What’s playing at the Athenaeum Center
ACTC Presents
Featured Events
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Maybe Tomorrow
There is something wrong in Gail and Ben’s bathroom. Who just coughed? Is someone watching? As reality bends and intimacy fractures, Gail finds solace in unexpected places while Ben struggles to keep it together.
Roger Deakins Photography Exhibition
A photography exhibition by Sir Roger Deakins, featuring selections from Byways and unpublished work. On view in the Paradiso Ballroom, offering a rare glimpse into his visual perspective.
Collective Dance Company Showcase
A night of nonstop energy, bold movement, and electrifying performances. This is where it all hits the stage—don’t miss a night you won’t forget.
Strictly Chicago Series: Alyssa Allgood
Allgood is thrilled to present an uplifting program of original music and jazz standards for her Athenaeum Center debut.
Spring Showcase 2026
Come end celebrate another year full of color music and dance, CICA has been working hard to bring this new production to you all.
Coffee & Commerce
Looking to make new connections and exchange ideas with fellow small business owners? Coffee & Commerce is your chance to grow your network in a relaxed, welcoming setting. Join us in the Paradiso the third Wednesday of every month at 8:30 a.m. to 10am for coffee and networking.
Stories
Stories follows a young Jewish story writer/teller in 1898 Warsaw as he tries to devise a story that will intrigue a woman who he is definitely (he tells himself) not in love with. As he digs deep into his imagination to find such a story, we see the narratives lingering in his subconscious emerge and intermingle, including those from his own life; the story of his move to the city and estrangement from his parents, a Grimm Brothers-esque tale of a quest for a mythical princess, characters from the Passover Haggadah, a Baal Shem (Master of the (divine) name, a Jewish mystical teacher) wielding magic to protect a family from a blood libel.
Visceral Studio Company 2026 Performance
Featuring Visceral Studio Company’s 2026 dancers with choreography by Nick Pupillo and Braeden Barnes.
Visceral Youth Ensemble and Inside Out Dance Crew 2026 Showcase
Featuring Visceral Dance Centers Youth Ensemble, Inside Out Hip Hop Crew, and Studio Company, with choreography by Nick Pupillo, Kaytee Cox, Andrew Tamez-Hull, Yuilanne Cruz, Kelly Crain, Jessie Novak, Sarah Glover, Josie Starr, Ally Economou, and Megan Pavelka
Visceral Dance Center 2026 Recital
Featuring Visceral Dance Centers 2026 dance students.
2026 Lakeview PorchFest Happy Hour
After a day filled with great music, come unwind with us at the Paradiso. The bar will be open from 5–7pm, and our Artist Booking Agent will be there and happy to chat with musicians and music lovers alike. Whether you're looking to connect, collaborate, or just enjoy the vibe — we’d love to see you there!
Tutu Spring Bravo Bash: Twirling in the Tower
Tutu School Chicago Presents Spring Bravo Bash 2026: Twirling in the Tower performed by dancers at Tutu School Roscoe and Tutu School Lincoln Park.
Antigone: A Modern Adaptation After Sophocles
In a contemporary authoritarian state, Antigone stands against power, refusing silence and exposing injustice. Using Epic Theatre techniques, live music, and direct audience address, this production invites you not to escape—but to think.
A story of resistance, responsibility, and the cost of truth.
Define Yourself 2026
Definition Dance Academy Annual Dance Recital.
Hughes Conducts Beethoven
Gregory Hughes, Artistic Director and Principal Conductor, leads a bold and invigorating program that pairs two revolutionary symphonies.
Like a Star: Celebrating 20 Years of Corinne Bailey Rae
2026 marks the 20th anniversary of Corinne Bailey Rae, the Grammy Award-winning singer’s acclaimed debut album that introduced the world to her soulful, sun-soaked sound. Originally released in February 2006, the record produced timeless hits like “Put Your Records On” and “Like a Star,” earning critical praise, multi-platinum sales, and Grammy nominations.
Sacred Voices Tour with Roman and Vatican Singers: The Music of the Popes
This event is at St. Norbert Church in Northbrook, IL. Direct from Rome, the Vatican Singers and the Cardinal Bartolucci Choir present an evening of Gregorian chant and sacred polyphony from the musical tradition of the Popes. Experience the beauty of the Roman School of sacred music in a rare Chicago performance.
