Giordano Dance Chicago (GDC) hosts its highly anticipated 19th Anniversary "Dancing With The Giordano Stars" ballroom dance competition 7-11 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8 at Park West, 322 W. Armitage Ave. This popular annual event, patterned after the hit ABC series "Dancing With The Stars," benefits GDC's transformative initiatives through the GDC Youth Arts Education Fund. Event Co-Chairs are Dina Gallay and Sandy Golub. Emcee for the evening is former FOX News and sports anchor Corey McPherrin.

On Oct. 8, a group of Chicago A-listers, each with their Giordano professional dancer partner, will compete for a shot at winning the coveted Disco Ball and the title of Best Male Dancer or Best Female Dancer. The stakes are high with each couple performing only one dance for one chance to impress the guest judges including Emmy Award-winning director, choreographer and GDC Resident Choreographer Al Blackstone, Associate Publisher Chicago Star Media and author of the Candid Candace Blog, Candace Jordan and Emmy Award-winning Anchor/Reporter and Host at Fox 32 Chicago, Tia Ewing. Contestants also vie for special awards for Top Fundraiser and Audience Favorite.

The slate of male contestants (and their GDC dance partners) includes. Andy Anisfeld, Vice President Medical Affairs and Health Impact, Immunology, AbbVie (Erina Ueda), Adam Cummis, Restaurateur, Blaze Pizza (Analysse Vance), Ted Grady, Partner, J&L Catering ,(Sasha Lazarus), Erik Kessler, Managing Director, Alvarez & Marsal (Amanda Hickey-Newcom) and Peter Q. Thompson, Managing Director, Blue Marlin Partners (Talia Luzzo).

The slate of female contestants (and their GDC dance partners) includes Jordan C. Carqueville, MD, Founder of Derm Institute of Chicago (Joshua Brumm), Allana Emery, Finance Director , Publicis Groupe (Eduardo Zambrana), Annie Laughton, Stay at Home Mom (Simon Schuh),  Bonnie Micheli, CO-CEO, Shred415 (Aidan Aloma) and Elena Moore, Physician, Gynecologic Oncology, Endeavor Health (Adam Houston).

Individual tickets begin at $150. Tickets include a 4-hour open bar and light fare provided by J&L Catering. For tickets or more information, visit giordanodance.org/dwtgs or call 312.922.1332.

"Dancing With The Giordano Stars" fundraising supports GDC's transformative initiatives. Through the Youth Arts Education Fund, the company illuminates the path for the next generation with innovative programs such as the CPS Jazz Dance/Science & Health, GDC's Free Ticket Program, dynamic dance workshops, enriching mentorship partnerships, immersive school residencies and the esteemed NGCP® certification.

"Dancing With The Giordano Stars 2026" precedes GDC's "untamed passion" fall engagement
at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie, located at 9501 Skokie Blvd.,
at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6 and Saturday, Nov. 7. For tickets, visit northshorecenter.org.

America's original jazz dance company electrifies into their 64th season with radiance and infinite horizons. Giordano Dance Chicago (GDC) is an iconic cultural institution with deep roots in Chicago and around the globe (28 countries, 47 states, and more than 1,300 cities). From founder Gus Giordano's vision, the company continues to honor the past while pushing the art form forward. Nan Giordano celebrates 42 years as an artistic leader responsible for commissioning innovative choreographic works and mentoring thousands of dancers. Alongside Nan, Associate Artistic Director, Cesar G. Salinas and the magnificent dancers are an integral part of the GDC legacy. Al Blackstone serves as Resident Choreographer, truly a testament that the art form of jazz dance is thriving. The company is one of the few in the world that has a foundational technique, Nan Giordano Certification Program®, with certified teachers in 9 countries and 36 states. GDC is committed to Youth Arts Education at home and on tour through mentorships, scholarships, and our free Chicago Public Schools and park programs. GDC is proud to be one of the longest running dance companies in the world, continuing to enrich lives through dance. For more information visit giordanodance.org.

Award-winning Redtwist Theatre, launching its 22nd season with Prayer Circle, September 17 - November 8, by Erik Gernand and directed by Executive Artistic Director Dusty Brown, announces today an added special engagement to its 2026 - 2027 season, the world premiere of Flying Monkeys, produced in collaboration with the New Theatre Project, December 6 - January 17, by L.C. Bernadine and directed by Robert Falls, at Redtwist Theatre, 1044 W. Bryn Mawr Ave. Preview performances are Friday, Dec. 4 and Saturday, Dec. 5 at 7:30 p.m. Regular performance schedule includes Wednesdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3:30 p.m. Some dates adjusted for the holidays. Single tickets are on sale starting September 15 for $50 (seniors and veterans: $35; students: $10 and Fridays are Pay-What-You-Can) with subscriptions also available at RedtwistTheatre.org. 

Chicago is a city where, when all goes well, theater happens at every scale. Just weeks after his production of Don Giovanni will open at the almost 3,500-seat Lyric Opera of Chicago, Robert Falls will direct Flying Monkeys, a new play by Chicago playwright L.C. Bernadine, at Edgewater’s Redtwist Theatre, an intimate venue of just over 35 seats. 

Flying Monkeys follows two transport agents working in the so-called “troubled teen industry.” Hired by a desperate mother, they arrive in the middle of the night to legally take her 15-year-old daughter from her home and deliver her to a residential treatment program across the country. What begins as a job governed by contracts and procedure becomes increasingly complicated as everyone involved is forced to confront what they believe desperation can justify.

Falls read the play earlier this year and was drawn both to its subject and to the opportunity to stage it in an extremely intimate venue. “I’ve been an admirer of L.C. Bernadine’s plays for quite a while,” said Robert Falls. “She has a very distinctive voice — tough, funny, poetic and completely her own — and Flying Monkeys feels to me like an especially exciting new work. It takes on difficult, volatile material without reducing anyone to a type or telling us too quickly what to think. The play keeps shifting under you: your sympathies move, your assumptions get challenged and what at first seems morally clear becomes much more complicated. There are no easy villains and no easy answers, which is exactly what I find so compelling about it.” 

For Falls, the shift from Lyric Opera to Redtwist reflects something essential about Chicago theater. He continued, “I cut my teeth in Chicago at Wisdom Bridge Theatre, one of the city’s first storefront theaters, a small space up two flights of stairs over a bar and a violin repair shop on Howard Street. I spent more than a decade of my life there, so coming to Redtwist really does feel like a homecoming. It’s one of Chicago’s finest theaters and there’s something about being back in a room this intimate that takes me right back to where I began.” 

“L.C. Bernadine has been an incredible friend and collaborator over the past few years, welcoming me to Chicago when I first made the move,” says Redtwist Artistic Director Dusty Brown. “After working together on the Independent Productions Initiative, I jumped at the opportunity to collaborate artistically with L.C. on her new play. Bringing Bob Falls on to direct spoke to the very thing that drew me to Chicago in the first place, the most incredible artists in the world can be found in the least likely of places. Some of our country’s greatest artists started their careers in Chicago storefronts and Bob Falls’s return is a reminder that artistic merit can’t be judged simply by the size of the theatre.”

