Rivendell Theatre Ensemble

06/02/2026

Monday, June 8th at 8pm is INDUSTRY NIGHT for Do Something Pretty!

Wanna join us? DM us for a code for discounted tickets. Space is limited, move fast and we will see you there!

05/27/2026

From our friends at First Floor Theater comes a Chicago Premiere by reid tang, directed by Tina El Gamal.

A catalog of all the possible phone calls that exist.
A play that is not about corporations, no about warehouses, and certainly not about billionaires. From five-time Obie winner Clubbed Thumb’s 2023 Summerworks Festival comes reid tang’s experimental dark comedy where chaos, alienation, and machines collide.

A genre-bending dark comedy that dials into the absurdity of capitalism and doesn’t hang up. Featuring Sahar Dika, Jenn Geiger, and Alice Wu. Are you ready to make history? Performances now playing until June 6 at the Schwartz Stage at Raven Theatre in Edgewater.

Tickets start at $10 for this limited run.
Book now at firstfloortheater.com.

05/27/2026

From our friends at Rivendell Theatre Ensemble:

The next world premiere in Rivendell’s 30th Anniversary Season

DO SOMETHING PRETTY by Melissa Ross�
Directed by Jessica Fisch
Featuring RTE member Katherine Mallen Kupferer in her Rivendell debut with Jasper Johnson, Reilly Oh and Jocelyn Zamudio

Summer of 1992. The United States is in a recession. Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton is about to run for president. Kurt is married to Courtney. Yo MTV Raps is on the TV. And Zach Morris is the only kid with a cell phone.

On a hot August night in a small Massachusetts town the last few weeks before school starts. Three teens try to navigate their way through the murky path to adulthood. Phoebe wants to grow up. Jason wants Evie. And Evie just wants to get as far away from everyone as she possibly can.

Now extended through June 14th!

Tickets at rivendelltheatre.org/dosomethingpretty

05/25/2026

Theatre should be accessible to everyone💚

At select performances throughout our world premiere season, Rivendell Theatre Ensemble is offering an even easier way to experience closed captioning — with captions available directly on your phone during the performance through new accessibility technology.

Our next closed caption performance is May 30 and we hope audiences will join us in helping create a more inclusive theatre experience for all.

Because everyone deserves access to powerful stories🎭

05/20/2026

“Do Something Pretty” is a must-see. It intimately captures a certain moment at a certain time that I feel will resonate across generations. Thank you, Rivendell Theatre Ensemble, for bringing another powerful production to your stage. This play will live in my bones, my thoughts, and dreams, serving as a reminder of a time when I felt invincible for anything that life would throw at me. It’s a feeling I’m grateful to have reignited, thanks to this show." - Rebecca Martin, CCinema Femme
Get tickets TODAY at rivendelltheatre.org/dosomethingpretty

https://cinemafemme.com/2026/05/18/do-something-pretty-is-a-universally-relatable-portrait-of-early-90s-teen-angst/

“That’s the thing about girls. Every time they do something pretty, even if they’re not much to look at, or even if they’re sort of stupid, you fall half in love with them, and then you never know…

05/17/2026

Do Something Pretty is an aching look at adolescent longing and fear. Melissa Ross’s drama is set in the early 90s, but it feels disquietingly contemporary at Rivendell Theatre Ensemble.

-Kerry Reid, Chicago Reader

Melissa Ross's world premiere at Rivendell is set in 1992 but feels depressingly on the nose over 30 years later.

05/15/2026

Benefit Bash was a blast! We had so much fun and raised vital funds to support our work! Congratulations to all those who won their bids - stay tuned for more!
Thank you all! 🪩