Court Theatre is the professional theatre of the University of Chicago, dedicated to innovation, inquiry, intellectual engagement, and community service. Functioning as the University’s Center for Classic Theatre, Court and its artists mount theatrical productions and audience enrichment programs in collaboration with faculty. These collaborations enable a re-examination of classic texts that pose the enduring and provocative questions that define the human experience.
Court Theatre endeavors to make a lasting contribution to classic American theatre by expanding the canon of translations, adaptations, and classic texts. Our theatre revives lost masterpieces; illuminates familiar texts; explores the African American theatrical canon; and discovers fresh, modern classics. Court engages and inspires its audience by providing artistically distinguished productions, audience enrichment activities, and student educational experiences.
Past Events
Five Guys Named Moe (1 viewer under the age of 30)
Court Theatre's 2017 Production
The Sun-Times called Court’s production “pure, unadulterated theatrical fun!” A tribute to the hit songs of songwriter Louis Jordan, this exuberant musical features hits like “Is You Is, or Is You Ain’t My Baby” and “Let the Good Times Roll,” showing how Jordan's jazz and R&B music paved the way for rock and roll in the 1950s. Featuring an all-star cast and lively orchestrations, Five Guys Named Moe is a testament to music's power to lift spirits.
Five Guys Named Moe (Regular ticket - 1 viewer)
Court Theatre's 2017 Production
The Sun-Times called Court’s production “pure, unadulterated theatrical fun!” A tribute to the hit songs of songwriter Louis Jordan, this exuberant musical features hits like “Is You Is, or Is You Ain’t My Baby” and “Let the Good Times Roll,” showing how Jordan's jazz and R&B music paved the way for rock and roll in the 1950s. Featuring an all-star cast and lively orchestrations, Five Guys Named Moe is a testament to music's power to lift spirits.
Five Guys Named Moe (Regular ticket - 2+ viewers)
Court Theatre's 2017 Production
The Sun-Times called Court’s production “pure, unadulterated theatrical fun!” A tribute to the hit songs of songwriter Louis Jordan, this exuberant musical features hits like “Is You Is, or Is You Ain’t My Baby” and “Let the Good Times Roll,” showing how Jordan's jazz and R&B music paved the way for rock and roll in the 1950s. Featuring an all-star cast and lively orchestrations, Five Guys Named Moe is a testament to music's power to lift spirits.
An Iliad (1 Viewer under the age of 30)
Court Theatre's 2020 Production
Remounted three times across Court’s history, Artist Director Charles Newell’s production of An Iliad showcases classic theatre's power to speak to our current moment. Interrogate how rage and division reverberate throughout civilization in this streaming release of our limited-engagement, site-specific production of An Iliad at the OI. Actor Timothy Edward Kane takes audiences on a journey through ancient societies and artifacts in this thrilling visceral performance.
An Iliad (Regular ticket - 1 viewer)
Court Theatre's 2020 Production
Remounted three times across Court’s history, Artist Director Charles Newell’s production of An Iliad showcases classic theatre's power to speak to our current moment. Interrogate how rage and division reverberate throughout civilization in this streaming release of our limited-engagement, site-specific production of An Iliad at the OI. Actor Timothy Edward Kane takes audiences on a journey through ancient societies and artifacts in this thrilling visceral performance.
An Iliad (Regular ticket - 2+ viewers)
Court Theatre's 2020 Production
Remounted three times across Court’s history, Artist Director Charles Newell’s production of An Iliad showcases classic theatre's power to speak to our current moment. Interrogate how rage and division reverberate throughout civilization in this streaming release of our limited-engagement, site-specific production of An Iliad at the OI. Actor Timothy Edward Kane takes audiences on a journey through ancient societies and artifacts in this thrilling visceral performance.
Titanic (1 Viewer under the age of 30)
Court Theatre's 2021 Production
A survivors’ story fraught with intrigue, bravery, and human frailty, Owen McCafferty’s Titanic (Scenes from the British Wreck Commissioner’s Inquiry, 1912) tells the story of the sinking of the RMS Titanic using verbatim testimonies from a court investigation of the wreck. Presented in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, an ensemble of actors probes the causes of the catastrophe, the value systems that enabled it, and if indeed it was actually preventable.
Titanic (Regular ticket - 1 viewer)
Court Theatre's 2021 Production
A survivors’ story fraught with intrigue, bravery, and human frailty, Owen McCafferty’s Titanic (Scenes from the British Wreck Commissioner’s Inquiry, 1912) tells the story of the sinking of the RMS Titanic using verbatim testimonies from a court investigation of the wreck. Presented in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, an ensemble of actors probes the causes of the catastrophe, the value systems that enabled it, and if indeed it was actually preventable.
Titanic (Regular ticket - 2+ viewers)
Court Theatre's 2021 Production
A survivors’ story fraught with intrigue, bravery, and human frailty, Owen McCafferty’s Titanic (Scenes from the British Wreck Commissioner’s Inquiry, 1912) tells the story of the sinking of the RMS Titanic using verbatim testimonies from a court investigation of the wreck. Presented in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, an ensemble of actors probes the causes of the catastrophe, the value systems that enabled it, and if indeed it was actually preventable.
The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice (1 Viewer Under the age of 30)
Court Theatre's 2022 Production
Othello—the noble general, husband, scholar, and traveler—fights for his life, right to love, and position in society. When Othello’s closest confidant objects to his actions, their brotherhood is shattered, provoking a series of tragic events for Othello and everyone around him.
The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice (Regular ticket 1 viewer)
Court Theatre's 2022 Production
Othello—the noble general, husband, scholar, and traveler—fights for his life, right to love, and position in society. When Othello’s closest confidant objects to his actions, their brotherhood is shattered, provoking a series of tragic events for Othello and everyone around him.
The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice (Regular ticket 2+ viewers)
Court Theatre's 2022 Production
Othello—the noble general, husband, scholar, and traveler—fights for his life, right to love, and position in society. When Othello’s closest confidant objects to his actions, their brotherhood is shattered, provoking a series of tragic events for Othello and everyone around him.
The Lady from the Sea Regular Ticket 1 viewer
Court Theatre's 2022 Production
When a sailor returns to fulfill their promise, a lighthouse keeper’s daughter must choose between her landlocked marriage and the mesmerizing allure of the sea. Hailed as a watershed moment in Ibsen’s writing, The Lady from the Sea dissects issues of duty, marriage, and agency with raw emotion and disarming resonance.
The Lady from the Sea Regular Ticket 2+ viewers
Court Theatre's 2022 Production
When a sailor returns to fulfill their promise, a lighthouse keeper’s daughter must choose between her landlocked marriage and the mesmerizing allure of the sea. Hailed as a watershed moment in Ibsen’s writing, The Lady from the Sea dissects issues of duty, marriage, and agency with raw emotion and disarming resonance.
The Lady from the Sea, Viewer under the age of 30
Court Theatre's 2022 Production
When a sailor returns to fulfill their promise, a lighthouse keeper’s daughter must choose between her landlocked marriage and the mesmerizing allure of the sea. Hailed as a watershed moment in Ibsen’s writing, The Lady from the Sea dissects issues of duty, marriage, and agency with raw emotion and disarming resonance.