Today, Goodman Theatre raises the curtain on its future as leadership and artists share a vision for its next century of impact. Together with hundreds of partners, donors, artists and patrons, Walter Artistic Director Susan V. Booth and Executive Director John Collins announce The Goodman, For Good—a $30 million campaign to secure Chicago's flagship not-for-profit theater for future generations. To date, $27 million has been raised—including 11 gifts in excess of $1 million—under the leadership of Goodman Trustee Elaine Leavenworth, Campaign Chair. Now, the theater invites the Chicago community to join the effort and ensure that The Goodman's core values and artistic priorities continue while providing flexibility to innovate towards new challenges. To commemorate the day, guests in attendance signed a piece of Goodman history, which will displayed in the main lobby.

"As we begin our 101st season and look beyond, we must dream big with a wide-open heart. In order to create the kind of programming that has open doors and open windows for all Chicago to find themselves on our stages, we need a platform from which we can fly: we need an endowment," said Walter Artistic Director Susan V. Booth. "In a risk-averse climate, this campaign allows us to take the enormous risks on which this theater was built. It allows us to be, for you, The Goodman for good. Not just when it's convenient and when the economics allow. For good. We are deeply grateful for those who have demonstrated early leadership and generosity—and now, we welcome our community to join this effort for our future."

"We find ourselves at a defining moment for The Goodman. It was during our recently completed Centennial Season—our largest, most audacious, most successful season ever—that we reached a level of service and impact previously unimaginable. Our challenge and invitation today is to safeguard what we've built for future generations, ensuring that it remains rooted in the values which have guided and distinguished us for so many years," said Executive Director John Collins. "For the good of unparallelled artistry; for the good of our communal well-being; for the good of future generations who deserve the same world-class theater that has served this city since 1925, join us and invest in The Goodman, For Good."

The Goodman's three core values include Quality, ensuring artistic excellence in every area of operations; Community, committing, in equal measure, to excellence on stage and service to Chicagoland; and Equity and Access, remaining accessible to people of all ages, abilities, identities and location.

"There is a vision for a future that's even brighter than the present, and the resource of an endowment fund is a lifeline for that longevity—allowing our artists and leaders to commit to ambitious goals and have the confidence to see them through," said Elaine Leavenworth, Trustee and Chair of The Goodman. For Good. Campaign. "We want this space to be as great a gift to audiences tomorrow as it is today. Donors will be able to see their impact—in the young people served, in The Goodman's footprint in the community, in the experiences had by audiences—and know it will continue for generations."

The Goodman's 2025/2026 Centennial was its all-time most successful season with milestone programming and record attendance figures, drawing 300,000+ audiences—with 57% attending The Goodman for the first time—to 4,000 performances and events. Curated by Booth, the 15-production season earned widespread critical and audience acclaim: 11 extended productions, 290 sold-out performances, while the world-premiere musical Iceboy! Or, The Completely Untrue Story of How Eugene O'Neill Came to Write The Iceman Cometh became the theater's all-time best-attended, best-selling production. Attendees hailed from 61 countries beyond the U.S. with audiences from 5,837 unique zip codes. In addition, the Goodman broke new ground transforming a 15,000 square-foot, in-the-raw space for Theater of the Mind, Academy, Grammy and Tony Award-winning artist David Byrne's immersive work, drawing 63% first-time Goodman attendees. Chicago resident magician Dennis Watkins continued into his third year at The Magic Parlour, in partnership with The Goodman and Petterino's, hosting 163 sold-out performances and expanding his roster by welcoming nine guest artists. Beyond the stage, The Goodman offered 100 Free Acts of Theater—a year-long collaboration with 48 community partners at creative organizations in all 50 Chicago wards—drawing more than 20,000 people, presented in partnership with the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE). Expanded Theater for the Very Young programming drew nearly 5,000 children and caregivers, with nearly 13,000 people of all ages engaging in free and low-cost Education and Engagement programming.

THE GOODMAN, FOR GOOD SUPPORTERS (GIFTS AS OF OCTOBER 1, 2026)

GRAND BENEFACTOR ($1,000,000+)

Susan and James Annable 
Joan and Robert Clifford 
Patricia Cox 
Julie M. Danis and Paul F. Donahue 
Shawn M. Donnelley and Christopher M. Kelly 
The Davee Foundation 
Elissa Efroymson & Adnaan Hamid and The Efroymson Family Fund 
Elaine R. Leavenworth 
Goodman Theatre Women's Board 
Alice and John Sabl 
Kimbra and Mark Walter

PLATINUM GRAND BENEFACTOR ($500,000 – $999,999)

Sharon Angell 
Paul Dykstra and Spark Cremin 
David and Alexandra Fox 
Sasha Gerritson and Eugene Jarvis 
James P. and Brenda S. Grusecki 
Catherine Mouly and LeRoy T. Carlson, Jr. 
Diane M. Landgren Charitable Fund 
Nancy A. Lauter & Alfred L. McDougal Charitable Foundation 
Prince Charitable Trusts 
Carol Prins and John Hart 
Lorrayne and Steve Weiss

GOLD BENEFACTOR ($250,000 – $499,999)

Lester, Chanel and Javon Coney 
Marsha Cruzan and Tom McGinnis 
Patricia Gallagher Estate 
Jeffrey W. Hesse 
Melinda McMullen and Duncan Kime 
Swati and Siddharth Mehta 
Scott Phillips and Maggie Freehling Phillips 
Shaw Family Supporting Organization 
Maria E. Wynne

SILVER BENEFACTOR ($100,000 – $249,999)

Roger and Julie Baskes 
David Q. and Mary H. Bell 
Doug and Teri Brown 
Joyce Chelberg 
Kathleen and James Cowie 
Fran and Bob DelBoca 
Ruth Ann M. Gillis and Michael J. McGuinnis 
Goodman Theatre Scenemakers Board 
Mary Kay and Edward Haben 
David Hiller and Darcy Evon 
Linda Hutson 
Robert and Cheryl Kopecky 
Anthony and Julianne Maggiore 
Elizabeth Raymond and Paul Hybel 
Cynthia and Michael Scholl 
Michael Steinberg and Salme Harju Steinberg 
Maureen Tansey-Tokar Estate 
Audrey L. Weaver 
Susan and Bob Wislow

BENEFACTOR ($50,000 – $99,999)

Elizabeth Balthrop and Michael Kammarman 
Linda Coberly & Kelly Emery 
Denise Michelle Gamble 
The Estate of Ellen and Paul Gignilliat 
Hugo Lorenz Estate 
Julie and Joseph Learner 
Thomas* and Linda Maurer 
Julie Moller 
Dawn Palmer Estate 
John C. Pintozzi 
Elaine Soter Estate 
Anne Van Wart and Michael Keable

SUPPORTER ($25,000 – $49,999)

Abbe and Adam Aron 
James L. Alexander and Curtis D. Drayer 
Kristin Anderson-Schewe and 
Robert Schewe 
Gustavo Bamberger and Martha Van Haitsma 
Michael Belsley and Nina Owen 
Susan V. Booth and Max Leventhal 
Linda and Peter Bynoe 
Melissa and John Collins 
Sally B. Dancer 
Bruce and Linda DeViller 
Dhuanne Dodrill 
Scott and Lenore Enloe 
Denise Stefan Ginascol and John Ginascol 
Russell Johnson and Mark Hudson 
Michael and Christine Hunstad 
Fruman and Marian Jacobson 
Bradley Keck 
Maggie Kelly and Chris Marzec 
The Estate of Karen and Larry McCracken 
Clare and Scott Metcalf 
Lee Mickus 
The Muriel Pollia Foundation 
Lucy and Richard Park 
Laura Sachs Family Foundation 
Renee and Michael Sichlau 
Jill and Steve Smart 
Gill and Becky Soffer 
Holly and Jeff Tyson 
Andrea and Ron Wainer 
Randy and Lisa White 
Graham Williams and Ryan Rivera 
Sheldon Zenner and Ellen Morgan 
Neal Zucker and Marko Iglendza

