The best theaters in Chicago

The Loop’s 3,600-seat Chicago Theatre was the opulent French baroque-style flagship of the Balaban and Katz movie-palace chain when it opened in 1921. It’s still a beautiful venue (you’ve probably seen the famous illuminated “Chicago” marquee even if you’re from out of town) that’s surprisingly cozy for its large size. It has also hosted some phenomenal shows: We’ve caught everyone from Mariah Carey to our favorite podcasters here, and we’ve never been disappointed.

A standard-bearer among the nation’s regional theaters and the downtown grand pooh-bah of Chicago’s professional scene, the Goodman is helmed by Tony-winning director Robert Falls. The Goodman separates its programming between two theaters: the Albert Theatre Series and the Owen Theatre Series. Over the past few years, the Goodman has grown out of its previous traditional-driven impression and incorporated more modern plays depicting women and BIPOC experiences, such as Toni Stone (2022/23 season), Layalina (2022/23 season) and The Penelopiad (2023/24 season).

The juggernaut that’s home to maybe the world’s most famous acting ensemble (paging Gary Sinise, John Mahoney, Laurie Metcalf, Martha Plimpton, William Petersen…) is probably what most people outside Chicago think of when they hear “Chicago theater.” From famous basement origins has risen a major institution where three venues house a lineup of new and classic plays and, in the 1700 Theatre, more eclectic performances.

The gorgeous Rococo Oriental, like the Cadillac Palace down the street, was designed by the Rapp Brothers in the 1920s. It fell into disrepair by the ’80s before being restored as part of the second Mayor Daley's initiative for a downtown theater district and reopening in 1998. The theater is a Broadway lovers’ destination in Chicago, performing a balanced mix of new and classic Broadway titles, such as Hamilton, My Fair Lady, Six, Peter Pan, and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (2024/25 season).

The 1926 Palace Theatre was originally the Chicago home of vaudeville’s Orpheum Circuit. The 2,500-seat venue also spent time as a movie house, a hotel banquet hall and a rock venue before being refurbished and restored in 1999 as one of Broadway in Chicago’s lead theaters for tours and tryouts. The Cadillac Palace Theatre is the place to catch any trend-setting, new-and-aspiring productions, such as the new dance-theatre show from five-time Olivier Award nominee Kate Prince, Message in a Bottle, and the jaw-dropping new musical inspired by an old film of the same name, Death Becomes Her.

The coziest of Broadway in Chicago’s downtown houses, the former Shubert Theatre (and, more recently, the former LaSalle Bank Theatre and Bank of America Theatre and PrivateBank Theatre) was spectacularly renovated before reopening in 2005. Although it mainly features national tours of shows that have already played in New York, it occasionally hosts pre-Broadway tryout engagements such as Spamalot and Twyla Tharp and Billy Joel’s Movin’ Out; it’s currently the Chicago home of Girl From the North Country.

The National Historic Landmark Auditorium Theatre opened in 1889 and is still considered a stunning piece of architecture thanks to designs by Louis Sullivan and Dankmar Adler, with a young Frank Lloyd Wright assisting as a draftsman. Boasting excellent acoustics and sight lines, the theater hosts shows and events of all genres, including global dance and Chicago dance performances, music, a National Geographic Live speaker series and various concerts (such as the Blade Runner concert, Mitski and Adam Ant). Historic theater and backstage tours are also available weekly on Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays.

As the architectural centerpiece in Chicago’s classical-music landscape, Symphony Center is appropriately multifunctional. Its primary role, of course, is as the home of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. The CSO’s main program is supplemented by occasional visits from touring soloists, small ensembles and orchestras; sporadic pop and jazz shows; and occasional concerts from the Civic Orchestra of Chicago (the CSO’s training orchestra for young musicians) and the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra. Also on site is Buntrock Hall, an auxiliary space for chamber music; the elegant Grainger Ballroom, which stages lectures and small ensemble performances; plus a learning center, a restaurant (Forte) and a shop selling gifts and CDs, including many from the CSO’s own Resound label.

Built in 1929 by business magnate Samuel Insull, the art deco architecture and gold-covered interior design of the Civic Opera House is anything but subtle—a venue for the dramatic narratives that unfold on its stage. The Lyric Opera of Chicago has made the opulent venue its home since 1954, presenting a handful of productions each season. The Opera House has also hosted concerts in recent years by the kinds of pop acts whose ostentation can match the theater’s (Morrissey, the National).

The most recognizable face in the theater’s lobby might belong to old Friend David Schwimmer, but expect nothing of the sitcom variety inside the theater of this spectacle troupe. Taking its name from the hallucinatory world of Lewis Carroll, the playful three-decades-old company put itself on the map by mounting cirque-influenced, highly physical renditions of classic literature and myths. In 2011, Lookingglass became the fifth Chicago institution to receive the Tony Award for regional theater, following in the footsteps of the Goodman, Steppenwolf, Victory Gardens and Chicago Shakespeare Theater.

