Tom Williams Chicago has been a playwright’s city for a century, and many of the best plays written here are also about the city itself: its newsrooms and courtrooms, South Side apartments and North Side storefronts, cabs, bleachers and junk shops. This guide collects the essential plays set in Chicago. For each one we explain why the … Read more
Only a handful of musicals actually take place in Chicago, and they make an unusually varied group: a vaudeville about murderesses, a greaser musical that started in a Lincoln Avenue trolley barn, a Rodgers and Hart show about a nightclub heel, a holiday story about Christmas trees crossing Lake Michigan, and newer shows about the … Read more
Chicago is the rare Broadway musical that carries our city’s name and earned it. Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly grew out of sensational Chicago murder cases that began in 1924 and captivated the city’s newspapers and courts, cases covered by a young Chicago Tribune reporter who turned what she saw into a stage satire. When … Read more
If you’re looking for the best plays in Chicago right now, along with musicals, Broadway tours, opera and comedy, this is the place to start. For each show you get where it’s playing, the dates, a short description and a link to the official ticket page. Shows are grouped by type, and the Loop, neighborhood … Read more
The 62nd Chicago International Film Festival runs October 14–25, 2026. Find dates, venues, tickets, film highlights and practical tips for attending.
Chicago is home to world-class museums, and you don’t always have to pay full admission to visit them. Throughout the year, museums across the city offer free days and evenings for Illinois residents, while several Chicago museums are free for everyone year-round. This guide covers free museum days in Chicago for 2026, including the Art … Read more
Chicago’s annual World Music Festival runs from Friday, Sept. 25, through Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. During the festival, the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) is offering free concerts at venues from downtown to Humboldt Park, Lincoln Square, Beverly, and elsewhere — an invitation to hear the city through other … Read more
October is when Chicago theater stops warming up. Resident companies are in full stride, the Loop has a short list of musicals that will sell, and Lyric opens a new season. Here are the shows worth your money this month — starting with the five that define it. The five that define the month Steppenwolf … Read more
Chicago’s holiday season is full of classic Christmas tales, family musicals, ballet and other festive stage productions at theaters around the city and suburbs. This guide reviews notable holiday programs announced for 2026, ranging from long-running Chicago traditions to limited-engagement touring productions. Updated for the 2026 holiday season. Dates and productions can change, so check … Read more
The 58th Anniversary Jeff Awards for Equity theaters were announced Monday, September 14, 2026 at the Harris Theater. The program was directed by Ray Frewen and music directed by Michael Mahler and co-hosted by Michelle Duffy and James Earl Jones II. 72 productions became Jeff of the 85 opening nites judged from July 1, 2025 … Read more