PREPARE TO BE INTENSELY ENTERTAINED
Upcoming Shows & Events
Savor Evanston
The Fifth Ward:
Soul and Smoke
March 25 @ 6:00 pm
THE ANGEL NEXT DOOR
By Paul Slade Smith
April 9 – May 10
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FUTURE HOME IN EVANSTON
After 50 years of productions and nearly 30 years at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, Northlight’s 2025-26 Season will be its last as renters in Skokie as we embark on opening our very own home in Evanston, the vibrant community where Northlight began in 1974. Owned and operated by Northlight, a theatre of our own in downtown Evanston will strengthen our ability to produce compelling new and existing work, nurture and grow the next generation of theatregoers, expand our civic impact, spark economic development, and serve as a cultural hub for the entire community. The new Northlight is scheduled to open at 1012 Church Street in September 2026.
NORTHLIGHT NEWS
Today we’re bringing you something special from the Archives! Way back in 2008, Gaslight Scenic Designer Collette Pollard teamed up with Director Jessica Thebus to...
Artistic Director BJ Jones sat down with Laura Schellhardt, a nationally recognized playwright and dramaturg who is currently the head of playwriting at Northwestern University,...
Our Artistic Director BJ Jones sat down with the playwright of Gaslight to get the scoop on why he decided to adapt this classic thriller....
Our Artistic Director BJ Jones is always tuned in to what’s happening in the theatre scene around Chicago, and in June he appeared on the...
On a rainy day in New York back in 2009, Northlight Artistic Director BJ Jones saw a documentary on Gertrude Berg. Yoo-hoo, Mrs.Goldberg followed the...
As we gear up for Twisted Melodies, it’s important to us that we’re providing our audiences with the right tools to navigate their own mental...
Connect With Us
Our Savor Evanston series continues with a special event at Soul and Smoke. Enjoy appetizers, drinks, and get a special preview of our 2026-27 season, the inaugural season in our brand new home at 1012 Church Street. Plus, enjoy the evening in Soul and Smoke’s new dining space in Evanston.
We’re also supporting Connections for the Homeless. Connections serves as a safety net for neighbors who need support to maintain safe, stable housing in Evanston and Northern Cook County. Please bring rain gear, specifically umbrellas and ponchos, to the event, which we will donate to Connections for the Homeless. Visit their website to learn more!
Visit our website or scan the QR code to grab your tickets to this special Northlight event! Can`t attend this event? Visit our website to learn about our remaining Savor Evanston events. We can’t wait to see you there.
#evanston #evanstonillinois #downtownevanston #downtownevanston
We love championing new work and staging world premieres so that never-before-seen stories are shared with our audiences. And we especially love it when those stories go on to be shared with people around the country and beyond! Both CHAPATTI and THE OUTGOING TIDE are appearing in the Mountmellick Drama Festival across the pond in Ireland next month, and we’re so glad their stories started here at Northlight.
February 27 is National Pokémon Day, so we thought we’d celebrate by building a Pokémon production team! Who would be on your team if you were staging the perfect Poké play? Let us know in the comments!
#pokémon #pokemonday #pokémonday #theatrekid #theatrekids
New staff alert! As we prep to move to our new home in Evanston, we’re filling new positions and welcoming more folks into the fabric of Northlight.
Brian Scully is excited to join the Northlight Team as the first Patron Services Manager at the new Evanston location! A longtime theatre performer and musician, Brian most recently worked on the Morris Performing Arts Center team in South Bend, IN. He is glad to return to the Chicagoland performing arts and hopes to continue Northlight’s mission of high-quality patron experiences as we transition to our new home.
Actor Sean Fortunato is returning to the Northlight stage for THE ANGEL NEXT DOOR, and you might remember him from INTIMATE APPAREL in our 2021-22 season! Check out this scene from our archives where he performs alongside Mildred Marie Langford, and come see him live in April.
In 1905, a Black seamstress named Esther sews her way toward the future stitch by delicate stitch, creating fine lingerie for her Manhattan clientele while searching for a husband and planning for a more fulfilling life.
#chicagotheatrescene #northlighttheatre #archives #chicagotheatre
Happy closing to the cast and crew of MARY JANE! We`re delighted to bring stories like this to life, exploring themes of community, strength, and resilience. Thank you to everyone who joined us for the show, and to all the folks who helped bring it to life.
We hope to see you again in a few short weeks for the final show of our 50th Anniversary Season, a romantic screwball comedy called THE ANGEL NEXT DOOR!
From the archives today, we bring you TOM JONES, a play from our 2014 season! Tom Jones is an amiable young rascal with a fondness for the fairer sex…and for getting into trouble. Tom sets off on a whirlwind of romantic misadventures in this adaptation of Henry Fielding’s classic novel, a charming tale full of timeless wit and good old-fashioned, bawdy fun.
Stay tuned for more clips from the archives throughout our 50th Anniversary Season!
#archives #northlighttheatre #chicagotheatrescene #chicagotheatre #theatreinchicago
You only have four more chances to catch the inspiring story of MARY JANE at Northlight! The show must close February 22, so grab your tickets before they`re gone!
MARY JANE is in its final week of performances, and we want to make sure you don’t miss the play Splash Magazine calls “a triumphant story that reaches out to everyone, showcasing ordinary lives and stories, with tenderness, yet, right in your face realism and honesty.” The show must close February 22, but we’re sure Mary Jane’s story will stick with you long after the curtain falls!
#maryjane #theatreinchicago #chicagowomenartist #chicagotheatre #thingstodoinchicago
February 17 is National Random Acts of Kindness Day! Mary Jane knows all about the impact of small acts. She leans on hundreds of small kindnesses from her community as she faces insurmountable odds and cares for her son. Take some time today to offer your own small kindnesses to the world, and help those in your community!
#actsofkindness #ActsofKindnessDay
We`ve got one more sneak preview scene from MARY JANE, and this one features actors Lucy Carapetyan and Kaylah Marie Crosby. Check it out, and be sure to grab your tickets to our final weekend of performances!
#chicagotheatre #theatreinchicago #thingstodoinchicago #chicagowomenartist #maryjane