Gifts Up to $24,999

Jonathan Abarbanel 
Brigitte R. Anderson 
Kristin Johnson Boswell and Michael Boswell 
Christopher Boyd and Lauren Fondriest 
Philip B. Clement and Mary Ann Everlove Clement 
Philip Crean and Daniel Comeaux 
Kendra Chapman Davis and Laron Davis 
Deanna and Matt Deutschman 
Joan and John Dysart 
Don and Rebecca Ford Terry Family Fund 
Kelli Garcia 
Steve and Rebecca Gerstung 
Henry Godinez and Nancy Voigts 
Margaret and Clive Halliwell 
Marcy and Harry Harczak 
Tracy Healy and Gregory Beard 
Vicki V. Hood 
Margaret and Wayne Janus 
Carl Jenkins and Carole Wood 
Wendy Krimins 
Carolyn Kurtz and Gary Steinberg 
Brian Loevner 
Jill Loftus 
Terri Mascherin and Thomas Abendroth 
Laura Matalon and Spencer Waller 
Stuart and Carol Oken 
Cara Burns Pan and Warren Pan 
Vahe and Heather Poladian 
Andra and Irwin Press 
The Daniel and Genevieve Ratner Foundation 
Robert Rivkin and Cindy Moelis 
Jacquelyn Robinson 
Tod and Trish Saltzman 
Gabrielle and Ryan Sagers 
Sam Scarcello and Katherine Allison 
Steve Scott and Ted Hoerl 
Dinesh Sinniah and Anne Norman 
Irene and Mark Sudac 
Paula Tomei and David Emmes 
Laura and Jeff Torosian 
Renee L. Tyree 
U.S. Bank 
Sarah and Michael Wagner 
Tina Wardrop 
Chris Way and Jason Ott 
Mary Patricia Wilison and Joseph Krasovec III 
Jennifer and Bruce Yalowitz 
Cheryl Yuen and Thomas Chin 
Brad and Alicia Zuiker 

GOODMAN THEATRE'S 2026/2027 SEASON

ALBERT THEATRE (856-SEAT PROSCENIUM STAGE) PRODUCTIONS

The Goodman premieres The 7 Fingers' 
The Attic  
Things I've Seen While Lying on My Back 
Written, Directed and Choreographed by Shana Carroll 
September 5 – October 11 | A World Premiere 

49^th Annual A Christmas Carol  
Adapted by Tom Creamer  
Directed by Malkia Stampley 
November 13 – December 31 | Starring Tim Hopper as Ebenezer Scrooge

John Proctor is the Villain    
By Kimberly Belflower    
Directed by Marti Lyons    
January 23 – February 21, 2027 | A Chicago Premiere

'night, Mother  
By Marsha Norman  
Directed by Michael Pressman  
March 27 – April 25, 2027

Green Day's 
American Idiot 
Music by Green Day 
Lyrics by Billie Joe Armstrong 
Book by Billie Joe Armstrong and Michael Mayer 
Directed by Susan V. Booth 
June 18 – July 25, 2027

OWEN THEATRE (400-SEAT FLEXIBLE STAGE) PRODUCTIONS

Dead Girl's Quinceañera   
By Phanésia Pharel  
Directed by Melia Bensussen  
September 26 – November 1 | A World Premiere

FEAST!    
By Calamity West     
Directed by Susan V. Booth   
February 27 – March 28, 2027 | A World Premiere

The XIXth (The Nineteenth)  
By Kemp Powers  
Directed by Carl Cofield  
April 17 – May 16, 2027 | A Chicago Premiere

22^nd Annual New Stages Festival  
December 5 – 13, 2026

THEATER FOR THE VERY YOUNG PRODUCTIONS 

In the Loop 
Created and Directed by Jamal Howard and Ellie Levine 
Co-Produced by The Wirtz Center for the Performing Arts, Northwestern University 
January 30 – February 28, 2027 | Performed in the Alice Center and at locations citywide

A World Premiere TBA 
By Marisa Carr 
Summer 2027 dates TBA

Theater for the Very Young (TVY) programming offers immersive theatrical experiences—produced and performed by professional artists—designed for children ages 0–5 years old to experience alongside the grown-ups in their lives. Created in 2023 by Goodman Walter Artistic Director Susan V. Booth in response to research demonstrating the profound impact the arts can have on early childhood development and long-term learning outcomes, TVY introduces Chicagoland's youngest audiences to live theater through storytelling, music, movement and sensory-rich play produced and performed by professional artsts. Curated by Clifford Director of Education and Engagement Jared Bellot, TVY productions support early literacy, creativity and social-emotional learning while aiming to initiate a lifelong love of the arts. Over the past three years, TVY has served thousands of children and families in Chicago parks, theaters, schools and community spaces with productions of the plays Splish Splash: A Day on the Lake (2026); Book Up! (2025); The Lizard y El Sol (2024); and Pearl Cleage's In My Granny's Garden (2023). Schools, daycares and community organizations interested in bringing "Theater for the Very Young" programming to their spaces are invited to contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for pricing, scheduling and more information.

OFF-SITE PRODUCTIONS

Theater of the Mind  
Created by David Byrne and Mala Gaonkar, Directed by Andrew Scoville  
Appearing at 333 N. LaSalle in an open run (performances began March 11, 2026)

Dennis Watkins' The Magic Parlour 
Produced in partnership with Goodman Theatre and Petterino's 
Appearing at 50 W. Randolph in its fourth season, in an open run (tickets on sale through May 2, 2027)

ABOUT THE GOODMAN

Since 1925, The Goodman has been a theatrical home for artists and a gathering space for Chicagoland, where bold stories spark connection, conversation and change. Now, as it enters its second century, The Goodman builds on that legacy with an eye toward the future. Under the leadership of Walter Artistic Director Susan V. Booth and Executive Director John Collins, the theater continues to champion new work—following hundreds of plays developed and a national reputation for commissioning and premiering original stories by living writers—while reimagining classics and produce large-scale musicals.

But The Goodman's reach today extends beyond its home in the heart of the Loop. From the intimate magic of The Magic Parlour, now in its third year, to the boundary-pushing world of Theater of the Mind—an immersive experience that blurs the lines between science, storytelling and sensation—and from citywide initiatives like 100 Free Acts of Theater to partnerships with artists and companies across Chicago and around the world, The Goodman is expanding what theater can be, and where it can live.

At its core, The Goodman is driven by a belief that a more empathetic, more connected city is built one story at a time. Generation-spanning productions and programs offer theater for a lifetime—from babies and young children to teens, adults and seniors—including Theater for the Very Young (ages 0–5) and the beloved annual A Christmas Carol, which has welcomed audiences for five decades. Education and Engagement programs, led by Clifford Director Jared Bellot and based in the Alice Rapoport Center, use the tools of theater to spark imagination, reflection and belonging—reaching thousands each year, the majority from underserved communities.

With nearly 200 world or American premieres, two Pulitzer Prizes, 22 Tony Awards and nearly 200 Joseph Jefferson Awards, The Goodman remains a defining force in American theater—and the first to produce all 10 plays of August Wilson's American Century Cycle. The theater also frequently serves as a production partner—from national and international companies to Chicago's Off-Loop theaters—to help amplify a wide range of theatrical voices.

