Court Theatre, under the continuing leadership of Marilyn F. Vitale Artistic Director Avery Willis Hoffman and Executive Director Angel Ysaguirre, is proud to present the new musical, Out Here. Directed by Chay Yew, this charming and bold take on the American kitchen sink drama brings Court’s 2025/26 season to a joyous conclusion. This production will run April 10 – May 10, 2026 at Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Ave. The press opening is Saturday, April 18, 2026 at 7:30pm.
The cast of Out Here includes Becca Ayers (Dawn); Cliff Chamberlain (Brian); Ellie Duffey (Cleo); Alex Goodrich (Martin); Z Mowry (Jet); Amanda Pulcini (Gina); and Bethany Thomas (Robin)
The creative team includes Christie Chiles Twillie (Music Supervisor); Breon Arzell (Movement Director); Andrew Boyce and Lauren M. Nichols (Co-Scenic Designers); Christine Pascual (Costume Designer); Lee Fiskness (Lighting Designer); Mikhail Fiksel (Sound Design); David J. Levin (Production Dramaturg); Becca McCracken, CSA (Director of Casting and Artist Cultivation), with Celeste M. Cooper (Associate Casting Director); Katrina Herrmann (Production Stage Manager); and Jaclynn Joslin (Assistant Stage Manager).
Dawn has a house, a husband, and a family, but she wants more. She wants her ex-girlfriend, Robin. She wants nothing to change and she wants everything to change, and she wants to control all the terms. As she’s caught between what’s been and what’s next, Dawn must learn to reimagine her expectations, harmonize with loved ones, and trust the process. If she can do all that, she might just learn a new song. Strikingly original, Out Here explores the unexpected freedom in relinquishing control, and how, sometimes, you have to break something apart to create something better.
Life happens outside of your comfort zone. Out Here is a courageous new musical, developed through an extended and dynamic collaboration between Court Theatre and the Neubauer Collegium at the University of Chicago. Audiences will have the rare opportunity to be the first to experience this fresh and intimate look at a family reconfiguring itself and rediscovering joy.
Led by acclaimed director Chay Yew, making his Court debut, Out Here arrives as a bold, innovative work that invites Chicago audiences to be among the very first to witness its evolution—bringing the 2025/26 season to a joyous conclusion.
Tickets to Out Here are on sale now, and can be purchased by calling the Box Office at (773) 753-4472 or online at CourtTheatre.org. Out Here is supported by the Charles Newell Production Fund.
Court will present a series of engagement programming throughout the run of the show that complements themes within the production. More information will be available at CourtTheatre.org or by calling the Box Office at (773) 753-4472.
This production was developed in partnership with University of Chicago Professors Leslie Buxbaum and David J. Levin; musician, writer, and producer Erin McKeown; and the Arts Labs research project at the Neubauer Collegium for Culture and Society. The Neubauer Collegium cultivates new communities of inquiry at the University of Chicago. Their faculty-led research projects bring together scholars and practitioners whose collaboration is required to address complex questions on any topic. Their Visiting Fellows program brings the most creative thinkers from around the world for collaboration, animating the intellectual and creative environment on campus. Their gallery presents art exhibitions in the context of academic research, and their public events invite broad engagement with the scholarly inquiries we support. The aim of these activities is to deepen knowledge about the world and our place in it.
Fact Sheet / Out Here
Title: Out Here
Concept by: Leslie Buxbaum, David J. Levin, and Erin McKeown
Book and Lyrics by: Leslie Buxbaum
Music and Lyrics by: Erin McKeown
Dramaturgy by: David J. Levin
Directed by: Chay Yew
Featuring: Becca Ayers (Dawn); Cliff Chamberlain (Brian); Ellie Duffey (Cleo); Alex Goodrich (Martin); Z Mowry (Jet); Amanda Pulcini (Gina); and Bethany Thomas (Robin).
Creatives: Christie Chiles Twillie (Music Supervisor); Breon Arzell (Movement Director); Andrew Boyce and Lauren M. Nichols (Co-Scenic Designers); Christine Pascual (Costume Designer); Lee Fiskness (Lighting Designer); Mikhail Fiksel (Sound Design); David J. Levin (Production Dramaturg); Becca McCracken, CSA (Director of Casting and Artist Cultivation), with Celeste M. Cooper (Associate Casting Director); Katrina Herrmann (Production Stage Manager); and Jaclynn Joslin (Assistant Stage Manager).
Dates: Previews: April 10 – 17, 2026
Press Opening: April 18, 2026 at 7:30pm
Regular Run: April 10 – May 10, 2026
Schedule: Wed/Thurs/Fri: 7:30pm
Sat/Sun: 2:00pm & 7:30pm
Accessible Touch Tour: Saturday, May 2 at 12:30pm
Performances: Audio Description and ASL Interpretation: Saturday, May 2 at 2:00pm
Open Captioning: Sunday, May 3 at 2:00pm
Location: Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis Ave
Tickets: $42.00 – $74.00 Previews
$60.00 – $90.00 Regular Run
Student, group, and military discounts available
Box Office: Located at 5535 S. Ellis Avenue, Chicago; (773) 753-4472 or www.CourtTheatre.org.
Winner of the 2022 Regional Theatre Tony Award, Court Theatre reimagines classic theatre to illuminate our current times. In residence at the University of Chicago and on Chicago’s historic South Side, we engage our audiences with intimate and provocative experiences that inspire deeper exploration of the enduring questions that confront humanity and connect us as people.