Redtwist Theatre is producing Flying Monkeys in collaboration with the New Theatre Project. Peter Handler and Spencer Huffman will serve as producers. Founder of the New Theatre Project Spencer Huffman said, "Since our first production in 2024, L.C. has been pivotal in New Theatre Project's success as a producer. When the opportunity arose to co-produce her excellent new play with Bob directing, we jumped at it. This collaboration captures something essential about the Chicago theatre: the city's most notable director teams up with two small storefronts to produce a new play by an under-the-radar Chicago playwright. It's so exciting."

ABOUT L.C. BERNADINE, playwright 

The author of numerous plays and a frequent collaborator with The New Theatre Project, Bernadine was recently profiled in Newcity's "50 Players" as founder of the Independent Productions Initiative, which supports work outside ongoing companies. Her plays include The Whole Seamus Thing, co-written with Ben Auxier (Bramble Theatre); Welcome J-1 Students (University of Alabama Theater); Is You Is, a musical co-written with Nik Whitcomb and Erik Olsen about the 1930s “Races of Mankind” exhibit at The Field Museum (DCASE’s Chicago Cultural Center New Play Residency and then Broadway Rose Theatre, Portland, Oregon) and The Virginian, co-written with Spencer Huffman (City Lit Theatre). 

ABOUT ROBERT FALLS, director

Over a career spanning more than four decades, Robert Falls has directed new plays and reimagined classics, large-scale musical theater and opera in the United States and internationally. He began his career at Chicago’s Wisdom Bridge Theatre and later served as artistic director of Goodman Theatre for 35 years. His most recent productions include Richard Greenberg’s Holiday at the Goodman and Peter Shaffer’s Amadeus at Steppenwolf Theatre Company.

Falls’ many Broadway credits include Death of a Salesman, Long Day’s Journey into Night, Horton Foote’s Pulitzer Prize-winning The Young Man from Atlanta and Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida.

His honors include a Tony Award, Drama Desk Award, Obie Award, Helen Hayes Award, multiple Jeff Awards and the Savva Morozov Diamond Award from the Moscow Art Theatre. He was inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame in 2015.

ABOUT NEW THEATRE PROJECT, producer

The New Theatre Project is an independent theatre collective based in Chicago. The New Theatre Project intends to put artists at the far edge of their abilities so that they must discover something new to succeed. They believe there is nothing more moving than an artist on the brink. This process of artistic risk and discovery defines their work.

Buffalo Theatre Ensemble (BTE), the professional theater company in residence at the McAninch Arts Center (MAC), is pleased to announce that, in keeping with the company's general policy of promoting from within, BTE Interim Artistic Managing Director Daniel Millhouse has been named the company's new Managing Artistic Director. 

"As we enter our 40th anniversary season, welcoming Daniel Millhouse as Managing Artistic Director seems incredibly fitting. He has worked with the Ensemble for nine years, and has been mentored by Connie Canaday Howard and Amelia Barrett, both sharing their deep institutional knowledge and sharp artistic vision. Daniel brings an understanding of who BTE has been, who we are, and who we strive to be. BTE has and will continue to provide thought-provoking, laughter-inducing, and heart-tugging professional storytelling not only for our community but for those who travel to see the immense level of talent our ensemble and guest actors share with us," shared Brandee Martin, president of BTE's Board of Directors. 

"I am honored to work with Buffalo Theatre Ensemble as we enter our 40th anniversary season," said Millhouse. "BTE has a remarkable legacy of bringing artists and audiences together through powerful storytelling. I look forward to building on that legacy with our Ensemble, Board, students, and community while creating new opportunities for connection, collaboration, and artistic growth." 

From July 2024-June 2026, Millhouse served as BTE's Interim Associate Artistic Director, Associate Artistic Director, and then Interim Managing Artistic Director, contributing to season planning, production oversight, marketing, educational outreach, subscriber engagement, fundraising, and strategic planning. Other administrative credits include co-founder and Managing Director of Misalliance Repertory Theatre (2019-2022), where he oversaw company operations, financial planning, marketing, fundraising, nonprofit compliance, and production activities. 

As an actor, BTE audiences have enjoyed Millhouse in productions like "The 39 Steps" and the Pemberley trilogy by Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon. Millhouse is an Associate Professor in the theater department of the College of DuPage where he directs collegiate productions. 

Millhouse* is also BTE's newest Buffalo Theatre Ensemble member. Other members of the
ensemble: Aly Renee Amidei^, Robert Jordan Bailey*, Amelia Barrett*, Bryan Burke*(Business Manager), Connie Canaday Howard*, Rebecca Cox, Lisa Dawn, Nick DuFloth, Jon Gantt, Christopher Kriz^, Laura Leonardo Ownby, Michael W. Moon, Kurt Naebig*, GalenG. Ramsey*, William Sandy "Smillie* and Kelli Walker.  

*Denotes member of Actors' Equity; ^Denotes member of United Scenic Artists 

In collaboration with BTE's Board of Directors and Ensemble members, Millhouse is ramping up plans for BTE's 40th anniversary season which includes: "Louisa May Alcott's Little Women" by Lauren Gunderson, directed by BTE Managing Artistic Director Daniel Millhouse*(Nov. 12-Dec. 13, 2026); "Dial M for Murder" by Frederick Knott, adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher, directed by former Goodman Theatre Associate Director and long-time BTE director Steve Scott (Jan. 28-Feb. 28, 2027); "One Man, Two Guvnors" by Richard Bean, directed by BTE Managing Artistic Director Emerita Connie Canaday Howard* (May 6-June 6, 2027). For tickets or more information, contact the MAC Box Office at 630-942-4000 or visit AtTheMAC.org. 

Throughout its 2026-2027 season BTE continues its commitment to the next generation of
artists by offering collegiate artists the opportunity to shadow professional artists and productions, continued mentoring through a student shadow program, the BTE Stage Management Scholarship and high school ambassador outreach. 

About Buffalo Theatre Ensemble  

The mission of Buffalo Theatre Ensemble is to provide a forum in which artists, scholars, writers, students and community members explore new ideas and provocative issues through the production of quality theater for the enjoyment of its audiences. Since its founding in 1986, BTE has produced 132 productions and presented more than 2,000 performances, featuring world and regional premieres. In the 2025-2026 season, BTE employed 80 professional artists and
welcomed 8,800 patrons. Over 500 College of DuPage students studied and attended productions. The Equity Jeff Awards have recognized the company with two awards and more than a dozen nominations. The Jeff Awards are Chicago's premier professional theater awards, recognizing excellence in acting, directing, design, and production among companies in the Chicago area. 

BTE was established as a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation in 2016. For more information about BTE, please visit BTEChicago.com or AtTheMAC.org.  

