Jake Johannsen has been making people laugh in clubs nationwide and countless TV appearances for the past forty years, bringing his highly offbeat and surreal take on life to subjects as far-reaching as toasters, extraterrestrials and marriage to the stage.

2 days ago · 1 Golden Hour (Lyric Opera House) The Joffrey Ballet’s mixed-rep program features a new, reimagined adaptation of “Princess and the Pea” by Dani Rowe, a world premiere by the acclaimed Yuri Possokhov, and short pieces by Cathy Marston and Nicolas Blanc.

9 hours ago · You’ve got to hand it to Trap Door Theatre, Chicago’s foremost source of European-flavored, audience-challenging drama. Nobody else would dare revive a play like “The Mannequins’ Ball,” a 1931 anti-capitalist polemic in the form of a surreal farce, written by the largely forgotten Polish futurist writer and radical Bruno Jasienski and translated by …

Jan 7, 2025 · Charin Alvarez Don’t be surprised if you recognize Charin Alvarez, as her extensive career in Chicago theater and film continues to grow. Alvarez has been acting in Chicago since 1996, and it would be simpler to list the companies she hasn’t worked for. Recent credits include the plays “a home what howls (or the house that was …

Jan 7, 2025 · The Laughing City: The 312 Comedy Festival Brings Top Comedy Stars to Chicago Chicago’s reputation for comedy has primarily been rooted in having the best improv scene on the planet. But the city has also spawned a rich stand-up history, and the first-ever 312 Comedy Festival will add to it by bringing more than twenty major shows to clubs and theaters throughout the Chicago area.

Jan 7, 2025 · Chicago stages have been described as petri dishes for talent development, with the city seen as a particularly fertile launching pad for the stars of tomorrow, whether in acting, comedy, writing or dance. And they are that, thanks to an ethos that prioritizes bold experiments over safe choices, that understands failure as a necessary step toward success and, especially, champions community ...

Jan 7, 2025 · Sought-after choreographer Aszure Barton was named Hubbard Street Dance Chicago’s second-ever resident artist in 2023 and has been adding gems to the company’s wide-ranging repertoire since. Two of Barton’s pieces bookended Hubbard Street’s excellent 2024 fall program with apropos yin and ...

Jan 9, 2024 · Nicole Clarke-Springer and Makeda Crayton Artistic Director and Executive Director, Deeply Rooted Dance Theater It’s been an exciting year for Deeply Rooted; the longstanding African/African American contemporary company is booming under the leadership of Nicole Clarke-Springer, artistic director since 2019, and Makeda Crayton, who was named executive director this last year—making it one ...

Jan 31, 2024 · Dance Top 5: February 2024 February brings local favorites like the Joffrey and Hubbard Street, along with international stalwarts to Chicago dance stages.

Jan 9, 2024 · Lawrence Daufenbach Executive Director/Founder, Athenaeum Center for Thought and Culture It’s more than just a name change for the former Athenaeum Theatre: Lawrence Daufenbach, executive director and founder of the Athenaeum Center for Thought and Culture has overseen a tremendous revitalization of Chicago’s oldest continuously run Off-Loop theater.