List of theaters in Chicago explained

This is a list of notable theatre companies, performance venues, and rental performance spaces in the Chicago area.

Chicago area theatre venues and organizations

Resident companies and venues

• About Face
• Accidental Shakespeare^[1]
• Aguijón Theater^[2]
• American Blues Theater^[3]
• Annoyance Theatre^[4]
• Baliwick Theatre Company
• Black Ensemble Theater Company^[5]
• Boxer Rebellion Theatre Company
• Center on Halsted^[6]
• Chicago Dramatists^[7]
• Chicago Shakespeare Theater^[8]
• Chopin Theatre^[9]
• Citadel Theatre (Lake Forest)^[10]
• Copernicus Center (formerly Gateway Theatre)^[11]
• Court Theatre^[12]
• Factory Theater^[13]
• First Folio Theatre (Oak Brook)^[14]
• Goodman Theatre^[15]
• iO Theater^[16]
• Kane Repertory Theatre (St. Charles)^[17]
• Lifeline Theatre^[18]
• Lookingglass Theatre Company^[19]
• Lyric Opera of Chicago^[20]
• Marriott Theatre (Lincolnshire)^[21]
• MCA Stage^[22]
• Merle Reskin Theatre (DePaul) (formerly Blackstone Theater)^[23]
• Music Theater Works (formerly Light Opera Works) (Evanston)^[24]
• Neo-Futurists^[25]
• Oak Park Festival Theatre (Oak Park)^[26]
• Oracle Theatre Company
• Opera in Focus (Rolling Meadows)^[27]
• Organic Theater Company^[28]
• Paramount Theatre (Aurora)^[29]
• The Playground^[30]
• Porchlight Music Theatre^[31]
• A Red Orchid Theatre^[32]
• Red Tape Theatre^[33]
• Red Theater Chicago^[34]
• Remy Bumppo Theatre Company^[35]
• The Second City^[36]
• Shattered Globe Theatre Company
• Silk Road Rising^[37]
• Steep Theatre Company^[38]
• Steppenwolf Theatre Company^[39]
• Strawdog Theatre Company^[40]
• Theatre-Hikes
• Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre^[41]
• TimeLine Theatre Company^[42]
• Trap Door Theatre^[43]
• Victory Gardens Theater^[44]

Itinerant companies

• Babes With Blades^[45]
• Child's Play Touring Theatre^[46]
• Collaboraction^[47]
• ETA Creative Arts Foundation^[48]
• Ghostlight Ensemble Theatre Co^[49]
• LiveWire Chicago Theatre^[50]
• Off-Off Campus (UChicago)^[51]
• Red Theater Chicago^[52]
• Theater Oobleck (formerly Streetlight Theater)^[53]
• TUTA Theatre^[54]

Touring and rental venues

• Apollo Theater Chicago^[55]
• Arie Crown Theatre^[56]
• Auditorium Theatre^[57]
• Briar Street Theater^[58]
• Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place (formerly Drury Lane Water Tower Place)^[59]
• Cadillac Palace Theatre^[60]
• Chicago Theatre^[61]
• CIBC Theatre (formerly The Shubert Theatre)^[62]
• Congress Theater^[63]
• Greenhouse Theater Center^[64]
• Harris Theater (Chicago)^[65]
• James M. Nederlander Theatre (formerly Oriental Theatre)^[66]
• Lyric Opera of Chicago^[67]
• Rosemont Theater^[68]

Inactive, historic companies and venues

Companies

• American Theater Company^[69]
• Body Politic Theater^[70]
• BoHo Theatre^[71]
• Caffeine Theatre^[72]
• Chicago Center for the Performing Arts^[73]
• Compass Players
• Defiant Theatre
• The Ethiopian Art Theatre/Players
• Famous Door Theatre^[74]
• First Folio Theatre (Oak Brook)
• Goat Island
• Happy Happy Good Show
• The Hypocrites^[75]
• Illinois Theatre Center
• Improv Institute
• Infamous Commonwealth Theatre^[76]
• Mary-Arrchie Theatre Company
• New Age Vaudeville
• New Variety
• Playwrights Theatre Club
• Pyewacket Theatre Company
• The House Theatre of Chicago^[77]
• The Practical Theatre Company
• Remains Theatre^[78]
• Redmoon Theater
• Wayward Productions (formerly Chicago Fusion Theatre)
• Windy City Performs^[79]

Venues

• Academy of Music
• Drury Lane Theatres
• Garrick Theater
• Iroquois Theatre
• Theatre Building Chicago (Purchased by Stage 773)
• Uptown Theatre