Sacred Voices Tour with Roman and Vatican Singers: The Music of the Popes
This event is at Church of St. John Cantius in Chicago, IL. Direct from Rome, the Vatican Singers and the Cardinal Bartolucci Choir present an evening of Gregorian chant and sacred polyphony from the musical tradition of the Popes. Experience the beauty of the Roman School of sacred music in a rare Chicago performance.
Sacred Voices Tour with Roman and Vatican Singers: The Music of the Popes
This event is at St. Raphael Catholic Church in Naperville, IL. Direct from Rome, the Vatican Singers and the Cardinal Bartolucci Choir present an evening of Gregorian chant and sacred polyphony from the musical tradition of the Popes. Experience the beauty of the Roman School of sacred music in a rare Chicago performance.
Sacred Voices Tour with Roman and Vatican Singers: The Music of the Popes and Italian Opera
This event is at Des Plaines Theatre in Des Plaines, IL. Direct from Rome, the Vatican Singers and the Cardinal Bartolucci Choir present an evening of Gregorian chant and sacred polyphony from the musical tradition of the Popes. Experience the beauty of the Roman School of sacred music in a rare Chicago performance.
Filmspotting Fest II
Filmspotting Fest returns with a curated lineup of films and special guests, bringing together critics, artists, and audiences for shared viewing experiences and live conversations. This year’s selections explore time not just as subject, but as something embedded in the storytelling — through anticipation, memory, and the way the past presses into the present.
Ann Patchett: Whistler
New York Times bestselling author Ann Patchett makes her Chicago Humanities debut to discuss Whistler, a luminous novel about the small yet consequential moments that shape a life — and the remarkable power of feeling truly known by another person.
An Evening with Fr. Mike Schmitz and Luke Burgis
An evening with Fr. Mike Schmitz and Luke Burgis exploring identity, faith, and the courage to live with integrity in the modern world. Through talks and conversation, discover practical paths to virtue, belonging, and authentic selfhood.
PJ Morton
PJ Morton is a soul singer, songwriter, performer and producer based in New Orleans. He is a 6x GRAMMY-winner and 22x GRAMMY nominee who has earned numerous nominations for BET, Soul Train and NAACP Image Awards, in addition to selling out countless shows at historic venues like the Apollo Theater and others around the world.
Sound & Gravity Festival
Sound & Gravity returns to Chicago September 3-6 for its second edition after a brilliant and celebratory first year. The festival, brought to you by Constellation, will take place across multiple venues in Chicago’s Bricktown neighborhood and caters to adventurous, creative listeners eager to support a musical universe founded, curated, and run by artists.
Therapist Zero
This acclaimed solo show is a raw, darkly comic journey through the chaos of parenting a brilliant but emotionally explosive daughter—and the endless revolving door of therapists who couldn’t help her. Told through sharply observed vignettes that swing between hilarious and heartbreaking, Therapist Zero blends humor with hard-earned insight as Leonard confronts his own unconventional childhood while trying, fiercely, to parent differently.
An Evening with Steven Pinker
Steven Pinker, Harvard psychologist and best-selling author and one of the most influential minds of our time, takes the stage across the U.S. & Canada this September.
Swan Lake: Symphony of Lights
Tchaikovsky’s iconic score opens the door to an entirely reimagined world: vivid light design, illuminated costumes, and world-class dancers from around the globe transform the classic ballet into a mesmerizing visual experience.
An Evening with Yotam Ottolenghi
Join Yotam Ottolenghi for an intimate and energizing evening celebrating his forthcoming Fall 2026 cookbook, SIMPLE TOO, the long-awaited follow-up to his bestselling Ottolenghi Simple.
An Evening with Mike Dawes
Mike Dawes is an English guitarist known for composing, arranging, and performing multiple parts simultaneously on a single guitar. He is regarded as one of the world’s most creative modern fingerstyle guitarists, with a repertoire spanning original viral videos and popular arrangements, alongside mainstream chart success performing with Justin Hayward of The Moody Blues.
Dante 360
Join us for a journey through the Divine Comedy, from Inferno to Paradiso. Experience the depth and complexity of Dante’s vision through a series of recitations, displays of visual art, and music, which carry the soul alongside the pilgrim in his ascent to Paradise.
It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play
Join us this December for a captivating retelling of It’s a Wonderful Life, brought to life as a 1940s-style live radio play. Set in the intimate round of the Paradiso, every seat offers a unique, up-close view of the beloved tale of George Bailey, his guardian angel Clarence, and the resilient community of Bedford Falls.
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