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.<\/p>\n
THEATRICAL PREMIERES<\/mark> The Office<\/em>\u2019s\u00a0Jenna Fischer\u00a0starred in the world premiere of Lee Kirk\u2019s Ashland Avenue<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0(Sep. 15-Oct. 12) at Goodman<\/a>\u2018s Albert Theatre while Remy Bumppo Theatre<\/a> presented the Chicago premiere of Wish You Were Here<\/em> <\/strong>(Sep. 18-Oct. 19) at Theater Wit. \u201cSet in Iran and spanning 1978 to 1991, Sanaz Toossi\u2019s play charts the bonds between five women as they grapple with events in their lives and in the world,\u201d explains\u00a0Artistic Director Marti Lyons.<\/p>\n During this past summer, Andrea Prestinario starred in the Chicago regional premiere of Come From Away<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0at the\u00a0Paramount Theatre<\/a>\u00a0in 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.<\/p>\n Chilina Kennedy\u00a0stepped into the tennis shoes of sports legend Billie Jean King in the world premiere of Lauren Gunderson\u2019s Billie Jean<\/em><\/strong> (July 18-Aug. 10) at Chicago Shakespeare Theater<\/a>\u2019s The Yard. \u201cBillie Jean has left and continues to leave her mark on our world, helping to shape our thoughts and challenge accepted societal norms,\u201d says the company\u2019s artistic director\u00a0Edward Hall.<\/p>\n At Theater Wit, Lindsey Ferrentino\u2019s\u00a0Ugly Lies the Bone<\/strong> <\/em>(Oct. 3-Nov. 15) made its midwest premiere at Shattered Globe Theatre<\/a>. The heartfelt comedy follows a veteran who uses virtual reality to piece her life back together.<\/p>\n MUSICAL PERFORMANCES<\/mark> Thanks to Maestra Mei-Ann Chen, the Chicago Sinfonietta<\/a> brought Love Letters <\/strong><\/em>to Naperville (March 13) and Chicago (March 16). The live concerts showcased pieces by Valerie Coleman, Michelle Isaac, and Gustav Mahler.<\/p>\n Mezzo-soprano Angela Born took on the title role in Chicago City Opera\u2019s production of Carmen<\/a><\/strong><\/em> 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 Hal\u00e9vy and Henri Meilhac was performed in French with English supertitles. \u201cCarmen is the third most frequently performed opera in the United States this century, and with good reason,\u201d says Chicago City Opera Artistic Director Alexandra Enyart. Under the baton of Scott Speck, Bizet\u2019s score could also be heard as the Joffrey Ballet staged the same-named ballet at the Lyric Opera House (Sep. 18-28).<\/p>\n Chicago Repertory Ballet<\/a> provided a new twist on Shakespeare\u2019s \u201cRomeo and Juliet\u201d\u00a0(1597) with the world premiere of The Capulets <\/em><\/strong>(Nov. 7-16) at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts. Featuring choreography by founding Artistic Director\u00a0Wade Schaaf and music by\u00a0Matty Mattsson, this new take on the literary classic\u00a0emphasizes Lady Capulet\u2019s marital dissatisfaction.<\/p>\n Per the Chicago premiere of\u00a0Secret Byrd<\/em><\/strong>, audiences traveled back to 16th<\/sup>\u00a0century England when Catholics were forbidden to publicly practice their religion. Presented in July by Concert Theatre Works at Salvage One, the unique evening featured\u00a0The Gesualdo Six<\/a>\u00a0singing William Byrd\u2019s\u00a0Mass for Five Voices<\/em>, accompanied by\u00a0ViolMedium<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Second City Musick<\/a>. \u201cWith belief intolerance as present in today\u2019s world as it was during Byrd\u2019s lifetime, Byrd\u2019s story and his defiant music are as relevant today as they were 400 years ago,\u201d notes\u00a0Artistic Director Bill Barclay.\u00a0<\/p>\n Freddie Old Soul, MOYANA, PINKSQUEEZE, and Tromblau & Friends featuring Edgewater native Emma Blau were among the 40+ bands performing at the inaugural\u00a0Edgewater Music Fest<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>(Sept. 5-7). \u201cThis is not your average neighborhood fest,\u201d says Garrett Karp, Executive Director of the Edgewater Chamber of Commerce. \u201cWe\u2019ve curated a lineup that\u2019s bold, diverse and reflective of the creative energy that defines Edgewater. It\u2019s our way of inviting the entire city to discover what makes this community so special.\u201d<\/p>\n ART EXHIBITIONS<\/mark> 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<\/em> <\/strong>(through March 30) at the Art Institute of Chicago<\/a>.<\/p>\n The year also marked exhibitions exploring the distant and recent past with Chicago on the Nile: 100 Years of the Epigraphic Survey in Egypt<\/em><\/strong> at Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures Museum; The Living End: Painting and Other Technologies, 1970-2020 <\/strong><\/em>at the Museum of Contemporary Art; and INSERT COIN: Inside Midway\u2019s Arcade Revolutio<\/em>n<\/strong> at the Cleve Carney Museum of Art, respectively.<\/p>\n The latter show documented the rise and fall behind Chicago\u2019s video game manufacturer Midway Games and Williams Electronics with installations and interactive games. \u201cIt is impossible to ignore the visual and cultural influence of video games on our society,\u201d says CCMA Curator Justin Witte. \u201cThe graphics and narratives created in iconic games of the 1980s and \u201990s have shaped how generations interact with the world around them.