Setting the Stage: Objects of Chicago Theatre
June 29th 2019 – January 5th 2020

Chicago Reader: 'Setting the Stage' tells the story of Chicago theater in 56 objects

Third Coast Review: Go Behind the Scenes of Chicago’s Diverse Theater Scene in Setting the Stage Exhibit

Rainbowed: Chicago Theater: The Design Museum Takes Us Backstage

Society of Typographic Arts 100: Exhibition Identity Design Award

Chicago Magazine: 10 of the best winter exhibitions in Chicago

Design in theatre can take many forms, including costumes, lights, sound, props, and sets, among countless other examples. Setting the Stage celebrates the myriad ways design is employed in stage productions.

Using objects on loan from Chicago theatres, this exhibit will emphasize the diversity, depth, and breadth of theatres in the city and explore how words are translated by designers into a production. See the process behind the final products and learn more about how and why design decisions in theatres are made.

Celebrate the Year of Chicago Theatre with us and discover all that the city’s theatre has to offer through the objects which exemplify the soul of each institution.

Each month throughout the run of this exhibition, a different theatre will be curating a mini-exhibition on our “stage,” featuring an expanded look at what makes each of them unique.

July: Idle Muse Theatre Company

August: Chicago Public Library

September: Black Ensemble Theater

October: eta Creative Arts

November: Joffrey Ballet

December: Chicago Children’s Theatre