This is the kind of theatre we need feeding the outskirts of America's major, metropolitan cities…read more While Chicagoans don't often refer to Berwyn as "The Outskirts," I simply point to it's more sedate, suburban surroundings, as opposed to some of the more cosmopolitan stuff you'd experience downtown. This past Saturday, I caught the second to last performance of OUR DAD IS IN ATLANTIS. The production, directed by Artistic Director Ann Filmer, was a tight, ethereal afternoon of theatre. She drew from the actors an emotional honesty and intensity that I haven't seen in a long time. And I see a ton of plays. Ms. Filmer has done an amazing job crafting out a space for unique, daring, dialogue-inducing theatre. She should be very proud of her accomplishments here. I can only hope and pray that this place stays alive for a very long time. BOTTOM LINE: Do yourself a favor, folks, and check it out. A new Rebecca Gilman play is going up this Summer.

Went to see Living Large in a Mini Kind of Way The acting…read moreperformances by the ensemble was fine. Particularly funny was actress Miranda Gonzalez (Big Maria) Rose Guccione is truly talented in both languanges and has excellent timing of dialogue use. The theatre is also impressive for it's location. Confortable and clean. We will surely return and recommend. Well done director Anne Filmer.

Nice medium sized theater located in Oak Park. I was really close to giving them five stars, it's…read moreclean, the staff is polite, the actors are great, and the seats are comfy. The only problems are that the seats aren't pitched enough and that something is off with their audio. I couldn't hear most of the performance. Lucky enough the actors were good enough for me to follow the story. Also I had the change seats a few times before and during the performance. Get one tall person in front of you and you can't see anything, hence the seating needing to be pitched more or maybe make the stage higher. Even with these major issues I still really enjoyed the show and the theater. I know this sounds sick and or weird but the play was called "Urinetown" -it's a musical about pee only it's so much more then that. About the right to pee. It's a hilarious tale of greed, corruption, love, and revolution in a time when water is worth its weight in gold. Still strange I know, but it's something for you to see for yourself. Enjoy! P.S. The actors are excellent, dancing, singing, and my favorite... they still perform even when they aren't the center of attention. I love that! P.S.S. This is my 50th theater review!! Holy crap there are a lot of play house in Illinois!

Circle Theatre does not equal Broadway. In fact, I get the distinct impression that they are not…read moreTRYING to compete with the Les Miserables and Wicked blockbusters. With that in the forefront of your mind, imagine a local (non-touring) group of professionals who act in these plays because they love it. This is their passion and it shows. Consider Circle Theatre the Hilary Swank of the acting world. They are talented, uber smart, and they choose productions that are somehow meaningful to them (not necessarily with the intention of making money). Are they capable of producing popular, money making productions that would make Andrew Lloyd Webber proud? Absolutely! True to the pervasive value of the Village of Oak Park, Circle Theatre strives for independent excellence. Circle Theatre itself is pretty small. There is an atrium with a ticket counter and a small concession area. The concession area has a few things including wine and beer. There are two theaters so that two shows can occur simultaneously. The theaters are divided into three sections of tiered seats, have open seating, and have great views from everywhere. The seats themselves are padded and have armrests. The floors are clean (not sticky like some movie theaters). Lastly, the employees (actors and staff) are all kind and friendly. They've been nice when it comes to finding tickets for me and have worked quickly at the concession stand when I want to get to a seat before the show begins. The actors have come out after the show and have made pleasant conversation with their fans. In conclusion, Circle Theatre is perfect at what it is. Some of the plays are funny and some are thought-provoking. They have impressive costumes and sets, but without the fireworks of something you would see in Chicago's Theatre District. The actors have theater degrees and lots of experience. You can expect to see an offbeat play performed and produced by professionals who care.

not professional don't waste your time or money here…read more I don't like the way they excluded my daughter, so I'm paying full and my daughter was not taking classes because she start too late for the recital Teacher focused on the other girls and excluded my 5years old daughter, she loves to dance but this is not the place, I understand I didn't enroll my daughter at the beginning but why they did take my daughter and took my money they don't care, they just want the money even if they not capable to teach I believe miss Peggy was a good dancer but I don't think she knows how to run this place

Peggy Rose Academy of Dance is the studio to be at! Everyone…read morefrom Peggy herself, the student dance aide, and the receptionist are all so friendly and welcoming. Not to mention there is open enrollment throughout the year for a very affordable price. There are many different events throughout the year such as Halloween parties, Christmas parties, a parade, and a few holiday performances followed by the big spring recital at the end of the year. My daughter wasn't able to perform in the holiday shows because I enrolled her right beforehand but we're looking forward to enjoying a full year of dance here in 2019! The highlight of my daughter's week is attending hip hop/ballet class, she can never wait to go back!

We were at The Trickery last weekend for a magic show - our age group ranged from teens to senior…read morecitizens and we all had a blast. The highlight of our weekend in Chicago. Aaron and Steve are truly amazing magicians and performers - highly recommend!

