See the Favorites by Year page for general info about our yearly favorites lists, as well as links to other years.
Within each category, entries are listed in alphabetical order.
Our 2020 Favorites list has two sections: “Pre-Pandemic” fully staged, in-person theatrical productions, chosen from the 50+ Chicago-area shows we saw prior to the pandemic lockdown in March; and “Pandemic Era” shows produced specifically for online viewing, not limited to those originating in Chicago (chosen from the ~90 full-length plays we experienced digitally, in addition to a few dozen “shorts”).
Pre-Pandemic Favorites (through 3/13/20)
- A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, directed by Aaron Reese Boseman: Invictus Theatre Company
- School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play by Jocelyn Bioh, directed by Lili-Anne Brown: Goodman Theatre (final preview) (more)
- Sophisticated Ladies by Duke Ellington, directed by Brenda Didier and Florence Walker Harris: Porchlight Music Theatre
- Stick Fly by Lydia R. Diamond, directed by Ron OJ Parson: Writers Theatre
- Stop Kiss by Diana Son, directed by Kanomé Jones: Arc Theatre and Pride Films and Plays (more)
Pandemic Era (3/14/20-12/31/20)
Entering the pandemic, we had no expectation that digital theatre productions could be so deeply affecting, intimate, entertaining, and clever as our 2020 pandemic favorites turned out to be. One of the many lessons we learned from the pandemic was never to underestimate what creative people in general, and Chicago theatre artists in particular, can accomplish, even in the most challenging of circumstances.
We’ve created several lists reflecting our pandemic-era favorites (created specifically for an online environment): FULL-LENGTH plays, with an added shout-out to a few that embraced the “new” medium with particular vigor; SHORT SUBJECTS that were concise theatrical gems; and KUDOS TO ORGANIZATIONS whose pandemic programming was particularly enriching.
Favorite Online Full-Length Productions and Readings
- The Agitators by Mat Smart, directed by Mikael Burke: Phoenix Theatre (Indianapolis)
- Arms and the Man by George Bernard Shaw, directed by William Brown: American Players Theatre (Spring Green, WI)
- Leopoldstadt by Tom Stoppard, directed by Charles Newell: Court Theatre
- Mothers and Sons by Terrence McNally, directed by David Zak: Pride Films and Plays
- Nat Turner in Jerusalem by Nathan Alan Davis, directed by Gavin Lawrence: American Players Theatre (Spring Green, WI)
- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, adapted by Christina Calvit, directed by Dorothy Milne: Lifeline Theatre
- Richard Rodgers Greatest Hits directed by Adrian Abel Azavedo: Music Theatre Works
- The Spin written and directed by Spenser Davis: Interrobang Theatre Project
- Sugar in Our Wounds by Donja R. Love, directed by Malika Oyetimein: Play-PerView
- Wine in the Wilderness by Alice Childress, directed by Jasmine B. Gunter: Northwestern University (encore presentation scheduled for Feb. 5-7, 2021)
Special Recognition for Embracing the Digital Medium
- Lifeline Theatre’s Pride and Prejudice: staging that turned online constraints into clever story-telling enhancements
- Music Theatre Works’ Richard Rodgers Greatest Hits: no audience, but in-theatre social distancing (for performers and orchestra) with unexcelled production values (e.g., lighting and costumes)
- Interrobang’s The Spin: a play set during a pandemic that informed and amplified the (non-pandemic) story
Favorite Online Short Subjects
- Jackalope Theatre’s Living Newspaper Series (view on YouTube)
- I Can’t Ride Trains Anymore by August Forman, directed by Catherine Miller
- I Am Not This written, directed, and edited by Ike Holter
- Trust by Monet Felton, directed by Adia Alli
- (more entries to come in 2021)
- Silk Road Rising’s Black Teen Lives Matter written by students in the EPIC (Empathetic Playwriting Intensive Course) program, directed by Jarrett King (view on YouTube)
Online Programming That Enriched Our Pandemic-Era Lives
- American Players Theatre presented a series of compelling readings with their trademark ensemble ethos, but accompanied by some timely differences in play selection and personnel. The post-show discussions made it clear that APT is actively seeking to expand their social conscience, and we found their new choices to be exhilarating. Our favorites among APT’s pandemic-era readings:
- Are You Now, or Have You Ever Been … by Carlyle Brown
- Arms and the Man by George Bernard Shaw
- The Mountaintop by Katori Hall
- Nat Turner in Jerusalem by Nathan Alan Davis
- Smart People by Lydia R. Diamond
- Court Theatre turned the pandemic upheaval into an opportunity to take their audience on a profound multi-week journey deep into the dramaturgical background for some noteworthy and weighty plays—a theatre lover’s dream! Each of the accompanying staged readings was presented by a terrific and inclusive cast and crew, making the experience immeasurably richer. The repertoire:
- The World of August Wilson
- Euripides’ The Bacchae
- Tom Stoppard’s Leopoldstadt
- Caryl Churchill’s Fen
- (and coming in early 2021) Lorraine Hansberry’s Les Blancs