Notes and References

1. Web site: The Accidental Shakespeare Theatre Company . 2024-05-05 . Accidental Shakespeare Threatre Company . en-us.
2. Web site: Aguijón Theater Company Chicago, IL. . 2024-05-05 . en-US.
3. Web site: American Blues Theater Chicago, IL . 2024-05-05 . American Blues Theater . en-US.
4. Web site: Annoyance Theatre & Bar Chicago's Only Funny Comedy! Chicago, IL . 2024-05-05 . Annoyance Theatre . en.
5. Web site: Black Ensemble Theater and Cultural Center Black Ensemble . 2024-05-05 . Black Ensemble Theater . en-US.
6. Web site: Center on Halsted - Chicago's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Community Center . 2024-05-05 . www.centeronhalsted.org.
7. Web site: Chicago Dramatists . 2024-05-05 . chicagodramatists.org.
8. Web site: See what's playing on our stages . 2024-05-05 . www.chicagoshakes.com.
9. Web site: Chopin Theatre :: Now Playing . 2024-05-05 . www.chopintheatre.com.
10. Web site: Citadel Theatre . 2024-05-05 . Citadel Theatre . en-US.
11. Web site: HOME . 2024-05-05 . Copernicus Center . en-US.
12. Web site: Court Theatre Classic Plays In Chicago Season & Tickets . 2024-05-05 . Court Theatre . en-US.
13. Web site: Home . 2024-05-05 . The Factory Theater . en-US.
14. Web site: First Folio Theatre . 2024-05-05 . First Folio Theatre . en-US.
15. Web site: Goodman Theatre Official Site of the Tony Award® winning Goodman Theatre Tickets, Performance Calendar and Information . 2024-05-05 . Goodman Theatre . en-US.
16. Web site: Home iO Improv . 2024-05-05 . en-US.
17. Web site: Kane Repertory Theatre St Charles, Illinois United States . 2024-05-05 . KaneRepertoryTheatre . en.
18. Web site: Lifeline Theatre - Big Stories, Up Close . 2024-05-05 . Lifeline Theatre . en-US.
19. Web site: Lookingglass Theatre Company . 2024-05-05 . Lookingglass Theatre Company . en-US.
20. Web site: Home . 2024-05-05 . www.lyricopera.org . en.
21. Web site: Marriott Theatre - Musicals and Children's Theatre in Lincolnshire, IL . 2024-05-05 . www.marriotttheatre.com . en.
22. Web site: MCA - MCA Stage Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago . 2024-05-05 . mcachicago.org.
23. Web site: Merle Reskin Theatre | Facilities | About | the Theatre School | DePaul University, Chicago.
24. Web site: HOME . 2024-05-05 . Music Theater Works . en-US.
25. Web site: Home . 2024-05-05 . The Neo-Futurist Theater . en-US.
26. Web site: Oak Park Festival Theatre Exploring our shared humanity by telling stories that stand the test of time. By looking to our past and re-imagining the familiar, we hold a mirror up to the times in which we live, bringing us all a little closer. . 2024-05-05 . en-US.
27. Web site: Opera in Focus . 2024-05-05 . www.operainfocus.com.
28. Web site: 2024-05-05 .
29. Web site: Home . 2024-05-05 . Paramount Theatre . en-US.
30. Web site: The Playground Theater • Chicago's 1st Non-profit Comedy Theater . 2024-05-05 . The Playground Theater . en-US.
31. Web site: Home . 2024-05-05 . Porchlight Music Theatre . en-US.
32. Web site: A Red Orchid Theatre – Cutting Edge Ensemble Based Theatre in Chicago . 2024-05-05 . en-US.
33. Web site: 2023-10-14 . Red Tape Theatre . 2024-05-05 . Red Tape Theatre . en-US.
34. Web site: Red Theater . 2024-05-05 . Red Theater . en-US.
35. Web site: Remy Bumppo Theatre Company: Think Theatre in Chicago . 2024-05-05 . Remy Bumppo . en-US.
36. Web site: Second City .
37. Web site: 2023-03-29 . Home Silk Road Cultural Center . 2024-05-05 . silkroadculturalcenter.org . en-US.
38. Web site: Steep Theatre .
39. Web site: Home . 2024-05-05 . www.steppenwolf.org . en.
40. Web site: Strawdog Theatre Company . 2024-05-05 . Strawdog Theatre Company . en-US.
41. Web site: Home . 2024-05-05 . theo . en-US.
42. Web site: Young . Helen . Home . 2024-05-05 . TimeLine Theatre . en-US.
43. Web site: Trap Door Theatre . 2024-05-05 . en-US.
