Edgewater Theatre District

 

Edgewater is a Theatre District!

Chicago is known nation-wide for its iconic storefront theatre scene – it’s the kind of theatre where you’ll experience knock-your-socks off acting and innovative, jaw-dropping productions from intimate 50-100 seat theatres. With over twenty theatre companies based in Edgewater, the neighborhood is a hotbed for the kind of theatre that’s put Chicago on the map.

In 2017, the Edgewater Theatre District, comprised of 22 local theatres, had a huge impact on the small business ecosystem. The District brought an impressive 46,629 people to the neighborhood through their 1,366 performances!

About Face Theatre
5252 N Broadway
Aboutfacetheatre.com 
Mission: To create exceptional, innovative, and adventurous theatre and educational programming that advances the national dialogue on sexual and gender identity, and challenges and entertains audiences in Chicago and beyond.
Support: https://aboutfacetheatre.secure.force.com/donate

Akvavit Theatre*
5153 N. Clark #306
Chicagonordic.org
Mission: Akvavit Theatre is haunted by Nordic visions: deep forests and ice-blue seas, the patience of the glacier, the sudden fury of the volcano, the arctic light and silence. Seeking the universal through the voices of contemporary Nordic playwrights, Akvavit Theatre is a kind of homecoming, a connecting back to the lands whose people and cultures have for generations been a part of the great prairies of North America that we call home. And like our namesake beverage, Akvavit brings a “strong spirit” to the work that we produce. Skål, Skál, Kippis!

Aston Rep Theatre Company*
Astonrep.com
Mission: AstonRep Theatre Company is an ensemble of artists committed to creating exciting, intimate theatrical experiences that go beyond the front door to challenge audiences and spark discussion where the show is not the end of the experience: it is just the beginning.
Support: astonrep.com/donate/

Artmisia Theatre*
1331 N Milwaukee Ave
Artmisiatheatre.org

Mission: Artemisia thrills audiences with exquisite feminist theatre that celebrates women who have agency, independence, and are the focal point of their own stories.  We promote equality and social justice for all women through the plays that we produce and our exciting audience engagement events.   Our namesake, Artemisia Gentileschi, was a Baroque artist whose paintings depicted violence with fierce honesty and elegance. For centuries after her death, her art was attributed to men. Feminist curators in the late 1970’s rediscovered Artemisia, who is now considered the greatest female painter prior to the modern period. A common theme in Gentileschi’s later work is women in moments of power, or triumph, which is why she is the perfect namesake for Artemisia.   Celebrating powerful feminists, both on stage and off.
Support: artemisiatheatre.org/donate 

Babes With Blades Theatre*
BabesWithBlades.org
Mission: To create exceptional, innovative, and adventurous theatre and educational programming that advances the national dialogue on sexual and gender identity, and challenges and entertains audiences in Chicago and beyond.
Support:  tinyurl.com/Babesgive

City Lit Theatre*
1020 W. Bryn Mawr Avenue
citylit.org
Mission: City Lit Theater is dedicated to the vitality and accessibility of the literary imagination. City Lit will be producing concert readings and full-stage productions of adaptations of literary material, scripted plays by language-oriented playwrights, and original material developed especially for City Lit.
Support: www.citylit.org/donate

Chicago Danzetheatre Ensemble*
1650 W. Foster Avenue
Danztheatre.org
Mission: Dedicated to “performance with a purpose”, Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble challenges, engages and inspires audiences both onstage and in the classroom, through innovative, multidisciplinary storytelling in the genre of Tanztheatre, “which unites all art media to achieve an all-embracing, radical change in humankind.” As an ensemble, we collaboratively create thought-provoking arts performances and educational outreach programs incorporating elements of theatre, music, movement, visual arts, and literary text.
Support: danztheatre.org/donate.html

Chicago Filmmakers
5720 N. Ridge Ave.
Chicagofilmmakers.org

Mission: Chicago Filmmakers is a not-for-profit media arts organization that fosters the creation, appreciation, and understanding of film and video as media for artistic and personal expression, as well as media of important social and community impact. Chicago Filmmakers’ twofold mission is to serve independent film and digital video artists by supporting the creation and dissemination of new media arts works and to serve Chicago audiences by screening artistically innovative, socially relevant, and diverse films and videos.
Support: https://chicagofilmmakers.org/become-a-member

Chicago Theatre Workshop*
chicagotheatreworkshop.org
Mission: Chicago Theatre Workshop acts as an incubator for new works and is dedicated to the creation of theater that invigorates, inspires and challenges our perceptions of art and music. An intensively collaborative initiative, CTW melds the creative process with the audience experience. Be a part of the journey!
Support: http://chicagotheatreworkshop.org/support/

DB Comedy*
facebook.com/DBComedy312
Mission: With a hyper-collaborative ensemble, we produce comedy & variety shows that take on the issues; education, health care, food, elections and more! Democracy Burlesque’s mission remains to create riotous comedy while raising awareness, supplies and money for a variety of Causes Célèbre: worthy nonprofit grassroots organizations.

