Film The Killer.

Tyler Meredith (Louisa/Jo) Chicago credits include: Inherit the Wind, The Penelopiad, The Cherry Orchard, Twilight Bowl, Graveyard Shift/New Stages (Goodman); Campaigns, Inc. (Timeline); The Tempest, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Chicago Shakespeare); A Christmas Carol (Drury Lane); The Columnist (American Blues). Regional credits include: A Phoenix Too Frequent (American Players Theatre); At The Wedding, Miss Bennet: Christmas At Pemberley, My Father’s War (TheatreSquared); Hamlet (Montana Shakespeare in the Parks). TV/Film credits include Chicago Fire. Tyler is a graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy, School at Steppenwolf, and the University of Illinois-Chicago. She is represented by Gray Talent Group. @tylermckmeredith

Yourtana Sulaiman (Amy) is an Iraqi-Assyrian actor and teaching artist based in Chicago. Recent credits: Happy Days are Here (Again) (Steep), The Singularity Play (Jackalope), Selling Kabul (Northlight), the live in(n) (The Story Theatre), Mosque4Mosque (About Face), Chagall in School (Grippo Stage Company), NBC’s Chicago Fire, and more. Education: BFA Acting, UIC School of Theatre and Music; The Second City; Eolia Conservatory of the Dramatic Arts BCN. Follow her on instagram @yourtana for more shenanigans!

Production Details

Featuring: Tyler Meredith (Louisa/Jo), Janyce Caraballo (Meg), Demetra Dee (Beth), Yourtana Sulaiman (Amy), Lucy Carapetyan (Marmee/Aunt March), John Drea (Laurie), and Erik Hellman (John/Friedrich).

Creative Team: Sotirios Livaditis (set design), Raquel Adorno (costume design), Emma Deane (light design), Christopher Kriz (original music and sound design), Nicolas Bartleson (props design), Jake Snell (production assistant) and Sarah Slight (dramaturg). The stage manager is Katie Klemme.

Dates: November 29, 2024-January 5, 2025

Previews begin November 29, 2024

Press Opening: Thursday, December 5, 2024 at 7:30pm

Regular run: December 6-29, 2024

Added dates: through January 5, 2025

Schedule:   

Tuesdays: 7:30pm (December 3 only)

Wednesdays: 1:00pm and 7:30pm (no performances December 25 or January 1)

Thursdays: 1:00pm (December 26 only) and 7:30pm (except December 5)

Fridays: 7:30pm

Saturdays: 2:30pm (except November 30) and 7:30pm

Sundays: 2:30pm and 7:30pm (December 1 & 29 only)

Backstage with BJ – Northlight’s popular discussion series with Artistic Director BJ Jones – will be held November 22 at 12pm.

An Open Captioned performance will be held on Friday, December 20 at 7:30pm. An Open Captioned and Audio Described/Touch Tour performance will be held on Saturday, December 21 at 2:30pm.

Location: Northlight Theatre is located at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd, Skokie

Tickets: $39-$91

Previews: $39-$74

Regular run: $49-$91

Student tickets are $15, any performance 

(subject to availability)

Box Office: The Box Office is located at 9501 Skokie Blvd, Skokie.; 847.673.6300; northlight.org.

• In a unique creative partnership, Northlight is one of four regional theaters that have jointly commissioned playwright Lauren Gunderson to adapt the classic novel. It will play first at Northlight Theatre with subsequent productions at City Theatre Company (Pittsburgh, PA) People’s Light (Malvern, PA), and TheatreWorks Silicon Valley (Palo Alto, CA).

• Playwright Lauren Gunderson is one of the country’s most produced playwrights since 2015. Northlight previously produced her works The Book of Will, The Wickhams, Miss Bennet and Georgiana and Kitty. She considers Northlight to be an artistic home.

• Director Georgette Verdin is Nothlight’s Associate Artistic Director. She continues to direct in theatres across Chicago. She previously directed Dial M for Murder at Northlight.

2024-2025 Season

The 2024-2025 season continues with Lloyd Suh’s funny and moving play The Heart Sellers about the Asian immigrant experience in the 1970s, January 23 – February 23, 2025; and Joshua Harmon’s celebrated play Prayer for the French Republic, directed by Jeremy Wechsler in a co-production with Theater Wit, April 10 – May 11, 2025. The season closes with the mesmerizing one-man show about Donny Hathaway, Twisted Melodies, written and performed by Kelvin Roston Jr, July 10-August 10, 2025.

Subscriptions range in price from $135-290. Flex pass options are $120-$210. With its wide range of ticket prices, discounted subscription packages and complimentary parking, Northlight remains one of the best theatrical values in Chicagoland. Package options include traditional 5-Play Packages, 4-Play Packages, and Flex Packages. Subscriptions are available at northlight.org/subscribe or 847.673.6300.

Northlight Theatre aspires to promote change of perspective and encourage compassion by exploring the depth of our humanity across a bold spectrum of theatrical experiences, reflecting our community to the world and the world to our community.

Founded in 1974, the organization has mounted over 240 productions, including more than 45 world premieres. Northlight has earned 230 Joseph Jefferson Award nominations and 36 Awards, as well as 11 Edgerton Foundation for New Play Awards. As one of the area’s premier theatre companies, Northlight is a regional magnet for critical and professional acclaim, as well as talent of the highest quality.