Buffalo Theatre Ensemble is partially supported and funded by generous grants from Arts DuPage, Choose DuPage, College of DuPage Foundation, The Norm Woodel Inspiration Fund, the DuPage Foundation, and the Illinois Arts Council Agency. 

Chicago-based Emmy Award-winning performance collective and film/video production company Manual Cinema premiered two new hand-animated films at the Obama Presidential Center Museum earlier this year. Now, the company is bringing two of its acclaimed live-action productions back to Chicago's historic Studebaker Theater at the Fine Arts Building, where audiences can witness Manual Cinema's handmade magic created before their eyes with performers, musicians, and hundreds of puppets.

Timed to coincide with the Halloween and Christmas holidays, Manual Cinema and the Studebaker Theater co-present Manual Cinema's Frankenstein, an adaptation of Mary Shelley's Gothic horror novel, for four performances only October 30–November 1, 2026; and Manual Cinema's Christmas Carol, a unique take on the Charles Dickens classic, from December 18–27, 2026.

Tickets for Frankenstein and Manual Cinema's Christmas Carol at the Studebaker Theater (410 S. Michigan Avenue, Chicago) go on sale Friday, August 28. Tickets are $35-$75, with student tickets available for $25 with proof of ID. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit fineartsbuilding.com/studebaker.

"Manual Cinema is a truly exceptional team of multidisciplinary artists, as demonstrated by the fact that they were tapped to create two short films for the Obama Presidential Center Museum," says Jacob Harvey, Managing Artistic Director of the Fine Arts Building and Studebaker Theater. "We're thrilled to bring their productions of Frankenstein and Manual Cinema's Christmas Carol back to the Studebaker this year, where audiences can experience the magic of their live-action, handmade filmmaking in person."

"We're so excited to be returning to the Studebaker Theater with Frankenstein and Manual Cinema's Christmas Carol!" adds Drew Dir, Co-Artistic Director of Manual Cinema. "Our adaptation of Mary Shelley's classic gothic novel has been touring the Western Hemisphere for years, and we're thrilled to bring it back home for an encore Halloween engagement. Meanwhile, Manual Cinema's Christmas Carol has become a beloved holiday tradition for our fans—we're thrilled to give Chicago audiences another chance to see it!"

SHOW DETAILS

Frankenstein

Studebaker Theater at the Fine Arts Building

410 S. Michigan Avenue, Chicago

October 30–November 1, 2026

In Manual Cinema's thrilling version of the classic Gothic tale Frankenstein, the Chicago-based performance collective imaginatively combines shadow puppetry, cinematic techniques, and live sound effects and music in a haunting show unlike any other. The production stitches together the fictional story of Frankenstein with the biography of the original novel's author, Mary Shelley, to create an unexpected tale about the beauty and horror of creation.

Frankenstein is adapted from the novel by Mary Shelley, with a concept by Drew Dir. The production is devised by Drew Dir, Sarah Fornace and Julia Miller. Original music and sound design are by Ben Kauffman and Kyle Vegter.

Performance times:

Friday, Oct. 30 at 7:30 p.m. (press opening)

Saturday, Oct. 31 at 7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 1 at 3 p.m.

Manual Cinema's Christmas Carol

Studebaker Theater at the Fine Arts Building

410 S. Michigan Avenue, Chicago

December 18–27, 2026

Featuring hundreds of handmade puppets, immersive sound design and a stunning live score, Manual Cinema's Christmas Carol is a holiday show unlike any other. Avowed holiday skeptic Aunt Trudy has been reluctantly recruited to carry on her late husband Joe's tradition of spreading Christmas cheer, and recreates his annual Christmas Carol puppet show over Zoom while the family celebrates from afar. But as Trudy dives deeper into the story, the puppets take on a life of their own and the family call transforms into a breathtaking, one-of-a-kind cinematic reimagining of Dickens's classic ghost story.

Manual Cinema's Christmas Carol is adapted from the novel by Charles Dickens and devised by Manual Cinema, with additional writing by Nate Marshall. Storyboards and puppet design are by Drew Dir, with original score and sound design by Ben Kauffman and Kyle Vegter, and lighting design by Trey Brazeal.

Performance times:

Friday, Dec. 18 at 7:30 p.m. (press opening)

Saturday, Dec. 19 at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 20 at 2 p.m.

Wednesday, Dec. 23 at 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, Dec. 24 at 2 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 26 at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 27 at 2 p.m.

About the Fine Arts Building and Studebaker Theater

The Fine Arts Building, which celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2023, is a home for art in all forms: from pioneers like Poetry magazine's founding publisher Harriet Monroe, architect Frank Lloyd Wright, illustrator W. W. Denslow, sculptor Lorado Taft and the Chicago Little Theatre, to the ongoing legacies of painters, musicians, booksellers, puppeteers, dancers, photographers and craftspeople who inhabit the building today, the Fine Arts Building is buzzing with more than a century of Chicago creativity and innovation.

A Chicago Landmark since 1978, the building features original Art Nouveau murals from the late 19th century and the Studebaker Theater, one of the city's oldest and most significant live theatrical venues. Following a major multi-million-dollar renovation of the Studebaker led by Berger Realty Group and completed in 2022, the theater has been home to NPR's popular news quiz show "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!" and has hosted performances from new musicals including 44: The Obama Musical, Roald Dahl's The Enormous Crocodile, and Jim Henson's Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas, along with productions Ava: The Secret Conversations starring Elizabeth McGovern and Manual Cinema's Christmas Carol. For more information, visit fineartsbuilding.com.

About Manual Cinema

Manual Cinema is an Emmy Award-winning performance collective, design studio, and film/video production company founded in 2010 by Drew Dir, Sarah Fornace, Ben Kauffman, Julia Miller and Kyle Vegter. Manual Cinema combines handmade shadow puppetry, cinematic techniques, and innovative sound and music to create immersive stories for stage and screen. Using vintage overhead projectors, multiple screens, puppets, actors, live feed cameras, multi-channel sound design, and live music, Manual Cinema transforms the experience of attending the cinema and imbues it with liveness, ingenuity, and theatricality.

The company was awarded an Emmy in 2017 for "The Forger," a video created for The New York Times, and named Chicago Artists of the Year in 2018 by the Chicago Tribune. Their shadow puppet animations were featured in the 2021 film remake of Candyman, directed by Nia DaCosta and produced by Jordan Peele's Monkeypaw Productions. In collaboration with the Obama Foundation and Batwin + Robin Productions, Manual Cinema created two animated films for the Obama Presidential Center Museum in Chicago, Ten Letters a Day and Power of Place.

Recent productions include Leonardo! A Wonderful Show About A Terrible Monster, based on books by Mo Willems, an adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, and a revamped production of The Magic City, based on Edith Nesbit's 1910 novel. In 2023, Manual Cinema completed production on their first self-produced short film, Future Feeling, and toured with folk rock band Iron & Wine the following year. In Summer 2025, Manual Cinema premiered their latest feature production, The 4th Witch—a bold and imaginative inversion of Macbeth that is now touring.

