Theatre — Blog — In Practice: The Official University of Chicago Arts Blog

UChicago director and dramaturg is making classic theater feel fresh

Gabrielle Randle-Bent didn’t start off as a theater kid. The Texas native took AP science classes and grew up playing volleyball and basketball. But bad asthma kept her off the court and brought her to the stage.

TheatreGuest UserMay 1, 2023Theater, Court Theatre, Dramaturgy

The Gospel According to Court Theatre

Learn more about Court Theatre’s production of The Gospel at Colonus, its next installment in the Oedipus Trilogy, opening May 2023.

Performing, TheatreGuest UserMay 1, 2023Theater, Court Theatre, Dramaturgy

Eve L. Ewing’s1919 brings story of Chicago race riots to the stage

During an Oct. 12 conversation with WBEZ’s Sasha-Ann Simons at UChicago’s Logan Center for the Arts, Ewing emphasized that learning about an important historical event for the first time isn’t a cause for shame. “It is a moment to ask yourself: ‘Who is invested in your not knowing? What systems are perpetuated by your not knowing?’”

With stages closed, Court launches virtual conversations featuring UChicago faculty

For Court Theatre executive director Angel Ysaguirre, the magic of the stage exists in the actors’ ability to connect with the audience—to see their smiles and their tears, and to hear their laughter, gasps and applause.

Performing, Theatre, VideoLogan CenterSeptember 9, 2020Theater, Theatre, Court Theatre

Chill Factor: Actor Katlyn Carlson’s (AB’05) journey to Broadway

In 2015 actor Katlyn Carlson, AB’05, got an email from her agent about an audition for a new musical. The message described high school queen bee Chloe Valentine as “self-absorbed, crass, sexy, manipulative, and hilarious in her disregard for others.” Carlson’s reaction? “Sign me up.”

She didn’t know she was embarking on a project that would make her (as best she knows) the first person from her hometown of Eureka, Missouri, to perform on Broadway.

Theatre, Student Arts, Performing, AlumniLogan CenterAugust 19, 2020Alumni, Theater, Theatre, Broadway, UChicago Magazine

Puppetry, Mechanical Intimacy, and the Critical Power of Silliness: An Interview with Marissa Fenley

Marissa Fenley is a PhD candidate in English and TAPS (Theater and Performance Studies), as well as an ASCI Graduate Fellow. Lee Jasperse, a PhD candidate in English Language and Literature, as well as ASCI’s Graduate Management Fellow, interviewed Marissa on what puppets teach us about intimacy, how play and silliness enter into her scholarly process, and how a lifelong engagement with puppets inspired her dissertation project.

Excerpt: Students remote-produce storytelling festival Radio[24]

Students move plays produced in 24 hours to radio format for the quarter

Creative Writing, Performing, Student Arts, Theatre, VideoLogan CenterMay 21, 2020

Co-Creating Worlds: An Interview with Guggenheim Fellow Patrick Jagoda

The Guggenheim Fellowship recognizes those with significant prior accomplishment and exceptional potential. We reached out to Professor Patrick Jagoda, an awardee in the arts field, to hear more about his work and plans for the Fellowship.

Expanding the Shelf: A Conversation with the Makers of the Spotlight Reading Series

We sat down with Ron O.J. Parson and Aaron Mays to hear more about the Spotlight Reading Series at Court Theatre, a citywide program that connects the Court’s theatrical resources with community partners to present classic plays by writers of color.

Student Spotlight: Le Vorris and Vox Circus

If you need more proof of the vast diversity of artistic interests at UChicago, look no further. In addition to singing, dancing, and visual arts, students take physical performance to the next level in the Le Vorris and Vox Circus.

Student Arts, Performing, TheatreLogan CenterMarch 25, 2020Student Arts, Circus Arts, Performance, Student Author

Oedipus Rex Bridges Ancient and Modern, Fiction and Reality

When the house doors opened for Oedipus Rex, the first installment in Court Theatre’s Oedipus Trilogy, the stage immediately drew attention.

Performing, TheatreLogan CenterDecember 12, 2019

What's Your Passion? There's an RSO for That!

Varying in intensity and commitment, Registered Student Organizations (RSOs) provide opportunities for students to pursue a dream, let out their creativity, build job skills,or just have fun.

Student Arts, Creative Writing, Dance, Performing, Theatre, Visual ArtsLogan CenterNovember 18, 2019

Excerpt: Oedipus and Agency

UChicago Classics Professor Sarah Nooter explores questions of agency, truth, and fate in Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex.

Theatre, PerformingLogan CenterOctober 30, 2019Court Theatre, Oedipus Trilogy

Leadership as Performance Art: Civic Actor Studio connects community leaders with the characters they contain

Last month, as part of a new partnership between Court Theatre and the Office of Civic Engagement (OCE), 22 of Chicago’s established and emerging civic actors explored what it was like to become literal actors.

Theatre, Community Engagement, Civic EngagementRonia HolmesOctober 29, 2019Oedipus Trilogy, Court Theatre

Augie March’s Chicago

Like many of his novels, Saul Bellow’s The Adventures of Augie March plays out across Chicago. Read about five significant city locations for both Bellow and March, and plan your own literary pilgrimage.

Theatre, PerformingLogan CenterJune 12, 2019Saul Bellow, Augie March, Court Theatre