Court Theatre to Present 10th Anniversary SPOTLIGHT READING SERIES
This year’s landmark Spotlight Reading Series is organized around the theme 'A Century of Black Progress.'
Court Theatre will present the Spotlight Reading Series. The Spotlight Reading Series will run from Friday, August 7, through Saturday, August 22, at venues throughout Chicago. Curated by Director of Engagement Kamilah Rashied, this is the tenth anniversary of the acclaimed and transformative program created by Resident Artist Ron OJ Parson in 2016.
Featuring the most ambitious programming to date, this year’s landmark Spotlight Reading Series is organized around the theme “A Century of Black Progress.” The tenth-anniversary celebration arrives on the heels of the centennial of Black History Month, which began in 1926 as Negro History Week, and looks ahead to the conclusion of August Wilson’s American Century Cycle with Court Theatre’s 2027 production of Joe Turner's Come and Gone.
By weaving together the past, present, and future of Black storytelling through a series of immersive events, the Spotlight Reading Series celebrates the soul of Chicago’s cultural ecosystem and pays tribute to one hundred years of cultural excellence and resilience.
This year's Spotlight Reading Series is comprised of the following events:
Film Screening and Lecture: Friday, August 7, at the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts (915 E 60th St, Chicago, IL 60637)
Kuumba Theatre Archive Unfurling: Sunday, August 9, at the Harold Washington Library Center (400 S State St, Chicago, IL 60605)
Staged Reading of August Wilson’s How I Learned What I Learned, featuring Resident Artist Ron OJ Parson: Wednesday, August 12, at the Rubenstein Forum (1201 E 60th St, Chicago, IL 60637)
Staged Readings of Zora Neale Hurston’s Color Struck and Beah Richard’s A Black Woman Speaks: Thursday, August 13, at the Rubenstein Form (1201 E 60th St, Chicago, IL 60637)
Staged Reading of Ireon Roach’s are you ready to smash white things?, 2021 Winner of Definition Theatre’s Amplify New Play Festival: Friday, August 14, at the Rubenstein Forum (1201 E 60th St, Chicago, IL 60637)
Chicago Black Renaissance Exhibition and Archival Unfurling: Saturday, August 15, at the Vivian G. Harsh Archives at the Woodson Regional Library (9525 S Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60628)
Community Reads with the Vivian G. Harsh Readers Circle: Saturday, August 15, at the Vivian G. Harsh Archives at the Woodson Regional Library (9525 S Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60628)
Community Reads at Blackstone Library: Wednesday, August 19, at the Blackstone Branch of the Chicago Public Library (4904 S Lake Park Ave, Chicago, IL 60615)
The Chicago Critics Circles: Saturday, August 22, at Arts and Public Life (301 E Garfield Blvd, Chicago, IL 60637)
All events are free and open to the public, and reservations are required. Reservations will open in June and can be made online at CourtTheatre.org or by calling the Box Office at (773) 753-4472.
Accompanying the live events of the Spotlight Reading Series, Court Theatre—in partnership with Aaron Mays, Tribble, and Respair Media—is proud to present Spotlight Turns Ten, the Spotlight Reading Series companion podcast. Reflecting on the history of the Spotlight Reading Series and a century of Black progress and creativity, Spotlight Turns Ten will feature artists, creatives, and Court collaborators who have contributed to the series over the past decade. The podcast will be made available on Spotify in July.
The Spotlight Reading Series is presented in partnership with Arts + Public Life at the University of Chicago, Chicago Public Library, Definition Theatre, and the University of Chicago’s Film Studies Center, and is supported in part by the Joyce Foundation.
Winner of the 2022 Regional Theatre Tony Award, Court Theatre reimagines classic theatre to illuminate our current times. In residence at the University of Chicago and on Chicago’s historic South Side, we engage our audiences with intimate and provocative experiences that inspire deeper exploration of the enduring questions that confront humanity and connect us as people.
Videos
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South Pacific Paramount Arts Centre (4/29-6/14) |
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Spies Of The World: A Grateful Dead Tribute Raue Center For The Arts (6/05-6/05) |
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Hairnation 2026- An Outdoor 80s Tribute Festival BaseCamp Pub (7/26-7/26) |
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Hedwig and the Angry Inch Catalyst Ranch (7/09-7/26) |
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Two Out of Three Falls The Factory Theater (6/04-7/18) |
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Sketch Playlist iO Theater (6/04-8/06) |
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St. Nicholas City Lit Theater Company (6/26-7/26) |
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Behind the Curtain: Untold Stories from Canada's Team Broadway Hoover-Leppen Theatre (7/06-7/06) |
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A Taste of Ireland - The Irish Music and Dance Sensation Oakley-Lindsay Center (6/16-6/16) |
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R.E.S.P.E.C.T. North Theatre at North Shore Center for the Performing Arts (7/25-7/25) |
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