Court Theatre

06/19/2026

Congratulations to the Obama Presidential Center on its official opening!

As fellow members of the South Side's vibrant cultural community, we're excited to welcome a new space for learning, conversation, and connection. Together, institutions across the South Side help shape our city, creating opportunities for people to engage with history, ideas, art, and one another.

We celebrate the visitors, neighbors, students, lifelong learners, and residents who engage with the richness of the South Side through places like the Obama Presidential Center, Court Theatre, and the many organizations that make this community extraordinary.

Here's to the South Side.

06/17/2026

A Century of Black Progress. A tenth anniversary festival. The Spotlight Reading Series returns.

Learn more and reserve your free spot → https://bit.ly/ACenturyofBlackProgress..
📸 Ollie Photography

06/12/2026

Say hello to our newest Associate Director of Development: Madison Blackwood!

Madison is an interdisciplinary artist, creative producer, and arts development professional whose work spans new play development and theatre education. In this role, she’ll support our annual fundraising efforts, special events, and development communications, strengthening the connections that make our work on stage possible.

She shares, “I am most excited about the opportunity to elevate and advocate for the work of Court Theatre, to be part of an inimitable theatre company inspired by the big questions and the practical implications of producing the classics for modern audiences. It's an incredible joy to support accessibility, artistic freedom, and the big risks of new work for the sake of paradigm-shifting."

Please give a warm welcome to Madison!

06/09/2026

Oh my LORT! Huge congratulations to the League of Resident Theatres (LORT) for their Tony Award → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5mVz3AQDtw

This is a major honor recognizing the remarkable impact LORT theatres (including those in the Chicago area!) have across the country. Collectively, they:
✅ Have originated more than 500 Broadway productions
✅ Issue more Equity contracts than Broadway and commercial touring productions combined
✅ Develop new work and support artists that shape the American theatre landscape

As an added fun fact, Court's a member of LORT (trying saying that five times fast!). Congratulations, LORT, and thank you for all you do. This is an incredible honor for an incredible organization.

06/08/2026

"The arts need to be everywhere but an arts center."

Take a look back at our April Dean’s Salon with UChicago’s Division of the Arts & Humanities, exploring The University and the Future of Theatre.

Marilyn F. Vitale Artistic Director Avery Willis Hoffman joined Peter Sellars and Deborah Nelson for a dynamic, hopeful conversation about community-building and the role of the classics in understanding our current times.

Thank you to everyone who joined us for this special convening. Stay tuned for future conversations, and watch the full discussion here!

The Dean’s Salon on April 16 hosted by Deborah Nelson, Dean of the ...

06/05/2026

From Court Theatre to Convocation 🎉 Today, Tony Award-winning playwright and UChicago alum David Auburn addresses the University of Chicago Class of 2026.

To celebrate, we’re revisiting our 2013 production of PROOF, Auburn's Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning play about genius, family, and truth set right here in Hyde Park. Auburn is also known for adapting Saul Bellow's THE ADVENTURES OF AUGIE MARCH (2019), and directing LONG DAY'S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT (2016).

Watch the clip and celebrate a remarkable UChicago artist with us!...
🎬 Chaon Cross, Erik Hellmann, and Megan Kohl

05/28/2026

We're thrilled to introduce our new Costume Shop Manager, Liz Taylor!

Most recently, Liz spent a decade on staff at the Goodman Theatre. During her tenure, she also collaborated with several Chicago-area theatre companies as a freelance tailor specializing in menswear.

Previous experience includes work at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Weston Playhouse, Huntington Theatre Company, Glimmerglass Opera, and the University of Delaware’s Resident Ensemble Players. She earned her BFA from Boston University, where she double majored in Costume Design and Costume Construction.

Fun fact: Liz loves camping with her family in their homemade teardrop trailer!

Please join us in welcoming Liz to Court staff 🎉

05/22/2026

Get the Spotlight ready - something special is in the works 👀 Exciting updates coming soon!

05/19/2026

Happy birthday to Lorraine Hansberry, celebrated playwright, author, and South Sider!

We staged her classic, A RAISIN IN THE SUN, as part of our 2024/25 season (pictured), which went on to become the most successful production in our history.

Hansberry’s work continues to challenge, inspire, and resonate across generations. Beyond RAISIN, her extraordinary body of work includes LES BLANCS, TO BE YOUNG, GIFTED AND BLACK, and THE SIGN IN SIDNEY BRUSTEIN’S WINDOW.

Today, we celebrate her life, her voice, and her lasting impact on American theatre. Happy birthday, Lorraine!...
📸 Kierra Bunch, Brian Keys, Jeremias Darville, Shanésia Davis, and Martasia Jones by Michael Brosilow

05/15/2026

“My hair remembers the ocean”

This week, we welcomed students from Lindblom High School to perform their powerful devised play EQUAL?. The piece, developed through Court’s Artists in the Schools Residency, was a lively and thoughtful exploration of hair discrimination, colorism, and bullying against Black youth. After the performance, Lindblom parents and Court staff heard from the students about their insights and experiences:

“[The play] talks about things that people are afraid to talk about because of the climate that we’re in.”

“This play allowed me to share how I really felt about experiences I had when I was little.”

“This isn’t just a Black issue; it’s an all-of-us issue.”

Congrats Lindblom, and a special thank you to Lindblom Teaching Artist India Nicole Burton, Lindblom classroom teacher Krista Motley, and all of our partner schools and teachers for another successful year of in-school residencies! ...
📸 Jarrett King