MPAACT & FATE (Fehinty African Theater Ensemble) come together to explore the varied voices of African immigrants in Chicago.

Three decades in the making, this production is an adaptation of more than 20 personal stories, collected by multiple cultural institutions, looking to document the remarkable vitality of these communities.

Seen through the lens of America’s 250th anniversary, Crossing the Big Water takes an often joyous, sometimes humorous, and always unflinchingly honest look at the myriad ways Africans have built a life for themselves in inside the American experiment.

Step into The Restricted Section -- a monthly comedy night hosted by Improvised Romantasy. We kick off with two guest openers featuring Chicago’s top stand-up and improv talent, then close with a high-heat, unscripted headlining set built on your spicy fantasy tropes and audience red flags. Expect morally gray heroes, forbidden tension, and wild comedy. You hand us the tropes; we burn down the realm.

Produced by JK Entertainment
Written by Sarah Treem
Directed by Lisa Pivaronas

Set in 1972, Agnes runs a bed-and-breakfast turned sanctuary for women escaping abuse. When her latest runaway, Mary Anne, begins to bond with her daughter Penny, Agnes must confront the changing expectations of the women she has dedicated her life to helping and reckon with the possibility that protecting someone and empowering them are not always the same thing. As the characters navigate their individual traumas, they form unexpected bonds, challenging societal norms and confronting their fears. WHEN WE WERE YOUNG AND UNAFRAID is a moving and fiercely intimate play about survival, sisterhood, feminism, and the courage it takes to imagine a different future.

JK Entertainment will donate $1 of every ticket sold to Connections for Abused Women and their Children.

WHEN WE WERE YOUNG AND UNAFRAID is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Dramatists Play Service.

www.concordtheatricals.com

Chicago's thirstiest night just got thirstier. Drunkula has arrived, and it isn't just blood on the menu - expect uninvited guests, questionable decisions, and empty glasses by sunrise. Nobody's safe, nobody's sober, nobody's getting out before last call. Chicago Red Line brings raunchy, innuendo-packed comedy to life with a healthy pour of alcohol onstage and in your hand. Come thirsty, leave changed.

Produced by Lazy Susan Theatre Co.
Written by Thornton Wilder
Directed by Matthew Masino

A breakfast before school, first loves, and those quiet ordinary miracles that fill our days. Welcome to Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire, in the year 1901. Everyone knows each other’s business, and the milkman still makes house calls. Lauded by Edward Albee as “the greatest American play ever written,” Our Town examines life in a small fictional town in three acts and follows the relationship of George and Emily, a young couple in love. It is the story of their lives together, intertwined with the town and its people. A timeless tale that gently reminds us about the importance of appreciating the life we have and the people with whom we share it.

Produced by Ego Death Theatre Collective
Written by Erik Gernand
Directed by Enrico Spada

Anna has her hands full, not only in her medical practice, but also living in a house with her brother, mother-in-law, and adult son. As her son drifts into a dangerous new political ideology, egged on by his girlfriend, Anna is confronted by the fact that the values she’s instilled in her family, and the values instilled by the country, are in stark contrast. A play about movements, alliances, and the worst-case-scenario of discussing politics at the dinner table.

A one-person improv show disguised as an acting class, from the creator of the Dead Eyes podcast.

Professional actor (Widow's Bay, Bob's Burgers, “Dracula's Neighbor” in a recent KitKat commercial) and award-winning podcaster (Dead Eyes) CONNOR RATLIFF is a classically trained performer who graduated "with honours" from the prestigious Liverpool Institute For Performing Arts over a quarter of a century ago, making his professional debut on the stage of the Royal Court Theatre in London’s West End. During that same year, he also performed at Buckingham Palace for Queen Elizabeth II. In the decades that followed, he has accumulated numerous credits as a star of stage, screen and stream, appearing in multiple Netflix Original Films as well as content on CBS, NBC, FOX, TBS, Nickelodeon, TruTV, Home Box Office, Amazon Prime, Apple TV and the now-defunct comedy platforms, Go90 and Seeso.

But none of that matters now.

What matters now is CONNOR RATLIFF presents THE ACTING CLASS, an unending series of workshop performances where he will, before your very eyes, demonstrate what acting truly IS.

Each performance will be slightly interactive and completely improvised, with occasional opportunities for “students” to participate (from the safety of their position in the audience.)

Defiantly self-indulgent and beyond pointless, THE ACTING CLASS is your opportunity to witness the kind of greatness – only slightly appreciated by The Industry – that has kept Connor Ratliff steadily employed for nearly half of the past 10+ years.

