Jackalope Theatre Archives - Chicago Reader

A photo of a group of people of different genders, races, and ethnicities sitting at tables in a conference room. Some have their hands raised

‘Don’t just say it—do it’

by Kerry Reid September 15, 2023September 15, 2023

On Tuesday, September 12, Enrich Chicago released the results for its first racial equity report for the arts sector in the city: “Work Remains To Be Done: A Baseline Survey of Chicago’s BIPOC Arts & Culture Workers.” Enrich Chicago, founded in 2014, is a collaborative composed of arts and culture organizations and funders (nearly 40 […]

A Brown man in a blue jacket stands leaning against a desk on the left. A white woman in a black suit stands right. A whiteboard on which words are scribbled is on the wall between them

Jackalope makes way for migrants

by Kerry Reid August 3, 2023August 8, 2023

In 2020 during the nationwide protests against police violence and white supremacy sparked by the killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, there was a concurrent “Open Your Lobbies” push from theater artists. They advocated for performing arts venues (temporarily closed by the COVID-19 pandemic) to make their public spaces available to protesters for shelter […]

An Arab American family at a kitchen table. The daughter is standing on the left. The mother is seated in front of her, looking at a laptop and talking to her son, who is seated at the right. His head is resting in his hand and he looks worried.

Mosque4Mosque upends stereotypes

by Boutayna Chokrane November 23, 2022November 23, 2022

Mosque4Mosque is not a monolithic representation of the Arab American Muslim experience, and perhaps that’s exactly the point. Written by Omer Abbas Salem and directed by Sophiyaa Nayar, this charming production challenges all preconceived notions of a play about an Arab American Muslim family. In this sitcom-esque dramedy, Ibrahim (played by Salem) and his family […]

In the front, on the left, we see a young white man in military fatigues. He is facing a young Asian woman on the right, who is wearing a Japanese WWII jacket and holding a rifle. Behind them is a hotel room, and through the window we see a young Latinx man in "hippie" clothing seated next to another young Asian woman in a plain cream blouse and brown skirt.

A surreal Seoul story

by Kerry Reid November 15, 2022November 15, 2022

Hansol Jung’s 2016 play, Among the Dead, now in an intriguing, surprisingly funny, and sometimes quite moving production with Jackalope Theatre, occupies a bit of the same surreal territory and narrative lines as Mia Chung’s You for Me for You (produced by Sideshow Theatre in 2018) and Lauren Yee’s Cambodian Rock Band (produced at Victory […]

Omer Abbas Salem

Omer Abbas Salem is building his own canon

by Yasmin Zacaria Mikhaiel March 23, 2021August 18, 2021

With Mosque4Mosque and other plays, MENA playwright and actor Omer Abbas Salem creates space for Muslim and Arab artists.

P.Y.G. or the Mis-Edumacation of Dorian Belle cuts with double-edged satire

by Kerry Reid November 12, 2019August 18, 2021

A white Canadian pop star and two Black hip-hop artists share a reality-TV crib.

Give thanks for some promising November live performances

by Kerry Reid, Irene Hsiao and Brianna Wellen October 30, 2019August 18, 2021

The table is set this month with theater world premieres, dance works in progress, and comedy with cured meat.

In Life on Paper, Jackalope once again turns straw into gold.

by Justin Hayford May 29, 2019August 18, 2021

Gus Menary’s ensemble transforms Kenneth Lin’s mechanical script into a warm, nuanced production.

Jackalope and Raven Theatres take audiences on a trip back to 1992

by Catey Sullivan March 28, 2019August 18, 2021

Dutch Masters and The Undeniable Sound of Right Now ask how much has really changed in politics and music.

The final 15 minutes of Dutch Masters are devastating

by Justin Hayford March 14, 2019August 18, 2021

But Greg Keller’s script takes way too long to get there.

Ike Holter’s latest, The Light Fantastic, is darkly playful

by Tony Adler May 23, 2018August 18, 2021

And Jackalope gives it a consummate storefront staging.

The Comedy of Errors, Marie Christine, and eight more new stage shows to see

by Chicago Reader November 2, 2017August 18, 2021

A cartoon-inspired staging of the Bard and a creole update of Medea are among this week’s best bets.

A Brown man in a blue jacket stands leaning against a desk on the left. A white woman in a black suit stands right. A whiteboard on which words are scribbled is on the wall between them

Ideation, Token, and nine more stage shows to see now

by Chicago Reader May 24, 2017August 18, 2021

A dark comedy from Jackalope and a go-for-the-jugular solo performance are among this week’s best bets.

The Snare brings faith to Chicago theater without irony

by Justin Hayford February 3, 2017August 18, 2021

In this Jackalope Theatre production, a midwestern family is plunged into drama after the daughter reveals that “the devil tells me to do things.”

Winterset, Finding Neverland, and three more alternatives to holiday fare

by Chicago Reader November 30, 2016August 18, 2021

A resonant period piece and a musical that does it better than the movie are among this week’s best bets.