27-Year-Old Show Still Attracts New Audience Members
By Carlos D. Williamson For the Neo-Futurists, elaborate performances and quirky narratives are nothing new. Founded in Chicago by performer and playwright Greg Allen, the experimental theater troupe has been putting on shows since 1988. While the ensemble has changed over the years, the performers still find ways to keep audiences coming back.
Chicago Shakespeare Theater will bring a new innovative stage to Navy Pier
By Katina Beniaris Chicago Shakespeare Theater has announced a $35 million project that will add a third stage to its home base on Navy Pier. Named The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare, the new venue will open in fall 2017. “It is a quite incredible vision, and as a city that re-imagines theater, this will anchor […]
Gallery founder aims to raise awareness of sexual abuse through art
By Carlos D. Williamson Jean Cozier didn’t know she’d be the owner of an art gallery at 61 – let alone one that showcased the works of survivors of sexual abuse and rape. Cozier still isn’t sure this is what she was meant to do. She just knows she can’t stop.
Argentine cafes face competition from trendy coffee shops
By Siying Li Javier Gonzales grew up working in Bar El Progreso, just on the border of the upscale Palermo in Buenos Aires, Argentina. His family owns the 106-year-old café. Like most Argentine cafés, the coffee drinks Gonzales serves at Bar El Progreso are traditional espresso and espresso with milk. On a recent afternoon at […]
Jeanne Gang-designed Writers Theatre opens up in Glencoe
By Katina Beniaris A new theater building, designed by acclaimed Chicago architect Jeanne Gang and the centerpiece of a $34 million fundraising campaign by Writers Theatre, opened in the north suburbs on Friday. Writers Theatre officials cut the red ribbon Friday morning in an opening ceremony celebrating the theater’s new center at 325 Tudor Court […]
Disney’s musical ‘Aladdin’ will launch first national tour in Chicago
By Katina Beniaris The Disney Broadway musical hit “Aladdin” is going on a magic carpet ride through North America and its first stop is in Chicago. Based on the 1992 Disney movie of the same name, the musical’s tour will open at the Cadillac Palace Theatre, 151 W. Randolph St., on April 17, 2017 with […]
Survivors of Human Trafficking Heal Through Art
By Carlos D. Williamson An art gallery on Chicago’s Northwest Side that typically showcases the work of survivors of sexual abuse and rape is helping support a new cause. The Awakenings Foundation Center and Gallery is featuring an exhibit that shows the artwork of survivors of human trafficking. While most survivors of trafficking have been […]
The Jim Crow South: Gordon Parks photo series on exhibit
By Carlos D. Williamson As a film director, the late Gordon Parks gave African-Americans empowering images in the 1970s with the blaxploitation hit “Shaft.” But Parks took a different approach with his photography and challenged bigots to second-guess the impact of segregation in the Jim Crow South, said Rhona Hoffman, director and owner of a […]