Founded by William O. Goodman and his family in memory of playwright Kenneth Sawyer Goodman, the theater carries forward a legacy of artistic ambition and civic generosity. With the help of Mr. Goodman's descendants—Albert Ivar Goodman and his late mother, Edith-Marie Appleton—that spirit continues to shape its future as The Goodman expands its impact across Chicago and beyond. Marsha Cruzan is Chair of the Goodman Theatre Board of Trustees; Diane Landgren is Women's Board President; and Christopher Way is president of the Scenemakers Board for Young Professionals.

The Goodman stands on the unceded homelands of the Council of the Three Fires—the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi Nations—and acknowledges the many other Nations for whom this land now called Chicago has long been home, including the Myaamia, Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Sac and Fox, Peoria, Kaskaskia, Wea, Kickapoo, and Mascouten. The Goodman is proud to partner with the Gichigamiin Indigenous Nations Museum (Gichigamiin-Museum.org) and the Center for Native Futures (CenterForNativeFutures.org)—organizations devoted to honoring Indigenous stories, preserving cultural memory, and deepening public understanding.

Two Edge Theater, a reincarnation of the Edge Theater Company that enjoyed eight successful seasons in the Denver, Colorado area, will mount A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE as its first production in the Chicago area, in collaboration with Chicago's Gwydion Theatre. Rick Yaconis, the founder of both Two Edge Theater and its Colorado predecessor, will play the longshoreman Eddie Carbone. Yaconis's many roles in the Chicago area include another iconic Miller character, Willy Loman, in Gwydion's 2025 production of DEATH OF A SALESMAN. A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE will be directed by Robert Tobin, founding artistic director of Chicago's Aston Rep Theatre, seen on stage earlier this year in Aston Rep's UNCLE VANYA. A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE will be performed in the Studio Theater of the Chopin Theater, 1543 West Division Street, Chicago, from December 4, 2026, through January 10, 2027. 

A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE, which premiered on Broadway in 1956, is a tragedy set in a 1950s Brooklyn Italian-immigrant community. A Sicilian-American longshoreman, Eddie Carbone, develops an obsessive, incestuous desire for his orphaned niece that leads him to betray his family and community when she falls in love with an undocumented immigrant. In addition to Yaconis as Eddie, the cast will be led by Katherine Schwartz as Eddie's wife Beatrice, Natalie Tangeman as the niece Catherine; Jesse Kortus as Rodolpho, the immigrant with whom Catherine falls in love; John Wehrman as Marco, Beatrice's cousin who is living with their family and is an undocumented immigrant; and Jim Morely as Alfieri, the attorney who narrates the story. The supporting cast, who will all play multiple roles, includes Cesar Gonzales (Tony/ensemble), Marshall Kious (Mike/ensemble), Melissa Paris (Mrs. Lipari/ensemble), Darren Price (Louis/ensemble), and Rocco Renda (Mr.  Lipari/ensemble).

The design team includes two-time Jeff Award winner Kevin Rolfs (Set Designer), Samantha Barr (Lighting Designer), Nick Cochran (Costume Designer), Rick Reid (Sound Associate), Kate Lass (Fight and Intimacy Director), and Patty Yaconis (Props Designer). Katie Espinoza is Assistant Production Manager and Stage Manager.
 
Tickets for A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE are $35.00 ($30.00 if purchased by October 31) and are on sale now at https://twoedgetheater.com. The preview on Thursday, December 4, which is also the production's final dress rehearsal, will be free and open to the public.

Two Edge Theater Company in collaboration with Gwydion Theatre Company

A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE
By Arthur Miller
Directed by Robert Tobin
December 4, 2026 – January 10, 2027

Chopin Theater 
1543 W. Division Street, Chicago 60642
Thursdays – Saturdays at 7:30 pm, Sundays at 4 pm
No performances December 24, 25 or January 1
Tickets $35.00 ($30.00 if purchased by October 31), on sale now at https://twoedgetheater.com
Free final dress rehearsal/preview on Thursday, December 3

Eddie Carbone, a longshoreman living in Red Hook, Brooklyn, harbors an obsessive love for his niece Catherine. When two illegal immigrants arrive from Sicily — relatives seeking a new life in America — the fragile balance of his world begins to crack. Miller's masterwork is a story of family loyalty, the immigrant dream, and the dangerous line between love and possession. It's  raw, relentless, and devastating.

Chicago's historic Fine Arts Building and Studebaker Theater are thrilled to announce their Halloween co-production of Manual Cinema's acclaimed Frankenstein has added two additional performances due to popular demand on Wednesday Oct. 28 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 31 at 2 p.m. The production runs for five performances only, October 28–November 1, 2026, at the Studebaker Theater (410 S. Michigan Avenue). For tickets and more information, visit fineartsbuilding.com/frankenstein.

In Manual Cinema's thrilling version of the classic Gothic tale Frankenstein, the Chicago-based Emmy Award-winning 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.

Tickets for Frankenstein at the Studebaker Theater (410 S. Michigan Avenue, Chicago) are now on sale for $35-$85, with student tickets available for $25 with ID. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit fineartsbuilding.com/frankenstein.

Frankenstein performance times are:

Wednesday, Oct. 28 at 7:30 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 30 at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 31 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 1 at 3 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.

Trap Door Theatre is thrilled to continue its 33rd season with Any Rebellion of Will, written by S.L. Daniels and directed by Spencer Huffman. Any Rebellion of Will will play October 8th – November 1st, 2026 at Trap Door Theatre, 1655 W Cortland St. in Chicago. Tickets are now on sale at trapdoortheatre.com or by calling (773)-384-0494.

The cast will include Shawna Franks, Camilla Frontain, Lenin Izquierdo, and Lawrence Grimm.

A dark absurdist comedy with a twist of vaudeville, Any Rebellion of Will finds a depressed, anguished Will being kicked out of his authoritative parents' home on his 25th birthday. Will returns home with an odd, mystical street performer Giselle who ignites a rebellious passion in Will, and a demented, destructive mania in his parents. 

This production is housed under our Trap Open Series and is being independently produced by a grant from the Independent Projects Initiative and Grey Area Productions.

Any Rebellion of Will

Author: S.L. Daniels

Director: Spencer Huffman

Cast (in alphabetical order): Shawna Franks (Mona), Camilla Frontain (Giselle), Lawrence Grimm (Ferdinand), and Lenin Izquierdo (Will).

Location: Trap Door Theatre, 1655 W. Cortland St. Chicago, IL 60622

Regular Run: Thursday, October 8th –Saturday, November 1st, 2026

Curtain Times: Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30 pm. Sundays at 2:00 pm.

Press performance: Press are encouraged to attend on or after Friday, October 9th.

Tickets: $5-$30. Tickets are currently available at https://our.show/any-rebellion-of-will or by calling (773) 384-0494.

Red Theater is thrilled to announce the cast and production team of the world premiere of Church Hurt by Brynne Frauenhoffer and directed by Jessica Love, running October 24 - November 21, 2026 at The Edge Off Broadway in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood, 1133 W. Catalpa Ave. Tickets are available now at www.redtheater.org.

When Mar gets hired at the church she grew up in, she’s reunited with her onetime youth group besties Faith, who has become head of People Operations, and Julie, who serves as an outspoken volunteer with progressive goals. Though the three once bonded over Relient K songs and scripture, now they must reconcile very different faith journeys in the intervening years. Old wounds and new points of view disrupt ministry efforts as queerness and the non-denominational movement collide. - New Play Exchange

The production features Alice Wu as Faith, Sara Sadjadi as Mar, and Laura Michele Erle as Julie. Understudies include Mindy Shore for Faith, Sara BenBella for Mar, and Hailey Hance for Julie.

