The League of Chicago Theatres shines a spotlight on Black History Month in conjunction with Chicago Theatre Week, February 5-15, 2026, and Chicago Theatre Week Continued, February 16-22, 2026.
The value-priced CTW tickets are $30, $15, or less. All CTW 2026 ticketing is hosted exclusively on HotTix.org, with information available on ChicagoTheatreWeek.com.
Chicago Theatre Week is a program of the League of Chicago Theatres, in continued partnership with Choose Chicago.
“Chicago Theatre Week is a chance for our whole community to come together and uplift the power of storytelling. Presenting Black productions during Black History Month and Chicago Theatre Week deepens that celebration and reminds us how essential Black artists are to the cultural life of our city,” comments League of Chicago Theatres Executive Director Marissa Lynn Jones.
The League of Chicago Theatres has recently launched a new Cultural Happenings page highlighting artists, theatres, and artistic organizations committed to uplifting their communities and cultures. Adapted from its Cultural Conversation Series, Cultural Happenings aims to showcase opportunities for patrons, supporters, and friends to get involved in cultural and artistic initiatives and support the diversity of our great theatre industry and city. All artists, producers and playwrights are invited to submit their information and any subsequent cultural events here: https://form.jotform.com/260155984497168
During Chicago Theatre Week, the Black Arts & Culture Alliance of Chicago (BACA) will present a free Town Hall Discussion: Chicago’s Black Arts Organizations...What We Can Do on Monday, February 9, 2026, from 7-9pm at Black Ensemble Theater, 4450 N. Clark Street in Chicago. The event is presented in association with Black Ensemble Theater and the Goodman Theatre’s 100 Free Acts of Theatre. The discussion, followed by a light reception, is free and open to the public. Reservations are required.
Extremely frank, open and realistic questions will be presented to Chicago professionals, from all disciplines including theatre, dance, music, film, visual and literary arts. The Professional Chicago Panel includes artists, managers, and organizational leaders, including award-winning female vocalist Lucie Smith, musician Shawn Wallace, theatre director Ron OJ Parson, two-time Emmy-nominated and four-time Telly winner, radio host, and creator of founder of Black Film Magazine Creative Cypher Troy Pryor, visual artists and gallery owners Andre and Francis Guichard, and Executive Director of Deeply Rooted Dance Company Makeda Crayton. A light reception will follow the Panel Discussion.
For more information about Cultural Happenings and to make a reservation to attend for the Town Hal on February 9, 2026, visit https://chicagoplays.com/cultural-happenings/.
The following is a selection of work available in February in celebration of Black History Month:
- Black and Highly Flavored: A Black Excellence Comedy Revue — The Second City
- Black Cypress Bayou — Definition Theatre Company
- Cirque Kalabanté — McAninch Arts Center
- Dancing Through the Great Migration — South Chicago Dance Theatre at The Center for Performing Arts at Governors State University
- José James with Lizz Wright: Marvin Gaye’s I Want You — Chicago Symphony Orchestra
- Mix at Six: Angel Bat Dawid — Harris Theater of Dance and Music
- Morning, Noon, and Night — Shattered Globe Theatre at Theatre Wit
- Trial in the Delta: the Murder of Emmett Till — Collaboraction Theatre Company
- The Quiet Parts Out Loud: A Day in the Life of A.G. Gaston – Broadway in Bronzeville at the Harold Washington Cultural Center
- The Rat Pack — The Center for Performing Arts at Governors State University
Discounted tickets to many of the productions are available at HotTix.org. Otherwise, tickets may be purchased through the respective theatre companies.
Chicago Theatre Week (#CTW26), presented by the League of Chicago Theatres in participation with Choose Chicago, is an annual celebration of the rich tradition of theatre-going in Chicago during which visitors and residents can access value-priced tickets. Chicago Theatre Week 2026 will take place February 5-15, 2026. For the fourth consecutive year, HotTix.org will host Chicago Theatre Week Continued, February 16-22, 2026, which will extend Theatre Week discounts to participating productions for an additional week.
The League of Chicago Theatres, in continued partnership with Choose Chicago, is offering exciting enhancements to make participating in CTW more accessible, efficient, and rewarding, including ticketing on HotTix.org.
A Chicago Theatre Week Kick-off Celebration will be held on Monday, February 2, 2026, at The Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave at 5:30pm. The sold-out evening will include sneak-peek performances, light bites, and a cash bar. The event is free and open to the public. Reservations are required and are currently at the capacity limit.
Chicago Theatre Week Bingo, in partnership Chicago Loop Alliance and DCASE, is back and encourages participation in city/Loop festivities during CTW26. Adding a layer of fun to Chicago Theatre Week, participants can start planning their theatre activities with our Bingo card. When participants get a BINGO (five spaces in a row) and submit proof of attendance for the corresponding shows during CTW26 (photos or tickets confirmation), they will be entered to win a pair of free theatre tickets and a restaurant gift card. Up to 5 winners will be randomly selected.
During last year’s Chicago Theatre Week, sixty participating organizations sold tickets to a total of 400 individual performances of 86 different productions, with 31 neighborhoods and suburbs represented. The program also raised the visibility of the theater industry, as evidenced by the more than 7,000 unique visitors to ChicagoPlays.com and a digital reach of more than one million, including shares from partner theatres. Visitors and residents had the opportunity to sample the extraordinary range of theatrical offerings throughout Chicagoland. Chicago Theatre Week celebrates an expansive audience, with more than 50% of attendees visiting their chosen theater for the first time. The program draws visitors from across the country with 8% of patrons coming from beyond 50 miles of the city, including 37 states, plus Canada. Seventy-five percent of ticket-buyers from outside of the Chicago area who were surveyed said they came to Chicago because it was Chicago Theatre Week.
Chicago Theatre Week is presented by the League of Chicago Theatres in partnership with Choose Chicago. Subscribe to the Theatre Week email newsletter for updates and announcements.
The official hashtag for Chicago Theatre Week 2026 is #CTW26.
Chicago theatre is the leader in the U.S. with more than 250 theatres throughout Chicagoland, comprising a rich and varied community ranging from storefront, non-union theatres to the most renowned resident theatres in the country, including 7 which have been honored with Regional Tony Awards, and the largest touring Broadway organization in the nation. Chicago’s theatres serve 5 million audience members annually and have a combined budget of more than $250 million. Chicago produces and/or presents more world premieres annually than any other city in the nation. Each year Chicago theatres send new work to resident theatres across the country, to Broadway, and around the world. For more information, visit www.chicagoplays.com. #ChiTheatre
The League of Chicago Theatres’ Mission Statement
Theatre is essential to the life of a great city and to its citizens. The League of Chicago Theatres is an alliance of theatres, which leverages its collective strength to support, promote and advocate for Chicago’s theatre industry. Through our work, we ensure that theatre continues to thrive in our city.
About Choose Chicago
Choose Chicago is the official destination marketing organization responsible for promoting Chicago as a global tourism and meetings destination—the city that’s Never Done and Never Outdone. Choose Chicago leverages the city’s unmatched assets to enrich the community by attracting meetings, events, and more than 55 million annual visitors, generating over $20 billion in economic impact. Follow @choosechicago and tag #NeverOutdoneChi on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and X/Twitter. For more information, visit choosechicago.com.