Joining the previously announced stars of Kowalski Johnny Galecki ("The Big Bang Theory," "The Little Dog Laughed") as Tennessee Williams and Jacob Moskovitz ("Elle") as Marlon Brando are Alison Cimmet as Margo Jones, Reece Dos Santos as Pancho and Ellie Ricker as Jo. The celebrated new play by Gregg Ostrin, directed by Colin Hanlon, will come to Chicago's Lookingglass Theatre Company at the historic Water Tower Water Works, 163 E Pearson St. at Michigan Ave., playing September 15–October 25, 2026. 

The creative team includes David Gallo (scenic designer), Lisa Zinni (costume designer), Jeff Croiter (lighting designer), Bill Toles (sound designer), Amanda Herrmann (props supervisor), Chels Morgan (intimacy director), Viveca Gardiner (associate scenic designer), Grace Wylie (assistant to the costume designer), Riva Fairhall (associate lighting designer), Sun Hee Kil (associate sound designer), J.P. Elins (production stage manager), and Tess Golden (assistant stage manager).

The understudies include Andrew Schoen (Tennessee Williams), Marck Kiselevach (Marlon Brando & Pancho), and Paige Cilluffo (Margo Jones & Jo).

Tickets are available at lookingglasstheatre.org and 312.337.0665. Kowalski is a part of the 26/27 Lookingglass Membership and Subscription Series. Single tickets range from $37 to $97, with a limited number of premium seats also available.

Set over one pivotal evening in 1947 Provincetown, Kowalski imagines the electrifying first meeting between Tennessee Williams and a young Marlon Brando, just as Williams searches for the actor who would forever change the destiny of A Streetcar Named Desire. Blending fact, memory, and theatrical imagination, the play offers a fascinating glimpse into the creative forces behind one of the most influential works in American theater. Kowaslki explores the intersection of ambition, artistry, desire, and the creation of theatrical history.

JOHNNY GALECKI (Tennessee Williams) is an acclaimed actor best known for his starring role as 'Leonard Hofstadeter' on the award-winning CBS comedy "The Big Bang Theory," for which he earned Emmy, Golden Globe and SAG award nominations. He first gained widespread recognition as 'David Healy' on the groundbreaking sitcom "Roseanne" and has appeared in numerous film and television projects throughout his career including Hancock, Vanilla Sky, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Suicide Kings, In Time and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. His stage credits include the Tony Award-nominated Broadway play The Little Dog Laughed for which he received a Theater World Award for Outstanding Broadway Debut, The Drawer Boy, Pot Mom, The Member of the Wedding and Galileo.

JACOB MOSKOVITZ (Marlon Brando) is a rising talent delivering versatile and engaging performances across film and television. Most recently, he starred in the highly anticipated Legally Blonde prequel series ELLE from Amazon and Hello Sunshine, which has already been renewed for a second season.

Moskovitz recently completed production on the Fernando Meirelles-directed Netflix feature Here Comes the Flood, appearing alongside Robert Pattinson, Denzel Washington, and Daisy Edgar-Jones. Earlier this year, Jacob also starred in Seth Meyers' produced feature Brian, which premiered to strong reviews at SXSW. He can currently be seen in the independent feature The Floaters, which was released July 10, 2026. Additional film credits include the A24 feature Y2K, directed and written by Kyle Mooney and Evan Winter, as well as Isle Child, directed and written by Thomas Percy Kim. On television, Jacob's credits include "Chicago P.D." (NBC), "The Good Fight" (Paramount+), Magnum P.I.  (NBC), and "FBI: International" (CBS).

ALISON CIMMET (Margo Jones) has performed on Broadway in Gary, Amelie, She Loves Me, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Bonnie & Clyde, Baby, It's You!, and A Tale of Two Cities. Off-Broadway/Regional favorites: Freya in Any Minute Now (HERE Arts Center); Margo Jones in Kowalski (Duke); Nelle in Someone Spectacular (Signature); Lady Capulet in Romeo & Juliet (Westport Country Playhouse); Witch in Into the Woods (Fiasco/The Old Globe); Mrs. Cratchit in A Christmas Carol (McCarter Theatre); Madame Thenardier in Les Miserables (NCT); 3 Kinds of Exile (Atlantic Theatre); Preparedness (Bushwick Starr); My Wonderful Day (Two River Theatre). Film/TV favorites: Best Medicine, The Wrath of Becky, The Big Sick, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Ray Donovan, Blacklist, Younger, Bull, Evil, Dickinson, Law & Order: SVU. Alison is a graduate of Brown University, founder of Bonfire Theatre Group, and member of The Actors Center.

ELLIE RICKER (Jo) began her career as a professional Ballet dancer before earning her BFA in Theatre from Boston University.  TV/Film credits include "Anne of Green Gables," "Blue Bloods," 12 and More Omissions (SAIFF Best Actor Award) and A24's Y2K, directed by Kyle Mooney. She is reprising her role from the recent off-Broadway production of Kowalski.

REECE dos SANTOS (Pancho) New York City-based and making his Chicago debut—stoked to finally be here! Film: The Man I Love (dir. Ira Sachs; 2026 Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or nominee), Triumph of the Will. TV: The Equalizer (CBS), New Amsterdam (NBC), American Rust (Showtime). Off-Broadway: Romeo & Juliet (The Public's Delacorte Theater), The Irrepressible Magic of the Tropics (INTAR). Regional: All My Sons (Hartford Stage), Pride & Prejudice (Cleveland Play House), Flowers of Hawaii(Chautauqua Theater Company), A Welcome Guest (CATF), Measure for Measure and Sofonisba (Theater at Monmouth). MFA: NYU Graduate Acting, Class of 2023. 

GREGG OSTRIN (Playwright) A native of Los Angeles, his most recent plays include A Very Streaming Christmas and The Spy Who Went Into Rehab (Pacific Resident Theatre, Venice, California), The Soul of Motown (Stage West Theater, Calgary), Truffles (Secret Door Theater, New York City) and Rank & File (Hudson Theater, Los Angeles). His play The Beverly Hills Hotel Peace Talks just had its premiere staged reading at The Coachella Valley Rep in Palm Springs, California for its Origins series. It will be opening there in May 2025. He dedicates this play to his former mentor, the late George Furth.

