Editor’s note: Originally compiled by Tom Williams. The original article ranked companies; this version is an alphabetical guide, not a ranking. Each entry links to a ChicagoCritic review from our archive, with the critic’s verdict and the date of the review. Venues, seasons and labor agreements change, so check them with each company.
ChicagoCritic’s archive includes reviews of every company below, from Loop institutions to small ensemble rooms and suburban musical houses. This guide covers established Chicago and Chicago-area companies that regularly work with Actors’ Equity Association artists.
Equity status is not a measure of artistic quality. Chicago’s storefront and Non-Equity companies have produced exceptional theatre for decades; see our companion guide to those companies linked below.
What Is an Equity Theatre?
Actors’ Equity Association is the labor union for professional actors and stage managers in American live theatre. A company may hire Equity artists under different agreements depending on the production, so “Equity theatre” describes a working arrangement, not a permanent label.
Chicago Theatre Companies
A Red Orchid Theatre
Location: Old Town, Chicago
Known for: Intimate ensemble productions and contemporary drama.
Official website
A Red Orchid works in a small room where the audience sits close to the actors. Reviewing 3C (2017, Somewhat Recommended), Tom Williams wrote that the company “is known for producing provocative plays done extremely well,” but found David Adjmi’s Three’s Company parody “superficial, redundant, and unfunny for the most part.”
American Blues Theater
Location: Chicago
Known for: American plays, new work and ensemble performance.
Official website
American Blues has produced at Stage 773, where Tom Williams reviewed its Chicago premiere of Dael Orlandersmith’s Beauty’s Daughter (2017, Highly Recommended). He called Wandachristine’s solo performance “one of the strongest tour de force performances I have ever witnessed.”
Black Ensemble Theater
Location: 4450 N. Clark St., Uptown, Chicago
Known for: Original biographical musicals about Black artists and history.
Official website
Founded by Jackie Taylor, Black Ensemble builds most of its seasons around original music-driven biographical shows. Tom Williams called Black Pearl: A Tribute to Josephine Baker (2017, Highly Recommended) a “wonderful biomusical” and singled out its “expert dance showstoppers.”
Chicago Children’s Theatre
Location: West Loop, Chicago
Known for: Professional theatre for young audiences and new adaptations.
Official website
Chicago Children’s Theatre produces professional work for children and families, often adapted from books. Tom Williams reviewed its Chicago premiere of The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane (2015, Highly Recommended), adapted from Kate DiCamillo’s book, and called it “a ‘must see’ for children, teens, and adults.”
Chicago Shakespeare Theater
Location: Navy Pier, Chicago
Known for: Shakespeare, classics, adaptations, musicals and visiting international work.
Official website
Chicago Shakespeare’s seasons go well beyond Shakespeare. Tom Williams reviewed Mike Bartlett’s future-history play King Charles III there (2016, Recommended), calling it “a worthy play” while noting it “appeals more to the English than to American audience sensibilities.”
Court Theatre
Location: Hyde Park, Chicago
Known for: Classics, adaptations and literary drama.
Official website
Court performs on the University of Chicago campus and concentrates on classics and literary work. Tom Williams called its Harvey (2017, Highly Recommended) “a sweet, hilarious and heartwarming production” of Mary Chase’s Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy.
Goodman Theatre
Location: The Loop, Chicago
Known for: Major new plays, classics and large-scale productions.
Official website
Our Goodman reviews show its range. Jacob Davis wrote that the five-and-a-half-hour 2666 (2016, Highly Recommended) saw the Goodman push “itself farther than ever” and triumph. Tom Williams called Robert Falls’s The Iceman Cometh (2012, Highly Recommended), with Nathan Lane and Brian Dennehy, “a major triumph for the Goodman Theatre.” The long-running A Christmas Carol also earned a Highly Recommended from Davis in 2014. Read our Goodman Theatre guide for more on its two stages and review history.
Lookingglass Theatre Company
Location: Water Tower Water Works, Chicago
Known for: Physical theatre, adaptations and ensemble-created work.
Official website
Lookingglass is built on visual, movement-driven storytelling. Tom Williams called David Catlin’s Moby Dick (2017, Highly Recommended) “this manic piece of physical storytelling” that “makes the novel come to life.”
Mercury Theater Chicago
Location: 3745 N. Southport Ave., Lakeview, Chicago
Known for: Musicals in an intimate neighborhood venue.
Official website
Mercury programs mainly musicals in its Southport Corridor theater. Reviewing the rewritten The Addams Family (2015, Recommended), Jacob Davis called the score “cheesy” but wrote that “the performers’ cheeriness is infectious.”
Porchlight Music Theatre
Location: Chicago
Known for: Musical theatre, revivals and rediscoveries.
Official website
Porchlight produces only musicals, from major titles to rarely staged material. Tom Williams called its Sondheim revue Marry Me a Little (2017, Highly Recommended) “wonderfully sung” and “one of the best shows of 2017.”
Remy Bumppo Theatre Company
Location: Performs at venues including Theater Wit, Chicago
Known for: Language-rich contemporary and classic plays.
Official website
Remy Bumppo centers its work on text and ideas. In Pygmalion (2016, Highly Recommended), Tom Williams gave the company “kudos” for using Shaw’s original ending and ranked it among the best plays on a Chicago stage that year.
Shattered Globe Theatre
Location: Chicago
Known for: Ensemble acting in contemporary plays and revivals.