Northlight is supported in part by generous contributions BMO Harris Bank; Bulley & Andrews; Byline Bank; Dr. Scholl Foundation; Eckenhoff Saunders Architects, Inc.; The Field Foundation of Illinois; Full Circle Foundation; Grumman Butkus Associates; Hagerty Consulting; Illinois Arts Council, a state agency; John R Halligan Charitable Fund; LionBird; Lloyd A. Fry Foundation; Mabadi Realty; Mammel Family Foundation; Modestus Bauer Foundation; National Endowment for the Arts; Paul M. Angell Family Foundation; Pritzker Foundation; The Shubert Foundation, Inc.; The Sullivan Family Foundation; The Weatherlow Foundation; Tom Stringer Design Partners.

Chicago Magic Lounge Presents Trent James in Static Magic Wednesdays Beginning January 8, 2025

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar

Chicago Magic Lounge Presents

Trent James in Static Magic

Wednesdays beginning January 8, 2025

Chicago Magic Lounge also announces new Monday night show, addition of Chef Hunter Moore

Chicago Magic Lounge, Chicago’s home for close-up magic, presents the first Artist-In-Residence show of the 2025 season, Trent James’ Static Magic. In this new show from one of the country’s fastest-rising magicians, Trent mixes humor and wit with personal stories growing up as a second-generation magician. Static Magic runs Wednesdays at 7:00pm, January 8 – March 26, 2025. I'll be out for the press opening January 22, so check back shortly after for my full review. Tickets are priced $42 (Main Floor) and $47.50 (Front Row). Tickets for all Chicago Magic Lounge shows are available at the box office, (312) 366-4500 or online at chicagomagiclounge.com..

The Chicago Magic Lounge proudly presents its newest production, The Close-Up Show. Three featured magicians will perform sleight-of-hand each Monday on the Harry Blackstone Cabaret stage, with the magician's most subtle movements projected live onto the big screen for the audience to see. Enjoy being fooled as you follow the magician's every move. You will have an up-close view of the magic wherever you are seated and might even be part of the act! No two shows are alike!

The Close-Up Show seating begins at 7:00 p.m., and the stage show starts at 7:30 p.m. The show's runtime is approximately 90 minutes, with two brief breaks between acts, and does not include table magic before the stage show.

In addition to welcoming world-class magic talent, Chicago Magic Lounge is pleased to announce the addition of Chef Hunter Moore to its kitchen where he will create a small, exciting menu that changes seasonally and fits in with the concept of Chicago Magic. Examples of new menu items include crab fritters, braised short rib sliders, and flatbread with prosciutto and marinated melon.

About Trent James

Trent James is quickly becoming one of the top magicians working today. Trent adds a fresh spin on an art form that’s been around for centuries. You won’t find him pulling rabbits out of top hats or a dramatic spotlight forcing the audience to take him seriously. He prefers a much more casual approach, combining sleight of hand magic with humor and intimate connection.

At a very young age, he received over twenty awards recognizing his skill in magic, including being the youngest recipient of the prestigious Milbourne Christopher Award, a distinction previously given to David Copperfield and Penn and Teller. Since then, Trent has built a career traveling the world, performing at colleges, comedy clubs, corporate events, luxury cruise ships, and headlining iconic venues such as The Chicago Magic Lounge and The Magic Castle in Hollywood. No matter the circumstances, Trent James will make you fall in love with magic.

About Chef Hunter Moore

At sixteen, Hunter Moore got his first professional job at a cheeseburger joint in Florida. He moved to Champaign-Urbana after high school, where he began to think creatively about food while working at a mom-and-pop Italian spot and a primarily vegan deli and bakery. From there, he moved to Chicago to attend culinary school. Once out of school, Moore worked his way through some of the city’s best kitchens, including Spiaggia, Avec, Girl and the Goat, and Lula Cafe, deepening both his knowledge of and passion for the craft of quality ingredients and seasonality as well as cooking and hospitality in general. Hunter opened Parsonʼs Chicken & Fish in May of 2013 as the Executive Chef, creating an evolving seasonal menu that has received much acclaim and successfully opening four locations.

Also Happening at Chicago Magic Lounge

Music & Magic

Mondays at 7:00pm through December 23, 2024

Tickets: General Admission $30

 

The Showcase

Tuesdays at 7:00pm

Tickets: Standard: $37.50; Front Row: $42

Artist-in-Residence Series

Mister Danny’s Magic In Session

Wednesdays at 7:00pm through December 18, 2024

Tickets: Standard: $42.50; Front Row: $47.50

By day, Mister Danny is Mister Rudnick, an advanced high school chemistry teacher. By night (and weekends and summer break), he practices his lifelong passion as an award-winning professional magician. In Magic in Session, Mister Danny fuses his two professional personas into one, presenting awe-inspiring magic that he has perfected over years of practice and study in a way only a science teacher can. While most magicians go to great lengths to conceal the secrets of magic, Mister Danny believes that the secret is the best part!

The Signature Show

Thursdays-Sundays at 7:00pm, Fridays and Sundays at 10pm

Tickets: Front Row $89.50 - $96, Premium Main Floor (main floor banquette and main floor cabaret) $76.00 – $82.50, Standard (rail and elevated banquette) $68.50 - $75, Mezzanine $55.00 – 61.50. 

 

Family Show

Sundays at 3:30pm

Tickets: Standard: $40; Front Row: $50

Tickets for all Chicago Magic Lounge performances are available at the box office, (312) 366-4500 or online at chicagomagiclounge.com. Chicago Magic Lounge is a 21+ venue. Ages 16+ allowed to ticketed evening shows with a legal guardian. Ages 5+ are allowed to The Family Show. Children must be supervised by an adult at all times. The staff and performers of the Chicago magic lounge are fully vaccinated for covid 19. Ticket holders must attest to being fully vaccinated against covid-19 or have tested negative within 48 hours prior to your visit to enter the premises.

For a complete schedule of performances and more information about Chicago Magic Lounge, resident and guest performers, and more, please visit chicagomagiclounge.com.