Comments Artistic Directors Clare Brennan and Wyatt Kent, “Church Hurt is our third world premiere from a Chicago playwright in as many seasons, and we’re so fortunate to be collaborating with Brynne for the first time. This tight-knit narrative features two stalwarts of the storefront scene, as well as Sara Sadjadi’s debut on Chicago’s stage after a season with Door Shakespeare and Milwaukee Rep. With director Jessica Love back at the helm after her incredible work on last season’s The Pilon, this production will pull you into this story of queerness, faith, female friendship, and stress-tested trust.”

The production team includes Emily Marrazzo (assistant director), Sarah Patisaul (stage manager), Rose Johnson (scenic design), Suzanne Barnes (props design), Amina Gilbert (lighting design), kClare McKellaston (costume design), Kate Schnetzer (sound design), Skyler Simpson (poster design), Faith Decker (photographer), Daniel Bird Tobin (audience experience dramaturg), AJ Mueth (technical director), Becca Holloway (casting director), Cailyn Murray (casting associate), Hunter Baumann-Cole (director of production), Wyatt Kent and Clare Brennan (co-artistic directors).

PRODUCTION DETAILS

Title: Church Hurt

Playwright: Brynne Frauenhoffer

Director: Jessica Love

Cast: Alice Wu (Faith), Sara Sadjadi (Mar), Laura Michele Erle (Julie), Mindy Shore (u/s Faith), Sara BenBella (u/s Mar), and Hailey Hance (u/s Julie).

Production Team: Emily Marrazzo (assistant director), Sarah Patisaul (stage manager), Rose Johnson (scenic design), Suzanne Barnes (props design), Amina Gilbert (lighting design), kClare McKellaston (costume design), Kate Schnetzer (sound design), Skyler Simpson (poster design), Faith Decker (photographer), Daniel Bird Tobin (audience experience dramaturg), AJ Mueth (technical director), Becca Holloway (casting director), Cailyn Murray (casting associate), Hunter Baumann-Cole (director of production), Wyatt Kent and Clare Brennan (co-artistic directors).

Location: The Edge Off Broadway, 1133 W. Catalpa Ave, Chicago

Opening night: Saturday, October 24, 2026 @ 7:30P

Previews: Wednesday, October 21, Thursday, October 22, & Friday, October 23, 2026 @ 7:30P

Run dates: Saturday October 24 - Saturday November 21, 2026

Curtain times: Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, & Saturdays @ 7:30P, Sundays @ 3P

Tickets: General admission tickets are $35. As part of Red’s mission to make theater by putting people first, a limited number of $10 access tickets are available for students, artists, or anyone on a tight budget. Purchasing a ticket at our $50 pay-it-forward tier helps us sustain Red’s accessibility efforts. Tickets are currently available at www.redtheater.org. A limited number of access tickets are available for every performance. Use code ACCESS at checkout for $10 tickets. Monday nights are Industry Nights! Artists and service industry professionals can use code RELIENTK for half price tickets.

Direct Box Office Link: https://ci.ovationtix.com/35021/production/1284321

A Red Orchid Theatre is pleased open its 34^th Season, exploring the theme of "world on fire," with the Chicago premiere of Will Arbery's politically-charged drama Heroes of the Fourth Turning, directed by Ensemble member dado*, playing October 29 – December 6, 2026 at 1531 N. Wells St. in Chicago's Old Town neighborhood. Single tickets are now on sale at aredorchidtheatre.org or by calling (312) 943-8722. Season subscriptions are currently available.

Heroes of the Fourth Turning features Ensemble Member Kirsten Fitzgerald* with Magdalena Dalzell, Isa Grofsorean, Beck Nolan and Nate Santana.

About the Production:

It's nearing midnight in Wyoming, where four recent graduates have gathered to celebrate their beloved mentor and professor Gina, newly inducted as president of their tiny Catholic liberal arts college. The reunion spirals into spiritual chaos, clashing generational politics and a vicious fight to be understood. Offering grace and disarming clarity, this haunting play speaks to the torn heart of a country at war with itself.

The production team includes Ensemble Member Grant Sabin* (Scenic Designer), Madeleine Shows (Costume Designer), Josiah Croegaert (Lighting Designer), Ethan Korvne (Composer & Sound Designer), Eel Black (Props Designer), Chels Morgan (Violence & Intimacy Director), Caroline Michele Uy (Dramaturg), Omar Fernandez (Assistant Director), Kira Nutter (Production Manager), Tom Daniel (Technical Director), Mark Brown (Master Electrician), JC Widman (Stage Manager) and Faith Locke (Assistant Stage Manager).

*Denotes A Red Orchid Theatre Ensemble Member

PRODUCTION DETAILS:

Title: Heroes of the Fourth Turning

Playwright: Will Arbery
Director: Ensemble member dado*
Cast: Ensemble Member Kirsten Fitzgerald* (Gina) with Magdalena Dalzell (Emily), Isa Grofsorean (Teresa), Beck Nolan (Kevin) and Nate Santana (Justin).

Understudies: Rachel Ives (Emily & Teresa), Kyle Ringley (Justin & Kevin) and Sarafina Vecchio (Gina).

Location: A Red Orchid Theatre, 1531 N. Wells St., Chicago

Dates: Previews: Thursday, October 29 at 7 pm, Friday, October 30 at 7 pm, Sunday, November 1 at 3 pm, Thursday, November 5 at 7 pm and Friday, November 6 at 7 pm

Opening: Sunday, November 8 at 6 pm

Regular run: Thursday, November 12 – Sunday, December 6, 2026
Curtain Times: Thursdays and Fridays at 7 pm; Saturdays 3 pm & 7 pm; and Sundays at 3 pm. Please note: there will not be performances on Saturday, October 31 at 7 pm (Halloween) or Thursday, November 26 (Thanksgiving); there will be an added Industry Night performance on Monday, November 23 at 7 pm.

Tickets: Previews: $33 – $44*. Regular run: $55*. Access, student, senior, and group discounts available. Single tickets are now on sale at aredorchidtheatre.org or by calling (312) 943-8722. Season subscriptions are currently available. *Ticket prices include a processing fee.

Red Bike is an intimate, movement‑driven play that follows a young person navigating a town transforming faster than they can comprehend. Told through memory, motion, and the rhythm of a bicycle, the play traces The Kid’s journey through shifting streets, storefronts, neighborhoods, and the larger questions of money, power, childhood, and belonging. As the world around them is bought, sold, and renamed, Red Bike asks what we hold onto—and what we lose—when the place that raised us begins to disappear.

Staged inside the Berger Park Coach House, this production offers audiences a close‑up theatrical experience where language, movement, and community shape the storytelling, capturing the raw immediacy of being eleven years old.

Red Bike opens Friday and runs Thursdays and Fridays at 7pm and Saturdays at 3pm through October 24. Performance dates and ticket information are available at: https://events.humanitix.com/red-bike-by-caridad-svich-btc

More details, including rehearsal photos and behind‑the‑scenes previews, can be found on Backyard Theatre Company’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/backyardtheatreco/.

Susan-Lori Parks’ Topdog/Underdog, the Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece, is the kind of play that changes depending on when—and how many times—you see it. Directed by Kenny Leon, this revival stars Tony nominee Glenn Davis as Lincoln and Namir Smallwood as Booth, two brothers whose names alone tell us that Parks is preparing to play a very dangerous game with her audience.

The play was originally produced in Chicago by Steppenwolf Theatre Company in 2003, directed by ensemble member Amy Morton, with ensemble member K. Todd Freeman as Booth and David Rainey as Lincoln. More than two decades later, this revival demonstrates just how much material Parks packed into the story of two brothers living on the edge of survival.

Parks begins her own version of Three-Card Monte by giving us the names Lincoln and Booth. We already know the historical ending: John Wilkes Booth assassinated Abraham Lincoln. Parks puts that card on the table immediately—and then spends the rest of the play moving it around.

