- Chicago is famous for its fringe theater.chicago 1 image by Blu-Mu from Fotolia.com
Theater is well represented in Chicago. Lovers of the stage will find that all levels of theater are well represented, from lavish production values in massive theaters all the way down to bare bones, black box theaters that only have room for an audience of 20. Theater events in Chicago are numerous and visitors will find a large number of genres represented, including modern drama, traditional musicals and original pieces. - The Rhinoceros Theater Festival is an annual event celebrating fringe theater, meaning shows not generally produced at the mainstream level. Chicago has for years been at the forefront of this type of theater and this festival is a prime example.
Rhinofest, as it is often called, is held in January and is the longest-running festival of its kind in Chicago. If you yearn for inexpensive tickets, atypical production values and a great deal of original work, Rhinofest is for you.
Four weeks of performances in varying venues include solo, avant-garde and experimental theater. Casts and crews are drawn from a wide list of the well known and unknown, and include local, regional and international groups. - The Abbie Hoffman Died for Our Sins Theater Festival is an annual event celebrating new talent and the spirit that surrounded the 1969 Woodstock Music and Art Fair. Named after the political activist famous for his unsolicited appearance on the Woodstock stage during a Who concert, this festival takes place each August and spans three days.
Fifty theater groups begin the festival with a peaceful march to the theater where speeches are given by an actor portraying Hoffman. Performances range from plays to rock operas to the absolutely bizarre. Even more unusual, this festival offers continuous performances for 72 hours. If you've ever had a craving for theater before dawn, this is your chance to satiate that urge. All performances take place at the Mary-Arrchie Theatre Company. - The Latino Theatre Festival is an annual five-week event celebrating international, regional and local Latino theater groups from around the world. Produced by the famous Goodman Theatre, festivals are generally inspired by specific events. Theater groups for the 2010 festival, for example, were chosen with the bicentennial of Mexican independence in mind.
Performances are held both indoors and outdoors at numerous locations and include full plays, one acts, ten-minute shorts, operas, music, dance, staged readings and post-performance discussions. Past participants have included Cuba's inspired Teatro Buendia.
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