Eric Backus News

First Folio Theatre will present Jane Austen's EMMA by Phil Timberlake, previewing March 23rd, 24th, and 25th, opening March 26th, and running through April 24th, 2022.

Award-winning Porchlight Music Theatre latest mainstage production the “Best Musical” Tony Award-nominated Blues in the Night, conceived by Sheldon Epps, with the music of Bessie Smith, Johnny Mercer, Harold Arlen, Vernon Duke, Gordon Jenkins, Alberta Hunter and others, is now playing through March 13 at The Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn St.

Raven Theatre, Chicago's newest Equity-affiliated theatre, has announced casting for its Chicago premiere of Melissa Ross' The Luckiest, a heartfelt and honest look at the journey of life, directed by Artistic Director Cody Estle.

Griffin Theatre Company will welcome back live audiences this winter with the North American premiere of David Greig's sci-fi thriller Solaris, adapted from the novel by Stanisław Lem and directed by Scott Weinstein*, playing February 19 – March 27, 2022 on Raven Theatre's Schwartz Stage, 6157 N. Clark St. in Chicago.

Rehearsals have begun for the two centerpiece “developmental productions” featured in Goodman Theatre's 17th annual New Stages Festival, a free celebration of new works by some of the country's finest established and emerging playwrights.

Award-winning Porchlight Music Theatre announces the cast for the “Best Musical” Tony Award-nominated Blues in the Night, conceived by Sheldon Epps+, with the music of Bessie Smith, Johnny Mercer, Harold Arlen, Vernon Duke, Gordon Jenkins, Alberta Hunter and others, January 15, 2022 - February 27, 2022 at The Ruth Page Center for the Arts.

Music Theater Works will present 'Billy Elliot: The Musical' at the North Shore Center For The Performing Arts In Skokie (9501 Skokie Blvd, Skokie, IL 60076) from December 23, 2021 through January 2, 2022 as the final production of the 2021 Season.

Award-winning Porchlight Music Theatre returns to live performances and the launch of its 27th Mainstage season with Pump Boys & Dinettes, now playing through December 12 at The Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N.

At the intersection of Packer fandom, Wisconsin pride, and musical theater lies Dad’s Season Tickets.

Milwaukee Repertory Theater will present Dad’s Season Tickets a new musical comedy celebrating family, folly and football in the Stackner Cabaret, October 29, 2021-January 2, 2022.

Sinister and seductive, this brand-new audio experience by Ensemble Member Omer Abbas Salem and directed by Sophiyaa Nayar explores the splendid ache of acceptance and the profound bliss of betrayal. 

One of the longest running shows in Chicago Theatre history, Pump Boys & Dinettes is a music theatre phenomenon filled with toe-tapping music on guitar, piano, bass and a kitchen utensil or two! This North Carolina dinette is your home off the highway and located just across the street from the filling station.

Milwaukee Rep has announced the complete cast and creative teams for the 2021/22 Season openers Dad's Season Tickets in the Stackner Cabaret and Steel Magnolias in the Quadracci Powerhouse. 

The New Coordinates, formerly The New Colony, will launch its 2021-22 season with the world premiere of Love in the Time of Jonestown – A Radio Play, streaming on demand from October 28 – November 21, 2021 at thenewcoordinates.org.

Broken Nose Theatre, one of Chicago's premier Pay-What-You-Can theatre companies, is pleased to launch its tenth season with an audio adaptation of its hit 2018 play Kingdom, written by Resident Playwright Michael Allen Harris and directed by Manny Buckley.

Porchlight Music Theatre has announced Chicago Sings Rock & Roll Broadway, premiering Saturday, March 20 at 7 p.m. CDT.

Today (September 25) in live streaming: Meet the Next On Stage: Dance Edition Top 5, Spelling Bee reunites on Stars in the House, and so much more!

Porchlight Music Theatre has announced its schedule for fall 2020, offering a variety of free and pay-to-view options for virtual experiences.

Victory Gardens Theater continues its 45th season with the World Premiere of Dhaba on Devon Avenue by Madhuri Shekar and staged by Artistic Director Chay Yew.

Classic plays provide us a snapshot of the time period in which they were written. They can show us how far we may or may not have progressed as a society. Henrik Ibsen's 'A Doll's House' is one such classic. Now in production at Raven Theatre, this new take offers up a sharp, refreshing look. Raven Artistic Director Cody Estle remarks in a program note that what is addressed in 'A Doll's House' 'remain issues in our own time.'