Emily McClanathan

Congrats and best of luck! Sounds exciting!

Top 50 holiday concerts and shows in Chicago, from Cirque du Soleil to ‘Holly Dolly Christmas’ ’Tis the season when Chicago’s stages give way to Ebenezer Scrooges, George Baileys and Nutcracker princes — plus, the sounds of klezmer, flamenco, bluegrass and Motown.

’Tis the season when Chicago’s stages give way to Ebenezer Scrooges, George Baileys and Nutcracker princes — plus, the sounds of klezmer, flamenco, bluegrass and Motown. It’s all here in our guide to this year’s holiday performances.

Look, "Amadeus" at @steppenwolfthtr.bsky.social is very good, but Mozart being a freelancer who gets driven mad by lack of gigs is probably gonna haunt my dreams tonight.

"Greta & Valdin" by Rebecca K. Reilly was pretty cute. Recommend the audiobook because NZ accents!

The People Want To Read: On Massive Budget Cuts Proposed in Chicago If passed, Chicago Public Library will lose half their budget for acquiring new books and materials.

The People Want to Read: on the massive budget cuts proposed for Chicago Public Library. What's at stake and what you can do, whether or not you live in Chicago.

buttondown.com/wellsourced/...

The Court Theatre's New Artistic Director, Avery Willis Hoffman, Wants to Focus on Classics and New Work The Chicago theatre is looking back, while forging ahead.

It was a pleasure to speak with Avery Willis Hoffman, Court Theatre's new artistic director, about her love of the classics and her vision for the Tony Award-winning company. My feature for @playbill.com:

playbill.com/article/the-...

I've been thinking the same. Restaurants are closing or doing takeout only, parents are keeping their kids home from school, there's a general sense of unease but also encouraging displays of solidarity.

Yes.

I went to No Kings back in my small, rural Midwestern hometown and cried when I saw 500+ people there and nearly constant honking from passing cars.

The library has the DVD!

Ooo, I haven't — will check it out!!

Lady Crawley!!

Not sure about the new season of Derry Girls, looks a bit creepy

I like dogs, but this is a terrible idea. It's exclusionary to people with allergies or phobias, plus those who just don't want to share their dining spaces with strangers' animals. Just called my alderwoman to ask her to vote "no."

Just saw a kid reading a Cinderella picture book while her mom pushed her in one of those running strollers. That's the kind of running I aspire to (the kid, not the mom).

Escaping into genre fiction, mostly fantasy and murder mysteries

From The Office to the Stage: Jenna Fischer on Doing a Play Written By Her Husband Ashland Avenue , by Lee Kirk, runs at the Goodman Theater in Chicago.

The one where I interview Pam Beesly and her lactation consultant

playbill.com/article/from...

Midway to Home: A Review of The Rockford Anthology - Sixty Inches From Center A look at Belt Publishing's new book "The Rockford Anthology" through the eyes of a writer reconsidering their relationship to their hometown.

Looking at a map of northern Illinois, you’ll find Rockford halfway between Lake Michigan and the Mississippi River; this post-industrial city also represents a midpoint in my coming of age.

My review of THE ROCKFORD ANTHOLOGY, @sixtyinchesfromcenter.org:

sixtyinchesfromcenter.org/midway-to-ho...

So sorry to hear this!!

Chicago Tribune film critic Michael Phillips announces he has taken a buyout and the Trib is eliminating his post. Unless I am missing someone I believe this leaves the nation's third-largest city without a single full-time film writing gig.

Only wish I had a longer word count to include more of your insights!

Theodore C. Van Alst Jr. paints a portrait of Native Chicago - Chicago Reader The El, by Theodore C. Van Alst Jr., is a semi-autobiographical novel set over the course of one scorching day in Chicago, August 1979.

Such a pleasure to chat with @tvayyyy.bsky.social about his new novel, THE EL! I loved getting to know familiar Chicago neighborhoods as they looked in 1979 through the eyes of Teddy and his friends. (Also, that cover art!) 🔥

My feature for @chicagoreader.com:

chicagoreader.com/books/book-r...

Review: Sandbox Theatre Collective gives Anton Chekhov’s ‘Three Sisters’ the immersive treatment The audience, limited to 15 people per performance, embark on a journey through the United Church of Rogers Park’s nearly 100-year-old building.

In Sandbox Theatre Collective's "Three Sisters," the audience embarks on a journey through the United Church of Rogers Park, an atmospheric stand-in for the provincial Russian household in Chekhov's play. My review for @chicagotribune.com:

www.chicagotribune.com/2025/08/08/r...

Thank *you*! Next up: THE EL! (CTA-themed summer reading is the best summer reading)

Very happy that I could review RED LINE: CHICAGO HORROR STORIES. This horror newbie had a great time with it.

Also thrilled to be back in the Reader's pages. Long live the @chicagoreader.com!

New Play Billie Jean Celebrates the Prowess of Billie Jean King—On and Off the Court Lauren Gunderson pens the play which is now running at Chicago Shakespeare Theater.

"Billie Jean," a biographical play by Lauren Gunderson playing at @chicagoshakes.bsky.social, highlights many of Billie Jean King’s achievements as a public figure and her private journey toward living as her authentic self and finding love. My feature for @playbill.com:
playbill.com/article/new-...

Today, @chicagotribune.com laid off five guild staff members in a roughly 10% cut to our newsroom. These layoffs underscore a sad but unsurprising failure of leadership by Alden Global Capital, our hedge fund owner, and local management.

Review: Dystopian ‘Frontieres Sans Frontieres’ by Theatre Y raises provocative questions Phillip Howze’s experimental, often confounding play, draws on theatrical traditions of absurdism, burlesque and commedia dell’arte to satirize a slew of Western interlopers.

Phillip Howze’s "Frontieres Sans Frontieres" draws on theatrical traditions of absurdism, burlesque and commedia dell’arte to satirize a slew of Western interlopers, from humanitarian nonprofits to predatory capitalists. My review for @chicagotribune.com:

www.chicagotribune.com/2025/07/24/r...

Review: ‘Girls & Boys’ by Griffin Theatre is a devastating solo memory play Cynthia Marker’s solo performance as the unnamed narrator holds the audience in rapt attention for its 100 minutes.

Cynthia Marker gives a hell of a solo performance in "Girls & Boys" at Griffin Theatre, a show that tackles an extremely dark subject while somehow maintaining hope in humanity. Oh, and it's also hilarious.

My ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review for @chicagotribune.com: www.chicagotribune.com/2025/07/22/r...

Review: ‘Arthur & Friends Make a Musical’ at the Marriott lets the storybook characters put on a show The school-age aardvark of Marc Brown’s children’s books and long-running animated series finds his muse in a new musical in Lincolnshire.

On the heels of funding cuts to public media, a bit of happier news: a beloved PBS character is getting a new life onstage at the Marriott Theatre. My review of "Arthur & Friends Make a Musical!" for @chicagotribune.com:

www.chicagotribune.com/2025/07/21/r...