Your favorite Mo Willems’ characters are coming together for the biggest extravaganza ever this holiday season!

Elephant and Piggie are ready to celebrate, the Squirrels have decked the halls, and The Pigeon has a very important decision to make: Will he join the festivities—or fly off to the North Pole in search of the greatest gift ever?

Miracle on Lincoln Avenue blends holiday magic with sci-fi adventure! When an actor turns green and starts rhyming, a time-traveling cat whisked him across the cosmos to steal "Pupmas" from talking space dogs! Hot on their trail are his girlfriend and a cosmic copyright cop. Packed with Dr. Seuss homage, parody songs, and heart, this kid-friendly space journey proves love bridges any gap in space and time!

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🌟 Why Audiences Will Love It:
Whimsical Sci-Fi Tropes: Time-traveling cats, anti-freeze-field devices, and interdimensional copyright agents!

100% Family & Kid-Friendly: A charming, playful storyline that appeals to theatergoers of all ages.

Classic Holiday Heart: Beneath the space-age antics lies a cozy tale about love, connection, and celebrating the magic of the season.

Otherworld Theatre Company is a Chicago-based ensemble dedicated to bringing speculative fiction (specifically science fiction and fantasy) to life on stage. Founded with the belief that genre storytelling holds a unique mirror to the human condition, Otherworld creates immersive, visceral, and imaginative theatrical experiences that break away from traditional realist drama. From high-concept fantasy epics to interactive world-building, the company cultivates a passionate community of theatergoers and creators by turning fantastical realms into tangible, heart-pounding realities. For more information, visit us at OtherworldTheatre.org

​The kids are back but this year they're in Ms. Ben's class with new classmates. Ms.Ben begins the schoolday with storytime, but the kids are tired of the same old Christmas stories. Many of the kids celebrate Hanukkah, so the class wants to hear a  Hanukkah story. But Ms Ben doesn't have a Hanukkah story to read. "That's ok," says Rusty, "we can make up our own story, but Jewish!" And so begins a classic tale with a Hanukkah twist, complete with ghosts, a horse and wagon, and a whole lot of Yiddish. This brand-new script delivers celebratory fun for the whole family, even if you're not Jewish! 

Welcome to rehearsals for CA-CAW! Brooklyn, a newcomer to a critically acclaimed theatre company, has always dreamt of being an actor. But as rehearsals begin, the dream quickly turns into a nightmare: an abusive Director, increasingly violent script revisions, rigid rules... and one actor will be forced to play a Pigeon. As Brooklyn becomes consumed by her role and the line between reality and fiction begin to collapse, she must find a way to break character and flip the narrative.

Produced by: MPAACT
Directed by: Carla Stillwell
Written by: Shepsu Aakhu

Father Daniel Bowman is the young charismatic shepherd of his first congregation in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood. When 17-year-old Idania “Eden” Cux-Castaneda steps into his confessional, she brings a world of troubles with her. Eden's life - forever beyond her control - is at a crossroad.

Seeking the protection of the church Eden and Father Bowman maneuver the shadow life of America’s “undocumented” to wrest control of her fate from the political machinery of an autocratic state.

Pete the Cat knows that life is one big adventure.

When the groovy blue cat meets the Biddle family, he gets everyone rocking. But when Jimmy Biddle struggles to finish his second grade art project, Pete proves to be the perfect friend. Together, they embark on a far-out musical adventure, traveling all the way to Paris and back in a colorful VW bus.

Along the way, Jimmy discovers the joy of creativity, and Pete learns a thing or two about friendship.

Produced by Lazy Susan Theatre Co.

Written by David Adjmi
Directed by Matthew Masino

A lot happened before Marie Antoinette lost her head… Born to be a queen, she revels in pomp and circumstance to the point of absurdity, even as dissent and violence reach the gates of Versailles. As chants of “Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité” echo throughout the streets, Marie begins to face the repercussions of her cavalier reign. Tony Award winning playwright David Adjmi composes a contemporary take on the French Revolution that follows Marie’s nightmarish personal journey from idolized monarch to social pariah and asks who gets a slice of cake and who goes hungry.

