Home

Displaying items by tag: Crime and Punishment

Real Chicagoans don’t gatekeep hidden gems. Whether it’s hidden bars behind laundromats, the best Billy Goat location (under Mag Mile), the best desserts or street tacos, the best place to catch a local game (insert season + sport), or a must-see show or concert, real Chicagoans share the hidden gems and surprise experiences. They share because it's thoughtful, considerate, and they want others to experience the same joy and elation they themselves experienced. Most importantly, they want to talk about the shared experience after, preferably at a hidden beach adjacent gem. Today’s hidden gem is TUTA, a theatre company staging a heavy-themed production of Crime and Punishment.

tuta crime and punishment 2 55259356375 o

The story of Crime and Punishment follows the mental anguish and moral dilemmas of Rodion Raskolnikov, an impoverished former law student in Saint Petersburg who plans to kill an unscrupulous pawnbroker. The play is a stage adaptation of Fyodor Dostoevsky's 1866 novel of the same name, co-written by Marilyn Campbell and Curt Columbus. The authors of the adaptation condensed a heavily philosophical and psychological novel into a 90-minute, three-person play where the actors portray multiple characters without losing any of the depth or themes conveyed in the novel. Themes like isolation, morally gray ambiguity, faith, and fairness all still resonate today over 100 years later.

tuta crime and punishment 5 55259359285 o

The TUTA Theatre (The Utopian Theatre Asylum) really proves that good things really do come in small packages. The small theatre found through an alleyway and accessed through a garage provided an unintentional eerie setting, winding your way to a small enclosure similar to the run-down windowless room the protagonist lives in. The minimalist-yet-evocative stage design also lent itself to the poignantly punishable psychology of Dostoevsky's play. By having Raskolnikov kneeling in dirt in supplication, having characters move behind sheer yet blurry plastic tarps, making you question if they were really there or if the character was descending into the madness of his own logic. In a way, the stage was the fourth cast member, moodily setting the tone with lights and effects that aided the claustrophobic and alienation the protagonist was showing on stage. And big talent filled the room with the incredible talent of TUTA company members Felix as Sonia, Huy Nguyen as Inspector Porfiry, and Clifton Frei as Raskolnikov.

TUTA is a fascinating theatre company with a pay-what-you-choose ticket structure. As a non-profit theatre, TUTA relies on ticket sales as well as grants, donations, and in-kind gifts of labor and talent to create art. For Crime & Punishment, for example, a price of $100 per ticket is what it would take to cover the costs of the production. By choosing a higher ticket price, you are creating opportunities for others to attend at lower prices who may not be able to enjoy this performance otherwise. If you want a guaranteed seat in the small theatre, reservations are available online, and you can choose one of four suggested prices ($20, $45, $60, and $100). The higher price you pay or donate, the more affordable future tickets can become throughout the production’s run time.

tuta crime and punishment 6 55259098148 o

Whether a production is staged in a garage that borders the Brown Line or the finest auditoriums the city has to offer, Chicago proves time and time again that it houses a thousand treasures. And if you don’t know how to find them, don’t worry, there’s always a friendly Chicagoan ready to tell you all about it. Crime and Punishment is now playing at the TUTA Theatre (4670 N. Manor, Chicago) through June 28th. To purchase reservations and guarantee a seat to the performance of your choice, visit www.tutatheatre.org. It'd be a Crime if you didn't get the chance to see this one.

This review is proudly shared with our friends at www.TheatreInChicago.com

Published in Theatre in Review

TUTA Theatre announced today it will mount the 90-minute, three actor adaptation for the stage of Dostoevsky's CRIME AND PUNISHMENT by Marilyn Campbell and Curt Columbus. TUTA's production will be performed on their intimate home stage at 4670 N. Manor, Chicago, from May 7 through June 28. This adaptation, which premiered at Writers Theater in 2003, has enjoyed over 100 productions across the country and internationally from Europe to Australia and Indonesia. It has been produced at such distinguished US theaters as Berkeley Rep, Intiman Theater, 59E59th Street Theater, Cleveland Playhouse, Actors Theater of Louisville, Indiana Rep, Cincinnati Playhouse, Baltimore's Center Stage, and Trinity Rep in Providence. It compresses all the tension and pathos of the novel into a powerful 90 minutes of theatre that is at once fresh and faithful to the original. 
 
