Moonshot Report

Making theatre repertoire decisions is complex, high-risk, and difficult work. These decisions set the trajectory for all that follows, and the process of making them deserves far more attention. After decades of audience erosion, the future of theatre clearly depends on more people choosing to attend. But that will require far more than continuing to invest in improving marketing and fundraising functions. It will require holistic new strategies to produce work compelling enough to artists and audiences to overcome the significant underlying social, cultural, and economic changes that have driven the erosion. …

Read more

Black History Month Theatre Events

Check out these events and shows happening at member theatres around the city for Black History Month this February 2023! Goodman Theatre Presents: the ripple, the wave that carried me home, a Co-Production with Berkeley Repertory Theatre. A family responds to injustice and a daughter reckons with her political inheritance in this new play by “a poet, a playwright to pay attention to”. Runs Jan 13 – Feb 12, 2023. https://chicagoplays.com/event/the-ripple-the-wave-that-carried-me-home/ Redtwist Theatre Presents: The Great Khan, a revolutionary, multicultural play about the effects of systemic racism on two Black American teens. The …

Read more

MLK Day 2023 Theatre Events

Check out these events and shows happening at member theatres around the city for Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2023! Auditorium Theatre Auditorium Theatre is presenting Step Afrika! on January 14. This production highlights the preservation of history through exceptional dance, as well as continuing and growing traditions through art. Learn more at https://auditoriumtheatre.org/events-details/step-afrika/. Fleetwoood Jourdain The Music Institute of Chicago and the Fleetwood Jourdain Theatre will present a free musical celebration of Dr. MLK, Jr., on Sun., Jan. 15 at 3 p.m. at Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 Chicago Ave. Learn more …

Read more

Ideas from Meet & Greets 

 Member Resources Bring back working committees through the League where members can get more involved and help the League push forward Bring back the PAV Fund or provide resources for similar services  Resources for best practices in providing Internships and Apprenticeships  Collective insurance and healthcare for small theatre companies so that everyone can pay less  Can we leverage bargaining power to receive better rates for insurance?  Connecting with TAP – Theatre Advocacy Project  Coalitions of theatres by size or neighborhood for more collaboration Covid standards and masking recommendations by theatre size  Affinity …

Read more

Seventh Annual Inclusive Theatre Festival

Northwestern University’s Seesaw Theatre Presents: the Seventh Annual Inclusive Theatre Festival (ITF)! This event is a weekend-long conference celebrating the strides being made in inclusive and accessible theatre. ITF aims to bring together theatre artists and practitioners from across the country, giving us all the chance to learn about the amazing work being done and how we can also improve our own work while supporting marginalized communities. The conference is intended not only for theatre artists (students and professionals alike), but also for the disability community and their families, educators working with …

Read more

Announcing the 2022 Powering the Arts Grantees

Press Release, September 15th, 2022 ComEd, League of Chicago Theatres Award $160,000 in Grant Funding to 18 Arts Organizations Across Northern Illinois Fifth annual Powering the Arts Grant Program expands access to arts and culture   CHICAGO (September15, 2022) — After two years of disruptions due to the pandemic, in-person performances and theaters are back in northern Illinois. To increase access to the arts in northern Illinois, ComEd and the League of Chicago Theatres today announced that they have awarded $160,000 in funding to local community arts organizations across the region. Through ComEd’s annual Powering the Arts …

Read more

A Message from DCASE

Dear Performing Arts Community, We have spent the last several weeks compiling and digesting the great feedback offered by this community at the recent Performing Arts Convening. A summary of your feedback can be accessed/downloaded here. In response to what we heard, we also want to share information and resources related to DCASE programs, events, and services that connect back to the four main pillars that were identified as areas of interest that structured our discussions at the Convening: 1. Cultural grants program flyer that details eligibility and tentative 2023 program calendar …

Read more