The Edge Theater*
5451 N. Broadway St
Edgetheater.com

Misson: The Edge Theater is a performing arts space dedicated to bringing an array of entertainment and arts experiences to Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood. Audiences visiting The Edge Theater have enjoyed musicals, straight plays, dance performances, storytelling, concerts, world premieres, and works in progress—all produced by artists who use the facilities at The Edge to tell their stories, teach their craft, and grow their community. 

Green Scene Chicago*
Greenscenechicago.org
Mission: Green Scene offers a cross-pollination of science, literacy, theater and social-emotional learning with in-school residencies.
Support: martie@greenscenechicago.org

Idle Muse Theatre Company*
Idlemuse.org
Mission: Idle Muse Theatre Company was established in 2006 by theatre artists who were interested exploring the relationship between individuals and worlds they inhabit.  Seeking to create production opportunities for themselves and other artists, they believed the best way to do this was to build a “modern guild” of players, an environment where theatre artists of different experience levels and backgrounds could develop their craft and learn from each other.

Interrobang Theatre Project*
5315 N Clark
interrobangtheatreproject.com
Mission: Interrobang Theatre Project (ITP) produces visceral and timely works, rarely produced texts, and new American plays. We strive to excite a new generation of theatergoers, to engage our community through challenging plays, to maintain an environment in which artists can do their very best work, and to change our world one play at a time. ITP is not recommended for audiences who prefer theatre to be benign or familiar.

Intrinsic Theatre Company*
intrinsictheatrecompany.com
Mission: To tell stories of cultural relevance that allow us to engage with intrinsic truths of the American experience.
Support: Subscriptions available

Jackalope Theatre Company*
5917 N Broadway Ave
https://www.jackalopetheatre.org/
Mission: Jackalope Theatre expands American identity by engaging with our communities to produce works that celebrate diverse perspectives.
Support: https://www.jackalopetheatre.org/support

The Neighborhood Theatre Chicago*
4511 N. Hermatige Ave
theneighborhoodtheatrechicago.com
Mission: The Neighborhood is a place to come home to. We offer a potluck of aesthetics and beliefs. We challenge form, honor the feminine, provide space for big courage, strive for magic and commit to stories where art and community collide.
Support: https://www.theneighborhoodtheatrechicago.com/give.html

The NeoFuturists
5153 N Ashland
neofuturists.org
Mission: The Neo-Futurists are a collective of wildly productive writer/director/performers who create: Theater that is a fusion of sport, poetry and living-newspaper. Non-illusory, interactive performance that conveys our experiences and ideas as directly and honestly as possible. Immediate, unreproducible events at head-slapping affordable prices. Work that embraces those unreached or unmoved by conventional theater – inspiring them to thought, feeling and action.
Support: https://neofuturists.org/donate/

Nothing Without a Company*
6205 N Sheridan Rd
Mission: Nothing Without a Company is planting theatre around Chicago with all forms of media to empower self and community through immersive and revolutionary acts of art in site-specific and reclaimed environments.

Playmakers Laboratory Theatre*
4021 N Broadway
playmakerslab.org
Mission: PlayMakers Laboratory (PML) is an ensemble of teaching artists who create an experiential learning environment in which students share their personal voices and celebrate the power of their imaginations. PML accomplishes this through creative writing workshops and in-school performances of students’ stories. PML also engages the broader community in support of the visions of young people through public performances of their work.
Support: https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/store/34742/alldonations/32610

Raven Theatre Company*
6157 N Clark St
Raventheatre.com
Mission: Raven Theatre tells stories of today and the past that connect us to our cultural landscape. Raven’s commitment to modern drama in all of its forms, as well as its first-class education programming, have helped it remain a cultural cornerstone on the north side of Chicago for 37 years and counting.
Support: https://www.raventheatre.com/support/

Red Twist Theatre*
1044 W Bryn Mawr Ave
Redtwisttheatre.org
Mission: We strive to create searing hot drama, from name-brand blockbusters, to risky new works and obscure buried treasures that pack emotional force, examine moral dilemmas, and reveal greater truths within our explosively immediate black box, tiny enough to close the gap between actor and audience, thus blurring the line between seating and staging.
News:
Redtwist has temporarily suspended its productions and live meetings, in response to the global health threat. Join our e-mail list (on our website) to learn more about our upcoming production schedule. Thank you for your understanding and your support as we all navigate a suddenly changing world together.
Support: https://www.redtwisttheatre.org/support
Consider a donation to help offset the profound financial impact of COVID-19 on Redtwist Theatre.

