Strawdog Theatre Archives - Chicago Reader

Pictured are side-by-side headshots of two Black women, both leaders of theater companies in Chicago. On the left is Charlique Rolle of Congo Square. She is wearing black, and is seated with her hands clasped in her lap. She is smiling. On the right is Myesha-Tiara of Perceptions Theatre. She is wearing an orange top.

The strength of community

by Sheri Flanders January 25, 2023January 27, 2023

At the end of September 2020, I wrote a piece for the Reader titled “Black artistic leaders take charge at several Chicago theaters,” which framed the influx of new (and preexisting) Black leadership in Chicago theater against the backdrop of a historic disruption in the industry. That disruption was powered in part by COVID-19 leading […]

Hershel, wearing striped pants, a white shirt, a beige vest, and a cap, sits on the ground, with a menorah behind him. A large goblin creature with a guitar for a face looms over him, draped in a red quilted robe. Three other performers are visible behind them, with two standing behind a makeshift puppet theater stage.

Theater Review

Saving Hanukkah

by Amanda Finn December 15, 2022December 15, 2022

During the holiday season there are traditions all over the world. I hope that Strawdog’s Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins maintains its place as a Chicago seasonal perennial. Now in its fifth year, the show (an adaptation by ensemble member Michael Dailey of the beloved children’s book by Eric Kimmel) centers a ragtag troupe of […]

Angel Ysaguirre and Charles Newell of Court Theatre stand in front of a Tony Awards backdrop on the red carpet. Ysaguirre has white hair and wears a light pink suit. Newell is bald and in a black suit.

Ghost Light

Tonys, tech awards, and terpsichore

by Kerry Reid June 16, 2022June 16, 2022

Lots of behind-the-scenes news in Chicago theater, and some well-deserved plaudits to note as well this week! At the Tony Awards this past Sunday, longtime Chicago sound designer and composer Mikhail Fiksel took home the top prize for his work on Lucas Hnath’s drama Dana H., which ran locally at the Goodman in fall of […]

Woman in Broncos T-shirt stands behind bar with orange juice and vodka bottles on it. A man in green hoodie and gray shorts listens to her.

Theater Review

Evergreen grief

by Dan Jakes April 28, 2022April 27, 2022

When my mother was nearing the end of her battle with stage four cancer, she opened Google on the family computer one day, keyed in “assisted suicide,” and hit search. Scared, selfish, and in my early 20s, I pretended to have never stumbled across the phrase in the browser history and tried to keep it […]

A South Asian woman in a dark top and light trousers kneels, lunging forward toward the right side of the photo, drenched in a blue light.

Arts & Culture

Springing ahead with live performance

by Kerry Reid, Deanna Isaacs and Irene Hsiao April 4, 2022April 6, 2022

While the BA.2 variant of COVID-19 looms as a possible impediment to attending live performances (even as some of us now qualify for a second booster), shows are booming. We’ve got a baker’s dozen of events to consider if you feel up to getting out and about in the next couple of months. We also suggest […]

City Life

Black Harvest Film Festival, reggaetón, and roller skating

by Kerry Reid, Micco Caporale and Salem Collo-Julin November 19, 2021November 19, 2021

It’s getting a wee bit chilly around here but here’s some things to do this week that just might warm you up. Fri 11/19 606 Records and Cleve Carney Museum of Art (CCMA) are teaming up to celebrate Ben LaMar Gay’s new album, Open Arms to Open Us (be sure to read Reader contributor Hannah […]