Kareem Bandealy

Get the latest updates from LOOKINGGLASS THEATRE COMPANY. For interviews and additional information, contact James Juliano.

What did our critic think of A CHIRSTMAS CAROL at The Goodman Theatre?

Lookingglass Alice is adapted and directed by founding member of Lookingglass Theatre Company, David Catlin. Lindsey Noel Whiting, a Lookingglass Alice cast member herself, hosts the PBS program, and the cast includes Molly Hernandez as Alice, along with Kareem Bandealy, Samuel Taylor, Michel Rodriguez Cintra and Daniel Johnson.

It’s only fitting that for his swan song at Goodman Theatre Artistic Director Robert Falls has adapted and directed Anton Chekhov’s THE CHERRY ORCHARD, a play that’s also very much a swan song. With this staging, Falls has completed the cycle of directing all four of Chekov’s full-length plays for the Goodman stage. Fall’s take on THE CHERRY ORCHARD is surprisingly comedic and strips the play of the more obscure Russian references (though it’s still a period piece), which also demonstrates an artful understanding of the text and how 2023 audiences are best primed to receive it. THE CHERRY ORCHARD’s central character, estate owner Lyubov Ranevskaya, desperately clings to her glamorized version of the past even as the world around her moves inexorably forward. It’s a farewell, indeed, and a lesson in learning when to hold on and when to let go.

What did our critic think of A CHRISTMAS CAROL at Goodman Theatre, Chicago?

Lookingglass Theatre Company has announced its 35th Season! A partnership with one of this city’s leading Black theatre companies. A homegrown holiday hearth-warmer. Two original CHI-made works each featuring unconventional central characters. A twirl around five extraordinary homespun districts, and more.

Ten Chimneys Foundation has announced renowned actor Tyne Daly will serve as the Master Teacher for the 2022 Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship Program, a national program to serve the future of American theater.

Lookingglass Theatre Company’s signature LOOKINGGLASS ALICE has returned to Water Tower Water Works—and it’s just as whimsical and delightful as I remember it when I first saw the production back in high school. Director David Catlin’s charming and inventive adaptation combines storytelling elements from Lewis Carroll’s ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND and THROUGH THE LOOKINGGLASS. The production’s partnership with The Actors Gymnasium has also cemented Lookingglass Theatre Company’s unique combination of literary adaptation and impressive aerial artistry. LOOKINGGLASS ALICE not only calls for a talented company of actors but also places considerable physical demands upon its ensemble.

Get a sneak-peek at Goodman Theatre’s A Christmas Carol back on stage in the heart of the Chicago Loop following a year of darkened stages.

Step inside rehearsal for Goodman Theatre’s A Christmas Carol returning to the stage for its 44th annual production in the heart of the Chicago Loop following a year of darkened stages.

Today (March 4) in live streaming: Eva Noblezada visits Backstage Live, a Sophisticated Ladies Reunion on Stars in the House, and more!

Lookingglass Theatre Company has announced their 2021 gglassquerade unGALA, a virtual event in support of the Tony Award-winning Lookingglass Theatre Company. Stay home, stay safe, stay cozy, and all the while, sustain America's most innovative ensemble-based theatre.

Lookingglass Theatre Company presents the holiday stream of Ensemble Member Mary Zimmerman's The Steadfast Tin Soldier. Experience Chicago's beloved holiday tradition with your family this holiday season, as the production streams into your home this December!  Based on Hans Christian Andersen's story about a little tin soldier who never gives up, this production is a gorgeous spectacle of music and movement that is perfect for the whole family.

Lookingglass Theatre Company announces the new digital membership: The Secret Passage, which includes exclusive programming of enthralling stories, virtual delights and artist engagement opportunities. 

Lookingglass Theatre Company announces gglassclasses online, where adults and youth will learn from experienced Lookingglass Ensemble Members and Teaching Artists. Lookingglass is committed to continuing to engage, inviting people to keep curious, to imagine, and to play while at home.

Lookingglass Theatre Company welcomes five new Ensemble Members and four new Artistic Associates into the Lookingglass family. Joining the Ensemble are Walter Briggs (Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Moby Dick), Kasey Foster (The Steadfast Tin Soldier, 20,000 Leagues Under the Seas), circus choreographer Sylvia Hernandez-DiStasi (The Steadfast Tin Soldier, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein), Anthony Irons (The Steadfast Tin Soldier, Act(s) of God), and composer and sound designer Andre Pluess (The Steadfast Tin Soldier, Eastland). New Artistic Associates include Cordelia Dewdney (Moby Dick, Hard Times), Wendy Mateo (Big Lake Big City, Beyond Caring), costume designer Sully Ratke (Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, 20,000 Leagues Under the Seas) and Matthew C. Yee (Treasure Island, Moby Dick).

Acclaimed Chicago actor Larry Yando returns for his 12th season at Goodman Theatre as Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol, directed for the seventh year by Artistic Associate Henry Wishcamper.

Although Goodman Theatre is now producing A CHRISTMAS CAROL for the 42nd year, and although I have seen the production four times myself, it still has an immense capacity to tug at the heartstrings. While the Goodman's production has few surprises to reveal for repeat viewers at this point, the emotions of delight and humor I experienced on opening night reminded me why this production feels magical for so many. And because I attended the show with a first-time viewer, it was particularly special to share the Goodman's brand of holiday joy.

Lookingglass Theatre Company announces the release of an exclusive, custom wine created in partnership with City Winery, Phantasmagoria.

Northlight Theatre announces casting for its 45th season, opening with Mother of the Maid by Jane Anderson, directed by BJ Jones and featuring Kate Fry (Isabelle Arc), Kareem Bandealy (Jacques Arc), Hayley Burgess (Moniqueus Joan), Ricardo Gutierrez (Father GilbertChamberlainGuardScribe), Casey Morris (Pierre Arc), Grace Smith (Joan Arc) and Penelope Walker (Lady of the Court).