Impoverished student Raskolnikov believes himself to be above the law and extraordinary to such an extent that he may decide who is worthy of life and of death. But that all ends when he meets Inspector Porfiry, a master of mind games who is determined to elicit a confession from the ever-more-tortured Raskolnikov. Is Raskolnikov going to crack? This taut, thrilling award-winning adaptation will be directed by TUTA Co-Artistic Director Jacqueline Stone. THE NEW YORK TIMES said, "Who would have thought that the novel no high school student has ever finished reading would make such engrossing theater?" 
 
Stone's three actor cast will include Clifton Frei as Raskolnikov, Huy Nguyen as Porfiry, and Felix as Sonia, with Nguyen and Felix also playing other characters. Associate Company Member Frei mesmerized audiences last summer with his performance as Tom in TUTA's production of TOM & ELIZA by Celine Song. Company member Nguyen earned critical raves for his opening night performance in WHITE RABBIT, RED RABBIT, which was performed cold by a different actor each night, including Frei and Felix. Frei and Nguyen returned to TUTA later last year for THE LONG CHRISTMAS DINNER. Associate Company Member Felix was, along with Frei, a member of TUTA's Jeff Award-winning ensemble of ATTEMPTS ON HER LIFE. 

The CRIME AND PUNISHMENT production team includes Tony Award nominee Tatiana Kahvegian (for her set design of THE OUTSIDERS) and Obie Award winner Keith Parham (for ADDING MACHINE, A MUSICAL) as Co-Set Designers. Kahvegian and Parham were Jeff Award nominees for their work on TUTA's TOM AND ELIZA. Parham is also the Lighting Designer for this production. The CRIME AND PUNISHMENT production team also includes Lia Wallfish (Costume Designer), Stefanie Senior (Sound Design), Helen Lattyak (Properties Design, Creative Producer), Becky Warner (Stage Manager), Milan Pribisic (Dramaturg), Letitia Guillaud (Assistant Director), Aileen Wen McGroddy and Jacqueline Stone (Co-Artistic Directors), and Brad Gunter (Managing Director).
 
Seats for all performances of CRIME AND PUNISHMENT can be reserved by purchasing in advance. Pay-what-you-choose reservations for all performances are $20, $45, $60 and $100. Any seating not reserved in advance will be available the day of the performance for in person, pay-what-you-choose tickets at the door 30 minutes before curtain time. There is no late seating. Additional information on TUTA Theatre's ticketing is available at www.tutatheatre.org/crime-punishment.
 
LISTING INFORMATION
 
CRIME AND PUNISHMENT
Adapted from the Fyodor Dostoevsky novel by Marilyn Campbell and Curt Columbus
Directed by Co-Artistic Director Jacqueline Stone
Featuring TUTA company members Huy Nguyen, Clifton Frei, and Felix
May 7 – June 28, 2026
Previews Thursday, May 7, Friday, May 8, and Saturday, May 9 at 7:30 pm 
Regular run: May 11 – June 28, 2026
Thursdays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm, and Sundays at 3:00 pm
TUTA Theatre - 4670 North Manor, Chicago
Pay-what-you-choose reservations available for $20, $45, $60, $100, available at https://www.tutatheatre.org/crime-punishment-reservations
 
Dostoyevsky's epic novel distilled into a 90-minute play for three-actors and performed in TUTA's hyper-intimate 24-seat theater.  CRIME AND PUNISHMENT focuses on the plight of an intellectual young man whose moral struggle with his belief system compels him to commit a horrendous crime. A psychological game of cat and mouse ensues with the investigator who hunts him down. Dreams, waking visions, even ghosts paint this psychological portrait of crime, guilt, and retribution.
 
