This spring is proving to be quite an illustrious time in Chicago theatre. We’ve had the good fortune of seeing Harry Lennix take the stage in back-to-back shows, first in Steppenwolf’s production of Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’s Purpose and then in Congo Square’s production of August Wilson’s How I Learned What I Learned. Jason Alexander is hitting the boards for Chicago Shakespeare’s world premiere of Rob Ulin’s Judgement Day (through May 26). And Michael Shannon has returned to Chicago alongside playwright and director Levi Holloway (Grey House) for Holloway’s new show Turret at A Red Orchid Theatre (May 2-June 9). That’s all without mentioning (or re-mentioning) Jennifer Morrison earlier this year in Goodman’s season or the fact that Goodman’s 2024-25 season features Helen Hunt.

This recent blast of star power has been noticeable and inarguably exciting. After all, this is one thing folks have been asking for over the last few recovery years: for stars to return to stages or cities that mean something to them (Morrison, Lennix, and Shannon all have Chicago ties, for example), take the stage, and support local theatres. Judging by the number of extension notices in my inbox over the last few months, whatever many theatres seem to be doing is working. But as I sat in an emotional performance of Charly Evon Simpson’s Jump at Shattered Globe Theatre (through June 1), surrounded by an unfortunate number of empty seats for a production that has been widely acclaimed, I was reminded of a worry I consistently come back to: Can smaller theatre companies still survive and compete?

The storefront scene is the backbone of Chicago theatre, as has been continually repeated for years. And to be fair, sometimes as a journalist who’s typically invited to packed opening nights (I didn’t see Jump on opening night), it’s hard to gauge audience turnout for some of these smaller companies. Babes with Blades had a warm full house at the opening of Jillian Leff’s The S Paradox (through May 18) earlier this month, but I couldn’t help but wonder if folks were consistently making the trek up about as far north as you can go before getting to Evanston to see this fun, brain teasing, sci-fi/time travel play. (For the record, they should if they’re not.)

The question of sustainability for smaller theatres is part of what led us to craft a live, in-person panel discussion at The Understudy in Chicago next Monday night, May 6, at 7:30 p.m. Our guests will include Xavier Custodio, co-founding artistic director of Visión Latino Theatre Company; Myesha-Tiara, founding artistic director of Perceptions Theatre; and Shepsu Aakhu, founding member of Ma’at Production Association of Afrikan Centered Theatre (MPAACT). Our moderator will be Carla Stillwell, theatremaker and faculty member of the Theatre School at DePaul University. We plan for this conversation to give space for these leaders to share their thoughts on how they approach adapting to changing times in a changing city, how they plan for longevity, how they craft and maintain a distinct company identity, and how they continue to serve their communities onstage and beyond.

When we originally were developing this idea, we wanted it to be an opportunity for local theatremakers—especially theatremakers who may still struggle seeing themselves represented in larger institutions, and who are interested in continuing Chicago’s tradition of creating new theatres from the ground up—to come and learn some of the ins and outs and tips and tricks that these local leaders have to share. One of Chicago theatre’s foundational ideas is that you and your buddies, should you have the time, can start a company from scratch in this town and grow from there. As more of these smaller companies struggle to keep going, we hope to provide an opportunity for folks to learn what it takes, and perhaps to give them a leg up when the day comes for them to take a run at creating the next great Chicago storefront.

Space is limited, so we encourage you and your friends to register at tcg.org for American Theatre presents: Grown in Chicago. If you need any further encouragement, Gabriela and I recently attended another panel discussion at The Understudy, Strawdog’s Thank You Five, and let me tell you, you’ll be hard pressed to find a better place to sit around and think and talk about theatre than surrounded by books (and certain magazines) at this café/bookstore. I sincerely hope you consider joining us, and sharing the invitation with theatremakers you know who could be the future of theatre in our city.

On to our recent coverage: First, I want to make sure to shine a light on our colleague Alexandra Pierson’s wonderful reporting on The Who’s Tommy, which took the stage at the Goodman prior to moving to Broadway. She takes a careful look at where and how (and if) disability representation comes into play in this musical revival, touching on many thoughts that nagged at the back of my head walking out of the production here in Chicago.