Official website
Shattered Globe is an actor-centered ensemble. Tom Williams called its production of Sarah Ruhl’s For Peter Pan on her 70th birthday (2017, Somewhat Recommended) “a near miss” that “needs a clearer ending,” while praising the ensemble’s acting as “first-rate.”
Steppenwolf Theatre Company
Location: Lincoln Park, Chicago
Known for: Ensemble acting, new work and major American drama.
Official website
Steppenwolf’s reputation was built on ensemble acting, and our reviews keep returning to it. Tom Williams called Amy Morton’s American Buffalo (2009, Recommended) “a graduate course in acting and elocution.” Jacob Davis headlined his review of Lisa D’Amour’s Airline Highway (2014, Highly Recommended) “Ensemble Work Brings out Steppenwolf’s Best,” and rated Tracy Letts’s Mary Page Marlowe (2016) Recommended. Our Steppenwolf Theatre guide covers its history and three performance spaces.
Teatro Vista
Location: Chicago
Known for: Latine stories and new work.
Official website
Teatro Vista produces work by and about Latine artists, often at partner venues. Tom Williams reviewed Mando Alvarado’s Parachute Men (2016, Recommended), staged at Victory Gardens, and wrote that its “heartfelt performances” gave “enough reasons to see this provocative play.”
TimeLine Theatre Company
Location: 5035 N. Broadway, Uptown, Chicago
Known for: Plays that connect historical events with current issues.
Official website
TimeLine opened its permanent Uptown home in 2026. Before the move, at its Wellington Avenue space, Tom Williams called Peter Morgan’s The Audience (2017, Highly Recommended) “a gem,” anchored by Janet Ulrich Brooks’s “tour de force performance as Queen Elizabeth II.”
The Artistic Home
Location: Chicago
Known for: Actor-centered ensemble work in intimate spaces.
Official website
The Artistic Home focuses on ensemble acting, and contract arrangements can vary by production. Tom Williams reviewed David Ives’s Molière adaptation The School for Lies (2017, Recommended), describing a committed cast and concluding, “This show can be fun!”
Chicago-Area Theatre Companies Outside the City
These professional companies are closely tied to the Chicago theatre community but sit outside city limits, so plan for travel time.
Drury Lane Theatre
Location: Oakbrook Terrace
Known for: Musicals and commercial productions on a large stage.
Official website
Drury Lane’s seasons lean heavily on musicals, but it also stages plays. Beverly Friend headlined her review of D.L. Coburn’s two-hander The Gin Game (2017, Highly Recommended), with Paula Scrofano and John Reeger, “If Life is a Card Game, Drury Lane Draws a Great Hand.”
Marriott Theatre
Location: Lincolnshire
Known for: Musicals performed in the round.
Official website
Marriott stages its musicals in the round, with the audience on all sides. Tom Williams called its Chicago premiere of The Bridges of Madison County (2017, Highly Recommended), with Kathy Voytko and Nathaniel Stampley, “an artistic masterpiece.”
Northlight Theatre
Location: Skokie
Known for: New plays, contemporary drama and comedy.
Official website
Northlight has a long record of new plays. Tom Williams reviewed the world premiere of Mark St. Germain’s Relativity (2017, Recommended), in which Mike Nussbaum, then 94, played Albert Einstein; Williams wrote that “seeing Mike Nussbaum should be required for anyone who desires to act on stage.”
Paramount Theatre
Location: Aurora
Known for: Broadway Series musicals.
Official website
Paramount’s Broadway Series produces large-scale musicals in downtown Aurora. Sally Jo Osborne’s review of Jesus Christ Superstar (2017, Highly Recommended) said the show “soars to new heights.”
Writers Theatre
Location: Glencoe
Known for: New plays, classics and literary, actor-centered productions.
Official website
Writers Theatre performs in a modern Glencoe building. Reviewing the world-premiere musical Trevor (2017, Highly Recommended), Beverly Friend praised the venue’s architecture and called the show outstanding.
How Companies Were Included
This guide covers established Chicago and Chicago-area professional companies with ongoing seasons and regular work under Actors’ Equity agreements. Inclusion does not mean every production at a company uses the same contract.
Choosing a Chicago Theatre
For large musicals, start with Paramount, Marriott, Drury Lane, Mercury or Porchlight. For major resident-theatre productions and new work, look at Goodman and Steppenwolf. For classics and literary work, try Court, Chicago Shakespeare and Writers Theatre. For intimate ensemble work, see A Red Orchid, Remy Bumppo, Shattered Globe and The Artistic Home. For physical, visual storytelling, Lookingglass.
If you’re planning a visit, see our Chicago Theatre District Guide, Chicago Theaters venue guide, Jeff Awards guide, Chicago Non-Equity Theatre Companies guide and What to Wear to the Theatre in Chicago.
Chicago Equity Theatre FAQ
Are all Chicago theatres Equity?
No. Chicago has both Equity and Non-Equity professional theatre, along with an important storefront tradition.
What are Chicago storefront theatres?
Storefront theatre generally refers to smaller companies producing intimate work in modest performance spaces. Many of Chicago’s best-known artists and companies started there.
Are all of these theatres in downtown Chicago?
No. Several are in neighborhoods outside downtown, and Drury Lane, Marriott, Northlight, Paramount and Writers Theatre are in the suburbs. For downtown venues, use our Chicago Theatre District Guide.