BIOS

Jacqueline Stone (Director, Co-Artistic Director) is honored to be Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Director of TUTA. She recently served as the Artistic Producer of TUTA's hit production WHITE RABBIT RED BABBIT. Her TUTA directing credits include the Chicago premiere of Thornton Wilder's THE LONG CHRISTMAS DINNER, the world premiere of HEDDA GABLER (as well as adaptor), Chicago and New York premieres (59E59 Theaters) of Adam Rapp's THE EDGE OF OUR BODIES, world premiere of THE ANYWAY CABARET (AN ANIMAL CABARET), and U.S. premiere OF THE SILENT LANGUAGE.  Her TUTA performance credits include FULTON STREET SESSIONS, BAAL, THE WEDDING (1996, 2010, 2011), UNCLE VANYA (2008, 2009), A STILL LIFE IN COLOR, THE BIRDS, THE SWEET LITTLE PRINCE, ALICE, and THE HOUR.  

In addition to TUTA, Stone currently serves as Producing Artistic Director of Breckenridge Backstage Theatre in Breckenridge, CO. BBT directing credits include EVERY BRILLIANT THING, the Colorado premiere of Jim DeVita and Josh Schmidt's musical adaptation of THE GIFT OF THE MAGI, MT Cozzola's A LADY'S GUIDE TO MOUNTAINS (Denver Fringe), and A CHRISTMAS STORY. This summer she will direct MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS.

From 2016 - 2020, Stone served as Artistic Director of Emerald City Theatre Company, Chicago's largest professional theatre serving young audiences. ECT directing credits include the Chicago premiere of FANTASTIC MR. FOX, the Chicago premiere of KEN LUDWIG'S TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS (Broadway Playhouse), the Chicago premiere of THE SNOWY DAY & OTHER STORIES, the world premiere of MOTHER GOOSE'S GARDEN, world premiere of PETER RABBIT (also adapter), JUNIE B. JONES, RAMONA QUIMBY, and the world premiere of Mo Willems' DON'T LET THE PIGEON DRIVE THE BUS.  

Select Chicago directing credits include Strawdog Theatre, Chicago Dramatists, Chicago Immersive, Broadway in Chicago, Piven Theatre, The Second City, Mudlark Theater, Akvavit Theatre, Step Up Productions, 20% Theatre Company, You & Me Productions, and DCASE.  Jacqueline is co-founder of Sirens, the longest running all-female improv group in the country.  She has appeared and created over 200 original shows with them.

Stone taught acting and improvisation at The Second City for ten years and Columbia College Chicago for five years.  She spent twelve years as Emerald City Theatre's Education Director, building and fostering new acting programs for young people ages 3.5 - 13 years old.  Other select teaching credits include The Faculty of Dramatic Arts (Belgrade, Serbia), Chicago Improv Festival, Miami Improv Festival, Duke University's FUQUA School of Business, UCLA, and University of Chicago.
 
Curt Columbus (Co-Adapter) Currently the Artistic Director of Trinity Repertory Company in Providence, Rhode Isalnd, Curt lived and worked as an actor, director, adaptor and playwright in the Chicago theater scene for almost twenty years. He was artistic associate of Victory Gardens Theater from 1989–1994, the director of the University of Chicago's University Theater from 1994–2000, and the associate artistic director of Chicago's Steppenwolf Theater Company from 2000–2005, where he premiered his translations of Chekhov's UNCLE VANYA and CHERRY ORCHARD.  His adaptation of Dostoevsky's CRIME AND PUNISHMENT with Marilyn Campbell has won awards and accolades at theaters around the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia. Columbus's translations/adaptations also include Chekhov's THREE SISTERS, SEAGULL, IVANOV, and FUENTE OVEJUNA. 
 
