Sure, it’s only Wednesday, but think about your plans for this weekend. Holiday party? Ugly Christmas sweater bar crawl? Again? Come on, mix it up a bit. These shows are all closing this weekend: more ›

New York might still be buzzing about Sunday night’s Tony Awards - or at least about Bret Michaels' busted nose - but Chicago had more important business to attend to last night: The non-Equity Jeff Awards. more ›

The biggest cultural stories of 2008 are likely less predictable than this week’s Rose Bowl. Every year we see our share of breakout artists and surprising storefront gems, and 2008 promises to be no different. But 2007 left some unfinished business and we’re eager to see how these stories play out: more ›

When a theatrical production in Chicago receives seven Jeff Awards, there's definitely something buzz-worthy about it. Picking up the awards for Outstanding New Work, Production, Director, Ensemble, Original Music, Projection Design and Choreography, The House Theatre's production of The Sparrow was the must-see show earlier this year. Everyone around town was trying to get tickets. When the show extended its run another six-weeks, seats sold out in a matter of days, setting box office records... more ›

Super Bowl Sunday will be a bittersweet day for Chicago actors who happen to be Chicago Bears fans … or Bears fans that happen to be in a show. They’ve been waiting over two decades for the Bears to return to The Big Game but likely have been honing their craft even longer. That conflict was too much for the Neo-Futurists, who have cancelled Sunday night’s performance of perennial favorite Too Much Light Makes the... more ›

Note: Part 1 of this series is here. more ›

Chicagoist never gets the last word. Shows run long after we’ve weighed in, discussions evolve beyond our ramblings, companies grow, companies fold, artists work hard to make a living or to make the next news cycle. For our curious and attention-deficient readers, some quick updates on previously reported stories. Art Fairs and Festivals At the eleventh hour, the Merch Mart saved Art Chicago 2006. Soon after the exhibitors packed up came word that Merchandise Mart... more ›

Joe Meno, author & playwright more ›

The House Theatre has become the “it girl” of the local theater community by following a very familiar playbook, a story that never seems to get old: core members meet in their college drama program, produce their first Chicago play in some out-of-the-way black box, repeatedly outdo themselves to become a cult favorite and, as word spreads, are deemed the Company Everyone’s Talking About. That moment for the House came in 2004 when they produced... more ›

One major drawback to having an endless array of cultural offerings at our front yard is that any attempt to condense our experiences into a year-end summary or “Best Of” list necessarily falls short. Not a huge loss since Top 10 lists are so passe. [Note to our editors: this doesn’t apply to you, we’re sure any lists you publish will be awesome!] Instead we turn our attention to an overriding theme of ’05: the... more ›

Chicagoist believes the only thing better than finding fun shows and exhibits for our readers is watching them develop. The arts and theater communities continue working long after their 15 minutes on the web expire, we just try to keep up. Consider this report a “Where Are They Now?” sans washed-up celebrities. The Snubfest ’06 lineup has been announced, and it looks good. Not Aspen Comedy Festival good, but that’s kind of the point. The... more ›

Tommy Rapley, The House Theatre of Chicago more ›

Being a fan of the House Theatre of Chicago and campy movies on the USA Network, last Thursday Chicagoist journeyed to the House's reading of "Tremors: Edited for Television" at the Neo-Futurarium. The House's take on this film included Shawn Pfautsch and Lucas Merino reading the roles of the protagonists Val and Earl (originally played by Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward), Stephen Taylor and Marika Mashburn reading the lines of the gun happy couple Burt... more ›

This week we endured the nasty heat wave, the sniping local politicos, and the weiner wars. This weekend, Chicagoist just wants to have fun. Lucky for us, three shows promise to deliver with a capital F: Sandbox Theatre Project’s Where We Live puts the courtship ritual and all its awkwardness under the microscope, as Jenn and Brandon come home to his apartment over and over again until they get things right. The results are engaging,... more ›

Note: This is Part 1 of a series. You didn't think we'd cover every company in one post, did you? On the first day of summer the last thing on your mind is how you’ll spend next winter. But more than a few theater companies hope that in between getting cultured outdoors and gulping down overpriced beverages at festivals, you’ll reserve a subscription for 2005-2006. It's impossible in June to know who will curry favor... more ›