Lincoln and Booth are not historical figures, of course, but the names become a psychological trap. Lincoln works as an Abraham Lincoln impersonator, repeatedly allowing strangers to “assassinate” him as part of the act. The brothers themselves simulate the murder, turning history into performance and performance into something increasingly dangerous.

That is where Parks’ Three-Card Monte becomes so effective. We know the card. We know what is coming. Yet Parks keeps moving our attention elsewhere—to money, women, abandonment, brotherly rivalry, masculinity and the desperate need to survive. The audience is watching closely, thinking we know exactly where Parks is going. But like the mark in a Three-Card Monte game, we can never be completely sure which card we are actually watching.

The brilliance is that Parks gives us the ending and still manages to create suspense.

The question isn't simply, “Will Booth kill Lincoln?” We already know that story. Instead, Parks asks us to consider how and why these two brothers arrive at that moment. By the time the real gun is fired, we have become so invested in these men that the historical inevitability becomes a genuine emotional shock.

Having seen Topdog/Underdog several times, I’ve gained new insight into Lincoln and Booth with each production. I’ve always imagined these brothers as relatively young men—perhaps somewhere between 21 and 35 at the oldest. There is something about their desperation, their dreams and their constant jockeying for position that feels connected to men still trying to figure out who they are.

Seeing older actors inhabit these roles changes the equation. This production brings a greater sense of history and introspection to Lincoln and Booth. These aren't simply two young men making bad decisions. They feel like men who have accumulated years of disappointment, mistakes and missed opportunities. Their arguments have the weight of history behind them.

That being said, the acting is first-rate.

Glenn Davis delivers some of the best work I have seen in his storied career. His Lincoln carries weariness beneath the humor, as though every card trick, every performance and every attempt to maintain dignity has taken something from him. Davis understands that Lincoln is not simply trying to make a living; he is trying to hold onto an identity.

There is an extraordinary sadness to his Lincoln because he has found a way to make a living by pretending to be someone who, historically, has already been dead for generations. Every night he puts on the stovepipe hat, becomes Abraham Lincoln and allows strangers to reenact his assassination. The joke is that he survives the murder every night—until, of course, the night he doesn't.

Namir Smallwood is equally compelling as Booth. Smallwood has the remarkable ability to morph into whatever character is placed before him, and here he creates a Booth whose swagger and insecurity exist simultaneously. Booth wants to be seen, respected and successful, but beneath that ambition is a brother desperate to prove himself.

Their relationship is the heart of the play. They love each other, resent each other, depend on each other and compete with each other. They are simultaneously brothers and adversaries. One minute they can make each other laugh; the next, they are fighting over money, women or the invisible scorecard of who has accomplished more.

Arnulfo Maldonado’s set—a room in a New York City boarding house—captures the basic circumstances of their existence, but for me, it is far too sanitized for the gritty New York City world Parks has created.

Rooms like this were common, particularly in neighborhoods such as Hell’s Kitchen. They were tight. Space was at a premium. They were not necessarily neat or clean. These were places where people lived because they had few alternatives. The room should feel less like a place where two men are actually struggling to survive.

That distinction matters because Lincoln and Booth are in survival mode. The room is not simply their home; it is a pressure cooker. Every inch of space should remind us that there is nowhere for these brothers to escape—not from each other, not from their past and ultimately not from the consequences of their choices.

Kenny Leon's direction keeps the focus where it belongs: on two brothers trapped between history, memory and survival. He allows Parks' language, humor and repetitions to accumulate rather than rushing toward the inevitable conclusion.

Ultimately, Topdog/Underdog remains a remarkable piece of American theatre because Parks refuses to let history stay in the past. She takes two names everybody recognizes, places them on two Black brothers living in New York, and transforms a familiar historical tragedy into an intimate story about family, survival, masculinity and fate.

We may enter the theatre believing we know who Lincoln and Booth are and how their story ends. But Parks makes us see them as brothers first—two men desperately trying to survive each other, their circumstances and the histories they have inherited.

By the time the final card is played, the tragedy is no longer about Abraham Lincoln and John Wilkes Booth. It belongs entirely to these two brothers. And that is Parks’ greatest trick: she makes us think we are watching history repeat itself, when what we are really watching is the heartbreaking collapse of an American family.

Highly Recommended

When: Through Nov. 1

Where: Steppenwolf Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St.

Running time: 2.5 hours (15 minute intermission)

Tickets: $20 -$142.50 

312-335-1650 

www.steppenwolf.org

Steppenwolf Theatre Company, the nation's premier ensemble theater company, is pleased to launch its 51st Season with the world premiere of Chicago playwright Stephanie Alison Walker's biting satire Adirondack Chair Circle, directed by Tony Award winner Pam MacKinnon (Downstate, Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?), playing October 22 — December 6, 2026 in Steppenwolf's Ensemble Theater, 1646 N. Halsted St. in Chicago. Single tickets are now on sale at steppenwolf.org or the Box Office at (312) 335-1650.

The Adirondack Chair Circle cast features a stellar lineup of talent including ensemble member Caroline Neff, who returns to the Steppenwolf stage, adding to her extensive Steppenwolf credits including Mr. Wolf, Fool for Love, POTUS and Another Marriage. She is joined by David Darrow, who dazzled Steppenwolf audiences as Mozart in last season's record-breaking Amadeus. Broadway favorite Katrina Lenk, who received Tony and Grammy Awards for her turn in The Band's Visit, returns to Steppenwolf for the first time since 2005's Lost Land. Making her Steppenwolf debut is Chicago actor Wendy Mateo, while Sadieh Rifai returns to Steppenwolf after captivating audiences in last year's You Will Get Sick.

About the Production:

A gaggle of suburban moms, armed with pickleball paddles and hard kombucha, are ready to take on the school board in the fight of their lives: attempting to ban the controversial books available to their kids in the school library. But is this trusted inner circle all on the same page? A piercing world premiere from a Chicago playwright, Stephanie Alison Walker's Adirondack Chair Circle exposes the hilarious hypocrisy of the causes we claim and the company we keep. And has a damn good time doing it.

The creative team includes Todd Rosenthal (Scenic Design), Izumi Inaba (Costume Design), Barbara Samuels (Lighting Design), Mikhail Fiksel (Sound Design), Nicholas Hussong (Projection Design), Steph Paul (Choreographer), Kate DeVore (Vocal Coach), Bryar Barborka (Dramaturg), Patrick Zakem (Creative Producer), Elise Hausken (Production Manager), JC Clementz, CSA (Casting), Michelle Medvin (Production Stage Manager) and Kathleen Barrett (Assistant Stage Manager). For full cast and creative team bios, click here.

Production Details:

Title: Adirondack Chair Circle
Playwright: Stephanie Alison Walker
Director: Pam MacKinnon
Cast: ensemble member Caroline Neff (Evelyn Grace) with David Darrow (Crow), Katrina Lenk (Banna), Wendy Mateo (Winona) and Sadieh Rifai (Libby).
Understudies: Tiffany Bedwell (Banna), Brittany Burch (Evelyn Grace), Alex Casillas (Winona), Warren Keith Duncan (Crow) and Erinn Fredin (Libby).

Location: Steppenwolf's Ensemble Theater, 1646 N. Halsted St., Chicago

Dates: Previews: Thursday, October 22 – Saturday, October 31, 2026
Opening: Sunday, November 1, 2026 at 6 pm
Regular run: Tuesday, November 3 – Sunday, December 6, 2026
Curtain Times: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30 pm; Saturdays at 3 pm & 7:30 pm; and Sundays at 3 pm. Please note: there will not be 7:30 pm performances on Tuesday, October 27, Thursday, November 5, Tuesday, November 10, Wednesday, November 18, Wednesday, November 25, Thursday, November 26 and Tuesday, December 1; there will be an added 2 pm matinees on Wednesday, November 25 and Wednesday, December 2.