COLIN HANLON (Director) is an actor, writer, director, and producer living in New York City. He most recently directed Broken Snow (with Tony Danza, Tom Cavanagh and Michael Longfellow). He also directed I Love You Because-a queer retelling in NYC, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and co-directed It's Only a Play at George Street Playhouse. He's the co-producer & star of Submissions Only. He's also an adjunct professor at NYU New Studio, LIU, Stella Adler, and Cap 21. He teaches auditioning and self-tape technique at his private studio. Still a working actor as he's been on "Modern Family," "Difficult People," "The Sinner," "The Good Fight" and currently "Uncoupled" on Showtime. Broadway: Falsettos, Rent, Wicked (First National Tour) and In Transit. Off-Broadway: NYC premiere of Dot by Colman Domingo (Vineyard Theater, dir. Susan Stroman), A.R. Gurney's last play Final Follies dir. David Saint (Cherry Lane) and I Love You Because (original cast).

About Lookingglass Theatre Company

Founded in 1988 by graduates of Northwestern University, Lookingglass Theatre Company is a nationwide leader in the creation and presentation of new, cutting-edge theatrical works and in sharing its ensemble-based theatrical techniques with Chicago-area students and teachers through Education and Community Programs. Guided by an artistic vision centered on the core values of collaboration, transformation and invention, Lookingglass seeks to capture audiences' imaginations leaving them changed, charged and empowered. Recipient of the 2011 Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre, Lookingglass has built a national reputation for artistic excellence and ensemble-based theatrical innovation. Notable world premieres include Mary Zimmerman's Tony Award-winning Metamorphoses and The Odyssey, J. Nicole Brooks' Her Honor Jane Byrne, David Schwimmer's adaptation of Upton Sinclair's The Jungle and Studs Terkel's Race: How Blacks and Whites Think and Feel about the American Obsession, Matthew C. Yee's Lucy and Charlie's Honeymoon and David Catlin's circus tribute to Lewis Carroll, Lookingglass Alice, which was captured by HMS Media and reached 1.6 million PBS viewers. Looking Alice is now available to more than four million students worldwide through Digital Theatre+. Work created by Lookingglass artists has been produced in Australia, Europe and dozens of cities throughout the United States.

Shattered Globe Theatre is pleased to open its 36^th Season with the Midwest premiere of Erika Sheffer's Vladimir, an unflinching drama of resistance directed by Ensemble Member Lou Contey*, playing October 2 – November 14, 2026 at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave. in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood. Single tickets ($20 – $60) are now on sale at SGTheatre.org, by calling (773) 975-8150 or in person at the Theater Wit Box Office. 

Vladimir features Ensemble Members Rebecca Jordan*, Drew Schad* and Adam Schulmerich*, Associate Artist Steve Peebles⁺, with Isabel Alamein, Kseniya Janyan, Juliana Liscio, Laila Malak, Tristan Odenkirk and Ben Perry.

About the Production:

In a world where facts are manipulated and fear is currency, the truth becomes dangerous.

As a new authoritarian government tightens its grip on Russia, Erika Sheffer's Vladimir follows an independent journalist who uncovers a story that could expose the truth behind a nation in transition. But when every headline comes with consequences and every source becomes a target, she must decide how much she's willing to sacrifice for the story. Vladimir is a gripping political thriller about what happens when silence becomes complicity.

The production team includes Joe Shermoly (Scenic Designer), KClare McKellaston (Costume Designer), Shelley Strasser* (Lighting Designer), Christopher Kriz+ (Original Music and Sound Designer), Cecilia Chan (Props Designer), Erin Pleake (Projection Designer), Elise Kauzlaric (Dialect Coach), Maren Robinson (Dramaturg), Catherine Miller (Casting Director), Ellie Fey* (Assistant Lighting Designer), E Tylkowski (Production Manager), Nick Peebles (Technical Director), Leah Donovan (Lead Electrician), Tina M. Jach* (Production Stage Manager) and Emily Nicholas (Assistant Stage Manager).

*Denotes SGT Ensemble Member  ⁺Denotes SGT Artistic Associate

Vladimir

Playwright: Erika Sheffer
Director: Ensemble Member Lou Contey
Cast (in alphabetical order): Isabel Alamein (Daughter, Masha, TV Crew), Kseniya Janyan (Chovka, Makeup Lady), Rebecca Jordan* (Raya), Juliana Liscio (Galina), Laila Malak (Tatiana, Bartender, Book Clerk), Tristan Odenkirk (Yevgeny, Cameraman), Steve Peebles⁺ (Andrei, Old Man, Deacon), Ben Perry (Director, Vitaly, News Personality, Sasha), Drew Schad* (Jim) and Adam Schulmerich* (Kostya).

Location: Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave., Chicago

Dates: Previews: Friday, October 2 at 7:30 pm, Saturday, October 3 at 7:30 pm, Sunday, October 4 at 3 pm and Wednesday, October 7 at 7:30 pm

Opening: Thursday, October 8, 2026 at 7:30 pm

Regular run: Saturday, October 10 – Saturday, November 14, 2026
Curtain Times: Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays at 7:30 pm; Sundays at 3 pm. Please note: there will not be a 7:30 pm performance on Friday, October 9 or Saturday, October 31; there will be an added 3 pm performance on Saturday November 14.

Tickets: Previews: $25. Regular run: $20 - $60. Student, veteran/active military and teacher discounts available. Single tickets are available at SGTheatre.org, by calling (773) 975-8150 or in person at the Theater Wit Box Office. Season Traveler memberships starting at $55 are also available. For information on group discounts, e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call (773) 770-0333.

About the Artists:

Erika Sheffer (Playwright, Vladimir) is a playwright and screenwriter based in Los Angeles. Her first play, Russian Transport, premiered at The New Group and went on to productions at Steppenwolf as well as other regional and international theaters. The Fundamentals was commissioned and produced by Steppenwolf. Her latest play, Vladimir was commissioned by The Geffen Playhouse and received its world premiere at Manhattan Theatre Club. Honors include the Paula Vogel Playwriting Award, multiple TCG Edgerton Grants and an Outer Critics Circle Award nomination. She is an alum of Ars Nova Playgroup and a member of Center Theatre Group's LA Writer's Workshop. Erika has held commissions from Steppenwolf, The Geffen Playhouse, Center Theatre Group and Manhattan Theatre Club. Screen credits include Apple TV's Little America and Netflix's The Beast in Me (Writers Guild nomination). as well as multiple development rooms for Apple TV, Starz and Sony.

Lou Contey (Director, Vladimir) is a long-time Ensemble Member with Shattered Globe Theatre. He recently directed the multiple award-winning production of A View from the Bridge. Shattered Globe credits include The Manchurian Candidate, A Streetcar Named Desire, All My Sons, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Peter Pan, Les Liaisons Dangereuse, Warhawks and Lindberghs, Holy Ghosts, Judgement at Nuremberg, Requiem for a Heavyweight, The Whaleship Essex, In the Heat of the Night, The Tall Girls, The Heavens are Hung in Black, and many others. Among his more than eighty directing credits are The Price, Awake and Sing!, It's All True, Copenhagen. Pravda, Paradise Lost, The General from America, A House with No Walls, Lillian, Frost/Nixon, The Guys and The Apple Family Plays, all at TimeLine where he is an Associate Artist. Other Chicago credits include The Master and Margarita (Strawdog Theatre); In a Garden (A Red Orchid Theatre); Marriage Play, Duck Variations (The Goodman Theatre) and Haymarket Eight (Steppenwolf). He has also worked at Theatre at the Center, Buffalo Theatre Ensemble, Provision Theatre, Eclipse Theatre and American Theatre Company. He has taught acting and directing for the theatre programs at UIC, The Acting Studio, Act One Studio and The Theatre School/DePaul University.