44. Web site: 2019-03-25 . Now Playing . 2024-05-05 . Victory Gardens . en-US.
45. Web site: Babes With Blades Theatre Company – Theatre That Leaves A Mark . 2024-05-05 . Babes With Blades Theatre Company . en-US.
46. Web site: Home Child's Play Touring Theatre . 2024-05-05 . www.cptt.org.
47. Web site: Collaboraction Theatre for Social Change . 2024-05-05 . Collaboraction . en.
48. Web site: Theater Eta Creative Arts Foundation Chicago . 2024-05-05 . EtaCreativeArts . en.
49. Web site: Ghostlight Ensemble . 2024-05-05 . Ghostlight Ensemble . en-US.
50. Web site: Livewire Chicago .
51. Web site: Off-Off Campus . 2024-05-05 . Off-Off Campus . en-US.
52. Web site: Red Theater . 2024-05-05 . Red Theater . en-US.
53. Web site: Theater Oobleck . 2024-05-05 . theateroobleck.com.
54. Web site: TUTA Theatre . 2024-05-05 . TUTA Theatre . en-US.
55. Web site: Home . 2024-05-05 . Apollo Theater Chicago . en-US.
56. Web site: Theater . Arie Crown . Arie Crown Theater . 2024-05-05 . www.ariecrown.com . en.
57. Web site: Auditorium Theatre . 2024-05-05 . Auditorium Theatre . en-US.
58. Web site: 2024-04-24 . Briar Street Theatre Latest Events and Tickets Chicago, Illinois . 2024-05-05 . www.briarstreetbroadway.com . en-US.
59. Web site: Broadway Playhouse Chicago Chicago Theater Guide . 2024-05-05 . Broadway In Chicago . en-US.
60. Web site: Cadillac Palace Theatre Chicago Chicago Theater Guide . 2024-05-05 . Broadway In Chicago . en-US.
61. Web site: The Chicago Theatre Wondrous Starts Here . 2024-05-05 . MSG . en.
62. Web site: CIBC Theatre Chicago - Home of Broadway's Best Shows . 2024-05-05 . Broadway In Chicago . en-US.
63. Web site: Congress Chicago on Facebook . 2024-05-05 . www.facebook.com . en.
64. Web site: Greenhouse Theater Center Chicago Tickets . 2024-05-05 . Greenhouse Theater . en.
65. Web site: Harris Theater Official Ticket Source Chicago's Home for Music and Dance . 2024-05-05 . www.harristheaterchicago.org.
66. Web site: James Nederlander Theatre Chicago Chicago Theater Guide . 2024-05-05 . Broadway In Chicago . en-US.
67. Web site: Home . 2024-05-05 . www.lyricopera.org . en.
68. Web site: Rosemont Theatre . 2024-05-05 . en-US.
69. Web site: Jones . Chris . 2018-03-16 . American Theater Company is shutting down, the company behind 'Disgraced' and 'Original Grease' . 2024-05-05 . Chicago Tribune . en-US.
70. Web site: Lazare . Lewis . 1995-07-27 . Body Politic Bows Out/Auditorium Suit Dismissed . 2024-05-05 . Chicago Reader . en-US.
71. Web site: 2024-04-29 . Bohotheatre . 2024-05-05 . Bohotheatre . en-US.
72. Web site: 2012-08-10 . Caffeine Theatre To Close - Chicago Theatre News . 2024-05-05 . Theatre in Chicago.
73. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-08-25/entertainment/chi-chicago-center-for-the-performing-arts-becomes-a-chruch-20110825_1_tony-tomaska-theater-ccpa Theatrical days appear numbered for Chicago Center for Performing Arts
74. Web site: Jones . Chris . 2005-06-03 . Famous Door closing after venerable run . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20221206142432/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2005-06-03-0506030235-story.html . 2022-12-06 . Chicago Tribune.
75. Web site: 2021-05-30 . Home . 2024-05-05 . The Hypocrites . en-US.
76. Web site: 2011-07-25 . Infamous Commonwealth Theatre closes . 2024-05-05 . Chicago Tribune . en-US.
77. Web site: 2022-06-02 . Chicago's House Theatre to Close After a 21-Year Run . 2024-05-05 . AMERICAN THEATRE . en-US.
78. Web site: Lazare . Lewis . 1994-01-06 . Money Trouble at Wisdom Bridge/What Remains of Remains?/Rotational Success/Hot Mikado . 2024-05-05 . Chicago Reader . en-US.
79. Web site: Nadig . Brian . 2019-06-20 . Windy City Performs, a performing arts school, closes in Jefferson Park . 2024-05-05 . Nadig Newspapers - Northwest Side Local Newspapers . en-US.