Chicago Shakespeare Theater News

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.

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) directs. The show recently celebrated its opening, and BroadwayWorld has photos from the festivites below!

Marina Carr's play Woman and Scarecrow is a perfect embodiment of the bittersweet humor and comical tragedy that pervades the plays of the Irish, much like PICT's production Waiting for Godot that closed June 21. Alan Stanford will direct this third play in PICT's season, which he selected "because of its delicate investigation of the one event in our lives that we all share. The leaving of it."

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. Scroll down for a first look at the cast in action!

Chicago Shakespeare Theater's (CST) Producers' Guild announced today CST's inaugural Family Gala, Seussapalooza on July 12, 2014, 11:00 a.m. at the Theater's home on Navy Pier.

Northlight Theatre, under the direction of Artistic Director BJ Jones and Executive Director Timothy J. Evans, announces casting for the first three productions of the 40th Anniversary Season.

The latest in unauthorized gossip and buzz from the heart of Chicago's showtune video bars, and musical theater news from Chicago to Broadway. 'Brigadoon' and 'The Last Ship' bust their moves, 'Kinky Boots' and 'Jersey Boys' announce returns, midsummer closings loom, 'Marvelettes,' 'Spelling Bee' and 'Seussical' open, the new shows 'Jim And Dave' and 'Apes Of Wrath,' plus a noteworthy trio at Davenport's and more!

Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) celebrated the enduring vitality of Shakespeare on Monday, June 16 with GALA 2014 at its home on Navy Pier, raising nearly $1.2 million for Chicago Shakespeare in Urban Communities. Three hundred and fifty of Chicago's civic, corporate and cultural leaders attended the event benefitting CST's civic engagement and education initiatives, including the citywide summer tradition Chicago Shakespeare in the Parks and Team Shakespeare education programs. The evening culminated in the presentation of the fourth annual Spirit of Shakespeare Awards to this year's Civic Honoree, The Boeing Company and Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Greg Smith and his wife Denise, and Artistic Honoree, Chicago theater legend Mike Nussbaum.

In a recent interview with the San Diego Union-Tribune, Tony-winning director Darko Tresnjak revealed that he is already hard at work with his A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder collaborators on a new musical. Tresnjak has reunited with Robert Freedman and Steven Lutvak for The Campaign of the Century- a musical based on Greg Mitchell's book about Upton Sinclair.

Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) celebrated the enduring vitality of Shakespeare on Monday, June 16 with GALA 2014 at its home on Navy Pier, raising nearly $1.2 million for Chicago Shakespeare in Urban Communities. Three hundred and fifty of Chicago's civic, corporate and cultural leaders attended the event benefitting CST's civic engagement and education initiatives, including the citywide summer tradition Chicago Shakespeare in the Parks and Team Shakespeareeducation programs.

Drury Lane Theatre, 100 Drury Lane, will continue its 30th anniversary season with the Tony Award-winning musical comedy THE 25th ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE, previewing June 19, opening Thursday, June 26 at 8 p.m., and 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.

Due to early ticket demand, Victory Gardens Theater adds an additional week of performances to the run of Death and the Maiden by Ariel Dorfman, directed by Artistic Director Chay Yew. Death and the Maiden now runs June 13 - July 20, 2014, with the press performance on June 20, 2014, at Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Avenue.