Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s ‘The Toad Knew’

Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s ‘The Toad Knew’

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A University of Chicago study (“Set in Stone”) by Carroll Jones warned of “the overbuilding of cultural institutions at high costs without consideration of programming funds.” To answer this challenge, Chicago Shakespeare Theater has made a big splash for economic and environmental sustainability. It built-out an expansion from its current theater facilities called The Yard. The project took advantage of Navy Pier’s already existing open-air Skyline Stage and converted it into a fully-enclosed 33,000-square-foot expansion that connects to its existing main and auxiliary theaters.

The first production in The Yard will be The Toad Knew. The theater says the play “intertwines dreams with childhood terrors, burlesque, and realism to explore the wild, wondrous love shared among siblings. A collective of dancers, high-wire artists, and musicians create an intoxicating world evocative of Salvador Dalí and Tim Burton.” 

We’ll talk about the new venue and play with Criss Henderson, the theater’s executive director, and Gary Wright, The Yard lead designer from London’s Charcoalblue firm. The Toad Knew runs September 19-23, 2017.