Tickets: Classic Memberships starting as low as $165 are now on sale for Steppenwolf's 2026/27 season at steppenwolf.org/myseason. Single tickets for Adirondack Chair Circle ($20 – $149*) are now on sale at steppenwolf.org and the Box Office at (312) 335-1650. Steppenwolf Flex Memberships are currently on sale: Black Card Memberships with six tickets for use any time for any production and RED Card Memberships for theatergoers under 30. *Pricing includes an $8.50 handling fee

Steppenwolf offers 20 tickets for $20 (no added fees) for each performance of every Main Series production. Use promo code 20FOR20 to redeem this offer online, available in advance until they're sold out for every main series show. Limit 2 tickets per person. You can also purchase by phone at (312) 335-1650 on the day-of show at 12 pm for main series performances. Limit 2 tickets per person.

Accessible Performance Dates:

Audio-Described and Touch Tour: Sunday, November 22 at 3 pm (1:30 pm Touch Tour)
Open-Captioned: Saturday, November 7 at 3 pm, Thursday, November 19 at 7:30 pm and Saturday, November 28 at 3 pm
ASL-Interpreted: Friday, December 4 at 7:30 pm

Education and Engagement:

Throughout the 2026/27 season, Steppenwolf continues its commitment to the next generation of theatre learners, makers and appreciators with robust education and engagement programming. Programming includes dedicated student matinee performances during four of the five Main Series productions including Topdog/Underdog, Adirondack Chair Circle, The Comeuppance and Ellen B., in-school residencies in partnership with Chicago Public schools, workshops, panels and events specifically geared towards teens, as well as professional development trainings and resources for educators. For additional information about Steppenwolf's Education and Engagement programming and to register your school for a field trip visit steppenwolf.org/education-community/school-teacher-programs/field-trips.

Artist Biographies:

Stephanie Alison Walker (Playwright) is an internationally-produced, award-winning playwright whose work is known for the personalization of the political, humor in darkness and the dramatization of the resilience of women. She is a native Chicagoburbian who has lived all over including London, Buenos Aires, San Juan Island and fifteen years in Los Angeles. She received her Bachelors in English/Creative Writing and Spanish from the University of Colorado and her Master of Professional Writing from the University of California. She began writing plays while working for Fox Theatricals in Chicago. Her play about the housing crisis, American Home, was the inaugural winner of American Blues Theatre's Blue Ink Award. Her play about the mothers of the disappeared in Argentina, The Madres, received a National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere at Teatro Vista in Chicago, Skylight Theatre Company in L.A., Moxie Theatre in San Diego and Shrewd Theatre Company in Austin. It was the 2019 Winner of the Francesca Primus Prize, winner of the Ashland New Plays Festival, the Generations Prize and semi-finalist for the CTG/ Humanitas Prize for playwriting. Her follow-up play The Abuelas, premiered at Teatro Vista and was recently adapted into a short film titled The Birthday Gift. The Art of Disappearing was a finalist for the Primus Prize and enjoyed critical praise for the world premiere in Chicago by 16th Street Theater in 2015. Friends with Guns, her play about liberals and gun ownership was an O'Neill Finalist, winner of Best New Play at the 2019 Valley Theatre Awards, and had its Chicago premiere by A Short Leap Theatre Company in 2025. Sophia Hayden Deserves Better tells the story of the architect of the Woman's Building at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago and was recently a part of Gglassfest by Lookingglass Theatre in Chicago. The Ordeal of Water, inspired by the first women to work as Longshoremen at the Port of Los Angeles, was most recently a part of Bay Street Theater's New Works Festival. Adirondack Chair Circle, her play that tackles suburban book-banning moms, was developed at The Inkwell Theater Company and A Red Orchid's Studio at A Red Orchid. Her short plays have been anthologized by Smith & Kraus. Her full-lengths are published by Broadway Publishing, Inc. In addition to writing plays, she is currently adapting Friends with Guns and The Abuelas as features while raising two spirited boys and selling real estate in the suburbs of Chicago. She is a proud member of the Dramatists Guild of America, Honor Roll Playwrights, NNPN Affiliated Artist, and a proud alumni of the Playwrights Union. stephaniealisonwalker.com

Pam MacKinnon (Director) is a Tony, Drama Desk and multi-Obie Award winning director. She is the artistic director of American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. She has directed more than eighty productions. Her Tony Award-winning production of Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? originated at Steppenwolf. Her production of Bruce Norris's Downstate (Steppenwolf, National Theatre and Playwrights Horizons) was celebrated with several Jeff Awards and won Pam her second Obie. She served as president of SDC, the national Union of choreographers and directors.

David Darrow (Crow) Steppenwolf Theatre Company: Amadeus; Off-Broadway: Memnon (Classical Theatre of Harlem), All Is Calm (Drama Desk Award), The Revival (Project Y Theatre); Regional: Over ten productions at The Guthrie including A Little Shop Of Horrors, Juno And The Paycock  and The Tempest; Sweat (ACT); Ragtime, Sweeney Todd, Fiddler on the Roof (Asolo Repertory Theatre); Lookinglass Alice, Twelfth Night (Baltimore Center Stage); Romeo And Juliet (Ten Thousand Things); Television: RJ Decker, Ballard and Cupertino; Education: MFA Grad Acting – Tisch School of the Arts. David has written several musicals which have been developed/produced at theatres around the country.

Katrina Lenk (Banna) Broadway: Company, The Band's Visit (Tony, Grammy, Lucille Lortel Award), Indecent, Once, Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, The Miracle Worker. Additional theater credits include: High Spirits (New York City Center Encores!), Indecent (Vineyard, La Jolla Playhouse, Yale Rep), iWitness (Mark Taper Forum), Lost Land (Steppenwolf), Lovelace: A Rock Opera (L.A./Edinburgh). Television: Cupertino, Apples Never Fall, Ozark, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Little Voice, The Good Fight, The Village, Tommy, Law & Order: SVU, Law & Order, et al.

Wendy Mateo (Winona) is beyond thrilled to make her Steppenwolf debut. Wendy is the Artistic Director of Teatro Vista Productions (TVP) and a Chicago-based actor, director and filmmaker. An iO and Second City alum, she has been seen on stage in Beyond Caring and Big Lake Big City (Lookingglass Theatre). Her directing work includes The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (Goodman Theatre); ¡Bernarda! (TVP); Mojada (upcoming at Court Theatre). Her TV/film acting credits include Chicago Med, Station Eleven and Widows, while her filmmaking credits include Good Mothers and Hair.

Caroline Neff (Evelyn Grace) is a Steppenwolf ensemble member. At Steppenwolf, she was last seen in Mr. Wolf, Fool for Love, POTUS, Another Marriage, Describe the Night, Seagull, Dance Nation, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, You Got Older, Linda Vista (also Taper Forum and Broadway), The Fundamentals, The Flick, Airline Highway (also Broadway), The Way West, Three Sisters, Annie Bosh is Missing and Where We're Born. Select theatre credits include: Lettie (Jeff Award Best Actor, Victory Gardens Theater); Uncle Vanya (Goodman Theatre); A Brief History of Helen of Troy (Jeff Award for Best Actress), The Knowledge, Harper Regan, In Arabia We'd All Be Kings (Steep Theatre); The Downpour (Route 66 Theatre); Port (Griffin Theatre); 4000 Miles (Northlight Theatre); Moonshiner (Jackalope Theatre). Regional credits include: Peerless (Yale Repertory Theatre). Film and television credits include: Parallax (upcoming Apple tv) FBI, Three Women, Let the Right One In, The Red Line, Chicago P.D., Chicago Fire, Open Tables and Older Children, and heard in multiple Audible Projects such as: Song of the Northwoods, Crowded Hours, Denali and Boar's Nest. She is a proud company member of Steep Theatre and holds her BA from Columbia College.

