Justin Brill News

In a Sunshine State, the newest production in SDSU’s New Musical Initiative will have its world premiere at the Main Stage Theatre at San Diego State University. 

The Beautiful City Project announces the cast of its August fundraising cabaret BALL NIGHT, with proceeds to benefit Special Olympics Illinois, an organization that provides year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community.

Out of 163 submissions, the San Diego State University New Musical Initiative has chosen In a Sunshine State as this year's selection. Writers T.C. Lind, Derek Gregor, and Phoebe Kreutz will join with director Stephen Brotebeck, music director Robert Meffe and the SDSU MFA Musical Theatre cohort for a two-year development process and world premiere in the spring of 2024.

Porchlight Music Theatre’s annual fundraising concert Chicago Sings celebrated the American theatre titan Stephen Sondheim at Chicago Sings Stephen Sondheim, held Monday, May 23 at the Museum of Contemporary Art. Check out photos from the event here!

THE BEAUTIFUL CITY PROJECT is back in-person with DISNEY DEEP DIVE, in its first College Edition of the Cabaret series! One night only, DISNEY DEEP DIVE will awaken you to some of the best, and more obscure, songs from the Disney catalogue.

Porchlight Music Theatre has announced the current roster of music theatre and cabaret talent performing in this year’s annual Chicago Sings fundraising concert, Chicago Sings Stephen Sondheim, Monday, May 23, at the Museum of Contemporary Art.

As literary events converge with National Poetry Month in April and World Book Day and William Shakespeare's Birthday on April 23, Chicago Shakespeare Theater is celebrating with productions and programs onstage, online, and in classrooms across the country.

Porchlight Music Theatre is proud to announce that next Movie Musical Monday discussion about the movie “Funny Girl” will be hosted by Porchlight Music Theatre Board Member and retired Chicago Public Library Foundation CEO Rhona Frazin with special guest multiple Emmy Award-winner Bruce Vilanch, Monday, June 7 at 7 p.m. CDT. 

Music Theater Works will present 'Legends Of The 50s And 60s: Greatest Hits' at North Shore Center For The Performing Arts (9501 Skokie Blvd, Skokie, IL 60076) from June 18, 2021 through June 27, 2021 as the first production of the 2021 season.

Music Theater Works has announced the updates to its current production season. The 2021 season is to be performed at its new home at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie, 9501 Skokie Blvd.

Music Theater Works presents MAMMA MIA! at Cahn Auditorium in Evanston, June 6, through June 14, 2020.

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.

16th Street Theater will present the limited run of Steven Strafford's METHTACULAR! directed by Adam Fitzgerald performing March 19 - April 4, 2020 at North Berwyn Park District's 16th Street Theater, 6420 16th Street in Berwyn. Press opening is Thursday, March 19 at 7:30 PM.

Irving Berlin's White Christmas opened Sunday night November 17 to a packed house at Theatre at the Center in Munster.  The cast gave a thrilling performance for an audience that was teeming with the holiday spirit.  Theatre at the Center Artistic Director Linda Fortunato directed and choreographed the show. 

Porchlight Music Theatre is proud to announce that its final production in the 2018 - 2019 "lost" musicals in staged concert series Porchlight Revisits Minnie's Boys will now include a special event with Minnie's Boys composer Larry Grossman, "A Conversation with Larry Grossman," Thursday, May 23 at 4:45 p.m. and feature a new song added to this Chicago premiere.

Porchlight Music Theatre is proud to announce that its final production in the 2018 - 2019 'lost' musicals in staged concert series Porchlight Revisits MINNIE'S BOYS will now include a special event with MINNIE'S BOYS composer Larry Grossman, 'A Conversation with Larry Grossman,' Thursday, May 23 at 4:45 p.m. and feature a new song added to this Chicago premiere. Porchlight Revisits Minnie's Boys, book by Groucho Marx's son Arthur Marx and Robert Fisher, music by Grossman and lyrics by Hal Hackady with direction and choreography by Christopher Pazdernik and musical direction by Christie Chiles Twille, is presented for three performances Wednesday, May 22 at 7:30 p.m. and Thursday, March 23 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at The Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn Street. Each Porchlight Revisits production begins with the 'Behind the Show Backstory' multimedia presentation, created and hosted by Artistic Director Michael Weber, discussing that evening's production including the show's creative history, juicy backstage gossip and much more. Single tickets are $37 for the performance and 'A Conversation with Larry Grossman' is free to the public. Both are available at porchlightmusictheatre.org or by calling the Porchlight Music Theatre box office at 773.777.9884.

As Porchlight Music Theatre is set to launch its 25th Anniversary Season as Chicago's center for music theatre, it celebrated 24 years and announced its 25th Anniversary co-chairs at the 2019 ICONS Gala Sunday, March 31 at the Ritz-Carlton Chicago, 160 E. Pearson. The 2019 ICONS GALA set a new attendance record with 300 guests in attendance and raised more funds that directly benefit Porchlight's artistic and educational programs than previous events. The elegant Gala Brunch, chaired by Tamara Sims, included performances from Chicago's leading talents celebrating the legendary career of Jerome Robbins, the presentation of The Luminary Award to Jean Klingenstein, introduced the 25th Anniversary chairs: RIck and Deann Bayless and Bill Kurtis and Donna La Pietra and silent and live auctions.

Porchlight Music Theatre's final production in its 2018 - 2019 'lost' musicals in staged concert series is Porchlight Revisits Minnie's Boys,  with book by Groucho Marx's son Arthur Marx and Robert Fisher, music by Larry Grossman and lyrics by Hal Hackady with direction and choreography by Christopher Pazdernik and musical direction by Christie Chiles Twille.  Porchlight Revisits Minnie's Boys is presented for three performances Wednesday, May 22 at 7:30 p.m. and Thursday, March 23 at 2 p.m. and  7:30 p.m. at The Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn Street.

Jeff Award-nominee and HIV+ director/producer Christopher Pazdernik is pleased to announce the 4th annual Chris's Birthday Belt Fest, a benefit concert for Howard Brown Health, Monday, May 14 at 8 p.m. at Uptown Underground, 4707 N. Broadway. Tickets are $30, in advance; $40, at the door on the night of the performance, and are available at uptownunderground.net or by calling 773.867.1946. Uptown Underground is a 21 years old and older venue and advance reservations are strongly recommended.

Drury Lane Theatre continues its 2017-2018 season with 42nd Street, with music by Harry Warren, lyrics by Al Dubin, book by Michael Stewart and Mark Bramble, and original Broadway direction and dances by Gower Champion. 42nd Street is based on the novel by Bradford Ropes and was originally produced on Broadway by David Merrick. This production is directed by Michael Heitzman with choreography by Jared Grimes. 42nd Street runs now through January 7, 2018 at Drury Lane Theatre, 100 Drury Lane in Oakbrook Terrace. The show officially opened on November 5, and BroadwayWorld has photos from the festivities below!