Speaking of nagging questions, I had the chance to get more than a few off my chest in multiple recent conversations with Harry Lennix. First, we touched on Purpose for my article on Jacobs-Jenkins’s new play, looking at how Steppenwolf’s ensemble spirit is infused into this world premiere production. Then, Lennix and director Ken-Matt Martin joined us for our April episode of Offscript to talk about their work on August Wilson’s autobiographical play. I’ll also tease that Lennix talks a bit about a project he’s a part of on the South Side of Chicago that I’m exceedingly excited to see come to fruition.

We also have a wonderful conversation between Gabriela and Marcela Lorca, who will step down as artistic director of Ten Thousand Things in Minneapolis at the end of the year. Finally, reporter Sarah Weissman writes about efforts in Chicago and beyond to make space onstage for performers who identify as fat, and how these efforts are working to change the way bigger bodies are seen onstage.

If you’re available next Monday, I again welcome you to join us at The Understudy. Gabriela and I will be in attendance, as will American Theatre editor-in-chief Rob Weinert-Kendt. We’d love to see you come by!

Now See This

What do today’s kids know about ’80s music? Well, one is about to find out a whole lot more in Daryl D. Brooks’s The Time Machine—A Tribute to the ’80s (through May 12). Brooks, who also directs this Black Ensemble Theater production, tells the story of Derrick Taylor, who gets a crash course in what some folks consider pop music’s greatest decade. Check out a clip below from another of Chicago’s shows that has extended its run due to audiences clamoring for more.

Around Town

Gabriela catches us up on a few items you may have missed!

The world spins, churns, but Chicago communities show up for one another again and again. In the theatre world, I want to shout out the Chicago Latino Theatre Alliance for their upcoming International Artist Support Panel (May 3) and Latine Theatre Artist Week in early April. 

In another recent bright spot, the Italian Cultural Center brought Teatricci to Chicago. This delightful interactive puppet theatre exhibition by the meticulous Alessandra Ricci awakens the inner child. Expect to see her work continue to flourish around the globe.

• As seen in a recent awards round-up, Ken Urban has been honored with American Blues Theater’s Blue Ink Award for his play The Conquered, earning a cash prize. A staged reading will be held this August during their playwriting festival and Urban will have the opportunity for further script development.  
• Breaking the Binary has announced a new regional theatre partnership, BTB Across America, empowering the support of local transgender, nonbinary, and Two-Spirit+ artists in each community. With the sponsorship of Jody Falco and Jeffrey Steinman, this exciting initiative will launch at Woolly Mammoth in DC and Chicago’s own Steppenwolf.
• In a more sobering report, WBEZ Chicago’s Mike Davis investigated how Chicago storefront actors get creative to make ends meet, considering how it’s become even more difficult to earn a living. Davis noted, “Much of the attention on saving the arts has been focused on getting those audiences back. But the crisis has obscured a vital data point…talent is earning less.”
• At Chicago Shakespeare, Jason Alexander stars in first-time playwright Rob Ulin’s sitcom-esque Judgement Day. The Chicago Sun-Times’s Courtney Kueppers caught up with Alexander, sharing how “even early on (the show’s) charm shined.”
• Also in the Sun-Times, Selena Fragassi centered Raye Zaragoza’s standout performance in Peter Pan, one supported by iconic playwright Larissa FastHorse, who worked to shed the original script’s harmful depictions of Indigeneity. Said Zaragoza, “I can find the anchor and empowerment within me to bring that to this brave warrior girl.”
• Additionally, the Sun-Times’ Neil Steinberg wrote about the Joffrey Ballet’s whimsical A Midsummer Night’s Dream, whose prop list included “45 flower crowns, 40 umbrellas, 40 wooden chairs, 40 wine glasses, two bicycles, and a hand-held fish… (plus) hay: 1,100 pounds total.”
• In more news to fangirl over, FastHorse’s writing is now at Steppenwolf, as they stage her satirical The Thanksgiving Play, which Charli Renken discussed for the Chicago Reader. FastHorse illuminated how she embedded specificity within the Chicago production, “I’m very much a collaborative artist, so it continues to evolve with each group of people and with each place it’s performed.” Dennis Polkow’s Newcity Stage coverage highlighted how FastHorse pairs brilliant humor with the need to reevaluate how many white American traditions gloss over genocide. She revealed, “I didn’t make up anything that’s in the show. I would say 80 percent of the lines are things people have said to me in my life or that I’ve heard.”
• Speaking with actors, CLATA executive director Jorge Valdivia, and leaders from companies around town, Mitch Dudek covered the Chicago Latine Artist Week’s culminating open casting call for the Sun-Times. Said Valdivia of Chicago’s Latine population: “It’s a reminder that we’re a third of the city.”
• In recent columns for the Chicago Reader, Kerry Reid covered the Non-Equity Jeff Awards (celebrating their 50th anniversary), highlighted UrbanTheater’s strength and key place in community, and checked in with the Chicago High School of the Arts during this critical moment for educational funding and uncensored storytelling.
• Our friends over in Ohio have announced Over-the-Rhine’s Cincinnati Fringe Festival will run May 31-June 15, with a lineup that will “showcase local, national, and international talent,” reported Katie Griffith for CityBeat. 
• The Columbus Dispatch shared insights on Opera Columbus’s bold reimagining of The Magic Flute as an immersive experience where even ticket buyers don’t know which downtown venue they’ll be going to until shortly before curtain time. A Magic Flute Experience: The Temple aims for a “nightclub feeling,” reported Peter Tonguette.
• The Ruth Foundation for the Arts has extended major grants to 10 small and midsize Wisconsin arts and cultural organizations, reported Jim Higgins for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. These include the Cactus+ Accessibility Initiative and Pink Umbrella’s Disability Theatre initiative.