Isabel Alamein (Daughter, Masha, TV Crew, U/S Chovka, Makeup Lady, she/her) is thrilled to be a part of Vladimir! Recent favorite credits include the world premiere of Pilgrimage (Golden Thread Productions) and several feature films in post-production. Outside of acting, Isabel is a visual artist and dancer. Thank you to the production team, and to every person speaking truth to power.

Kseniya Janyan (Chovka, Makeup Lady, she/her) is an Armenian-Egyptian and Russian actress who's never quite settled anywhere, but who recently made the migration from her American home in New York to the welcoming, collaborative spirit of Chicago's creative community. Recent local credits include: King John (Circuit Theatre Company), Wish You Were Here (Remy Bumppo Theatre Company), How To Defend Yourself (Odds & Ends Theatre Company), Pigeon Whole (Eclectic Full Contact Theatre), Ubu: the King (Facility Theatre). She extends her gratitude to you and your continuous support of storefront theater, to the tireless and talented cast and crew of Vladimir, and most urgently – to the people behind the stories who fought for the humanity within them.

Rebecca Jordan (Raya, she/her) is super excited to reunite with director Lou Contey at their artistic home. Rebecca was most recently seen in the world premiere of Eelpout by Paul W. Kruse. And before that, in London Road, which received the Jeff Award for Best Production – Musical in 2024 – both at Shattered Globe Theatre, where she has been a founding ensemble member for 36 years. Other SGT favorites include Marvin's Room, Mill Fire, A View from the Bridge (Jeff nomination, best actress supporting), The Manchurian Candidate, All My Sons, Anna Karenina (Jeff nomination, best actress lead), Rocket to the Moon and Judgment at Nuremberg. Rebecca received Joseph Jefferson awards for her portrayals of Stella in A Streetcar Named Desire and for Pam in Frozen Assets at SGT. She also performed at the Goodman Theatre in House and Garden, Trojan Women and the world premiere of Rebecca Gilman's Blue Surge. In Los Angeles, Rebecca played the role of Susan opposite Ed Harris, Bill Pullman and the late Glenne Headley in the world premiere of The Jacksonian at the Geffen Playhouse, penned by Beth Henley and directed by Robert Falls. Other Los Angeles credits include The Butcher of Baraboo at The Road Theater, Fatboy (LA Ovation nomination for best comedic role) and Scarcity (LA Scenie award for best actress), both at Need Theater. Some TV credits include Chicago Med, Empire, PKD's Electric Dreams, Chicago Justice, Shameless, Eagleheart.  Rebecca has just finished penning her second feature film. She is grateful and proud to be represented by Stewart Talent, Chicago.

Juliana Liscio (Galina, she/her) is thrilled to return to Shattered Globe, where she was a 2022 Protégé and understudied Catherine in A View From the Bridge (Jeff Award Winner – Best Production; Best Director). She recently made her Los Angeles theatre debut in the world premiere of Julie Shavers' The Baptist Witches of Shelbyville, starring Mamie Gummer. Chicago theatre: The Diary of Anne Frank (Young People's Theatre of Chicago), Picasso at the Lapin Agile and Brighton Beach Memoirs (Citadel Theatre), Six Stories Up (co-writer/performer, Tellin' Tales Theatre), Dracula (Surging Films and Theatrics), A Midsummer Night's Dream (understudy, Oak Park Festival Theatre), The Jacksonian (Profiles Theatre) and Take Me Back (The Poor Theatre). Tour: Space Station Safety (The National Theatre for Children). Film: Smiles, The Vigil. Her play Rambutan received a reading through Steppenwolf's LookOut series. Her writing has also been developed through Chicago Dramatists and the Inclusive Playwright Project. Training: Loyola University Chicago; Fordham London Dramatic Academy; Beverly Hills Playhouse.

Laila Malak (Tatiana, Bartender, Book Clerk, she/her) is a Chicago-based actor/singer/writer who earned her BFA in Acting from Ball State University. She was last seen in Anatomy of a Suicide directed by Alex Mallory. Other credits include: DoProcess's reading of the new musical (out), 24 hour play festival: Ad Infinitum (Sub Rosa Theatre Collective), Our Town directed by David Little, An Enemy of the People adapted and directed by  Zoé Soteres, The Polar Express (Rail Events Inc.), Macbeth (Hoosier Shakespeare), The Children's Hour directed by Veronica Santoyo. Laila is thrilled to be making her Shattered Globe Theatre debut! Instagram: laila_malak24

Tristan Odenkirk (Yevgeny, he/him) is a Chicago actor making his debut at Theater Wit, one of his favorite stages in the city. Tristan received his Bachelor's in Theater from Augustana College in 2020 and graduated from the Chicago Black Box Drama School Actor's Studio training program in December of 2023. Tristan's work alternates between the professional and amateur. Most recently, he played Al Capone in Outta This World! at iO Theater. He also played Tibult with Midsommer Flight, and the lead in Trap Door's Fraudulent LLC.

Steve Peebles (Andrei, Old Man, Deacon) has worked with SGT in London Road (Jeff Winner, Best Musical, Nominee Best Ensemble) Becky Nurse of Salem, Hannah and Martin, Five Mile Lake, In The Heat of the Night, The Whaleship Essex and Our Country's Good. Other Chicago credits include: Macbeth (Three Crows), Spamalot! (The Mercury), Peter and the Star Catcher (Metropolis Performing Arts), Cyrano (Boho), Midsummer Night's Dream (First Folio) and Flanagan's Wake. Other credits: Kalamazoo Christmas! (Farmer's Alley Theater), Into The Woods (Two Pigs - Ratone, NM), The Shrew (P45 - Traverse City, MI), and seven tours with Montana Shakespeare in the Parks. Steve is an Artistic Associate with SGT, a graduate of North Central College, and has been featured on The Moth Radio Hour after winning the Moth GrandSlam in 2022.

Ben Perry (Director, Vitaly, News Personality, Sasha, he/him) is excited to be returning to SGT! Chicago credits include A View From The Bridge (Shattered Globe Theatre), Antigone, Dante 360 (Athenaeum Center), The Elephant Man (Surging Film & Theatrics), The Tragedy of King Christophe (House Theatre of Chicago), The Prodigal Prince (The Veil Theatre) and performing with the Harold Team Jackie Bass at Improv Olympics. Regional credits include Noises Off, Young Frankenstein, Murder on the Orient Express, Stranger Sings (Wolfbane Productions), The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged, Parade, Newsies and The Will Rogers Follies (Alluvion Stage Company).