We attended Trickery on Saturday 04/18/26. Aaron was adept at working with a diverse audience to…read moreinclude them and maintain control of his performance in a very intimate setting. Because it's BYOB you'll get the 20-somethings that feel they have to get loaded beforehand and then act the fool while attending (do you hear that "Neil"? No one wants the focus on you acting like it was your first experience with alcohol) but Aaron was skilled at bypassing them without causing tension or escalating bad behavior. Aaron's attitude is one of someone who has worked hard to make this little venture work, and he deserves respect and recognition for his obvious commitment and work ethic. His act included variations of tricks performed by other magicians, with his own twists. He is an expert at sleight of hand and distraction, which is considerably more difficult in a room about the size of an average residential living-room. He had an appropriate sense of humor aligned with an audience coming to Boystown, an overtly gay neighborhood in Chicago (if you're not familiar). However he wasn't garish, flaming, flamboyant, or offensive; he managed a perfect balance of innuendo humor and audience engagement without being cheap or ingenuine. The snarky one-liners will likely go over your young kids' heads (although bring them to an early show, your 9 year old doesn't belong in Boystown at 10 pm on a weekend), and he carries himself with class avoiding the use of profanity or graphic terms. Again, I can't overstate that his tricks were amazing, impressive, and captivating - as magic should be. You leave the show shaking your head and wondering how it's done - which truly makes it "magic". You would be hard-pressed to spend $36.36/person for an hour of live entertainment that can match Aaron's performance. Pro-tip: If you're driving there you will need to use an app to reserve parking, as there aren't garages like downtown Chicago and every street is filled with so many signs there's no way you will return and find your car not-towed or not-ticketed. Chicago does this on purpose to generate revenue; you'll see "street cleaning" on Tuesday from xx hour to xx hour, no parking when snow is over 2 inches OR any time from Dec 1 through April 1, loading zone, 15 minute stopping/standing with flashers, no parking, residential permit zone only, bike lanes, bus stop restrictions, etc. If you find street parking and think you've beaten the system, think again. Nobel Prize Laureates, Rhodes Scholars, Ivy League PhDs, Mensa members - you can meet them all at Chicago Central Auto Pound retrieving their vehicles. Stephen Hawking couldn't drive, but if he could and he parked in that neighborhood all the quantum mechanics in the world wouldn't make his towed car reappear from the Chicago Parking space-time continuum. The nice thing is if you do reserve parking and give yourself enough time you can walk to many, many restaurants and bars in the area that are open even after the 10 pm show ends. Thank you Aaron for a wonderful experience, you made my wife's birthday memorable for both of us.

We went to this venue to hear a gospel concert.its bigger inside than you think. The other…read morereviewers talked about youth shows but when I went it was primarily adults. Everyone seemed very sincere. It has a resale shop that turns into a venue at times. This is a Christian ministry.

The reason this place means so much to me is Juggalo Night. I love coming here with my ICP peeps,…read morewatching cover bands, and letting out a feed"whoop whoop"s. Check out their Website and look for juggalo night. It's the best thing going for this place.

El mejor Mariachi! Their music and voices were beautiful. A big hit at our wedding and our guests…read morestill talk about it. Authentic! They were was also extremely responsive to emails leading up to the event!

Thoroughly pleased from the get go! Martha set the tone for a great experience with how quickly she…read moreresponded to my many questions with professionalism and care. She is extremely helpful and absolutely amazing!!! Then the mariachi band showed up and delivered a phenomenal experience! All voices were absolutely beautiful and authentic. Everyone was friendly and welcomed song requests. Moving forward this is the ONLY mariachi group I will hire. Definitely recommend!

We came for the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee in May 2015. I'd wanted tp see it for years,…read moresince it was playing in New York (in the plaza across from Wicked). So I can't compare the Oak Park production to any other, but it was, uncompared very good. There were certainly some notable differences -- for instance, they asked for 4 volunteers from the audience to join the cast to fill up some seats. They picked really well, and the volunteers when I saw it hammed it up, and stuck around for a few rounds of the Bee. As for the paid performers, the singing and acting was good, the set was minimalistic, but didn't feel like it needed anything more, and the lighting and sound were overall good. There was one microphone issue. The lights also seemed like they were a little bit low, and didn't quite hit the actors' faces, although maybe that was deliberate so they could see. It was fun that the theater was so small, every seat was a good one, and we could actually see everything, down to the facial expressions. The cast had a sense of humor when things came up (like the microphone issue, or the audience volunteers indicating a willingness to jump in for a number). Overall it was a very well put together production. The show was a fun one, although it got wayyyy darker than I expected. The ending was cheesy, but hey, it's a musical. I had no idea Oak Park had such a theater scene! There was plenty of street parking. There's a small concession area with basic offerings. The bathroom is small, only a couple per sex, but the intermission was long enough for everyone who needed the break. I think there were at least 2 venues in the playhouse because there seemed to be another show going at the same time as ours.

Came to see los monologos de la vagina" I Like it great…read moreshow Nice theatre ,great place

Provocative and intense... Chicago artists at their best... A community event That stitches…read moretogether the soul of the city!

From the owner: True Muse's Second Sunday Salon Series is a monthly live performance and art exhibition at The…read morePrint Shop in Humboldt Park. Join us for live music, spoken word, art, photography, original films, dance, readings, creative workshops and great conversation. Enjoy wine and cheese and other light bites at our events. Learn about Chicago based creators and build community with us.