Chicago Chisme

Every month, Jerald and Gabriela check in with Chicago/Midwest theatre artists about what’s getting them out of bed in the morning and keeping them up at night. This spring, we’re remembering why we do what we do. More below from playwright Jillian Leff, whose play The S Paradox is receiving its world premiere run with Chicago’s Babes With Blades Theatre Company (through May 18) and director Joel Willison, who founded the innovative Pocket Theatre VR and serves as lead producer to The Understudy’s Freshly Brewed new-play series.

What’s a piece of art (theatre or otherwise) that you love that you feel doesn’t get talked about enough?

Jillian: As a person who consumes a lot of media (theatre, movies, TV, books, etc.), this truly feels like an impossible question. So I’m just gonna go with the first thing that popped into my head: Mike Flanagan’s miniseries Midnight Mass. It’s not as popular as his other ones, but it’s my personal favorite. I love art that plays with form and genre, and this one uses horror to tell a story about religious fanaticism and faith. I cried at the end!

Joel: I’ve been obsessed with dance competitions recently. The stories they’re able to tell through dance onstage with physicality, lighting, dancing, and blocking are amazing. I have no idea how it’s directed and rehearsed, but it’s enthralling to watch. I think more artists should watch dance and analyze their response to it; look up Haru or VIBE dance competitions, amazing work.

What’s a recent moment that reminded you why you choose to do theatre?

Jillian: I saw The Best Damn Thing by Hanna Kime at The Understudy in Andersonville, and everyone in the audience that night was so invested, it was one of those moments where it really felt like we were all experiencing the show together—something you just can’t get watching a TV show on your couch. It’s one of the reasons I love theatre so much. The show also reminded me of why I love specifically Chicago theatre as well, where a DIY show in a bookstore is just as good (if not better) than a show with a giant budget.

Joel: Last week, producing Freshly Brewed! It was a play called Echo’s Inferno, written by Juliet Kang Huneke and directed by Daira Rodriguez. I was talking with a student before the reading about how they could submit their work, then said hello to old friends, and introduced people to each other—it felt like what I wish I had when I first moved to Chicago. I love community theatre, and it was very fulfilling to see everyone there to support the creative team in the reading. Don’t get me wrong: I love theatre with full tech and all the glitz and glam, a performance that gets me inspired and makes me ask questions. However, I think smaller community events like readings and workshops are more sustainable for my inspiration. It’s more accessible to the theatre community and a great reminder of why I want to do theatre.

Shoot your shot. What artist or company are you dreaming of working with, or what show are you dreaming of working on?

Jillian: Hi, Amy Sherman-Palladino, your writing style (especially your dialogue) was hugely influential to me as I was figuring out my own style. Working with you on literally anything would be a dream come true.

Joel: I’ve wanted to direct Wolf Play by Hansol Jung ever since I read it last year. I think the story, puppetry, movement, and relationships are beautiful and I would love to explore the project more with a Chicago theatre company.