Barbara Gaines News

The Bard is back! Shakespeare 400 Chicago today announced the festival line-up for 2016, featuring 850 events on stages and in museums, restaurants, parks, schools and neighborhoods across Chicago.

Jackalope Theatre Company, the Edgewater-based theatre company currently in its 8th season, announces that Gus Menary will become its third artistic director, effective immediately. Menary had been serving in an interim capacity since March 2015. Additionally, longtime collaborators Paloma Nozicka and Corinne Bass have been named as Jackalope's newest company members.

Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) welcomes Cheek by Jowl and Moscow Pushkin Drama Theatre's internationally acclaimed production of William Shakespeare's MEASURE FOR MEASURE to kick off the line-up for the yearlong Shakespeare 400 Chicago celebration.

Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) announces the full cast and creative team for Shakespeare's intimate tragedy of heartbreak and revenge, OTHELLO.

The Old Globe today shared its 2016 Summer Season, which will feature new and familiar works directed by four major American stalwarts. The season features the welcome return of Steve Martin (Bright Star) with the World Premiere of his new play Meteor Shower, an adult comedy, directed by Gordon Edelstein, in a co-production with Long Wharf Theatre, where he serves as Artistic Director. Paul Gordon's musical Sense and Sensibility will have its West Coast premiere, presented in association with Chicago Shakespeare Theater, where it had its world premiere in February 2015, directed by CST Artistic Director Barbara Gaines. The Summer Shakespeare Festival will include Macbeth, directed by Brian Kulick, Artistic Director of Classic Stage Company, and Love's Labor's Lost, directed by three-time Tony Award winner Kathleen Marshall.

CHICAGO - Lyric Opera of Chicago is proud to present a new exhibition TEN: A Season of Creative Women at Lyric, curated by Scott Marr and Michael Schoenig, at the Civic Opera House. The exhibit runs through May 22, 2016, over the course of Lyric's 61st season.

Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) announces today the release of the Chicago Shakespeare cast recording of the highly acclaimed world premiere production Sense and Sensibility, a musical adaptation of Jane Austen's beloved novel, with book, music and lyrics by Tony Award-nominated composer Paul Gordon.

CHICAGO - OPERATHON 2015, Lyric Opera of Chicago's annual live-radio marathon fundraiser on 98.7WFMT and WFMT.com, celebrated its 36th anniversary by raising more than $500,000 during its 16-hour broadcast on Saturday, October 3.

?To open its 61st season, Lyric Opera of Chicago presents Mozart's joyous comedy The Marriage of Figaro, conducted by Henrik Nanasi in a glamorous new production from renowned director Barbara Gaines, founder and artistic director of Chicago Shakespeare Theater.

CHICAGO – To open its 61st season, Lyric Opera of Chicago presents Mozart's joyous comedy The Marriage of Figaro, conducted by Henrik Nánási in a glamorous new production from renowned director Barbara Gaines, founder and artistic director of Chicago Shakespeare Theater. The Marriage of Figaro is Gaines' first non-Shakespearean opera, following her acclaimed operatic debut staging Verdi's Macbeth at Lyric in 2010.

CHICAGO – To open its 61st season, Lyric Opera of Chicago presents Mozart's joyous comedy The Marriage of Figaro, conducted by Henrik Nánási in a glamorous new production from renowned director Barbara Gaines, founder and artistic director of Chicago Shakespeare Theater. The Marriage of Figaro is Gaines' first non-Shakespearean opera, following her acclaimed operatic debut staging Verdi's Macbeth at Lyric in 2010.

Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) presents Shakespeare's spectacular tale of revenge and romance -- The Tempest -- staged by award-winning directors Aaron Posner and Teller, of the magic duo Penn & Teller. This inventive reimagining features the music of Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan, as well as choreography from the pioneering dance troupe Pilobolus led by Associate Artistic Director Matt Kent.

Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) announces the full casting and creative team for Shakespeare's spectacular tale of revenge and romance-The Tempest, staged by award-winning directors Aaron Posner and Teller, of the magic duo Penn & Teller.

Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) announces the full casting and creative team for Shakespeare's spectacular tale of revenge and romance-The Tempest, staged by award-winning directors Aaron Posner and Teller, of the magic duo Penn & Teller.

David Letterman was a surprise guest at Steve Martin and Martin Short's July 10th show at San Antonio, Texas' Majestic Theater.

Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) celebrated Shakespeare's vibrant legacy with GALA 2015 on Monday, June 8 at the Theater's home on Navy Pier, raising $1.2 million for Chicago Shakespeare in Urban Communities initiatives. Three hundred and fifty of Chicago's civic, corporate and cultural leaders attended the event benefiting CST's award-winning engagement programs including Team Shakespeare education initiatives and Chicago Shakespeare in the Parks. The highlight of the evening was the presentation of the fifth annual Spirit of Shakespeare Awards to this year's Civic Honoree, Illinois Tool Works (ITW) and ITW Vice Chairman David Parry and his wife Ros Parry, and Artistic Honorees, Simon Callow and Phylicia Rash?d.

THE FINAL BROADCAST OF LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN DELIVERS THE SHOW'S HIGHEST LOCAL RATING SINCE DECEMBER 2005; OUTRATES ALL PRIMETIME BROADCASTS LAST NIGHT THE LATE LATE SHOW WITH JAMES CORDEN SCORES A NEW ALL-TIME HIGH From 11:30PM-1AM, the final broadcast of LATE SHOW with DAVID LETTERMAN (Adj Avg. 9.3/24) delivered its highest local rating since Dec.1, 2005 (10.1/24) with guests Oprah Winfrey and Bonnie Raitt. Last night's LATE SHOW outrated every primetime broadcast. From 1AM-2AM, THE LATE LATE SHOW WITH JAMES CORDEN (Adj Avg. 2.5/10) scored a new all-time high local rating, up +79% from last week (1.4/05) and +150% from last year (1.0/03).

In his final remarks as host of CBS's LATE SHOW, David Letterman thanked his family, his fans and his long-time bandleader Paul Schaffer. Check out highlights of the moving farewell below

David Letterman signed off the air last night, but not before delivering a hilarious final opening monologue. Check out passages from the routine below

Below, watch Foo Fighters perform 'Everlong' accompanied by highlights spanning 33 years of Dave's late-night career on the final episode of The Late Show with David Letterman.