Nicole Blackwood

During the coronavirus outbreak, livestreamed ‘quarantine concerts’ provide a connection

March 20, 2020 at 7:49 p.m.

If an uninitiated viewer stumbled upon singer Vera Bowser's livestream Sunday evening, they would have been surprised by what they heard. Opera music, its glass-shattering sounds normally reserved for domed...

For Chicago-area arts students in a coronavirus world remote learning is necessary, but there are many challenges

March 20, 2020 at 8:19 p.m.

When it became clear that DePaul's Theatre School would no longer be able to hold classes in person after the novel coronavirus, Chair of Theatre Studies Coya Paz held a...

Music director, conductor and keyboard player Kyra Leigh gets ready for Saturday night's performance of Head Over Heels at Theater Wit in Chicago on Aug. 10, 2019.

Finding roles as trans and nonbinary actors in Chicago resembles a shuffle: one step forward, two back

September 6, 2019 at 8:07 p.m.

When nonbinary actor Rae Hamilton-Vargofirst began their career in Chicago, they had two resumes: one with their pronouns, and one without. They would look at audition postings and perform mental...

Homesickness is a common problem among college students, according to experts.

For college first-years, homesickness is common, but experts say parents should be aware of its links to mental health

August 26, 2019 at 1:14 p.m.

When incoming Loyola University sophomore Mary Plankey was starting college, she was fine for the first week and a half — excited, even. But Plankey is from Florida, a long...

‘Murdering Macbeth’ reinvents Shakespeare for today, inviting new audiences to discover an old story

August 16, 2019 at 3:35 p.m.

When Dane A. Campbell was deep into the process of writing his latest play, "Murdering Macbeth," images began to emerge. He could see characters mouthing the words, could see the...

Kate Burton, owner of Uncommon Closet tailor shop in Logan Square.

Tailor shop Uncommon Closet stitches community together, affirming and catering to queer clientele

August 15, 2019 at 7:28 p.m.

The walls of Uncommon Closet, a Logan Square design and tailor shop, are white, the floors a spotted gray. But the space is full of color if you know where...

Pastor Hannah Kardon sits at the Urban Village Church in the Chopin Theatre on July 21, 2019, in Chicago.

Church in a gay bar: Queer Chicagoans find ways to merge religion and identity

August 15, 2019 at 10:43 p.m.

The second Tuesday of every month, Affirming Worship holds church in Atmosphere, an Andersonville gay bar. The organization, founded in March 2019 by Kelly Ravenscraft, 22, and Michael McBride, 38,...

Henry Louis Gates Jr., from left, Sarah Smarsh and Rebecca Makkai.

Henry Louis Gates Jr., Rebecca Makkai and Sarah Smarsh win 2019 Tribune literary prizes

October 7, 2019 at 4:25 p.m.

Writer, academic and filmmaker Henry Louis Gates Jr. has been named the winner of the 2019 Chicago Tribune Literary Award for lifetime achievement. And as usual, two recipients will receive...

Instructor Liz Jackson, front, gives a singing lesson to MJ Berends, reflected in the mirror, at The Voice Lab on Irving Park Road in Chicago on July 22, 2019. The Voice Lab works with transgender students on voice training and singing lessons.

Trans Chicagoans relearn to construct their sound, for safety and artistic pursuits

August 13, 2019 at 3:02 p.m.

One of MJ Berends' favorite music artists is Regina Spektor. Her songs hold appeal, but it's just as much about how she uses her voice, the way the pitch breaks...

Attendees walk near the main entrance as the sun sets during the first day of the 2019 Lollapalooza Music Festival in Grant Park Aug., 1, 2019, in Chicago.

After Lollapalooza, attendees are experiencing ‘post-concert depression.’ Is the phenomenon real?

August 5, 2019 at 6:03 p.m.

Over the weekend, thousands of concertgoers packed into Grant Park for Lollapalooza. The festival, with its back-to-back lineup, is an uninterrupted wave of stimuli, with attendees (many of them teenagers)...

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