Shakespeare 400 Chicago Style

A celebration 

400 years in the making

1,000 artists. 850 events. 120 sites across Chicago.

Here at ChiIL Mama and ChiIL Live Shows we've been lifelong lovers of Shakespeare. We love his witty wordplay and endearing, enduring characters that have forever altered the course of our language and our very society. This year we've hit the milestone of four hundred years since Shakespeare’s death in 1616, and Chicago's celebrating in a big way with 850 events slated for the year, which will entertain more than 500,000 Chicagoans and visitors to our City! We're elated to be on board to help spread the word. Check back early and often for the full scoop, early warnings, and photo filled recaps and reviews.

Shakespeare 400 Chicago invites you connect with new cultures, engage your mind and discover endless inspiration fueled by one extraordinary playwright. Chicago Shakespeare Theater kicked it all off in January as Moscow’s leading actors took the stage in Measure for Measure for 6 shows only. Measure for Measure You’ll soon find the courageous artists of Belarus Free Theatre in town with a heartrending King Lear, while the voices of Chicago a cappella illuminate the musicality of sonnets and soliloquies. Ignite the imagination of children in your life at an interactive concert of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Symphony Center. From Belarus: Belarus Free Theatre KING LEAR February 5–14, 2016 Upstairs at Chicago Shakespeare And that’s just the beginning. In February, the first dates and dishes will be revealed for Culinary Complete Works, everyday household objects rise beyond their station for (In) Complete Works: Table Top Shakespeare at the Museum of Contemporary Art, and Othello will be vividly realized through both theater and dance at Chicago Shakespeare Theater and the Hamburg Ballet's engagement at Harris Theater. The Theatre School at DePaul PROSPERO'S STORM January 14–February 20, 2016 DePaul's Merle Reskin Theatre All year, the festival will shine a spotlight on the best international and Chicago talents. There’s so much to enjoy—come play your part! Explore More Shakespeare+Chicago: An unlikely pairing, perhaps? Perhaps. But Chicago is no novice when it comes to shape-changing events. Our city’s first quadricentennial dates back to 1893 and the World’s Columbian Exposition. Galvanizing and inspiring a city to become more than it was, the exposition reshaped a boomtown, known already for risk-taking, determination and, yes, audacity. Read More Browse the Shakespeare 400 Chicago catalog This global celebration is made possible by an unprecedented collaboration of Chicago institutions. Shakespeare will come to life across disciplines, through inspirational acts of theater, dance, music, spectacle and more. Flip through the full catalog online, or download a copy to keep handy. There's something for everyone! Browse catalog

Shakespeare 400 Chicago is a yearlong international arts festival in 2016 celebrating the vibrancy, relevance and reach of Shakespeare. As the world commemorates the four hundred years since Shakespeare’s death in 1616, Shakespeare 400 Chicago will engage more than 500,000 Chicagoans and visitors to our City through 850 events. Spearheaded by Chicago Shakespeare Theater and with leading support from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and Pritzker Military Museum & Library, this quadricentennial celebration is anticipated to be the world’s largest and most comprehensive celebration of Shakespeare’s enduring legacy.