Erica Evans News

Ahava Theatre Company will present Hello Gorgeous: Funny Folx in Concert, a virtual fundraiser for International Sanctuary. International Sanctuary is a nonprofit organization that empowers girls and women escaping human trafficking in growing community centers across the globe.

The Jeff Awards has announced the nominees for the 52nd annual awards for theater excellence that include 142 theater artists across 30 artistic and technical categories. The awards will be presented in an online program on Monday, November 9, 2020 at 7:00PM.

Porchlight Music Theatre held PorchlightPalooza, a three-day virtual festival Friday, Aug. 21 - Sunday, Aug. 23,  in lieu of its cancelled March 23 ICONS GALA.

Porchlight Music Theatre has announced a new three-day celebration and fundraiser in honor of its 25th Anniversary, PorchlightPalooza, Friday, Aug. 21 - Sunday, Aug. 23, which will include performances from Chicago's best talents, an exclusive interview hosted by legendary newsman Bill Kurtis with the 2020 ICON Award recipient Joel Grey and more.

With nearly all of Chicago's theatre productions shuttered, one of the first fundraisers primarily aimed at a streaming audience is being put together by The Beautiful City Project, a Chicago-based musical theatre company that exists solely as a fundraising arm for local charities and non-profits.

Lyric has announced full casting for its production of 42nd Street, to be presented May 29 - June 21, 2020, at the Lyric Opera House, 20 N. Wacker Drive, Chicago. Previously announced Broadway stars Norm Lewis (Julian Marsh) and Faith Prince (Dorothy Brock) are joined by Isabelle McCalla (Peggy Sawyer), who recently starred in Broadway's The Prom and Aladdin, and Ashley Day (Billy Lawlor), who reprises his role from the West End revival of 42nd Street.

Award-winning Porchlight Music Theatre has announced that artists from the worlds of music theatre and dance will be performing at the ICONS Gala celebrating 25 years of Porchlight as the center for music theatre in Chicago, Monday, March 23, at the Ritz-Carlton, 160 E. Pearson St. Performances, directed by Porchlight Music Theatre's Artistic Director Michael Weber, will commemorate the impressive body of work from its 2020 ICON award recipient and Broadway legend Joel Grey who will be in attendance to receive the award.

Drury Lane Theatre presents the beautifully captivating Gershwin musical An American in Paris. See photos from opening night!

Drury Lane Theatre presents the Regional Premiere of the beautifully captivating Gershwin musical An American in Paris.

a?oeHow can you feel liberated when your city's been crushed?a?? In the post-WWII setting of AN AMERICAN IN PARIS, this is the dilemma faced by the people who call the City of Light home--through birth, choice, or the displacement of war. For the young protagonists, healing comes through art, friendship, and love.

Drury Lane Theatre has announced casting for the final show in its 2019/2020 season, the Regional Premiere of the beautifully captivating Gershwin musical An American in Paris. Leading the cast are Josh Drake as American GI Jerry Mulligan and Leigh-Ann Esty as Lise Dassin. Drake can currently be seen on Broadway in Disney's Aladdin, and Esty returns to An American in Paris after playing the role of Lise on the show's national tour. This Tony Award-winning musical features music and lyrics by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin with book by Craig Lucas and is directed and choreographed by Lynne Kurdziel-Formato. An American in Paris runs January 31 a?" March 29, 2020, at Drury Lane Theatre, 100 Drury Lane in Oakbrook Terrace. The press opening is scheduled for Thursday, February 6, 2020, at 8:00 p.m.

Walter Stearns, Executive Director of Mercury Theater Chicago, announced today the cast and creative team of the upcoming MONTY PYTHON'S SPAMALOT, running on the main stage from August 30 through November 3.

Under the direction of Brenda Didier and with show-stopping choreography from Christopher Chase Carter, Porchlight's A CHORUS LINE captures the emotional heart at the center of this classic musical and has plenty of pizzazz. Whether you're a long-time fan of A CHORUS LINE or experiencing this musical for the first time, Porchlight's production-like all of the hopeful performers in it-deserves to be seen.

Porchlight Music Theatre is proud to extend the Tony and Pulitzer Prize- winning A Chorus Line through Friday, May 31 at The Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn Street. Featuring music by Marvin Hamlisch, lyrics by Edward Kleban, book by James Kirkwood, Jr. and Nicholas Dante and is directed by Porchlight Music Theatre Artistic Associate Brenda Didier, Choreographed by Christopher Chase Carter and Music Directed by Porchlight Music Theatre Artistic Associate Linda Madonia.

Porchlight Music Theatre is proud to extend the Tony and Pulitzer Prize- winning A Chorus Line through Friday, May 31 at The Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn Street. Featuring music by Marvin Hamlisch, lyrics by Edward Kleban, book by James Kirkwood, Jr. and Nicholas Dante and is directed by Porchlight Music Theatre Artistic Associate Brenda Didier, Choreographed by Christopher Chase Carter and Music Directed by Porchlight Music Theatre Artistic Associate Linda Madonia. The regular run performance schedule is Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. with added performance Wednesday, May 1 at 7:30 p.m.; added weekday matinees Thursday, May 9 and May 16 at 1:30 p.m. and Sunday, May 26 at 6 p.m., Tuesday, May 28 and Wednesday, May 29 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $39 - $66 and are available at PorchlightMusicTheatre.org or by calling the Porchlight Music Theatre box office, 773.777.9884.

Porchlight Music Theatre, is proud to announce the conclusion of its Mainstage 2018 - 2019 season with the Tony and Pulitzer Prize- winning A Chorus Line, April 10 - May 26 at The Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn Street. Featuring music by Marvin Hamlisch, lyrics by Edward Kleban, book by James Kirkwood, Jr. and Nicholas Dante and is directed by Porchlight Music Theatre Artistic Associate Brenda Didier, Choreographed by Chris Carter and Music Directed by Porchlight Music Theatre Artistic Associate Linda Madonia.

Porchlight Music Theatre, currently running the critically-acclaimed A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder through March 16 is proud to announce the conclusion of its Mainstage 2018 - 2019 season with the Tony and Pulitzer Prize- winning A Chorus Line, April 10 - May 26 at The Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn Street.

Music Theater Works (formerly Light Opera Works) presents Cole Porter's classic 1930s musical comedy, ANYTHING GOES, at Cahn Auditorium in Evanston, August 18 through 26. A Big Band orchestra accompanies such well-known songs as 'I Get a Kick Out of You,' 'It's De-Lovely,' 'Friendship' and 'You're the Top.'

In a charming take on Cole Porter's 1930s musical, Music Theater Works' ANYTHING GOES delivers lively big-band music, crowd-pleasing dance numbers, and a hearty dose of nostalgia. Directed by Rudy Hogenmiller and choreographed by Clayton Cross, a strong ensemble cast brings to life an eclectic assortment of characters-nightclub singers, undercover gangsters, hapless young lovers, a drunken businessman, a bumbling aristocrat, and more. Brought together in the confines of a transatlantic ocean liner, mischief and misunderstandings abound in true P.G. Wodehouse* fashion, until a series of farcical ruses brings about the inevitable happy ending, complete with a wedding (or three).

Music Theater Works (formerly Light Opera Works) presents Cole Porter's classic 1930s musical comedy, ANYTHING GOES, at Cahn Auditorium in Evanston, August 18 through 26. A Big Band orchestra accompanies such well-known songs as 'I Get a Kick Out of You,' 'It's De-Lovely,' 'Friendship' and 'You're the Top.'