Drew Schad* (Jim, he/him) is excited to be back on stage at Shattered Globe Theatre, where he has been an ensemble member since 2009. Drew has appeared in over 15 SGT productions, including: Rasheeda Speaking, Sheepdog, Hannah and Martin, Crime and Punishment, Five Mile Lake, The Heavens Are Hung in Black, In the Heat of the Night, The Rose Tattoo, The Whaleship Essex, Mill Fire, Our Country's Good, Happy Now?, Her Naked Skin, Orpheus Descending, Romeo and Juliet and The Little Foxes. Other Chicago credits include: Born Yesterday (Remy Bumppo, Jeff Award Best Production Midsize) and Six Degrees of Separation (Eclipse). TV credits include: 61st Street (AMC), Chicago P.D. (NBC) and Chicago Med (NBC). Drew has studied at the National Theater Institute, and he holds a BA in Drama from Kenyon College, where he received the Paul Newman Trophy. He is a proud member of SAG-AFTRA.

Adam Schulmerich (Kostya, he/him) is an ensemble member with Shattered Globe. Recent SGT credits; Lobby Hero, Becky, Nurse of Salem and A View from the Bridge. Other recent credits; Superior Donuts (The Artistic Home), Macbeth (Lakeside Shakespeare). Recent television credits include Chicago Med and Mr. Throwback. Adam received his BFA in Theatre Arts & Film from SUNY Purchase College. He is represented by Gray Talent Group.

About Shattered Globe Theatre

Shattered Globe Theatre seeks to redefine what it means to be an ensemble theatre, discover new connections between story, artist and audience, and explore drama from bold, challenging perspectives.

Shattered Globe Theatre was born in a storefront space on Halsted Street in 1991. Since then, SGT has produced more than 80 plays, including ten American and world premieres, and garnered an impressive 53 Jeff Awards and 134 Jeff Award nominations, as well as the acclaim of critics and audiences alike. Guided by Producing Artistic Director Sandy Shinner, Shattered Globe's values are rooted in a commitment to racial equity, respect for all artists and support for the ensemble, while creating new opportunities to amplify traditionally marginalized voices and collaborate in all aspects of its work. Through initiatives such as the Protégé Program, Shattered Globe creates a space which allows emerging artists to grow and share in the ensemble experience.

Shattered Globe Theatre's Ensemble includes Judy Anderson, Louis Contey, David Dastmalchian, Demetra Dee, Joe Forbrich, Ellie Fey, Christina Gorman, Daria Harper, Kotryna Hilko, Tina M. Jach, Rebecca Jordan, Steve Kleinedler, Vivian Knouse, AmBer Montgomery, Tina Muñoz Pandya, Eileen Niccolai, Jazzma Pryor, Deanna Reed-Foster, Linda Reiter, Jeff Rodriguez, Drew Schad, Adam Schulmerich, Leslie Ann Sheppard, Sandy Shinner, Joe Sikora, Shelley Strasser, Devonte E. Washington, Sarah Jo White, Joseph Wiens and Brad Woodard.

SGT's Artistic Associates includes Daniela Colucci, Elliot Esquivel, Mikey Gray, Lawrence Grimm, Ronald Hale, Darren Jones, Christopher Kriz, Jason Lynch, Lydia Moss, Tim Newell, Jane Nix, Aila Peck, Steve Peebles, Cage Sebastian Pierre, David Antonio Reed, Angie Shriner, Abbey Smith, Hershey Suri, Michael Trudeau and Ayanna Wimberley.

SGT is supported in part by generous grants from the Shulman-Rochambeau Charitable Foundation, Brenda and James Grusecki, The Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, Carol P. Eastin, The Shubert Foundation, Judith and David Sensibar, the Illinois Arts Council, The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation and Americans for the Arts.

Visit SGTheatre.org for subscriptions, tickets and information, and follow the company @shatteredglobe on Facebook and Instagram.

The League of Chicago Theatres will host its annual benefit, the 2026 Spotlight Gala: Unmask the Night, Embrace the Drama at City Hall – Recess, 838 W. Kinzie St. on Monday, October 19, 2026.  The evening will celebrate the rich legacy of Chicago theatre. More than 300 friends of Chicago theatre are expected to attend to raise funds to support the League's programs, which uplift Chicagoland's member theatre companies.

Individual tickets are available for $350 per person, and all proceeds benefit the League of Chicago Theatres which promotes, supports, and advocates for theatre in Chicago. To purchase tickets, or for sponsorship opportunities and participation information, visit https://leagueofchicagotheatres.org/gala/ or call (312) 554-8900. The celebratory evening will include a cocktail hour, the awards ceremony and a dessert reception with entertainment by local theatre companies, to be announced.

The event will honor Luther Goins with the Tribute Award, Ellen Placey Wadey of the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, with the Philanthropic Award and Ron OJ Parson with the Lifetime Achievement Award. The winner of the Broadway In Chicago Emerging Theatre Award will be announced and presented at the event. Nominated by a committee of industry professionals, educators and League of Chicago Theatres board members, three finalists are selected each year, and from those, a majority vote from the League membership determines the winner. The award was created in 2007 to encourage, support, and promote young theatres in Chicago that have demonstrated great ability, promise, artistic excellence, and fiscal responsibility in business practices. Broadway In Chicago provides a $5,000 cash prize to the winning company. Previous award recipients include: The Story Theatre, Interrobang Theatre Project, Perceptions Theatre, Broken Nose Theatre, Route 66 Theatre Company, Sideshow Theatre Company, Jackalope Theatre Company, Oracle Productions, The House Theatre of Chicago, Silk Road Theatre Project (now Silk Road Rising), the side project, Steep Theatre, The New Colony, Theatre Seven of Chicago and 16th Street Theater.

Nominations are now open for the Broadway in Chicago Backstage Champion Award, which recognizes the contributions of an unsung, behind-the-scenes hero and carries a $1000 award. Nominations can be submitted here: https://leagueofchicagotheatres.app.neoncrm.com/forms/broadway-in-chicago-backstage-champion-award-nomination-form.

Applications are also open for the Broadway In Chicago Emerging Theatre Award here: https://leagueofchicagotheatres.org/broadway-in-chicago-emerging-theatre/. Nominated by a committee of industry professionals, educators and League of Chicago Theatres board members, five finalists are selected each year, and from those, a majority vote from the League membership determines the winner. Broadway In Chicago provides a $5,000 cash prize. Previous award recipients include: Previous award recipients include: The Story Theatre, Interrobang Theatre Project, Broken Nose Theatre, Route 66 Theatre Company, Sideshow Theatre Company, Jackalope Theatre Company, Oracle Productions, The House Theatre of Chicago, Silk Road Theatre Project (now Silk Road Rising), the side project, Steep Theatre, The New Colony, Theatre Seven of Chicago and 16th Street Theater.

