Broadway in Chicago

If you like live theater, Chicago has plenty to offer. Theaters range from the famous Broadway-in-Chicago venues to neighborhood playhouses that seat fewer than 50 people. Since the Broadway venues are located in downtown Chicago, which is also the location of the G8 and NATO Summits, I’m going to recommend theaters outside the downtown area. I’ll also tell you a bit about Broadway in Chicago. Theater Recommendations beyond Downtown One of my favorite theaters is the Black Ensemble Theater. Every production that I’ve seen here, I firmly believe would make it to Broadway in New York. I can even honestly say that I’ve seen a Broadway production in New York City that was not nearly as good as any production that I’ve seen at the Black Ensemble. Black Ensemble Theater Other theaters that I highly recommend are: Lifeline Theatre As its website says, Lifeline specializes in literary adaptations. I’ve seen some great ones here. Rosemont Theatre Located a few blocks from the Hyatt Regency, this is one plush theater. As of now, the theater will be dark during the STC Summit, but that could change. Steppenwolf Actor, Gary Sinise, and two of his friends began this theater. Today, it is one of the leading ensemble theaters in the United States. Broadway in Chicago Broadway in Chicago refers to five famous theaters in the downtown area. According to the Broadway-in-Chicago website, more than 1.7 million people attend these five theaters each year. These theaters include:

• Auditorium Theatre: This landmark was designed by two of Chicago’s greatest architects, Adler and Sullivan, in the 1880s. To this day, the Auditorium offers nearly perfect acoustics.
• Oriental Theater: Opening its doors in 1926, the Oriental began life as a motion picture palace. Today, it exclusively features live theater. The interior has been restored to its original spelndor, which makes the Oriental one of my favorites. Everywhere–and I mean everywhere–you look, you’ll see something in gold to remind you of the Orient. I love the bejeweled elephants and turbaned princes.

Walking Tour, Broadway in Chicago If you are more interested in seeing the theaters than a production, you might want to take the one-hour walking tour offered by Broadway in Chicago.  Offered most Saturdays at 11:00 a.m., this tour takes you inside two of the theaters. Tickets for the walking tour cost $10.00, which is a lot less than tickets to a production. While this walking tour is offered most Saturdays, I cannot tell you whether there will be a tour on Saturday, May 19. That’s the date of the G8 & NATO Summits begin in downtown Chicago. If you’re initerested in this tour, visit the Historical theater tour website. Tickets for Less Theater can be expensive. When theaters have unsold tickets, they offer the tickets at half price a few days before the show. Here are places to look for half-priced tickets: Hot Tix Goldstar You have to become a member to access the half-price deals, but membership is free. Paula Ludmann is a member of the STC Chicago 2012 Host Committee and a senior technical writer at the American Academy of Dermatology.