The Playground Theater

The Playground Theater Non-profit, artist-run theater
FREE shows & workshops

Come out to THE MIXER workshop and jam
Every Monday at 8pm

Supported in part by grants.
(215)

Supported in large by donations 😉

Laughter • For All • Forever

06/01/2026

This week JUNE 1ST–JUNE 7TH at The Playground! 🎭🎪🎬✨

Don’t just stand around… jump into THE MIXER and see what happens when a room full of ideas starts colliding in real time ⚡

The stories may be questionable, but the commitment is real in BARELY TALES. Then step through the gates of ROYAL REALM, where anything can happen and usually does 👑✨

Turn up the volume and press play on MIDWEST MIXTAPE—a collection of characters, stories, and surprises straight from the heartland 🎶🌽

Put your own memories on display and see what ends up hanging on the walls of MUSEUM OF YOU 🖼️✨

The drama is intergalactic in THE REAL SPACE WIVES OF ALDERAAN, then take your chances with GRAB BAG VARIETY SHOW—because half the fun is not knowing what’s coming next 🚀🎁

Throw out the rulebook and embrace the beautiful mess of CHAOS CABARET 🎭🔥

Take a midday break with LUNCH-TIME, then let KISS present FOREPLAY before wrapping up the week by doing exactly what the title suggests at KEEP IT STUPID, STUPID 😎🎉

100% donation based! Come laugh, spiral, reinvent yourself, or all three!

We’ll be here…you should be too

05/25/2026

This week MAY 25TH–MAY 31ST at The Playground! 🎭🎪🪜

Don’t just mingle… dive into THE MIXER and see what happens when a room full of strangers becomes a room full of possibilities ⚡

Gather the crew for FAMILY MEETING, then stick around when VERONICA! makes herself right at home 💖

Now you see it, now you don’t… MENTALISM & MAGIC is back with mind-reading, mystery, and a few things we probably can’t explain 🔮

Throw one up and hope for the best with HAIL MARYS, then spend the rest of the night wondering WHERE’S JEFF? 🤔

A little poetry goes a long way in POEPROV, and if that rings a bell, PAVLOV is already one step ahead of you 🐶

We have some REALLY SPECIAL STUFF for you all this Sunday, with SOCIAL HOUR @ MY BUDDY’S, followed by the PLAYGROUND MEGA SHOW, and cap off the evening with A BEAUTIFUL NIGHT IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD 🌙✨, because after all that it will be, trust me 😉.

100% donation based! Come laugh, spiral, reinvent yourself, or all three!

We’ll be here…you should be too

Get your tickets to the Mega Show and RSVP for Social Hour! Eventbrite LINK IN BIOSunday, May 31st enjoy a day of PLAY! ...
05/21/2026

Get your tickets to the Mega Show and RSVP for Social Hour! Eventbrite LINK IN BIO
Sunday, May 31st enjoy a day of PLAY! Starting at 4pm downstairs at My Buddy’s, then the MEGA SHOW @ 5:30 and at 8pm UPSTAIRS.

HOPE TO SEE YOU AT ALL 3!!!

The MEGA SHOW will also be live streamed! Stay tuned!

Our IT Director Luis loaned us his camera to take show photos/videos. A few days later, it was gone. 🔍🕵️🫆If you have any...
05/19/2026

Our IT Director Luis loaned us his camera to take show photos/videos.

A few days later, it was gone.
🔍🕵️🫆

If you have any information about its whereabouts or took it believing it was your own, please message us. 🙏

As a donation-based and volunteer-run organization, we dedicate a great deal of our personal time, finances, and equipment to create a space for folks to learn, grow, and play.

We’re hoping Luis’ property is returned without issue, to both put our friend at ease and so we can capture all the fun we have at The Playground.
📸 🛝 🎭

Just a reminder: If you took it knowing it wasn’t yours, you broke Rule #2. See next slide for the Playground Rules.

05/18/2026

This week MAY 18TH-MAY 24TH at The Playground! 🎭🎪🪜

Don’t just stand around… jump into THE MIXER and see what happens when a room full of ideas starts colliding in real time ⚡

Pour yourself something dramatic and settle in with BRANDY ALEXANDER, then stay up late for CLOWN MOVIE NIGHT… strange cinema and even stranger company 🍸🎬

Loose ends, weird thoughts, and beautifully unnecessary details all come together in BITS & BOBS 🔴

Deadpan, serious, and probably not that serious at all… INCREDIBLY SERIOUS STAND-UP HOUR keeps the night moving 🎤

Take a walk through MEMORY lane with MUSEUM OF YOU… personal artifacts, emotional damage, and maybe a gift shop at the end 🖼️✨

Things are getting loud, crunchy, and a little out of control with CRUNCHY TOWN 🟢

100% donation based! Come laugh, spiral, reinvent yourself, or all three!

