Jen Allman

CELEBRATION OF AUTHORS GALA 2026 to Honor Isabella Wilhemy Sanchez at National Museum of Mexican Art
by Stephi Wild - Jun 2, 2026

PlayMakers Laboratory will present its annual CELEBRATION OF AUTHORS GALA at the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood, honoring special effects makeup designer Isabella Wilhemy Sanchez with the Storyteller of the Year Award.

Playmakers Laboratory To Present THAT’S WEIRD, GRANDMA: HOLIDAY PARTY! At Neo-Futurist Theater
by A.A. Cristi - Nov 6, 2025

PlayMakers Laboratory will return to the Neo-Futurist Theater this winter with its annual holiday edition of That’s Weird, Grandma: Holiday Party!, running December 5–14, 2025.

Photos: THAT'S WEIRD, GRANDMA: SUMMER VACATION! at the Neo-Futurist Theater
by A.A. Cristi - Jun 26, 2025

PlayMakers Laboratory’s has released photos of its original sketch show That's Weird, Grandma: Summer Vacation! This family-friendly comedy extravaganza returns for six performances only from July 26 – August 10, 2025 at the Neo-Futurist Theater.

PlayMakers Laboratory's THAT’S WEIRD, GRANDMA: A HOLIDAY SPECTACULAR! Comes to the Neo-Futurist Theater
by Stephi Wild - Nov 13, 2024

PlayMakers Laboratory will welcome back its original sketch show That's Weird, Grandma: A Holiday Spectacular! This family-friendly comedy extravaganza returns for one weekend only.

PlayMakers Laboratory's THAT'S WEIRD, GRANDMA Returns in December
by Stephi Wild - Nov 14, 2023

 For the first time in two years, PlayMakers Laboratory’s original sketch show That's Weird, Grandma is back on stage – and just in time for the holidays! The family-friendly extravaganza returns December 8 – 17, 2023 at the Neo-Futurist Theater,.

PlayMaker's Laboratory to Present THAT'S WEIRD, GRANDMA At The Neo-Futurist Theater
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Nov 13, 2023

For the first time in two years, PlayMakers Laboratory's original sketch show That's Weird, Grandma is back on stage – and just in time for the holidays!

PlayMakers Laboratory to Present 25 YEARS OF STUDENTS' STORIES in December
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Nov 8, 2022

PlayMakers Laboratory will celebrate its 25th anniversary of arts education in Chicago schools with 25 Years of Students’ Stories, two public performances featuring stories written by Chicago youth on Monday, December 5 at 6:30 pm & 8:30 pm at the Neo-Futurist Theater.

PlayMakers Laboratory Presents STORIES UNDER THE SUN, Part Of Night Out In The Parks
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Jun 16, 2021

PlayMakers Laboratory will present Stories Under the Sun, a series of free, family-friendly performances presented across the city this summer through the Chicago Park District's Night Out in the Parks initiative.

WINDOW PLAYS, a Live Socially-Distant Theatre Project Opens Free to Public
by Stephi Wild - Feb 1, 2021

Window Plays is an honest reflection of living in isolation behind windows, separated from others. Six artists have each written a self-contained 'play' to be performed behind storefront windows all centered around the theme: Presence. This is truly, storefront theatre.

Fall Line-Up Announced for PlayMakers Laboratory's THAT'S WEIRD, GRANDMA: House Par-Tay
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Sep 16, 2020

PlayMakers Laboratory celebrates fall with a special line-up of Halloween, election and Thanksgiving-themed performances of its popular online revue That's Weird, Grandma: House Par-Tay, a creative series of stories written by elementary school students, adapted and performed by PML's professional actors.

Photo Flash: Virtual Staged Reading Of ALL-ONE! THE DR. BRONNER'S PLAY
by Stephi Wild - May 2, 2020

The Passage Theatre concludes their second season with a virtual staged reading of All-One! The Dr. Bronner's Play.

The Passage Theatre Presents Virtual Staged Reading Of ALL-ONE! THE DR. BRONNER'S PLAY
by A.A. Cristi - Apr 20, 2020

It was Day 1 of rehearsal for All-One! The Dr. Bronner's Play. In the basement of Ebinezer Lutheran Church, playwright Beth Hyland and the actors at The Passage Theatre discussed possible opening moments for their show: inviting an audience member to have their hands lathered and rinsed, adding soap to a kiddie pool center stage, and finally, starting a chain of sudsy, mutual hand-washing. Little did the actors know that one week later, as hand sanitizers and antibacterial soaps disappeared from grocery store shelves, theatres across Chicago would close their doors.

The Passage Theatre Announces Cast And Creative Team For ALL ONE! THE DR. BRONNER'S PLAY
by A.A. Cristi - Feb 20, 2020

The Passage Theatre (TPT) is pleased to announce its cast and production team for the world premiere of ALL ONE! THE DR. BRONNER'S PLAY, a commission by Beth Hyland, directed by Sammy Zeisel. ALL ONE! THE DR. BRONNER'S PLAY will play April 17th - May 3rd, 2020 at Ebenezer Lutheran Church, 1650 W Foster Ave. Tickets are currently available at https://www.thepassagetheatre.com/ or in person at Ebenezer Lutheran Church 30 minutes prior to performance. The press opening is Friday, April 17th at 7:30 pm.

Photo Flash: PlayMakers Laboratory Presents THAT'S WEIRD, GRANDMA: HOLIDAY EXTRAVAGANZA
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Dec 19, 2019

Grandma is back with holiday classics and new family favorites as PlayMakers Laboratory (formerly Barrel of Monkeys) presents THAT'S WEIRD GRANDMA: Holiday Extravaganza, directed by Artistic Director Brandon Cloyd, playing December 9 – 21, 2019 at the Neo-Futurist Theater, 5153 N. Ashland Ave. in Chicago. Tickets are currently available at www.playmakerslab.org or by calling (773) 506-7140. The press opening is Friday, December 13 at 8 pm.

Photo Flash: Barrel Of Monkeys Presents THAT'S WEIRD, GRANDMA: Stories That Sing And Dance
by Julie Musbach - Apr 4, 2019

Barrel of Monkeys presents the annual all musical edition of its much-lauded sketch show: THAT'S WEIRD, GRANDMA: Stories That Sing and Dance, directed by Artistic Director Brandon Cloyd, playing Fridays and Saturday at 7:30 pm from May 3 - 25, 2019 at the Neo-Futurist Theater, 5153 N. Ashland Ave. in Chicago.

Barrel Of Monkeys' THAT'S WEIRD, GRANDMA Presents Stories That Sing And Dance
by Julie Musbach - Feb 19, 2019

Barrel of Monkeys presents the annual all musical edition of its much-lauded sketch show: THAT'S WEIRD, GRANDMA: Stories That Sing and Dance, directed by Artistic Director Brandon Cloyd, playing Fridays and Saturday at 7:30 pm from May 3 - 25, 2019 at the Neo-Futurist Theater, 5153 N. Ashland Ave. in Chicago.