Produced by: Ego Death Theatre Collective
Written by Benjamin Kelly
Directed by Jianna Atlas

Three siblings, reeling from the death of their father, are presented with a potential windfall that comes as a result of the sale of their family’s dilapidated Wisconsin lake house. As the trio convene to discuss the terms of the sale, their personal reasons to take or refuse the money threaten to fracture this family even more. A play about compulsions, sibling rivalry, and the time in a farewell party when the Malört takes over.

subUrbia chronicles a single transformative night in the lives of a disillusioned and over-educated group of twenty-somethings stuck in their stagnant suburban hometown. Gathering outside a local 7-Eleven, the aimless friends spend their time drinking, venting frustration, and nursing unfulfilled dreams. Their normal lives are turned upside down when a former town loser, Neil Moynihan, returns in a limousine, having achieved mainstream success as a rock star. This sudden reunion forces the group to confront their own dead-end existences. Fueled by jealousy, resentment, and desperation, the evening rapidly spirals into a volatile whirlwind of reckless sex, raw violence, and devastating tragedy.

Before Achilles assailed Troy, before Arthur drew the sword, there was Gilgamesh.

Step directly into the dust and brickwork of the ancient cradle of civilization for an explosive, high-sensory physical ensemble production. Stripping away textbook dust, this adaptation fuses visceral movement, live acoustic percussion, and raw poetic text to expose the beating heart of mankind's oldest surviving love story.

King Gilgamesh rules Uruk with an iron fist -- a tyrant consumed by his own terrifying, unyielding divine blood. Seeking to balance his wild arrogance, the gods fashion Enkidu out of the raw earth of the steppe: a man born wild, made to be Gilgamesh's exact equal.

What begins as an earth-shattering clash between two titans quickly transforms into a sweeping, radical love story. Together, they conquer monsters and defy gods -- until the divine cost of their pride catches up with them. When Enkidu is torn away by death, Gilgamesh is plunged into a desperate, mad quest to outrun his own mortality. Not every wall can hold against time. Not every king gets to bring his heart back from the dark.

Antonio David Lyons is a renowned international art maker. With Water Returns - developed with MPAACT from the ground up - Antonio has been on a creative odyssey nurtured in Cuba, South Africa, Brazil and the US.

In this solo tour de force, directed by South African artist Riloe Leoere, Antonio utilizes music, movement, and spoken word to explore the many modes of his life.

Water Returns is also a lyrical anthropological investigation into the cultures of Cuba, framed both by Antonio’s participation in the 29th Habana International Poetry Festival and the passing of his mother.

Most importantly, Water Returns speaks to the multi-modal essence of life. Asking one of the most foundational questions in modern life: How do you rehydrate your soul?

Produced by Lazy Susan Theatre Co.

Written by Lulu Raczka
Directed by Hannah Loessberg

It's the future. But only slightly. There are blackouts. No one knows what's causing them, but that doesn't stop people from going missing in them, and from women being killed. Now Steph and Bell, a schoolgirl and barmaid, have to search for their missing friend, until the outside world starts infecting the theatre that stands around them.

Orphans follows two grown-up feral children, Treat and Phillip, living in a dilapidated Philadelphia row house. Treat is a volatile pickpocket, aggressively controls and sequesters his sensitive, illiterate younger brother from the dangerous outside world. Phillip is mentally stunted dreamer with agoraphobia, trying to conceive of life outside the walls of his home. Their brotherly dynamic violently shifts when Treat kidnaps Harold, a wealthy, eccentric older businessman, intending to extort a hefty ransom. Instead of panicking, Harold easily escapes his bonds and unexpectedly becomes a benevolent, nurturing father figure to both troubled young men. This strange, emotional intervention completely transforms their broken lives before steering them toward a devastating tragedy

ALL HANDS ON DECK FORA WORLD-PREMIERE TYA ADAPTATION OF THE OG PIRATE ADVENTURE CLASSIC!

Yo-ho-ho! Prepare to set sail with YPT for a rip-roaring, swashbuckling journey on the high seas in this world-premiere, family-friendly adaptation of the legendary coming-of-age classic.

Discover treasure maps, sea shanties, parrots, peg legs—and pirates around every corner. But beware: not every charming rogue can be trusted when buried treasure is on the line!

Packed with larger-than-life characters and thrilling adventure, Treasure Island brings the legendary pirate tale roaring to life for a new generation.

Produced by Ego Death Theatre Collective
Written by Johnna Adams
Directed by Spencer Huffman

A teacher is visited in her classroom by the mother of one of her recently deceased students, demanding answers for what happened to her son. Against the backdrop of a nurturing fifth-grade classroom, the gruesome truths of the son’s inner life are revealed. A play about grief, artistic expression, and the nature of nurture.