Definition Theatre Archives

A Black man and Black woman are shown standing next to a dining table. He is holding her arms. There is a sofa behind them.

Upending the narratives

by Kerry Reid May 11, 2023May 15, 2023

Jackie Sibblies Drury’s Fairview won the 2019 Pulitzer Prize, but is only getting its Chicago premiere now courtesy of Definition Theatre. After seeing Tyrone Phillips’s staging at the cozy Revival space in Hyde Park, I’m glad that Definition snagged it, and not just because this company (which has been doing excellent work for years and […]

A scene from Trial in the Delta. At left, a middle-aged bald Black man in shirtsleeves, suspenders, and tie stands behind a table covered with law books. He is pointing toward a white man seated at a table whose back is to the camera. Several other white men are also seated, facing the Black man who is testifying. On the right is a white attorney in a dark suit and tie, who is holding a portfolio or notebook of some kind.

Ghost Light

Chicago Theatre Week kicks off

by Kerry Reid February 16, 2023February 24, 2023

Update February 24: Chicago Theatre Week has been extended through March 5. “If you see our show, that’s at least two spots on your bingo card!” That’s what Jimalita Tillman, global director for the Harold Washington Cultural Center, said at the Chicago Theatre Week kick-off party Monday night at Wicker Park’s Den Theatre. She wasn’t […]

A young Black woman in a white knit top and blue jeans sits cross-legged on stage. To the right of her in the photo we see a young Black man in a blue hoodie and sweat pants seated and looking toward her. The stage is rough wooden planks, like a boardwalk. Behind them we see a kind of pink plastic sheeting material.

Theater Review

Infatuation and identity

by Sheri Flanders February 8, 2023February 8, 2023

When The Revival theater opened its doors in 2015 at the corner of 55th Street and University Avenue, its intent was to pay homage to improv’s earliest roots. Paul Sills formed the Compass Players in that exact spot, bringing his knowledge of his mother Viola Spolin’s theater games (outlined in her seminal work Improvisation for […]

A Black woman in denim overalls, holding a red plastic Solo cup, stands on the left, talking to a young white man in overalls seated on her right.

Theater Review

Art and appropriation

by Josh Flanders March 22, 2022March 22, 2022

Of the two plays exploring race that Steppenwolf has on stage right now—King James and WHITE—the latter definitely stands out for being not only funnier, but more complex and satisfying in its critique of race, privilege, and power. Written by James Ijames and directed by Ericka Ratcliff, Definition Theatre’s production is a delightfully silly yet […]