The curtain goes up at Chicago theaters long before the house lights begin to dim. The action starts on the Internet, where the League of Chicago Theatres is center stage with a Web site (www.chicagoplays.com) featuring links to most of its more than 140 members. They range from The Aardvark Theatre, whose site includes information about how to submit material for its second annual Estrogen Fest in the spring — which showcases new works about women — to the Victory Gardens Theatre site where theatergoers can find information about its barrier-free theater, which is equipped with an Audiolink Personal Listening System for the hearing impaired and offers programs in Braille and large print.
But the League’s site is most especially the place to find out about what’s playing where and when and who is in the cast and how much it will cost to see a show or become a subscriber. Just as not all plays are equally praise-worthy, not all theater Web sites are equal. Some give just the bare basics of the their season, others are more elaborate.
The Goodman Theatre (www.goodman-theatre.org) offers a brief history of theater in Chicago, where 45 theaters already were operating in 1907. Visitors to this site can switch to the future for a view of the Goodman’s new theater building, which opened its doors at 170 N. Dearborn St. in mid-November, and find the schedule of plays to be performed during the 2000-2001 season.
Court Theatre (www.courttheatre.org) not only provides information about its productions, but also an array of details about the possibilities for exploring the Hyde Park neighborhood where the theater is located. This is a chance to make theatergoing a full-day event by checking out museums and stores in the area and stopping for dinner at a restaurant near the theater before show time.
The Web site for Roadworks (www.roadworks.org) is a little bit more offbeat. A brief history of the theater describes how it was founded by students from Northwestern University who funded their endeavor in a very American, grass-roots way with the profits they earned from selling homemade baked goods and washing cars. One of their goals is to present plays that are relevant to young adults in order to turn them into theatergoers.
Very young theatergoers are not forgotten on the League’s site because a number of companies offer productions just for them. The Children’s Theatre Fantasy Orchard (www.kidtheater.com), in fact, has a site that is quite theatrical in itself. It opens with the call to “Come share the magic” and then offers a bit of dramatic animation and sound inspired by the lore of fairy tales.
Marj Halperin, executive director of the League of Chicago Theatres, says that new features are being phased in to the organization’s Web site and will be completed in time for the holiday season. “The site is going to be more user-friendly and glitzier,” she promises.
The site already offers information, updated twice a day, about half-price tickets for a changing array of plays available through the League’s Hot Tix program found at a number locations. So if you want tickets to specific show, you can see if it is worth making the trip to Hot Tix. Or if you just want an evening at the theater and are willing to be flexible, you can discover your choices in advance.
Full-price tickets can be purchased from Ticketmaster (www.ticketmaster.com), though it tacks on a hefty surcharge. It offers the lure of the Deal of the Week, which includes a discount on tickets for a certain show and a chance to win a pair of tickets or perhaps a gift certificate to a restaurant. You can search for a specific event in Chicago and also in other cities nationwide. The listing under the heading “Most Popular Events” for Illinois includes some six different productions of “The Nutcracker” in the Chicago area.
The performance of “The Nutcracker” in the city is presented by The Joffrey Ballet of Chicago, which has its own Web site (www.joffrey.com). It opens with a photo of a ballerina in a classic costume and toe shoes leaping through the air. It includes the schedule for performances of “The Nutcracker” and lively photos of the dancers and their biographies. A boutique sells Joffrey memorabilia such as signed toe shoes, a canvas tote bag and a CD “Music of the JBC.”
The city’s Hubbard Street Dance Chicago also has a place on the Internet (www.hubbardstreetdance.com). The site opens with a quote from the late master of the graceful, sophisticated dance step, Fred Astaire, who described performances by Hubbard Street as “…some of the greatest dancing I’ve seen in years.”
The site is the place to find a historical look at the company’s repertoire beginning with its signature piece “The 40s,” created in 1978, and biographies of the dancers. A gift shop is the place for browsing and perhaps for buying a T-shirt with the title of one of Hubbard Street’s works: “Read My Hips.”
The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago’s site (www.dancecenter.org) gives details of its programs for the season. It will tell you right away to not even think about going to see the White Oak Dance Project featuring Mikhail Baryshnikov because tickets are sold out. But there are many other choices, such as a free program Dec. 9 featuring a variety of Chicago dancers. It’s called “1306” in reference to the Center’s new address at 1306 S. Michigan Ave. The site also includes an architectural rendering of the interior of the new theater and a map that shows how to get there.
Those hesitant about what show to choose can base their decision on the opinions of professionals. The reviews of plays and dance performances by critics of the Chicago Tribune can be found at www.metromix.com. A location finder tells you how to get to the theater and a traffic report will give you an idea of how long it might take to arrive on time. All that’s left to do is figure out what to wear.
Also, the Chicago Reader offers a bevy of information, including reviews and ticket purchasing, at www.chicagoreader.com. Categories, listed on the site’s left rail, include music, theater and performance.
ACROSS THE NATION
Theatergoers traveling throughout the United States and out of the country can find what’s playing wherever they go by logging on to www.playbill.com. It details what’s playing on Broadway and off-Broadway and in numerous American cities and in London. It is possible to look at seating charts before buying tickets from the site, which also offers information about hotels and restaurants.
But beyond the basic facts, the site makes choosing plays a well-informed, entertaining process because it has feature stories and quizzes inspired by the theater.
In addition, www.culturefinder.com features recommendations for events in about 60 U.S. cities, including Chicago, a list of the top 25 events nationwide and the possibility to buy tickets. Another Web site, http://theatremania.com, covers U.S. cities and London. It’s a place, for example, for visitors to New York City to buy tickets for “Annie Get Your Gun” and read features such as a piece about “Doll,” a high-camp collision of America’s Barbie and Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House.” As Shakespeare said, “All the world’s a stage.”
— N.M.