Marilyn Campbell (Co-Adapter) is a co-founder of both the Writers Theatre-New York and the Writers Theatre in Glencoe . She is also an Original Core Founder of New Classics Collective, (Paul Oakley Stovall, Artistic Director). Her co-adaptation with Curt Columbus of Dostoyevsky's CRIME AND PUNISHMENT (Joseph Jefferson Award for New Adaptation) has enjoyed over 100 productions across the country and internationally from London, Greece and Hungary to Australia and Indonesia.  It has been produced at such distinguished US theaters as Berkeley Rep, Intiman Theater, 59E59th Street Theater, Cleveland Playhouse, Actors Theater of Louisville, Indiana Rep, Cincinnati Playhouse, Baltimore's Center Stage, Trinity Rep, and numerous productions on the West Coast , where in 2009 the play won an  L.A. Backstage Garland Award and a nomination from the L.A. Drama Critics Circle for Best New Adaptation.  Other plays include THE BEATS (based on the writings of the 1950 beat writers) first produced at Writers Theater in 1997, starring David Cromer and named one of the best productions of the 1997 Chicago theater season by the CHICAGO SUN-TIMES. MY OWN STRANGER a co-adaptation with Linda Laundra based on the writings of Pulitzer Prize winning poet Anne Sexton, was first produced off Broadway in 1981 and won a Villager Downtown Theater Award for "Best Production."
 
ABOUT TUTA THEATRE
 
TUTA Theatre was established in 1995 in Washington, DC by co-founders Zeljko and Natasha Djukic, who brought a unique sense of artistic expression from their European homeland. In 2002, they relocated the company to Chicago. In the ensuing 23 years, TUTA has presented numerous US premieres of foreign plays from France, Russia, Austria, and Serbia. TUTA has produced seven world premieres, eight US premieres, four Midwest premieres and many modern re-imaginings of classics.  In 2012, longtime company member Jacqueline Stone stepped into the role of Artistic Director, and TUTA added productions for youth with the US premiere of THE SILENT LANGUAGE. TUTA's productions have been listed on Chicago critics' 'best of the year' list eight times in the past 10 years and have been produced nationally (in NYC and LA) and internationally (in Serbia with the National Theatre in Belgrade). Aileen Wen McGroddy and Jacqueline Stone are Co-Artistic Directors and Brad Gunter is Managing Director.

Published in Now Playing
Tuesday, 11 September 2018 16:09

Review: Shattered Globe's "Crime and Punishment"

Literary adaptation for the stage can be tricky. Even trickier is bringing the complex work of Dostoyevsky from the page to the stage. Shattered Globe opens its season with Chris Hannan’s 2013 version of ‘Crime and Punishment’. Under the direction of Louis Contey, this unique production is fresh and exciting.


As anyone who has read the lengthy novel by Fyoder Dostoyevsky can attest, this is not an easy work to muddle through. While not the most accessible novel, those who take on the challenge will surely be rewarded by richly drawn, and somewhat disturbing scenes that linger in the memory. Hannan’s script gets right to the point. Instead of long passages of internal monologue, his Raskolnikov (Drew Schad) has fever dream conversations with the people in his life. This device ensures a much more engaging presentation, though Schad is entirely capable of carrying the monologs on his own.


Between Hannan’s script and Contey’s vision, there’s a very artful quality to this production. Unlike the novel, the plot of this play is easy to follow. The ethical debates Raskolnikov has in his head are shortened and the scene work is very strong. The murdered pawnbroker is played by Daria Harper. In her scenes with Schad, she’s nearly diabolically evil. She represents the greedy reality of the world in which Raskolnikov lives. Conversely, Harper is perfectly double cast as doting mother Pulkheria Alexandrovna. Christina Gorman plays his sister Dunya with the same grace and elegance she consistently delivers in Shattered Globe productions. Rebecca Jordan brings to life one of the novel’s most unpleasant characters, the wife of a drunkard who’s killed by an unconcerned buggy driver. Watching her unravel throughout the play is unsettling and heartbreaking.