Sadieh Rifai (Libby) Steppenwolf Theatre: You Will Get Sick, August: Osage County (u/s). The Targeted, Do You Feel Anger, An Evening at the Talk House, Grey House (A Red Orchid). She's performed at theaters such as Goodman, American Theatre Company, Chicago Shakespeare and Milwaukee Repertory. Film: Block Party, Hekla, The Wise Kids, Nate and Margaret, Olympia, All Happy Families. Television: Bettendorf Talks, The Red Line, Chicago Med, Patriot, Shining Girls and Somebody Somewhere. Sadieh received the Princess Grace Award in 2011 & The Princess Grace Fellow in 2026. She's a graduate of The School at Steppenwolf and is represented by Venture and Paonessa Talent.

Accessibility:

As a commitment to make the Steppenwolf experience accessible to everyone, performances featuring American Sign Language Interpretation, Open Captioning and Audio Description are offered during the run of each STC production. Assistive listening devices (ALDs), large-print programs and Braille programs are available for every performance and all our spaces are equipped with an induction hearing loop. Our building features wheelchair accessible seating and restrooms, push-button entrances, a courtesy wheelchair and all-gender restrooms, with accessible counter and table spaces at our bars. For additional information regarding accessibility, visit steppenwolf.org/plan-your-visit/accessibility or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Sponsor Information:

Adirondack Chair Circle is a recipient of the Edgerton Foundation New Play Award. United Airlines is the Official and Exclusive Airline of Steppenwolf. Steppenwolf is also grateful for the significant season support from lead sponsors Allstate Insurance Company, Paul Angell Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Crown Family Philanthropies, Caroline and Keating Crown, Julius Frankel Foundation, Lefkofsky Family Foundation, Northern Trust, Anne and Don Phillips, John Hart and Carol Prins, Shubert Foundation, Inc, and Zell Family Foundation. Steppenwolf also acknowledges generous support from premier sponsors Anonymous, Andrew and Amy Bluhm, Michael and Cathy Brennan, Ann and Richard Carr, Chicago Community Trust, Rich and Margery Feitler, FROST CHICAGO, Lloyd A. Fry Foundation, Jessica and Dominic Green Family Fund, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, The Orlebeke Foundation, Sacks Family Foundation, Gary Sinise Foundation, Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, Thoma Bravo, and Bryan Traubert and Penny Pritzker. Steppenwolf also acknowledges support from the National Endowment for the Arts, Illinois Arts Council, and the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.     

About Steppenwolf Theatre Company:

Steppenwolf Theatre Company is the nation's premier Ensemble Theater with 51 members who are among the top actors, playwrights and directors in the field. Thrilling, powerful, groundbreaking productions have made this theatre legendary. From the early phenomenon of Balm in Gilead, to The Grapes of Wrath, August: Osage County, Downstate, The Brother/Sister Plays, and more recently, the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning Purpose, Steppenwolf Theatre has had a long-running and undeniable impact on American Theatre and Chicago's cultural landscape. Founded in 1974 by Terry Kinney, Jeff Perry and Gary Sinise, Steppenwolf started as a group of friends in their teens and early 20s performing in the basement of a school in Highland Park, Illinois. Today, the company's artistic force remains rooted in the original vision of its founders: an artist-driven theatre, whose vitality is defined by its appetite for bold and innovative work. Every aspect of Steppenwolf is rooted in its Ensemble ethos, from the intergenerational artistic programming to the multi-genre performance series LookOut, to the nationally recognized work of Steppenwolf Education and Engagement which serves nearly 15,000 teens annually. While grounded in the Chicago community, more than 40 original Steppenwolf productions have enjoyed success nationally and internationally, including Broadway, Off-Broadway, London, Sydney, Galway and Dublin. Steppenwolf also holds accolades that include the National Medal of Arts, 14 Tony Awards, two Pulitzer Prize-winning commissions and more. Led by Artistic Directors Glenn Davis and Audrey Francis, Executive Director E. Brooke Flanagan and Board of Trustees Chair Keating Crown — Steppenwolf continually redefines the boundaries of live theater and pushes the limits of acting and performance.

Steppenwolf's Mission: Steppenwolf strives to create thrilling, courageous and provocative art in a thoughtful and inclusive environment. We succeed when we disrupt your routine with experiences that spark curiosity, empathy and joy. We invite you to join our ensemble as we navigate, together, our complex world. steppenwolf.org, facebook.com/steppenwolftheatre, twitter.com/steppenwolfthtr and instagram.com/steppenwolfthtr.

Innovation Arts & Entertainment, along with Broadway In Chicago, are thrilled to announce single tickets for ALL THINGS EQUAL: THE LIFE AND TRIALS OF RUTH BADER GINSBURG (www.allthingsequalrbg.com), will go on sale Friday, September 25. Produced by Scott Stander, the production that has toured more than 40 cities nationwide to date, is written by multiple Award-winner Rupert Holmes and directed by Laley Lippard. The production stars Michelle Azar who originated the role. Over the course of ninety fascinating and often funny minutes, the one-woman-production presents an intimate portrayal of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a true American original. ALL THINGS EQUAL: THE LIFE AND TRIALS OF RUTH BADER GINSBURG will play Broadway In Chicago’s Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place (175 E. Chestnut St., Chicago) for a limited three-day engagement, January 26 – 28.

“In creating this play about her richly-lived life and hard-fought struggles, I came to ever more deeply marvel at her strength, tenacity, sly wit, and compassion,” says Holmes. “Our play also reveals the love song that ran through her remarkable life and shares the music that was her giddy delight. ALL THINGS EQUAL offers each theatregoer the chance to better know this woman, her yearning for equality, and her love for this nation's precious institutions: Ruth ... Justice ... and the American way.”

In ALL THINGS EQUAL: THE LIFE AND TRIALS OF RUTH BADER GINSBURG , Supreme Court Justice “RBG” welcomes a friend of the family to her cozy chambers to convey, over the course of ninety fascinating and often funny minutes, a sense of her life and its many trials: losing her mother the day before she graduated as valedictorian of her Brooklyn high school; being one of only nine young women studying law at Harvard while also raising a daughter and helping her husband battle cancer; fighting for women's rights in the nineteen-seventies before condescending all-male courts; and taking courageous stands for human rights as a voice of reason amid a splintering and increasingly politicized Supreme Court. An evening with a great and compassionate icon of straight-thinking American justice emerges, an RBG who is not only “notorious” but victorious as she takes a stand for ordinary people facing the many challenges of a changing world.

"We couldn't be more excited to bring Ruth Bader Ginsburg's story to even more cities in 2027," says Producer Scott Stander. "Audiences across the country have responded to this show with laughter, tears, and a renewed appreciation for what one determined person can accomplish. Her story continues to resonate, and we can't wait to share it with new audiences everywhere we go."

“Bring your scrunchies, your hankies, your humor, and your heart to this entertaining and uplifting event,” says Holmes.

For more information, visit www.allthingsequalrbg.com. Follow All Things Equal: The Life and Trials of Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Instagram and Facebook.

