I spent most of the 90s in the Bay Area, where outdoor theater in the summer is a given, and the weather generally cooperates (if you’re not facing the threat of forest fires, that is). But in Chicago, extreme heat and thunderstorms go with the territory. Despite Mother Nature and other logistical challenges, outdoor theater […]
Tag: Barbara Zahora
Posted inGhost Light
Fire in Oak Park and changes in Oak Brook and Jefferson Park
Oak Park Festival Theatre was one of the first companies back to live performance this year after the COVID-19 shutdown with their production of The Tempest, staged in their longtime outdoor home at Austin Gardens. They weathered that storm, only to suffer a fire on November 23 at their offices in downtown Oak Park, located […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Coming through the pandemic storm with The Tempest
A trash island forms the background for Oak Park Festival Theatre’s outdoor staging of The Tempest.
Posted inArts & Culture
After 25 years, the curtain falls on ShawChicago
Citing dwindling subscriptions, the readers’ theater is packing up its music stands and calling it a day.
Posted inArts & Culture
ShawChicago turns a staged reading of Arms and the Man into a symphony
It’s a perfect anti-romantic comedy, just in time for Valentine’s Day.
Posted inArts & Culture
Bachelorette, Hard Times, and 12 more stage shows to see now
A “ferocious ensemble effort” and a pitch-perfect revival are among this week’s best bets.
Posted inArts & Culture
Bette Davis Ain’t for Sissies, Jacques Brel’s Lonesome Losers . . . , and nine more new stage shows
A one-woman show to buckle up for and an intimate, retro revue are among this week’s best bets.