Rivendell Theatre*
5779 N Ridge Ave
rivendelltheatre.org
Mission: An award winning, critically acclaimed professional theatre company Rivendell’s productions explore the unique female perspectives of everyday stories in an intimate, salon environment. Since our inception, Rivendell has grown to fill an important role in the Chicago theatre community as the only Equity theatre in Chicago committed to women’s stories. Rivendell has become a leader in new play development, a major port for new writers, and today, offers a brick and mortar artistic home for women theater artists to develop their work.
Support: https://rivendelltheatre.secure.force.com/donate?dfId=a0nG0000002ZrQqIAK

Saltbox Theatre Collective
Performance Venue: The Edge Off Broadway, 1133 W Catalpa Ave
Mailing Address: 8452 N. Harding Avenue 
www.saltboxtheatre.org
Mission: To share stories that realIze the human experience through organic collaboration. 

The Story Theatre*
6157 N Clark St
thestorytheatre.org
Mission: The Story Theatre seeks to pose questions rather than supply answers. We produce theatre that focuses on the poetry of text and form, the possibilities of the human imagination, and the gateways for emotional and intellectual investment. We are committed to and excited by diversity, inclusion, and collaboration among a myriad of artists.
Support: http://thestorytheatre.org/support

Steep Theatre*
1115 W Berwyn
steeptheatre.com
Mission: Steep Theatre’s ensemble brings to life new and under-produced plays that tell bold stories of ordinary people in extraordinary situations- small stories that illuminate larger societal issues. Steep believes theatre should stoke conversations about the issues and conditions that are a part of all of our lives – conversations that take place between artists and audiences in Steep’s intimate theatre, spacious lobby, and long after everyone has gone home.
Support: https://steeptheatre.com/make-a-gift

Stockyards Theatre Project*
6549 N. Ashland Ave
Stockyardstheatreproject.org
Mission: Stockyards Theatre Project, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, is devoted to “giving volume to the voices of women.” Stockyards Theatre Project serves as a collaborative, ongoing theatre project whose mission is to help support and promote women as theatre and performance artists, to explore gender roles and gender issues in the theatre arts, and to explore both traditional and experimental theatre and performance art. Stockyards Theatre Project is an enthusiastic venue for many women theatre artists. It is a sad fact that according to the theatrical literature canon, principle men’s roles outnumber principle women’s roles by an average of 3 to 1; fewer than 10% of working directors are women, and the majority of published playwrights are men. Stage management and set/lighting design are also traditionally male careers. Stockyards Theatre Project actively works to change these statistics.

Theatre in the Dark
1244 W Thorndale
theatreinthedark.com
 
Mission: Theatre in the Dark creates experiential productions performed entirely in the pitch black.

Three Cat Productions*
Threecatproductions.com
Mission: As Chicago’s artist incubator, Three Cat Productions’s mission is to nurture artists. We provide opportunities, facilities, experiences, and creative relationships that foster artist growth. We strive to reach diverse artists from as many disciplines as possible, under the umbrella of a producing theater. We believe every artist has a voice and every voice deserves a chance to come into its own, regardless of social connections, experience, education, or income level.
Support: https://threecatproductions.com/support-us

Click here for an Edgewater Theatre performance calendar.

Click here to view the Edgewater Theatre Facebook Page.

*Participating Passport Theatres


The Edgewater Theatre District Passport

Explore Edgewater’s incredible theatre scene with the Theatre District Passport. Just like a coffee shop punch card, the Theatre District Passport can be stamped each time you see a play, and after 5 stamps the 6th play will be free! The Theatre District Passport program is only valid with participating locations. Participating Theatres are designated above with an asterisk *.

How It Works:

  1. Pick up your Edgewater Theatre District Passport. You’ll find them at participating theatres, the Chamber of Commerce, and other businesses and organizations in the neighborhood.
  2. Purchase tickets to a show at a participating theatre. It’s always a good idea to purchase in advance – the word is spreading about the high quality shows in Edgewater. They’re selling out!
  3. Have your Passport stamped every time you see a play at a participating theatre.
  4. Once you’ve collected 5 stamps, your 6th ticket will be free! Contact the theatre directly to reserve your free tickets – it’s that easy!
  5. Grab your next passport, and start exploring!