With a peak interest in true crime shows and podcasts, ‘Crime and Punishment’ is very timely. It asks its audience whether religious morality or utility should be the guiding compass in life. Hannan, like Dostoyevsky, seems to believe that an action should be judged by its usefulness rather than its means. What we have here is a play that works to convince its audience that we should be sympathetic to a cold-blooded murderer. And it works. By the end of the play you’re on the murderer’s side. Perhaps the next time you turn on 48 Hours, put yourself in the killer’s shoes rather than the victims. Would you see it differently? Does anyone have a right to murder?


Shattered Globe dispenses with all the clichés of literary adaption and serves up an emotionally powerful interpretation of ‘Crime & Punishment’. Great performances and non-traditional storytelling make this a definitive adaption. Those who were not fans of the novel in school may find that there’s more to this story for our times than we’d like to admit.


Through October 20 at Shattered Globe Theatre. Theatre Wit, 1229 W Belmont Ave, 773-975-8150

 

Published in Theatre in Review

Spaceman: Into the Quiet Terror of the Void

22 May 2026 in Theatre in Review

Spaceman, presented by [producingbody], touches down at The Edge Off-Broadway with a quiet, unnerving force, pulling audiences into the fragile…

Inside a Real ‘Fire House’ You Are Immersed in Phantasmic Lives of Firefighters

22 May 2026 in Theatre in Review

Set in Chicago’s oldest fire station (now Firehouse Art Studio) the immersive play "Fire House” is only loosely tethered to…

Spamalot Is Every Monty Python Fan’s Dream Come to Life

21 May 2026 in Theatre in Review

Spamalot rides into the Windy City courtesy of Broadway In Chicago, inviting theatergoers to join King Arthur’s quest now through…

Raven Theatre announces the 2026-27 season

20 May 2026 in Upcoming Theatre

Raven Theatre, under the director of Executive Artistic Director Jonathan Berry, announces its 44th season, to include Michael R. Jackson's Pulitzer Prize-winning musical A Strange…

Steppenwolf Theatre Presents ALEX EDELMAN: WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO

20 May 2026 in Upcoming Theatre

Following a critically-acclaimed, sell-out run of Just For Us at Steppenwolf Theatre and around the globe, Tony and Emmy Award-winning comedian Alex Edelman returns…

Announcing the 26/27 Season at Goodman Theatre

20 May 2026 in Upcoming Theatre

On the heels of an unprecedented Centennial Season, Goodman Theatre sets a bold stage for its second century. Walter Artistic…

Black Button Eyes Productions to stage Conor McPherson's one-actor play ST NICHOLAS, June 26 - July 26

20 May 2026 in Upcoming Theatre

Black Button Eyes Productions has announced it will follow up its hit co-production (with City Lit Theater) of STRANGE CARGO:…

Chicago Shakespeare Theater announces As Long As You're Asking: A Conversation with Jason Alexander

20 May 2026 in Upcoming Theatre

Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) announces the return of Jason Alexander for a special event, As Long As You're Asking: A Conversation with Jason Alexander.…

Midsommer Flight to stage Shakespeare's comedy AS YOU LIKE IT free in six Chicago parks June 26 – August 2

20 May 2026 in Upcoming Theatre

For its 13th free summer production, Midsommer Flight will present one of Shakespeare's most highly regarded and popular comedies. AS YOU…

Chicago Magic Lounge welcomes back fan favorite Ondřej Pšenička for a limited run this summer

19 May 2026 in Upcoming Theatre

Chicago Magic Lounge, Chicago's home for close-up magic, announces the return of world-renowned magician Ondřej Pšenička in a limited run of his hit…

