Our Picks
Chicago Shakespeare Theater On Navy Pier
Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) is one of the fastest-growing producing and presenting theater institutions in America today. The theater is grounded in a dedication to quality, clarity and integrity, which are the hallmarks of every CST production, from Shakespeare to Sondheim.
(Photo Credit - Ron Solomon)
More...Chicago Symphony Center/Orchestra Hall
Rich in tradition. Innovative in vision. The Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) is a musical force in Chicago and around the world. Built in 1904, Symphony Center was designed by famed architect Daniel Burnham, then a trustee of the CSO.
The Grammy award winning ensemble holds more than 150 performances and events a year. The CSO is made up of 107 professional musicians, including two internationally renowned conductors and two award-winning composers-in-residence.
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Drury Lane Oakbrook
This 971-seat, proscenium style live theater features a wide array of entertainment including Comedies, Musicals, Dinner Theater Shows, and Hollywood Personalities. There is also 40,000 square feet of trade show space available on site.
More...Lookingglass Theatre Company
Suggested Pre-Theater Dining Spots:
- Atwood Café - 1 W. Washington Street
- The Grill Room - 33 W. Wacker Drive
- Italian Village - 71 W. Monroe
- McCormick & Schmick's - 41 E. Wacker Drive
Concord Music Hall
Concord Music Hall as the newest addition to Chicago’s Historic Music Culture! Conveniently located between the storied neighborhoods of Wicker Park and Logan Square, this new, scalable live venue will host a diverse range of musical acts. The room’s capacity varies from 700 to 1600. A venue of this size will fill a void in the already thriving artistic community by housing larger and varied nationally touring bands, DJs, and more in a fun and safe environment for fans, artists, and members of the community alike.
First Folio Theatre
First Folio Theatre is in its 13th season of bringing high-quality performances of Shakespeare and other classics to the Chicagoland suburbs. During that time, the theater has grown from an annual summer show to a year-round operation with three separate and distinct stages. As a professional, not-for-profit organization, First Folio relies upon the support and donations of friends and businesses to continue its efforts and build upon its success
Riverfront Theater
The Riverfront Theater, Chicago’s newest destination for music, theater, dance, spectacles and more. Now in its second year, the 70-foot tall, 20,000 square foot temperature-controlled tent is the cornerstone of a 80,000 square-foot entertainment complex that includes dining and refreshment options located on the scenic Chicago River and easily accessible by public transportation.
Tympanic Theatre Company
The Tympanic Theatre Company is dedicated to producing new and developed work with fantastical, frightening, or absurd subject matter that provokes, inspires, and entertains. Through our use of vibrant storytelling, dynamic language, and colorful characters, we invite our audience to plunge headfirst with us into theatrical worlds that are fresh, energetic, and visceral.
A Red Orchid Theatre
Admiral Theatre
The Admiral closed sometime in the late 1950s, and remained shuttered for many years until opening in 1969 as an all-cartoon venue. Unable to draw the crowds necessary to remain open, the Admiral closed again. In the early 1970s, the Admiral was opened as an Adult Movie House. After receiving a facelift in the 1980s, the Admiral continues to thrive as an Adult Entertainment Venue and Gentlemen’s Club.
American Theater Company
Apollo Theater
The Apollo Theater (no relation to New York City's Apollo Theatre) located in the heart of Chicago's fashionable Lincoln Park neighborhood, has built a prestigious reputation. Built in 1978 by theatre producers Jason Brett and Stuart Oken and twice renovated, the Apollo boasts a dramatic glass and concrete design conceived by Chicagoan Michael Lustig. With a three-quarter thrust stage, the theatre includes 440 plush seats configured in just eleven rows, allowing audiences a theatrical experience unparalleled in intimacy and accessibility.
Athenaeum Theatre
Bailiwick Repertory Theatre
Baton Show Lounge
Beverly Arts Center
Located in Chicago's historic Beverly/Morgan Park neighborhood, the Beverly Arts Center is a multidiscipline, multicultural center offering fine arts education, programming and entertainment for all ages. The BAC has classes in art, music, dance, and theater; rotating exhibitions of art by established and emerging artists; and one of the most dynamic performing arts programs in the city.
Biograph Theater
During the 70s, the balcony was converted into two small additional screens. The original decor mostly lost, the historic Biograph continued to show movies until 2001.
Black Ensemble Theater
The mission of the Black Ensemble Theater is to eradicate racism and its damaging effects upon our society through the utilization of theater arts. BE is the only theater in the nation whose mission is to eradicate racism. Other organizations work to diversify audiences, but none utilize theater to bring races together in a community which embraces similarities and fosters dialogue, understanding and acceptance.
Briar Street Theatre
Broadway Playhouse
Broadway Playhouse - Water Tower Place is a 549-seat theatre equipped with state-of-the-art features. Come and enjoy Broadway musicals and other live performances here. The venue also organizes dinner theatre packages at the Mity Nice Grill, a stone's throw away. Numerous other eateries and shops are also located close-by. Discounted parking facilities are offered. (Photo Credit Joan Marcus)
Center for Performing Arts/Governors State University
In addition to being the premier performing arts presenters in Chicago Southland, The Center for Performing Arts offers an extensive Arts in Education program for area schools.
Chicago Center For Performing Arts
Chicago Cultural Center - Theater
A night at one of DCA Theaters is an entertaining, exciting glimpse into the variety of Chicago’s vibrant theater scene.
Chicago Shakespeare Theater On Navy Pier
Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) is one of the fastest-growing producing and presenting theater institutions in America today. The theater is grounded in a dedication to quality, clarity and integrity, which are the hallmarks of every CST production, from Shakespeare to Sondheim.
(Photo Credit - Ron Solomon)