Creativity was bursting at the seams in Chicagoland this past year. Whether watching live productions or attending interactive exhibitions, 2025 audiences were enriched by the wealth of performing and visual arts shows cited below.
THEATRICAL PREMIERES
No passport was needed to experience the romance and whimsy of Paris with the Chicago premiere of Amélie at the Chopin Downstairs Studio. Presented by Kokandy Productions, the quirky musical is based on 2001’s same-named hit which garnered commercial gain and critical acclaim.
The Office’s Jenna Fischer headlined the world premiere of Lee Kirk’s Ashland Avenue (Sep. 15-Oct. 12) at Goodman‘s Albert Theatre while Remy Bumppo Theatre presented the Chicago premiere of Wish You Were Here (Sep. 18-Oct. 19) at Theater Wit. “Set in Iran and spanning 1978 to 1991, Sanaz Toossi’s play charts the bonds between five women as they grapple with events in their lives and in the world,” explains Artistic Director Marti Lyons.
During this past summer, Andrea Prestinario starred in the Chicago regional premiere of Come From Away at the Paramount Theatre in Aurora. The musical relays the true story of Beverley Bass, the first female pilot at American Airlines, who heroically diverted a flight due to the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.
Chilina Kennedy stepped into the tennis shoes of sports legend Billie Jean King in the world premiere of Lauren Gunderson’s Billie Jean (July 18-Aug. 10) at Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s The Yard. “Billie Jean has left and continues to leave her mark on our world, helping to shape our thoughts and challenge accepted societal norms,” says the company’s artistic director Edward Hall.
At Theater Wit, Lindsey Ferrentino’s Ugly Lies the Bone (Oct. 3-Nov. 15) made its midwest premiere at Shattered Globe Theatre. The heartfelt comedy follows a veteran who uses virtual reality to piece her life back together.
MUSICAL PERFORMANCES
On Feb. 26, British R&B singer/songwriter and winner of the BRITs Critics Choice Award Jorja Smith performed at Chicago’s historic Auditorium Theatre.
Thanks to Maestra Mei-Ann Chen, the Chicago Sinfonietta brought Love Letters to Naperville (March 13) and Chicago (March 16). The live concerts showcased pieces by Valerie Coleman, Michelle Isaac, and Gustav Mahler.
Mezzo-soprano Angela Born took on the title role in Chicago City Opera’s production of Carmen conducted by Alexandra Enyart at Horatio May Chapel in Rosehill Cemetery (Oct. 3-4). The popular opera by French composer Georges Bizet and librettists Ludovic Halévy and Henri Meilhac was performed in French with English supertitles. “Carmen is the third most frequently performed opera in the United States this century, and with good reason,” says Chicago City Opera Artistic Director Alexandra Enyart. Under the baton of Scott Speck, Bizet’s score could also be heard as the Joffrey Ballet staged the same-named ballet at the Lyric Opera House (Sep. 18-28).
Chicago Repertory Ballet offered a new twist on Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” (1597) with the world premiere of The Capulets (Nov. 7-16) at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts. Featuring choreography by founding Artistic Director Wade Schaaf and music by Matty Mattsson, this new take on the literary classic emphasizes Lady Capulet’s marital dissatisfaction.
Per the Chicago premiere of Secret Byrd, audiences traveled back to 16th century England when Catholics were forbidden to publicly practice their religion. Presented in July by Concert Theatre Works at Salvage One, the unique evening featured The Gesualdo Six singing William Byrd’s Mass for Five Voices, accompanied by ViolMedium and Second City Musick. “With belief intolerance as present in today’s world as it was during Byrd’s lifetime, Byrd’s story and his defiant music are as relevant today as they were 400 years ago,” notes Artistic Director Bill Barclay.
Freddie Old Soul, MOYANA, PINKSQUEEZE, and Tromblau & Friends featuring Edgewater native Emma Blau were among the 40+ bands playing at the inaugural Edgewater Music Fest (Sept. 5-7). “This is not your average neighborhood fest,” says Garrett Karp, Executive Director of the Edgewater Chamber of Commerce. “We’ve curated a lineup that’s bold, diverse and reflective of the creative energy that defines Edgewater. It’s our way of inviting the entire city to discover what makes this community so special.”
ART EXHIBITIONS
Bold images of Wonder Woman, Superman, Batman, and Captain Marvel are showcased in Alex Ross: Heroes & Villains (through Feb. 16, 2026) at the Dunn Museum in Libertyville. The exhibition features more than 100 gouache renderings of characters from the Marvel and DC universes, including life-size murals by the renowned artist Ross.
Nearly 350 international pieces (including paintings, photography, sculpture, and textiles) reflecting the tenets of Pan-Africanism were on display in Project a Black Planet: The Art and Culture of Panafrica (through March 30) at the Art Institute of Chicago.
The year also marked exhibitions exploring the distant and recent past with Chicago on the Nile: 100 Years of the Epigraphic Survey in Egypt at Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures Museum; The Living End: Painting and Other Technologies, 1970-2020 at the Museum of Contemporary Art; and INSERT COIN: Inside Midway’s Arcade Revolution at the Cleve Carney Museum of Art, respectively.
The latter show documented the rise and fall behind Chicago’s video game manufacturer Midway Games and Williams Electronics with installations and interactive games. “It is impossible to ignore the visual and cultural influence of video games on our society,” says CCMA Curator Justin Witte. “The graphics and narratives created in iconic games of the 1980s and ’90s have shaped how generations interact with the world around them.”
In April, the Athenaeum Center housed a Roger Deakins Photography Exhibition showcasing more than 40 portraits and landscapes shot by the celebrated cinematographer who won Oscars for Blade Runner 2049 (2017) and 1917 (2019).
SPECIAL SCREENINGS
On Jan. 4, Ukrainian filmmakers Brendan Bellomo and Slava Leontyev, artist Anya Stasenko, producer Paula DuPre Pesmen, and Frodo the dog were on hand for an audience Q&A following a screening of the award-winning documentary Porcelain War (2024) at Music Box Theatre.
By summer, the historic cinema presented Five by Fellini (July 4-10). The cinematic series featured three of Federico Fellini’s Best Foreign Language Films — 8½, La Strada (1954), and Amarcord (1973) — as well as the Palme d’Or winner La Dolce Vita (1960) and the 8½ sequel La città delle donne (1980).
Guarneri Hall opened its doors on April 3 for A Night at the Movies: The General (1926). This screening of Buster Keaton’s silent film comedy was accompanied by a live score performed by members of NEXUS Chamber Music.
In honor of the 40th Anniversary of CLUE: The Movie, Lesley Ann Warren (Miss Scarlett) was on hand for a celebratory screening of the beloved 1985 romp at the Studebaker Theatre on Nov. 16.
Porchlight Young Professionals Associate Board hosted a Wicked: For Good Watch Party (Dec. 1) at Chicago’s Davis Theater. In addition to showing the film, the event included a live conversation with Wicked cast veterans, a costume contest and a raffle of Wicked-inspired items.
Throughout the year, Porchlight Music Theatre presented Movie Musical Dance Popup with Britta Schlicht. The hobbyist series provided choreography lessons of numbers performed in film faves such as Mamma Mia! (June 21), Chicago (Sep. 25) and Mary Poppins (Oct. 25). According to the company’s director of education Rebeccah Singer, “We have received numerous requests for programming where people can celebrate music theater and socialize.”