Porchlight's FREE Summer Concert Series Returns - BROADWAY IN YOUR BACKYARD

19 May 2026 in Upcoming Theatre

Porchlight Music Theatre is proud to announce the return of its free summer concert series Broadway in your Backyard, July 6 - September…

Ian Frank named Shattered Globe Theatre’s new Producing Artistic Director

19 May 2026 in Theatre Buzz

Chicago’s Shattered Globe Theatre announced today that Ian Frank has been selected, following a national search, to be the company’s…

OPERA FESTIVAL OF CHICAGO PRESENTS VERY VERISMO! JUNE 13 AT THE JARVIS OPERA HALL

19 May 2026 in Upcoming Theatre

Opera Festival of Chicago opens its 2026 festival season with Very Verismo!, that includes a VIP reception and a captivating concert celebrating…

Couch Penny Ensemble presents An Oak Tree by Tim Crouch, running June 19-July 5 at the Greenhouse Theater Center

18 May 2026 in Upcoming Theatre

Two actors. One has rehearsed the play. The other has neither seen nor read it. A different performer joins the…

AstonRep Productions to stage US Premiere of Liisa Repo-Martell's new adaptation of Chekhov's UNCLE VANYA, June 18 – July 5 at the Edge Off-Broadway Theatre

18 May 2026 in Upcoming Dance

AstonRep Productions, the theatre and film production company that has produced over 30 stage productions in Chicago, has announced it…

A Red Orchid’s The Targeted Builds a Case for Compassion

18 May 2026 in Theatre in Review

If you’ve ever worked in an urban coffee shop, chances are you’ve encountered at least one ultra-paranoid kook who believes…

Rocky in Concert Delivers a Knockout Night Despite Technical Stumbles

17 May 2026 in Theatre in Review

Marking Rocky’s 50th anniversary, Rocky in Concert arrived at the Auditorium Theatre in a highly anticipated Auditorium Philms presentation featuring…

No Dialog, Yet Strongly Affecting, Trap Door's 'Le Bal' Is Like Nothing You've Seen

16 May 2026 in Theatre in Review

Can you have a play run 90 minutes with no dialog? Indubitably, as Trap Door Theatre demonstrates with its new…

C'est Drôle: Tartuffe, or, The Charlatan brings classic humor to Wrigleyville theatre

15 May 2026 in Theatre in Review

While many of my classmates were signing up for Spanish classes, I thought it would be terribly useful to sign…

A New Home, A Necessary Warning: Timeline’s Enemy Lands Hard

15 May 2026 in Theatre in Review

Timeline Theatre unveils their chic, new Uptown home with its inaugural production–Henrik Ibsen’s ever-relevant “An Enemy of the People”. A…

Chicago Shakespeare Theater announces 40th Anniversary Season

15 May 2026 in Theatre Buzz

Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) Artistic Director Edward Hall and Executive Director Kimberly Motes announce today the company's 40th Anniversary Season. America's leading Shakespeare Theater curates…

Chicago Dance Crash presents expo/sd — a genre-bending, world-premiere repertory performance!

15 May 2026 in Upcoming Dance

On July 24th and 25th at 7:00 pm, Chicago Dance Crash will present expo/sd, a world premiere concert at the Ruth…

Steppenwolf Presents LAURA BENANTI: NOBODY CARES - August 6 – 9, 2026

14 May 2026 in Upcoming Theatre

Direct from an acclaimed run at Edinburgh Fringe and two sold-out Off-Broadway engagements, Steppenwolf Theatre is pleased to present Laura Benanti: Nobody Cares, a…

BrightSide Theatre announces 2026-27 season - THE ADDAMS FAMILY, THE SECRET GARDEN: IN CONCERT, KEN LUDWIG'S BASKERVILLE: A SHERLOCK HOLMES MYSTERY, and AVENUE Q

