Story Theatre Archives - Chicago Reader

A group of six artists from Kokandy Productions's Sweeney Todd are pictured on the red carpet at the Non-Equity Jeffs. They are holding their awards. There are three men on the left, a woman in the center, and two men on the right.

The return of “theater prom”

by Kerry Reid March 30, 2023August 16, 2023

The Non-Equity Jeff Awards, affectionately known as “theater prom,” came roaring back after a four-year hiatus at the Park West on Monday, March 27. And it’s safe to say the program, directed by Adrian Abel Azevedo, was a lovefest through and through. The awards show (coming on the heels of the packed opening of the […]

A woman in black-and-orange checked pants, black shirt, and tan vest, wearing wolf ears and sunglasses, stands center stage singing into a botle. She is surrounded in the tavern setting by four other characters in various costumes sitting along the wall.

Theater Review

Survivor stories

by Kerry Reid October 13, 2022October 13, 2022

Theatre Above the Law returns to the fairy tales collected by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, as adapted again by Michael Dalberg. (Dalberg’s adaptation of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is also currently onstage with Idle Muse through October 23.) I saw last year’s outing, and this time the connective tissue in […]

A white woman playing Marie Antoinette is in her underthings and stockings, being dressed and fussed over by three Black servants.

Theater Review

You say you want a revolution?

by Kerry Reid July 6, 2022July 14, 2022

On one wall of the set for Terry Guest’s Marie Antoinette and the Magical Negroes, now in a local premiere with Story Theatre under Guest’s direction, a large sign tells us “THIS IS NOT HISTORY.” True: what Guest’s skillfully rendered sardonic political comedy offers is a funhouse view (with not always so much fun, given […]

Illustration of Irregular Girl astride a white horse, dressed like Joan of Arc. The background suggests a battle, with banners and other figures in a shadowy fog.

Staff notes

A note from an editor 2022

by Kerry Reid June 24, 2022August 23, 2022

This is the first time we’ve done a summer theater and arts issue, and judging by the full-to-bursting content, that’s surprising—especially given how much Chicagoans love getting outdoors in the summer. You can read about some theater and dance programs that specialize in bringing performances to public parks, or, if you prefer indoor immersive experiences, […]

A Black woman in a strapless top and layers of choker necklaces is center, holding a cocktail glass and smiling with her tongue out. Behind her is a white woman with white stripes of makeup on her face, looking frightened.

Arts & Culture

A Black perspective on the French Revolution

by Bridgette M. Redman June 23, 2022July 8, 2022

Sometimes to understand the present, we must look at the past. In 2017, playwright Terry Guest grappled with how America could elect someone so outwardly racist as Donald Trump. It shocked him into questioning what could be done about the rise of fascism in the U.S. “Do we protest? Does that work?” Guest asked himself. […]

Arts & Culture

At the Wake of a Dead Drag Queen offers a history lesson on intersectional oppression—with lip synching

by Catey Sullivan September 11, 2019August 18, 2021

Terry Guest’s two-character play for Story Theatre delivers an emotional knockout.

Arts & Culture

Leave Me Alone! turns Chekhov into a public service announcement

by Tony Adler August 3, 2018August 18, 2021

And, in the process, gives the entire ending away.