We’ll be here…you should be too

05/11/2026

This week MAY 11TH-MAY 17TH at The Playground! 🎭🛝

Don’t just stand around… jump into THE MIXER and see what happens when a room full of ideas starts colliding in real time ⚡️

Things are taking flight with A SHOW ABOUT BIRDS… weird, feathery, and probably not scientifically accurate 🐦

Find yourself a little too attached at FREE BUDDY, then spiral beautifully into MY WIFE STEVE! 💘 chaos, commitment, and whatever else comes with it

Back again and somehow even stranger… A SHOW ABOUT BIRDS returns for another round of airborne nonsense 🌀

Kick off the night with HEEHAW SEESAW and settle into the beautiful theatrical spiral of FUNHAUS: THE PLAY 🎭 where things never stay normal for long

Ease in with FUNHAUS: THE PLAY, then let SLAB close out the night loud, messy, and a little unhinged 🔊

Soft? Maybe. Feral? Definitely. KISS presents us with OW WOW MEOW! Bringing the week to a close with claws out and hearts open 🐾

100% donation based! Come laugh, spiral, reinvent yourself, or all three!

We’ll be here…you should be too

05/04/2026

This week MAY 4th-MAY 10th at The Playground!🛝 🎭

Don’t just show up…slide into THE MIXER at 8PM and see what happens when ideas collide in this weekly improv workshop 🤯

Things are getting a little crunchy with the CRUNCHYTOWN BENEFIT SHOW at 7PM… come support, come laugh, come get a little chaotic for a good cause 🌀

Press play on your midweek reset with MIDWEST MIXTAPE at 8PM 🎧 a lineup that remixes comedy into something loud, weird, and unforgettable

Feeling a little rebellious? Tune into FIRST WAVE MISANDRY at 9PM 🔥 sharp, unfiltered, and not here to behave

Double the mystery, double the fun… start with SECRET THIRD THING at 7PM (we won’t spoil it… we can’t) and stay for FUNHAUS: THE PLAY at 9PM 🎭 where things get theatrical in the best way

Ease in, then go all in… WRITING FROM THE MARGINS at 5PM ✍️ brings the words, and FUNHAUS: THE PLAY returns at 8PM for another round of beautifully unhinged storytelling

Spill a little, laugh a lot… SPILLING T at 6PM ☕ keeps it messy, then roll right into CRUNCHY TOWN at 8PM for a chaotic nightcap

100% donation based! Come laugh, spiral, reinvent yourself, or all three!

We’ll be here…you should be too

05/02/2026

It’s SPRING CLEANING DAY!!! 👕 👚 👔 👖 🩳 🧦 🧹

We’re organizing your donations for SAVERS FUNdrive. We also have a lovely collection of lost & not yet found items. If you see something of yours, come n get it TODAY! (or let us know to set it aside & come get it before our drop-off on May 7th)

Unclaimed items will be bagged up with everything else!

We’re enjoying cartoons and 🥣 🥛 🍕
Come hang til 4pm!

Come celebrate our comeback! 🥳 We made it a year! And what a year YOU made it!Catch two FREE AND ALSO GOOD shows tonight...
05/01/2026

Come celebrate our comeback! 🥳
We made it a year!
And what a year YOU made it!
Catch two FREE AND ALSO GOOD shows tonight starting @ 8pm with Kentucky Dirty 🐎 followed by Conversations We Can’t Have 🙅‍♀️ @ 9!

Then catch a 🍹 !

🔗 in bio

04/27/2026

This week APR 27-MAY 3 at The Playground!🛝 🎭

Don’t just show up...slide into THE MIXER at 8PM and see what happens when ideas collide in this weekly improv workshop! 🤯

Ready to embrace your inner fool? CLOWN OPEN STAGE 🤡 at 7PM is Clown Town’s open mic
* no rules just commitment

Wednesday gets dramatic in the best way with VERONICA! 🙅‍♀️ at 9PM
Expect obsession, intensity, and a little bit of madness!

Thursday we’re saying our prayers at HAIL MARYS 7PM 🙏
Whether they’re answered is between you and the stage.

Friday is special this week...we’re celebrating ONE YEAR as the only free, nonprofit comedy theater above a gay sports bar 🏳️‍🌈🏈🍻🏠
Our SPACE-IVERSARY SPECIAL is stacked!
KENTUCKY DIRTY at 8PM (oops, all improv) 🐎
CONVERSATIONS WE CAN’T HAVE at 9PM (oops, you just shared a secret with a puppet and now you feel better) ❤️‍🩹

Saturday starts strong with DUBBLE UUP! 🎥
at 6PM
ever wanted to be part of a live studio audience for a super special album recording? Now’s your chance!

Then spiral into WHO AM AI? 🤖 at 10PM
identity optional, chaos guaranteed

You’re probably hungry from all these amazing shows so join us on Sunday for LUNCH TIME 🥪 at 2PM because brunch is overrated! (no food, just music) 🎶

100% donation based! Come laugh, spiral, reinvent yourself, or all three!

We’ll be here...you should be too

Address

4416 N Clark Street, 2nd Floor
Chicago, IL
60640

Telephone

+17732700776

Website

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