13 May 2026 in Upcoming Theatre

BrightSide Theatre has announced its 15th season of presenting professional theatre in Naperville. Its 2026-27 mainstage slate of four productions will…

Chicago City Opera presents Strauss Masterpiece Der Rosenkavalier

13 May 2026 in Upcoming Theatre

Chicago City Opera (CCO) presents one of late-Romantic composer Richard Strauss' most beloved works, Der Rosenkavalier. Composed by Strauss to…

The Magic Parlour Extends Through December 31! Plus Special Guest Eric Jones Joins This Summer

13 May 2026 in Now Playing

A special guest star, a new block of tickets, and more magic comes to The Magic Parlour this summer. Acclaimed third-generation Magician Dennis…

OAK PARK FESTIVAL THEATRE ANNOUNCES 51ST SEASON "HAMLET" AND "THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST"

12 May 2026 in Upcoming Theatre

The Oak Park Festival Theatre, Oak Park's premiere Equity theatre and the oldest professional classical theatre in the Midwest, today announced…

METROPOLIS PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE ANNOUNCES ITS UPCOMING 2026-27 SEASON INCLUDING RIDE THE CYCLONE, THE CHRISTMAS SCHOONER, DISNEY'S THE LITTLE MERMAID, THE MATCH GAME AND RODGERS AND HAMMERSTEIN'S OKLAHOMA!

12 May 2026 in Upcoming Theatre

Metropolis Performing Arts Centre, located in the heart of downtown Arlington Heights at 111 W. Campbell St., is proud to announce its…

Everybody Got a Secret: York Walker’s Covenant Haunts The Goodman

12 May 2026 in Theatre in Review

The Goodman Theatre’s Covenant announces York Walker as a playwright ascending rapidly into the highest tier of American theater. This…

The Real Crime Would Be To Miss This: Crime and Punishment at TUTA Theatre

11 May 2026 in Theatre in Review

Real Chicagoans don’t gatekeep hidden gems. Whether it’s hidden bars behind laundromats, the best Billy Goat location (under Mag Mile),…

 

         20 Years and counting!

Register

     

Latest Articles

  • Spaceman: Into the Quiet Terror of the Void
    Written by
    Spaceman, presented by [producingbody], touches down at The Edge Off-Broadway with a quiet, unnerving force, pulling audiences into the fragile headspace of an astronaut drifting far from home and even farther from certainty. Under Eric Slater’s beautifully calibrated direction, playwright…
  • Inside a Real ‘Fire House’ You Are Immersed in Phantasmic Lives of Firefighters
    Written by
    Set in Chicago’s oldest fire station (now Firehouse Art Studio) the immersive play "Fire House” is only loosely tethered to a realistic portrayal of what fire fighters do. What it conveys is an impressionistic vision of the experience that fire…
  • Spamalot Is Every Monty Python Fan’s Dream Come to Life
    Written by
    Spamalot rides into the Windy City courtesy of Broadway In Chicago, inviting theatergoers to join King Arthur’s quest now through May 31 at the CIBC Theatre. Fans of Monty Python and the Holy Grail - the 1975 cult classic -…
  • Raven Theatre announces the 2026-27 season
    Raven Theatre, under the director of Executive Artistic Director Jonathan Berry, announces its 44th season, to include Michael R. Jackson's Pulitzer Prize-winning musical A Strange Loop, directed by Mikael Burke in a co-production with About Face Theatre; Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie, directed by Raven Executive Artistic Director Jonathan…

Guests Online

We have 844 guests and no members online

Buzz Chicago on Facebook Buzz Chicago on Twitter 

Does your theatre company want to connect with Buzz Center Stage or would you like to reach out and say "hello"? Message us through facebook or shoot us an email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

*This disclaimer informs readers that the views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the text belong solely to the author, and not necessarily to Buzz Center Stage. Buzz Center Stage is a non-profit, volunteer-based platform that enables, and encourages, staff members to post their own honest thoughts on a particular production.