The sleek Harris Theater prides itself on being the area’s least pretentious theater for brand-name acts. The Harris is the city’s best mainstream-alternative hall, if that’s not a contradiction in itself. Its resident companies include Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, the Chicago Opera Theater and several forward-thinking new music groups such as South Chicago Dance Theatre, Uniting Voices Chicago and Fulcrum Point New Music Project.

This 1,325-seat proscenium theater was designed by Chicago architects Marshall & Fox in 1910. Under its original name, the Blackstone Theatre, it served as a home for the Federal Theatre Project in the 1930s and hosted the premiere of Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun in 1959, in addition to scads of touring shows. In 1988, it was sold to DePaul University, which renamed the theater in honor of donor Reskin in 1992. The Theatre School at DePaul now uses the Reskin for its kid-oriented Chicago Playworks productions, as well as renting it to other organizations.

A Tony-Award-winning theater in Chicago’s Hyde Park, Court Theatre is affiliated with the University of Chicago and reimagines the traditional theater to reflect contemporary conflicts, struggles and experiences. It's now in its 69th season and has produced many classics, including Two Trains Running, An Iliad and Frankenstein. The theater also hosts a discussion series called Theatre & Thought, where Court artists and university faculty discuss the historical context, thematic relevance and artistic possibilities surrounding classic works.

Porchlight Music Theatre’s quarter-century production includes 70+ mainstage works with 15 Chicago premieres (including The Scottsboro Boys and the newly revised version of Marry Me a Little) and five world premieres (including The Teapot Scandals and The Vanishing Point). This theater is at the forefront of youth theater and music education. It has two unique programs, Porchlight Revisits and the New Faces Sing Broadway series, designed to embed theatric performance into the community.

Timeline is a non-profit theater company in Lakeview East. Since 1997, the company has put on numerous unforgettable productions, including Relentless and Trouble in Mind. Timeline also has several programs focusing on theater accessibility and artistic education. TimeLine South is a program designed to create a safe space for South Side teens, and Playwrights Collective provides emerging playwrights with space, time and resources to advance their careers.

The Black Ensemble Theater was founded in 1976 by actress, producer, and playwright Jackie Taylor. The venue puts on excellent musical productions and is recognized as one of the most diverse theaters in the nation. The plays often explore feminist topics like domestic life (The Real Housewives of Motown) and women’s identity (The Other Cinderella) or celebrate Black cultural heritages. There are also outreach and youth education programs that make theater an integral part of the community.

Rooted in Lincoln Park, Greenhouse Theater Center is the unique combination of a nonprofit performance center and a theater bookstore. It was also the original home to Body Politic Theater and Victory Gardens Theater. Greenhous provides a beautiful stage for independent theater groups in the Windy City, and never shys away from challenging, innovative productions.

Proudly situated inside Navy Pier, Chicago Shakespeare is the city's largest and most versatile performing arts center. In addition to original Shakespeare and Shakespearean adaptations, the theater also shows plays by other like-minded dramatists, such as The Notebook and It Came from Outer Space. In the summertime, the theater takes its performances outside with the annual Chicago Shakespeare in the Parks program.

Opened in 2018, the Green Line Performing Arts Center is a venue and a rehearsal space in Chicago’s Washington Park neighborhood. The center aims to incubate and support South Side artists and theater ensembles. The center hosts various performances and productions, including standup comedies, live music, dance and spoken word performances, and critical conversations.

Windy City Playhouse opened its flagship venue in Albany Park in 2015, and established Playhouse South as a pop-up venue in 2019. The South Side location was home to Playhouse’s original production Every Brilliant Thing. Playhouse has also collaborated with Loop restaurant Petterino's, where it produced Southern Gothic, an immersive theater production that took audiences through a full-scale 1960s Southern home in 2022.

This small theater has big humor. Like the name indicates, Theater Wit focuses on unique comedy productions with whimsical looks into modern society and life matters like love, compassion and family relationships. Theater Wit produces plays with its resident companies but also invites visiting companies to take over the stage.

As part of the Marriott Lincolnshire Resort, Marriot Theatre produces five musicals on average each season, with one of them being a holiday production. The theater also has productions tailored to young audiences. The programming is always a mixture of classic plays (Sound of the Music, Cinderella, 1776) and modern adaptations (Big Fish, Kiss Me, Kate, Murder of Two).

Home to MadKap Productions, Skokie Theatre’s art deco space is a cozy haven. The theater’s programming consists of various musicals and theatrical performances. We all remember seeing Chicago’s history in musical form during the run of The Creation of Chicago in 2023, or the laughter-filled California Suite. Skokie Theatre also hosts a local talent competition called Skokie Idol, where contestants must survive weekly eliminations (new structure in 2024) and fight to be the last one standing in their division.

Oil Lamp Theatre is a unique venue in downtown Glenview. It produces professional theatrical performances in a comfy, old-fashioned living room setting. Though relatively new, the theater has a wide selection of classic and contemporary plays (A Gift of the Magi, Ripcord, Collected Stories). The theatre also provides acting classes for adults, varying from intro to acting to more in-depth trainings.