Image showing view of gallery featuring bright blue wall and a grid of student-created paintings, drawings, and sculpture
 

Setting the Stage: Objects of Chicago Theatre

June 29th 2019 – January 5th 2020

The Design Museum of Chicago is partially supported by grants from the Illinois Arts Council Agency, City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, and Truettner Foundation.

 

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

 

Exhibition Photography