Chicago Shakespeare Theater News

First Folio Theatre (Mayslake Peabody Estate, 31st St. & Rt. 83), presents Shakespeare's classic comedy THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR on its outdoor main stage situated on the scenic slopes of the historic Mayslake Peabody Estate. THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR opens tonight, July 12 at 8:15 p.m., and runs through August 10, 2014. Guests are encouraged to bring a picnic and enjoy First Folio Theatre's annual 'Shakespeare under the Stars' production, directed by Jeff Award nominee Nick Sandys. Scroll down for a first look at the cast in action!

First Folio Theatre presents Shakespeare's classic comedy THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR on its outdoor main stage situated on the scenic slopes of the historic Mayslake Peabody Estate. THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR opens Saturday, July 12 at 8:15 p.m., and runs through August 10, 2014. Guests are encouraged to bring a picnic and enjoy First Folio Theatre's annual 'Shakespeare under the Stars' production, directed by Jeff Award nominee Nick Sandys.

Shenandoah Summer Music Theatre opens the Tony and Academy Award winning musical, The King and I, tonight, July 9 in Winchester, VA. Set against the backdrop of 19th century Siam, Rodgers and Hammerstein's The King and I explores the conflicted relationship between King Mongkut of Siam and Anna Leonowens, a British schoolteacher hired by the King as part of his plans to modernize his country. Scroll down for a first look at the cast in action!

First Folio Theatre (Mayslake Peabody Estate, 31st St. & Rt. 83), presents Shakespeare's classic comedy THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR on its outdoor main stage situated on the scenic slopes of the historic Mayslake Peabody Estate. THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR opens Saturday, July 12 at 8:15 p.m., and runs through August 10, 2014. Guests are encouraged to bring a picnic and enjoy First Folio Theatre's annual 'Shakespeare under the Stars' production, directed by Jeff Award nominee Nick Sandys. Scroll down for a first look at the cast in action!

Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) brings the humor and magic of Dr. Seuss to life onstage this summer for young audiences and their families in the Broadway musical comedy Seussical. Playful, energetic and full of whimsy,Seussical engages the imagination with clever lyrics and melodies, unforgettable characters and the colorful world ofDr. Seuss. Seussical is written by the Tony Award®-winning team of Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, whose works include Ragtime, Once on This Island and the current Broadway production of Rocky, The Musical. Eric Idle ofMonty Python and Spamalot fame co-conceived the musical. Directed by Scott Weinstein with musical direction byMichael Mahler, Seussical will be performed July 5 through August 17 in CST's Courtyard Theater. Every performance features special opportunities for audiences to interact with the actors for one-on-one conversations and photo opportunities. On Wednesdays and Thursdays, CST partners with the Chicago Children's Museum (CCM) to offer hands-on craft activities in CST's Lobby. Check out a first look below!

Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) brings the humor and magic of Dr. Seuss to life onstage this summer for young audiences and their families in the Broadway musical comedy Seussical. Playful, energetic and full of whimsy, Seussical engages the imagination with clever lyrics and melodies, unforgettable characters and the colorful world of Dr. Seuss. Seussical is written by the Tony Award®-winning team of Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, whose works include Ragtime, Once on This Island and the current Broadway production of Rocky, The Musical. Eric Idle of Monty Python and Spamalot fame co-conceived the musical. Directed by Scott Weinstein with musical direction by Michael Mahler, Seussical will be performed July 5 through August 17 in CST's Courtyard Theater. Every performance features special opportunities for audiences to interact with the actors for one-on-one conversations and photo opportunities. On Wednesdays and Thursdays, CST partners with the Chicago Children's Museum (CCM) to offer hands-on craft activities in CST's Lobby. Check out highlights below!

The Gift Theatre's contemporary production of Othello, starring Kareem Bandealy as Othello and artistic director and ensemble member Michael Patrick Thornton as villainous Iago, begins previews this Thursday, July 10. Directed by Jonathan Berry (Dirty), this marks The Gift Theatre's first Shakespeare production ever mounted in its intimate 40-seat theater and Berry's Shakespearean directorial debut. Othello runs July 17-August 24 at The Gift, www.thegifttheatre.org

First Folio Theatre (Mayslake Peabody Estate, 31st St. & Rt. 83), presents Shakespeare's classic comedy THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR on its outdoor main stage situated on the scenic slopes of the historic Mayslake Peabody Estate. THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR previews tonight, July 9, opens Saturday, July 12 at 8:15 p.m., and runs through August 10, 2014. Guests are encouraged to bring a picnic and enjoy First Folio Theatre's annual 'Shakespeare under the Stars' production, directed by Jeff Award nominee Nick Sandys.

Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) brings the humor and magic of Dr. Seuss to life onstage this summer for young audiences and their families in the Broadway musical comedy Seussical. Playful, energetic and full of whimsy, Seussical engages the imagination with clever lyrics and melodies, unforgettable characters and the colorful world of Dr. Seuss. Seussical is written by the Tony Award-winning team of Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, whose works include Ragtime, Once on This Island and the current Broadway production of Rocky, The Musical. Eric Idle of Monty Python and Spamalot fame co-conceived the musical. Directed by Scott Weinstein with musical direction by Michael Mahler, Seussical will be performed July 5 through August 17 in CST's Courtyard Theater.

Chicago Shakespeare Theater brings the humor and magic of Dr. Seuss to life onstage this summer in the Broadway musical comedy Seussical for young audiences and their families. Directed by Scott Weinstein with musical direction by Michael Mahler, Seussical will be performed July 5 through August 17 in CST's Courtyard Theater.

Windy City Playhouse is proud to announce and welcome to the team our premiere season's fourth and final director: Jessica Thebus!

First Folio Theatre (Mayslake Peabody Estate, 31st St. & Rt. 83), presents Shakespeare's classic comedy THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR on its outdoor main stage situated on the scenic slopes of the historic Mayslake Peabody Estate. THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR previews July 9, opens Saturday, July 12 at 8:15 p.m., and runs through August 10, 2014. Guests are encouraged to bring a picnic and enjoy First Folio Theatre's annual "Shakespeare under the Stars" production, directed by Jeff Award nominee Nick Sandys.

Drury Lane Theatre, 100 Drury Lane, continues its 30th anniversary season with the Tony Award-winning musical comedy THE 25th ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE, now running through August 17, 2014. Scott Calcagno (Legally Blonde at The Civic Theatre, Grease at The Long Lake Theatre as well as the annual production of A Christmas Carol at Drury Lane Theatre) will direct. Click below to watch highlights from the show!

Griffin Theatre Company will launch its 2014-15 season with a new, intimate version of the Tony Award-winning Best Musical TITANIC, with music and lyrics by Maury Yeston (Nine, Phantom), book by Peter Stone (Woman of the Year, 1776), new orchestrations by Ian Weinberger, directed by Scott Weinstein (Griffin Theatre's Spelling Bee, Chicago Shakespeare Theater's Seussical) and music direction by Elizabeth Doran (Timeline's Juno). TITANIC will play October 18 - December 7, 2014 at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave. in Chicago. Casting will be announced shortly.

The latest in unauthorized gossip and buzz from the heart of Chicago's showtune video bars, and musical theater news from Chicago to Broadway. It's the TOP TEN HOT TOPIX for the first half of 2014! Did your favorites make the list?

The Hypocrites are pleased to launch their 2014-15 Season with the world premiere of ALL OUR TRAGIC, an unparalleled twelve-hour theatrical adaptation that combines all 32 surviving Greek tragedies into a single epic narrative, adapted and directed by Founding Artistic Director Sean Graney*, playing August 2 - October 5, 2014 at its new home, The Den Theatre, 1329 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago.

The Off-Broadway hit Murder for Two is the eighth and final play to be announced in the 2014-2015 Geffen Playhouse season. The new musical will run from May 27 through July 7, 2015 in the Geffen Playhouse's intimate Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater. Murder for Two, in which everyone is a suspect, is a hilarious musical murder mystery with a twist: one actor investigates the crime, the other plays all of the suspects - and they both play the piano! This 90-minute whodunit is a zany blend of classic musical comedy and madcap mystery, a highly theatrical duet loaded with killer laughs.

Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) announces today full casting, as well as six American Sign Language (ASL) Duo-interpreted performances for this year's Chicago Shakespeare in the Parks production of William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, touring FREE FOR ALL to eighteen neighborhood parks across Chicago, July 18-August 17, 2014. Chicago Shakespeare in the Parks galvanizes communities by giving Chicagoans of all ages direct access to their city's cultural resources. This citywide summer tradition is made possible by a partnership between Chicago Shakespeare, the City of Chicago, Chicago Park District and Boeing. For the first time in the history of Chicago Shakespeare in the Parks, CST offers ASL Duo-interpreted performances as part of the Theater's continued commitment to Access Shakespeareprogramming.