About Chicago theatre 

Chicago theatre is the leader in the U.S. with more than 250 theatres throughout Chicagoland, comprising a rich and varied community ranging from storefront, non-union theatres to the most renowned resident theatres in the country, including 6 which have been honored with Regional Tony Awards, and the largest touring Broadway organization in the nation. Chicago's theatres serve 5 million audience members annually and have a combined budget of more than $250 million. Chicago produces and/or presents more world premieres annually than any other city in the nation. Each year Chicago theatres send new work to resident theatres across the country, to Broadway, and around the world. For more information, visit www.chicagoplays.com.

The League of Chicago Theatres' Mission Statement

Theatre is essential to the life of a great city and to its citizens. The League of Chicago Theatres is an alliance of theatres, which leverages its collective strength to support, promote and advocate for Chicago's theatre industry. Through our work, we ensure that theatre continues to thrive in our city.

For a comprehensive list of Chicago productions, visit the League of Chicago Theatres website, ChicagoPlays.com. Available discounted tickets are listed at HotTix.org.

Pulse Theatre Chicago proudly announces a defining new chapter in the company's history with the expansion of its artistic leadership, the beginning of its residency at the historic eta Creative Arts Foundation, and the cast and creative team for its Fall 2026 production of Dominique Morisseau's acclaimed drama, Detroit '67.

More than a season announcement, this moment represents the culmination of twelve years of artistic growth— from a storefront theatre founded in 2014 to a Black-led company entering a new chapter through expanded artistic leadership, a residency at one of the nation's most historic Black theaters, and its most ambitious season to date.

As the flagship production of its 2026–2027 season, Detroit '67 marks an exciting milestone for Pulse Theatre Chicago. Dominique Morisseau's celebrated drama explores family, resilience, and hope amid the Detroit uprising of 1967—themes that resonate deeply with the company's season-long exploration, The Healing Pulse: Mental Health in Black Homes.

Founded in 2014, Pulse Theatre Chicago enters its twelfth season by expanding its artistic leadership. Executive Artistic Director Aaron Reese Boseman is joined by Associate Artistic Director Isis Elizabeth, who joined the company in 2023. Together they will guide Pulse's artistic vision as the company begins its residency at eta Creative Arts Foundation and continues its commitment to creating bold, community-centered theatre on Chicago's South Side.

"This moment represents years of dreaming, building, and believing," said Executive Artistic Director Aaron Reese Boseman. "Since founding Pulse Theatre Chicago, our mission has been to create theatre that doesn't simply entertain—it transforms. Beginning our residency at eta Creative Arts Foundation and expanding our artistic leadership strengthens our commitment to building an artistic home where artists and audiences alike can gather, heal, and imagine together."

A New Chapter for Pulse Theatre Chicago

Founded in 2014, Pulse Theatre Chicago has grown into a Black-led professional theatre company recognized for producing new works, reimagined classics, and immersive theatrical experiences rooted in poetic grit, bold imagination, and deep compassion.

Boseman's directing work in Chicago storefront theatre includes acclaimed productions of Confederates, The House That Will Not Stand, Topdog/Underdog, The Mountaintop, The Colored Museum, and A Raisin in the Sun, reflecting the company's longstanding commitment to centering Black voices and transformative storytelling.

An actor, playwright, and educator, Isis Elizabeth joined Pulse Theatre Chicago in 2023. Her original play Beneath the Willow Tree received its world premiere at Pulse, exemplifying the company's investment in developing new work alongside celebrated classics. As Associate Artistic Director, Elizabeth will help shape artistic programming while continuing Pulse's commitment to nurturing emerging artists and new voices.

A New Home at eta Creative Arts Foundation

Pulse Theatre Chicago proudly begins its residency at the historic eta Creative Arts Foundation, one of the nation's oldest continuously operating Black theaters.

The residency reflects a shared commitment to expanding professional theatre opportunities, fostering artistic collaboration, and investing in the cultural vitality of Chicago's South Side while honoring eta's enduring artistic legacy.

The partnership builds upon an already successful artistic relationship. Pulse Theatre Chicago's production of Once on This Island, presented at eta Creative Arts Foundation, earned a Jeff Award, laying the groundwork for this exciting new chapter and underscoring the artistic partnership between the two organizations.

The Healing Pulse

The company's 2026–2027 season, The Healing Pulse: Mental Health in Black Homes, explores the emotional landscapes of Black life through stories of grief, healing, caregiving, identity, joy, memory, and restoration.

Earlier this summer, Pulse launched its immersive Ritual & Rhythm Reading Series, featuring City of Water by Isis Elizabeth and Rhyme Deferred by Kamilah Forbes and Chadwick Boseman. The series transformed traditional staged readings into immersive theatrical experiences, inviting audiences into conversations that continue throughout the season.

Through The Healing Pulse, Pulse Theatre Chicago asks audiences not simply to witness these stories, but to consider what healing looks like behind closed doors, who gets to rest, who gets to unravel, and how communities care for one another through joy, grief, and resilience.

Detroit '67

By Dominique Morisseau

Directed by Aaron Reese Boseman

Set during the Detroit uprising of 1967, Detroit '67 follows siblings Chelle and Lank as they struggle to preserve family, hope, and home amid profound social change. Both an intimate family drama and a sweeping historical portrait, the play explores the enduring strength of community in moments of uncertainty.

The cast features Shenise Danyèl as Chelle, Tamarus Harvell as Lank, Emma Jean Eastlund as Caroline, Dairyon Bolden as Sly, and Jimiece Gilbert as Bunny. Completing the company are understudies Marlissa Stalling (Chelle), Destin Patton-Warner (Lank), Jen Agather (Caroline), Michael Ashford (Sly), and Y'vonne-Rose Smith (Bunny). The creative team includes AnJi White, Assistant Director; Ashley Coney, Production Stage Manager; Chels Morgan, Intimacy & Violence Director; Kevin M. Rolfs, Scenic Designer; Levi J. Wilkins, Lighting Designer; Warren Levon, Sound Designer; Terri Devine, Costume Designer; and Rueben Echoles, Hair & Makeup Designer, Enjoli Valentine, Property Design; Sierra Coachman, Dramaturgy.

Previews: September 11, 2026

Closing: November 1, 2026

Performances take place at eta Creative Arts Foundation.

About Pulse Theatre Chicago

Founded in 2014, Pulse Theatre Chicago is a Black-led professional theatre company committed to producing new works, reimagined classics, and immersive theatrical experiences that amplify underrepresented voices. Through bold storytelling and community-centered artistry, Pulse believes theatre can serve as both a catalyst for dialogue and a space for collective healing.

Now a resident theatre company at eta Creative Arts Foundation, Pulse continues its mission to expand access to professional theatre on Chicago's South Side while cultivating artists, developing new work, and strengthening Chicago's vibrant Black theatre ecosystem.

For more information and tickets, visit www.pulsetheatrechicago.org.