About Rupert Holmes, Playwright
Rupert Holmes was the first person in Broadway history to solely win Tony awards for Book, Music, and Lyrics, this for his creation The Mystery of Edwin Drood, which also won the Tony award for Best Musical. He has received five New York Drama Desk awards in the categories of Book (twice), Music & Lyrics, Orchestrations, and--most recently (2025)--for Best Adaptation. His Broadway shows include Curtains with Kander and Ebb (Tony noms to Holmes for Book and Additional Lyrics), Say Goodnight, Gracie (Tony nom to Holmes for Best Play), Accomplice (Edgar award from The Mystery Writers of America), his stage adaptation of John Grisham's A Time to Kill, and his recent Gilbert and Sullivan adaptation of Pirates! The Penzance Musical (Tony nomination, Best Revival). He has written over twenty musicals and plays performed at major venues regionally and internationally. Holmes is author of the recent New York Times Best Seller Murder Your Employer. His first novel Where the Truth Lies was adapted for film starring Colin Firth and Kevin Bacon. His musical novel Swing reached #24 of all books on Amazon.

Holmes contributed songs to the Golden Globe-winning score of A Star is Born. For television, he created and scripted all 55 episodes of AMC’s first original series Remember WENN. He has written, arranged & conducted numerous recordings for Barbra Streisand, including the platinum album Lazy Afternoon; his songs have been recorded by Barry Manilow, Dionne Warwick, Dolly Parton, Judy Collins, Britney Spears, Rita Coolidge, Renée Fleming, and countless others. Holmes is also the singer-songwriter of his own iconic #1 Billboard hit “Escape (The Pina Colada Song)” featured in over fifty motion pictures and TV shows. He is recipient of the George M. Cohan Award from ASCAP and recently received an honorary doctorate from The Manhattan School of Music.

Michelle Azar, Actress (Ruth Bader Ginsburg)
Her performance background began in Chicago where she sang with the Lyric Opera of Chicago’s children’s choir. She received her BFA from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, and started working immediately as Janis Joplin in Beehive. Once moving to Los Angeles, she received Ovation awards for her roles in both dramatic and comedic roles and was the 2016 Stage Raw award winner for Best Actress in Eric Coble’s My Barking Dog directed by Michael Michetti. Most favorite stage credits: Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish! (Soraya Theatre) Bella in Lost in Yonkers, and Berte in Boeing, Boeing (La Mirada Theatre) and Masha in Mayakovsky and Stalin (Cherry Lane Theatre). Select television and film credits include: NCIS LA, How To Get Away With Murder, Criminal Minds, The Magicians, Aquarius, Community, and the upcoming short, CryBaby Michelle is no stranger to the one-woman show, as her own original piece, FROM BAGHDAD TO BROOKLYN, continues to tour around the country after its sold out premiere at the United Solo Festival in NYC.

Laley Lippard (she/her), Director
Lippard is a director, dramaturg, educator and producer dedicated to social justice through the arts. Lippard has developed new work and directed across the country at theaters such as Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, Alliance Theater, Round House Theatre, Cleveland Play House, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, American Theater Company, Magic Theatre, The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Theater J, Kitchen Dog, Eaton Workshop, Dobama Theater, foolsFURY Theater, Z Space, Solas Nua, and Virginia Stage Company among others. Recently, she collaborated and trained throughout Japan, India and Greece on a premiere adaptation of Oedipus by Ellen McLaughlin which performed at ancient sites across Greece. Her site specific work has been noted in The New York Times (The Smuggler with Solas Nua) and her work was adapted to film which premiered in NYC’s 1st Irish Festival (In the Middle of the Fields - US premiere). Lippard was the co-founder and co-executive producer of The Chicago Home Theater Festival, a five-year city-wide artistic network and annual event that organized artists and neighbors to celebrate local culture, share a communal meal, experience diverse art forms in alternative spaces, and build intentional community across lines of difference. Other producing work includes Z/Magic Mondays at Magic Theatre as Artistic Associate, with The Welders as Interim Creative Producer, and as the Cleveland Play House inaugural Artistic Directing Fellow. She has artistically collaborated with HowlRound and the American Voices New Play Institute at Arena Stage, Guthrie Theater, Intersection for the Arts, American Conservatory Theater, Court Theatre, Syracuse Stage, and TheatreWorks. Lippard has taught, workshopped, and/or directed at Stanford University, Northwestern University, Kenyon College, Hampshire College, Carnegie Mellon University, and Case Western Reserve MFA Acting program. Lippard is a member of the National Directors Fellowship, the Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab, an Associate Member of the SDC, and holds an MFA in Directing from Northwestern University.

Scott Stander, Producer
Stander has produced concerts and theatre attractions for the last 20 years including the Rocky Horror Picture Show Spectacular Tour with original cast members Barry Bostwick, Patricia Quinn and Nell Campbell, Clue: The Movie with original cast members Lesley Ann Warren and Tim Curry and “Judy Garland We Need A Little Christmas”, starring internet sensation Debbie Wileman. Upcoming: 40^th Anniversary of Little Shop of Horrors with original cast member Ellen Greene. He has also produced Debbie Wileman’s Happy 100th Birthday, Judy! concert and her debut CD: "I'm Still Here - The Songs Judy Would Sing". Past hits: The Rocky Horror Picture Show 50th Anniversary Tour starring Tim Curry, Barry Bostwick, Patricia Quinn and Nell Campbell; An Evening With Sophia Loren (10 city US tour - Spring 2016); Dance To The Movies starring Shirley Jones and Lesley Ann Warren (Spring 2016); Dancing With A Twist-mas (Christmas 2015); Ballroom With Twist – starring TVs Derek Hough, Cheryl Burke, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, Karina Smirnoff, Tony Dovolani and Peta Murgatroyd (National Tour – 5 seasons) Broadway: If You Ever Leave Me I’m Going With You starring Renee Taylor and Joe Bologna (Broadway and Chicago Company and National Tour); Steve Allen and Phyllis Diller – Together Again For The First Time (12 city Concert Tour); An Evening With Shirley Bassey (10 city Concert Tour); Milton Berle’s 90^th Birthday Celebration (13 city tour); Breaking Legs starring Frank Gorshin (Off Broadway and tour); Say Goodnight Gracie (2^nd National Broadway Tour starring Don McArt – 3 year tour); Odd Couple – Female Version starring Barbara Eden and Rita McKenzie (National Tour – 3 seasons); Love Letters starring Barbara Eden and Larry Hagman and Hal Linden (National tour); Bermuda Avenue Triangle starring Renee Taylor, Joe Bologna and Lainie Kazan (National Tour); Ethel Merman’s Broadway starring Rita McKenzie (Off Broadway-John Houseman Theatre and National Tour).

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE
Tuesday, January 26 – 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday, January 27 – 7:00 p.m.
Thursday, January 28 – 7:00 p.m.

TICKET INFORMATION (As of September 24, based on availability and subject to change)
Individual tickets for ALL THINGS EQUAL: THE LIFE AND TRIALS OF RUTH BADER GINSBURG go on sale on Friday, September 25 and range from $30.00 - $80.00 with a select number of premium tickets available. Ticket price listed is when purchased in person at the box office. Additional fees apply for online purchases. Tickets are available now for groups of 10 or more by calling Broadway In Chicago Group Sales at (312) 977-1710 or emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. For more information, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com.

ABOUT BROADWAY IN CHICAGO
Broadway In Chicago was created in July 2000 and over the past 26 years has grown to be one of the largest commercial touring homes in the country. A Nederlander Presentation, Broadway In Chicago lights up the Chicago Theater District entertaining up to 1.7 million people annually in five theatres. Broadway In Chicago presents a full range of entertainment, including musicals and plays, on the stages of five of the finest theatres in Chicago’s Loop including the Cadillac Palace Theatre, CIBC Theatre, James M. Nederlander Theatre, The Auditorium, and just off the Magnificent Mile, the Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place .
 

For more information and tickets, visit www.BroadwayInChicago.com.
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