Coming Home With 'Birds of North America' and 2026 Events News

There’s No Place Like Home

Highly Recommended

Autumn leaves scattered across the artificial turf lawn catch your eye upon first glance. The feel of the porch staircase as you descend towards the seats in A Red Orchid Theatre’s space. There is a missing crackle as audience members accidentally trample a groundling leaf. Yet, even without that resonance, you could practically smell the fall air wafting through the nearly bare trees peeking over the fence.

That’s how familiar Anna Ouyang Moench’s Birds of North America feels. It’s the silent embrace of a favorite wool sweater—the kind that becomes a little uncomfortable in time. So too is this two-hander play about navigating a father/daughter relationship through the trials of adulthood. As Caitlyn (Cassidy Slaughter-Mason) and John (John Judd) meander through the years together, an all too familiar ache follows them like a bird venturing forth on a great migration.

Slaughter-Mason’s earnest portrayal of Caitlyn hits home. A daughter desperately wanting to be understood by her father. Her yearning is almost palpable as the years go by, and leaves continue to clutter Morgan Laszlo’s endearing set. Judd’s emotionally distant father, enraptured in his birdwatching to escape his deeply scientific research work, often struggles to connect with Caitlyn. Their character duality is an intentionally clumsy waltz, coming together but missing a step every once in a while. Ouyang Moench’s deeply authentic text gives audiences a snapshot of how perfectly imperfect our familial lives can be.

And a poignant reminder of that universality.

Throughout the play, I was reminded of the phrase “birds of a feather flock together.” As Caitlyn and John scanned the sky, the nearby trees, and the bird shit-dotted mailbox for their feathered friends, their family pretexts disappeared. In those moments, they were not a father and daughter trying to come together; they were birdwatchers. It was a scientific moment, curating a bond between these two otherwise very different individuals.

Until they could finally fly back down to Earth.

Birds of North America, now playing at A Red Orchid Theatre through March 8, 1531 N. Wells St., Chicago, tickets available online, $55.

Chicago A&E News

• A Red Orchid Theatre concludes its 33rd season with the world premiere of Hanna Kime’s The Targeted, a tragicomedy about community directed by Grace Dolezal-Ng. The production features a cast of ensemble members and guest artists performing from May 7 to June 14, 2026, at The Chopin Theatre Mainstage in Wicker Park. Single tickets go on sale March 24, though season subscriptions are currently available for purchase through the company’s website.

• Babes With Blades Theatre Company’s 2026 season features the world premiere of the "steamy" and swashbuckling pirate tale yo ho. running July 25 – August 22, followed by a dynamic production of King Lear opening October 15. The season will span two locations, beginning at The Edge Theater Off Broadway before moving to Theater Wit for the Shakespearean run. Tickets for yo ho. go on sale March 3 at noon, while further details and tickets for King Lear can be found online.

• The Black Arts & Culture Alliance of Chicago (BACA) will host a free town hall, "Chicago’s Black Arts Organizations...What We Can Do," on February 9, 2026, at the Black Ensemble Theater. This public event features a panel—including Ron OJ Parson, Troy Pryor, and Makeda Crayton—discussing the challenges and future of Black arts across various disciplines. While attendance is free and includes a light reception, reservations are required and can be made via bacachi.org.

• Court Theatre concludes its 2025/26 season with the world premiere of the new musical Out Here, a bold and joyous take on the classic American kitchen sink drama. Directed by Chay Yew, the production features a talented cast including Bethany Thomas, Cliff Chamberlain, and Alex Goodrich. The show runs from April 10 through May 10, 2026, with tickets available.

• Goodman Theatre’s latest Theater for the Very Young production, Splish Splash: A Day on the Lake, offers a musical adventure designed specifically for children ages 0-5 and their families. Co-directed by Jamal Howard and Ellie Levine, the production features a cast including Kylie Anderson, Sonia Goldberg, Tina Muñoz Pandya, and Michael-Ellen Walden. Performances take place over two weekends, February 28 through March 8. Tickets available now at GoodmanTheatre.org.

• The League of Chicago Theatres is highlighting Black History Month in coordination with Chicago Theatre Week, which runs February 5–15 and continues through February 22, 2026. This annual event, held in partnership with Choose Chicago, offers value-priced tickets for $15, $30, or less to a variety of productions across the city. All tickets are hosted exclusively on HotTix.org, serving as a celebration of the essential contributions Black artists make to Chicago's cultural landscape.

• Lookingglass Theatre Company presents the world premiere of White Rooster, an inventive and haunting new play with music written and directed by Ensemble Member Matthew C. Yee. Running March 5 – April 12, 2026, the production blends puppetry, movement, and folklore to tell a darkly funny story about a family tragedy and restless spirits in an American ghost town. Tickets for the production start at $33 and are currently available through the company’s website.

• Music Theater Works opens its 2026 season with Andrew Lloyd Webber’s CATS, running March 5 – 29 at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie. Directed and choreographed by Mandy Modic, this immersive production features Ava Lane Stovall as Grizabella, Luther Lewis as Old Deuteronomy, and Ethan Lupp as Rum Tum Tugger. Tickets are currently on sale, with special half-price discounts available for guests aged 25 and under.

• Porchlight Music Theatre has announced that TV favorite Stephen Wallem will join the cast of Follies as Buddy Plummer, replacing Alexander Gemignani for the April engagement. Wallem joins stars Michelle Duffy, Angela Ingersoll, and Anthony Rapp for two staged concert performances at the Studebaker Theater on April 25 and 26, 2026. Directed by Michael Weber, the production features an extensive ensemble, with tickets currently on sale through Porchlight’s website.

• Season of Concern, Chicago’s nonprofit supporting theater practitioners facing health or financial emergencies, raised $140,537 during its most recent holiday collection period. Between November 10, 2025, and January 11, 2026, various area performing arts organizations partnered with the charity to gather donations from audience members. Managing Director Christopher Pazdernik expressed deep gratitude for the community's generosity and resilience during these challenging times.

• Steppenwolf Theatre Company continues its 50th Anniversary Season with the world premiere of Windfall, a gripping new play by Oscar-winning Tarell Alvin McCraney running April 9 – May 31, 2026. Directed by Awoye Timpo, the production reunites acclaimed ensemble members Alana Arenas, Glenn Davis, and Jon Michael Hill alongside Namir Smallwood. Single tickets are currently available.

• Steppenwolf Theatre Company will host the hometown return of Emmy winner Brendan Hunt for a three-week limited engagement of his autobiographical show, The Movement You Need, from April 19 to May 10, 2026. Directed by Ashley Rodbro, this "Broadway-bound" production explores Hunt’s Chicago childhood and his transformative obsession with The Beatles. Tickets are currently available to the public, with special pricing for students and Steppenwolf members for the run at the Downstairs Theater.

• The Story Theatre concludes its award-winning fifth season with the world premiere of Pot Girls, a play by Paul Michael Thomson exploring the intersection of women, language, and cannabis. Directed by Ayanna Bria Bakari, the production runs from February 12 to March 1, 2026, at Raven Theatre’s Schwartz Stage in Chicago with the potential for extended dates. Tickets are currently available for the run.

• Writers Theatre presents Nilo Cruz’s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Two Sisters and a Piano, running February 26 – March 29, 2026, under the direction of Lisa Portes. The production stars Andrea San Miguel and Neysha Mendoza Castro as sisters navigating house arrest in 1991 Cuba, alongside Adam Poss and Arash Fakhrabadi. Tickets are now available.

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