Chicago’s Top 10 : Arts Venues

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  1. Civic Opera House

    This
    imposing Art Deco building is largely devoted to performances by the
    Lyric Opera. Each year (September through March), the company stages
    work by everyone from Wagner to Gilbert and Sullivan. Touring classical
    dance troops and musicals fill the off-season bill.

  2. Symphony Center

    While
    visiting orchestras, lecturers, and jazz artists feature on its
    program, this center is first and foremost the home of the Chicago
    Symphony Orchestra. The complex holds a main stage, recital hall, and a
    bar-restaurant named Rhapsody.

  3. Steppenwolf Theatre Co.

    Founded
    in 1974 in a church basement, Steppenwolf has gained acclaim based on
    the fame of its ensemble, which includes actor John Malkovich. Though
    the company has moved upscale to a specially built theater in Lincoln
    Park, it is still distinguished by raw emotion and edgy productions.

  4. Goodman Theatre

    One
    of Chicago’s leading theater companies, the Goodman frequently spins
    off productions to Broadway in New York and has earned a Tony award, the
    theater community’s highest, for its efforts. Noted productions include
    dramas by Eugene O’Neill and August Wilson and an annual version of
    Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.

  5. Chicago Shakespeare Theater

    This
    Navy Pier venue presents a dynamic space for Shakespeare’s repertory.
    The 510-seat courtyard design is inspired by the original layout in
    traditional playhouses of the Bard’s day. Visiting non-Shakespeare
    productions take over after the company’s September-to-April season.

  6. Second City

    Since
    1959, Chicago’s famed Second City comedy troupe has launched such comic
    lights as John Belushi, Mike Myers, and Bill Murray. Actors improvize
    their lines in a series of skits connected by a current events theme on
    the cabaret-style main stage. Reservations are a must.

  7. Court Theatre

    This
    theater traces its roots to three Molière productions performed at the
    University of Chicago in 1955. The Court still mounts many classics, but
    it varies its seasons with musicals like Guys and Dolls and literary adaptations such as James Joyce’s The Dead.

  8. Old Town School of Folk Music

    Since
    the 1950s the Old Town School has brought world and homegrown folk
    music performers to Chicago. Its new home in Lincoln Square opened in
    1998 with a concert by Joni Mitchell, though you’re more likely to catch
    a women’s ensemble from Mali and contemporary folkies such as Patty
    Larkin.

  9. Lookingglass Theatre

    In
    1988, eight Northwestern University students founded Lookingglass, a
    bold company incorporating dance, circus arts, and live music in its
    original theatrical productions. Celebrity membership (including Friends actor David Schwimmer) and Broadway bound, award-winning shows have furthered this company’s stardom.

  10. Gene Siskel Film Center

    Tiny
    by cineplex standards, the Gene Siskel Film Center screens films from
    the silent era onwards. Cineastes will rave about the cushy rocking
    chairs, excellent sightlines, and art gallery as well as foreign,
    independent and experimental films rarely shown elsewhere.