Jillian Leff News

Loft Ensemble in North Hollywood has announced its next production, the West Coast premiere of Missed Opportunities by Jillian Leff — which will be presented in Sawyer's Playhouse (the company's second stage).

 Babes With Blades Theatre Company’s (BWBTC) has announced its 2023 season. Now in its 26th year, the Babes With Blades latest season includes an extended run of its new works festival, the Fighting Words Festival, June 17 – 25 at The Edge Off Broadway, 1133 W. Catalpa, and The Duchess of Malfi by John Webster and directed by Artistic Director Hayley Rice from September 8  – October 21 at The Factory Theater, 1623 W. Howard St.

Babes With Blades Theatre Company (BWBTC) returns to live performances with its 2022 season and its presentation of William Shakespeare’s Richard III, in partnership with the University of Illinois Chicago’s Disability Cultural Center and directed by Richard Costes, August 25 – October 15, at The Edge Theater, with select performances being live streamed. Check out photos from the production!

Loft Ensemble  in North Hollywood has announced its 10th anniversary season. The slate of plays, selected by the company member-elected artistic committee, represent a desire to celebrate new voices while re-examining the fundamentals of theatrical storytelling and will feature six world premieres and a West Coast premiere.

Babes With Blades Theatre Company (BWBTC) returns to live performances with its 2022 season and its presentation of William Shakespeare’s Richard III, in partnership with the University of Illinois Chicago’s Disability Cultural Center and directed by Richard Costes, August 25 – October 15, at The Edge Theater, 5451 N. Broadway Ave, with select performances being live streamed.

The Factory Theater,1623 W. Howard St., has announced the LIVE return of its hit production, Last Night in Karaoke Town, March 25-April 30.

Midsommer Flight's perennial holiday production of TWELFTH NIGHT will return in December, in a new immersive “choose-your-own-path” concept to be directed by Kristina McCloskey and associate directed by Stephanie Mattos.

Midsommer Flight's perennial holiday production of TWELFTH NIGHT will return in December, in a new immersive “choose-your-own-path” concept to be directed by Kristina McCloskey and associate directed by Stephanie Mattos.

With the conclusion of the 2019-2020 Chicago non-Equity theater season, the Jeff Awards announced the nominees for the 47th annual awards for theater excellence that include 120 theater artists across 21 categories.

Full cast and crew have been announced for Pride Films and Plays' Chicago premiere of I PROMISED MYSELF TO LIVE FASTER, an intergalactic gay extravaganza featuring closeted extraterrestrials, high-stakes pursuits, and nuns from outer space.

Babes With Blades Theatre Company's (BWBTC) 22nd year continues with the Fighting Words Festival, Saturday, Feb. 29 and Sunday, March 1 at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont. The Festival, which is free and open to the public, features readings of three scripts in the development process. After each reading, the audience has an opportunity to provide feedback for the playwright and Babes With Blades. Complimentary tickets may be reserved at Stage773.com and more information is available at babeswithblades.org.

Random Acts presents SCARY STORIES: ARE YOU AFRAID?, featuring ten world premiere tales by some of the country's most exciting playwrights. Performances take place at Otherworld Theatre (3914 N. Clark).

Random Acts presents SCARY STORIES: ARE YOU AFRAID?, featuring ten world premiere tales by some of the country's most exciting playwrights. Performances take place at Otherworld Theatre (3914 N. Clark).

Babes With Blades Theatre Company's (BWBTC) 22nd anniversary season launches with Women Of 4G, August 1 – September 14, written by Amy Tofte, direction by Lauren Katz, assistant direction by Stephanie Mattos and fight direction by Maureen Yasko. 

Broken Nose Theatre presents BECHDEL FEST 7: MOMENTUM, the company's annual festival of new short plays featuring an ensemble of female-identifying and non-binary actors talking about things other than men.

Stephanie and Mike are a couple who think they have it figured out. He's an accountant moving up in his firm, and she is an aspiring writer who has recently quit her day job to pursue writing full time. Mike wants to help with her novel in any and every way he can. But Stephanie won't let him read a single page of her rough draft- she wants to keep it a surprise.

Broken Nose Theatre is pleased to announce the full line-up for BECHDEL FEST 7: MOMENTUM, the company's annual festival of new short plays featuring an ensemble of female-identifying and non-binary actors talking about things other than men. Presented as part of Steppenwolf's LookOut Series, BECHDEL FEST will play four performances only, August 25 - 28, 2019 at Steppenwolf's 1700 Theatre, 1700 N. Halsted St. in Chicago. Tickets for all BNT productions are available on a "pay-what-you-can" basis, allowing patrons to set their own price and ensuring theatre remains economically accessible for all audiences. Suggested price is $25. Tickets are currently available at www.steppenwolf.org or by calling (312) 335-1650.

Babes With Blades Theatre Company's (BWBTC) 22nd anniversary season launches with Women Of 4G, August 1 - September 14, written by Amy Tofte, direction by Lauren Katz, assistant direction by Stephanie Mattos and fight direction by Maureen Yasko. All performances are at The Factory Theater, 1623 W. Howard St. Preview performances are Thursday, Aug. 1 - Saturday, Aug. 3 at 8 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 4 at 3 p.m. and Thursday, Aug. 8 at 8 p.m. Opening Night is Friday, Aug. 9 at 8 p.m.

(Non)Fiction examines the line between fact and fiction. When does an artist have a right to a story? And ultimately, who does the story belong to- the person who told it or the person who lived it?

The New Colony, under the new artistic leadership of Fin Coe* and Stephanie Shum*, is pleased to continue its 2018-19 season with the world premiere of SMALL WORLD, a twisted comedy in the happiest place on earth, co-written by Jillian Leff and Joe Lino and directed by Andrew Hobgood*, playing March 27 - May 4, 2019 at TNC's resident home, The Den Theatre's Upstairs Main Stage, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago's Wicker Park neighborhood. Tickets are currently available at at www.thenewcolony.org. The press opening is Monday, April 1 at 7:30 pm.