\u201d<\/p>\n In April, the Athenaeum Center housed a Roger Deakins Photography Exhibition<\/strong> showcasing more than 40 portraits and landscapes shot by the celebrated cinematographer who won Oscars<\/a> for Blade Runner 2049<\/em> (2017) and 1917 <\/em>(2019).<\/p>\n SPECIAL SCREENINGS<\/mark> By summer, the historic cinema presented Five by Fellini<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0(July 4-10). The cinematic series featured three of Federico Fellini\u2019s\u00a0Best Foreign Language Films<\/a> \u2014 8\u00bd<\/em><\/em>,\u00a0La Strada\u00a0<\/em>(1954), and\u00a0Amarcord\u00a0<\/em>(1973) \u2014 as well as the Palme d\u2019Or winner\u00a0La Dolce Vita<\/em>\u00a0(1960) and the\u00a08\u00bd<\/a><\/em><\/em>\u00a0sequel\u00a0La citt\u00e0 delle donne<\/em>\u00a0(1980).<\/p>\n Guarneri Hall opened its doors on April 3 for A Night at the Movies: The General<\/strong> <\/em>(1926). This screening of Buster Keaton\u2019s silent film comedy was accompanied by a live score performed by members of NEXUS Chamber Music<\/a>.<\/p>\n In honor of\u00a0the 40th<\/sup>\u00a0Anniversary of\u00a0CLUE: The Movie<\/strong><\/em>, Lesley Ann\u00a0Warren\u00a0(Miss Scarlett) was on hand for a\u00a0celebratory screening<\/a>\u00a0of the beloved 1985 romp at the Studebaker Theatre on Nov. 16.<\/p>\n Porchlight Young Professionals Associate Board<\/a>\u00a0hosted a\u00a0Wicked: For Good\u00a0<\/em>Watch Party<\/strong>\u00a0(Dec. 1) at Chicago\u2019s Davis Theater. In addition to showing the film, the event included a live conversation with\u00a0Wicked\u00a0<\/em>cast veterans, a costume contest and a raffle of Wicked: For Good<\/em>-related items.<\/p>\n Throughout the year, Porchlight Music Theatre<\/a> presented\u00a0Movie Musical Dance Popup<\/a><\/em><\/strong>\u00a0with Britta Schlicht. The hobbyist series offered choreography lessons from numbers performed in film faves such as\u00a0Mamma Mia!<\/em> (June 21), Chicago<\/em>\u00a0(Sep. 25) and\u00a0Mary<\/em> Poppins<\/em>\u00a0(Oct. 25). Notes the company\u2019s director of education Rebeccah Singer, \u201cWe have received numerous requests for programming where people can celebrate music theater and socialize.\u201d<\/p>\n Copyright 2025 Rebellious Magazine. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without written permission.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source rebelliousmagazine.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 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 PREMIERESNo passport was needed to experience the romance and whimsy of Paris in the Chicago premiere of Am\u00e9lie at the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2215700,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2215699","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Cultural-Countdown-Top-25-Arts-Entertainment-Events-of-2025.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2215699","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2215699"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2215699\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2215701,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2215699\/revisions\/2215701"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2215700"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2215699"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2215699"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2215699"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
No passport was needed to experience the romance and whimsy of Paris in the Chicago premiere of Am\u00e9lie<\/strong><\/em><\/a> at the Chopin Downstairs Studio<\/a>. Presented by Kokandy Productions<\/a>, the quirky musical is based on 2001\u2019s same-named hit which garnered commercial gain and critical acclaim.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/rebelliousmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/PT_AWAY_Beverly-_Andrea-Prestinario__2_web_credit-Amy-Nelson.jpg\")
On Feb. 26, British R&B singer\/songwriter and winner of the BRITs Critics Choice Award Jorja Smith<\/a><\/strong> performed in concert at Chicago\u2019s historic Auditorium Theatre.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/rebelliousmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/thumbnail_image002.jpg\")
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Bold images of Wonder Woman, Superman, Batman, and Captain Marvel are showcased in Alex Ross: Heroes & Villains<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>(through Feb. 16, 2026) at the Dunn Museum<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/rebelliousmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/guido-luisa.jpg\")
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<\/em><\/strong> (2024) at Music Box Theatre.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/rebelliousmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/thumbnail_clue-40th-poster-663x1024.jpg\")
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