Opera houses, concert halls, theaters
According to aparentingblog, Chicago has a rich theater scene and several opera houses. The most famous ensembles began their work in the 1960s and 1970s. The waves of immigration from different countries enriched the (also linguistic) diversity of the productions. There are numerous stages in the greater Chicago area, but above all in the “loop”. The most famous opera houses, concert halls and theaters are:
Apollo Theater
2540 North Lincoln Avenue
www.apollochicago.com
The theater is known for its little commercial off-Broadway productions.
Auditorium Theater
www.auditoriumtheatre.org
50 East Congress Parkway
The theater, in which mainly large musical productions can be seen, has an impressive hall. It is richly decorated with mosaics and paintings by Luis E. Sullivan and has been praised for its exceptional acoustics.
Ford Center for the Performing Arts / Oriental Theater
24 West Randolph Street
The theater was founded in 1926. At that time there were cinema screenings and concerts. Today the $ 32 million restored house is the first to show commercially successful Broadway productions.
Hubbard Street Dance Chicago
1147 West Jackson Boulevard
www.hubbardstreetdance.com
The dance company was founded in 1977 by Lou Conte, who combined jazz dance with classical ballet. The group is world famous for its experimental dance theater.
Lyric Opera of Chicago
20 North Wacker Drive
www.lyricopera.org
The opera house opened in 1954 with Maria Callas’ American debut. Since then, mainly modern compositions have been performed. The opera season lasts from mid-September to early March.
Steppenwolf Theater Company
1650 North Halsted Street
www.steppenwolf.org
The famous theater has shaped its own Chicago style since the 1970s. American dramatists in particular are performed on the stage, where John Malkovich, among others, learned to act.
Symphony Center
220 South Michigan Avenue
www.cso.org
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO), which has been directed by Daniel Barenboim since 1991, plays in the concert hall. The performances are complemented by top-class guest orchestras from all over the world.
Further opera houses, concert halls and theaters
About Face Theater
Jane Addams Center Hull House, 3212 North Broadway
www.aboutfacetheatre.com
Arie Crown Theater
2301 Lake Shore Drive
Chicago Opera Theater
70 East Lake Street
www.chicagooperatheater.org
Chicago Theater
175 North State Street
www.thechicagotheatre.com
Goodman Theater
200 South Columbus Drive
www.goodman-theatre.org
Shubert Theater
22 West Monroe Street
www.broadwayinchicago.com
Theater on the Lake
Fullerton Parkway on the shores of Lake Michigan
The Light Opera Works
927 Noyes Street
www.light-opera-works.org
Victory Gardens Theater
2257 North Lincoln Avenue
www.victorygardens.org
Stages
Soldier Field
1410 South Museum Campus
www.soldierfield.net
The football stadium is the home ground of the Chicago Bears. The monumental building is modeled on Greco-Roman architecture and seats over 61,000 spectators.
Toyota Park
7000 South Harlem Avenue
The Chicago Fire football stadium was inaugurated in 2006. The stadium, which costs almost 100 million dollars, has space for around 20,000 spectators.
United Center
1901 West Madison Street
www.unitedcenter.com
The sports arena claims the title of the largest in area in the USA. It is the home arena for the Chicago Bulls basketball team and the Chicago Blackhawks ice hockey team. In addition to sporting events, large concerts take place here on a regular basis. The arena has over 20,000 seats.
US Cellular Field
333 West 35th Street
The Chicago White Sox baseball stadium is better known as Comiskey Park. There is space for over 40,000 spectators in the stadium.
Parks
Chicago claims the title of the greenest city in the USA . In fact, the number and extent of the green spaces in the urban area are enormous. There are around 220 parks and green spaces in Chicago. Their total size extends to about 30 km². Chicago’s motto “Urbs in Horto” (City in the Garden) is therefore justified. At this point the largest and most interesting parks should be briefly presented. More information at www.chicagoparkdistrict.com.
Grant Park
South Michigan Avenue between Randolph Street and Balbo Drive.
The spacious park was laid out in the classic French style. The “Buckingham Fountain” rises up in the center of the symmetrical plantings, a fountain that resembles that of the Palace Park of Versailles. The Chicago Blues Festival and the Chicago Gospel Festival take place here in May and June.
Jackson Park
6401 South Stony Island Avenue
In the 2 km² large park, which was laid out in the 19th century by the architect of New York’s Central Park, the 1893 World’s Fair took place. The only surviving building from that period now houses the Museum of Science and Industry.
Lincoln Park
On Lake Michigan between Diversey Parkway and North Avenue
In the almost 5 m² park in the middle of the city there are tennis, golf and playgrounds as well as bicycle and roller skating rinks. The lakeshore is lined with beaches and you can go surfing and sailing on the lake in summer. However, due to the pollution, bathing should be avoided. Within the park are the City Zoological Gardens, the Lincoln Park Conservatory, the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum and a theater.
Millennium Park In
2004 a newly created section of Grant Park was opened as Millennium Park. It is one of the largest parks in the city and is characterized by postmodern architecture. Architectural highlights are Frank Gehry’s Pritzker Pavilion and the 110-ton steel sculpture “Cloud Gate”, which the Chigagoans call “The Bean” due to its shape.
www.millenniumpark.org