Here’s the press release from Focal Point:

Focal Point Theatre Company Announces Their Inaugural Season

CHICAGO, IL – Newly formed Focal Point Theatre Company is pleased to announce the start of their first season. Opening this season will be a benefit performance: The Against Type Project. The season will continue with the Chicago Premier of Patrick Marber’s After Miss Julie. The inaugural season will be rounded out by the devised theatre piece You Make Me. Individual tickets may be purchased online at www.focalpointtheatre.com. Read the rest of this entry »

Here’s the press release from Ruckus:

THE RUCKUS THEATER ANNOUNCES CHICAGO SEASON 3, INCLUDING SIX NEW WORKS DEVELOPED BY ARTISTS FROM ACROSS THE UNITED STATES

***NEW COMPANY AND ENSEMBLE MEMBERS ALSO ANNOUNCED***

(Chicago, IL) The Ruckus Theater is proud to announce Season 3 in Chicago, following a successful year of sold-out performances on the storefront theater scene in Chicago. Artistic Director Allison Shoemaker, Associate Artistic Director Joshua Davis and Managing Director Jeffrey Fauver released today a season of six new plays—all performed at The Side Project Theatre in Rogers Park (1439 W Jarvis Ave). In the fall, Kyra Lewandowski directs a workshop of Conk and Bone by Joe Musso (September 18, 26 and 27, 2011) in repertory with ensemble member Katie Canavan’s workshop production of Dumb Angel by Ruckus cofounder Seth Miller (September 19, 20 and 25, 2011). Kicking off the New Year, Allison Shoemaker directs the world premiere of Little Triggers by Tympanic Theatre Company Artistic Director Daniel Caffrey (January 13 – February 12, 2012). In April 2012, The Ruckus workshops two one-act plays in tandem: Perfect Crash by Aaron Dean and Allison Shoemaker, directed by Brian Ruby, and Rung by playwright/composer Matt Test, directed by Timo Aker (April 8 – 11, 2012). Completing the season next spring is the world premiere of The Thing About Chekhov, developed by the Company, written by Calamity West, directed by Karie Miller (June 22 – July 22, 2012). Further details regarding The Ruckus: Season 3, including casting and ticket information will be announced in the coming weeks. Please visit www.ruckustheater.org for more information. Read the rest of this entry »

Studio Gang's Bengt Sjostrom Starlight Theatre

By Erin Kelsey

In the theater business, sometimes all you can do is cross your fingers and hope for the best. Michael Halberstam, artistic director of Writers’ Theatre, recalls a recent production in which their set was completed on time only because the weather happened to be cooperative during tech week. While unavoidable, these certainly aren’t ideal conditions for any theater to operate under, let alone one producing shows of the scale and quality of Writers’. To prevent similar problems in the future—and allow them to grow in a way currently not permitted by their spaces—the company is embarking upon a project to construct a new building to be the home of Writers’ Theatre. Read the rest of this entry »

Sometimes in the immediate wake of a tragedy it’s difficult to make sense of all the noise. Such is the case for the characters in Sean Farrell’s play set in the year following 9/11, few of whom were directly affected by the event but nevertheless felt their lives thrown into chaos by it. But the connection between the individual issues and the broader trauma remains obscure for the audience, which is a hurdle for this remount of the hit 2002 play.

Set largely during couples therapy group sessions between two couples and one mysterious man who claims he can’t wake up from a dream, the play scratches at ideas of loss, betrayal, religion and tragedy. Read the rest of this entry »

Summer’s over, kids. Sure, temperatures might still be in the nineties, and we’re going to enjoy one last hurrah this Labor Day weekend, but weather or not, fall is here. How do we know? The arts calendar, in hibernation these last couple of months, is on the verge of awakening with an explosion of activity. And as we do every year at this time, we’ve distilled it to a short list of highlights in order to help you put you personal fall calendar together.

Start out with our “big eleven” events for fall and then explore these links to the various fall previews we’ve created:

Fall Art Preview
Fall Dance Preview
Fall Film Preview
Fall Music Preview
Fall Resto Preview
Fall Stage Preview