Chicago

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Chicago is home to many historic theatres and boasts a thriving “Broadway in Chicago” production company, formed by the Nederlander Organization in 2000, which programs touring Broadway productions in the city. Until recently, Chicago was home to the only resident production of “Hamilton” in the US outside of New York, which ran from October 2016 to early 2020.

Theatre Tours

Details of theatre tours in the U.S. Midwest.

Theatre Timeline

An interactive timeline of all theatres in the U.S. Midwest.

Upcoming Special Events

Special events happening at theatres in the U.S. Midwest.

Chicago

Auditorium Theatre

Completed in 1889, the Auditorium Theatre is part of a larger building complex in downtown Chicago called the Auditorium Building. The architects, Dankmar Adler and Louis Sullivan, with young draughtsman Frank Lloyd Wright, incorporated several modern features into the theatre such as air cooling and 3,500 electric lamps.

Avalon Regal Theater

The Avalon Theater opened in 1927, designed in the Atmospheric style with a Moorish theme by renowned theatre architect John Eberson. It was a first-run theatre for many years, then a church, then was renovated and reopened as the New Regal Theater in 1987, however closed in 2003.

Chicago Theatre

The Chicago Theatre opened in 1921 as the flagship of the Balaban & Katz theatre chain, built primarily as a movie palace but with stage facilities included. It was designed by noted architectural firm Rapp & Rapp in their signature French Baroque style. The massive movie palace takes up half a city block, rises over seven stories, and seats 3,553.

CIBC Theatre

Opened as the Majestic Theatre in 1906 as part of the multi-use Majestic Building, the theatre occupying lower floors and the Majestic Hotel occupying upper levels. Since 1991 the theatre has been owned by the Nederlander Organization; it is currently operated by Broadway in Chicago.

Copernicus Center

The Copernicus Center opened as a large neighborhood movie palace called the Gateway Theater in mid-1930. It is now the home of the Polish Cultural Center in Chicago and a premiere event venue hosting concerts, dance, workshops, culturally diverse activities, and community engagement.

Patio Theater

The 1,500-seat Patio Theater opened on Chicago’s Northside in early 1927 with the movie The Blonde Saint (1926) starring Lewis Stone and Doris Kenyon, in addition to some stage acts plus a newsreel.

Riviera Theatre

The Riviera Theatre was designed by Chicago-based architecture firm Rapp and Rapp as a vaudeville and silent movie theatre, and opened in late 1918. In the 1980s it became a nightclub, and is now a popular live entertainment and music venue on Chicago’s Northside.

Studebaker Theater

The Studebaker Theater is located within the Chicago Fine Arts Building and originally opened as Studebaker Hall in 1898. The theatre underwent a major remodel in late 1917 and reopened as the Studebaker Theater. Used exclusively as a movie theatre from December 1982, it closed in November 2000, underwent restoration during 2014-15, and reopened as a live entertainment and events venue in October 2015.

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