Oil Lamp Theater’s Oil Lamp Academy,1009 Waukegan Rd., announces fall classes are on sale now. Offerings are available for students ages pre-K through adult and a variety of experience levels. Returning classes offered are Theater Makers, Story Explorers and Theater Skills classes with new and exciting themes. More storytelling and adult offerings are also returning with fan-favorite teachers. And starting this fall, classes previously available at The Laughing Academy, are now available with Oil Lamp Academy, with the same courses and faculty. Registration may be found at OilLampAcademy.org with full and partial scholarships available for application at OilLampAcademy/Forms.
“All of us at Oil Lamp Academy are excited that the Academy is offering the largest variety and number of classes than in any previous year,” said Oil Lamp Academy Education Director Whitney Minarik.”From popular favorites to our new partnership with The Laughing Academy, Oil Lamp Academy has nearly two dozen youth and adult classes and for people of all experiences. We look forward to the fall and the start of these classes and this new partnership.”
“As The Laughing Academy begins its 15th year, and the final year in Glenview, we have reached out to offer a collaboration with Oil Lamp Academy,” said The Laughing Academy Founder Kim Hiller. “Oil Lamp now offers improv and stand-up classes with The Laughing Academy instructors starting in the fall of 2026. I will also be on the Education Committee at Oil Lamp Academy to continue the youth program that has been such an integral part of The Laughing Academy.”
Oil Lamp Academy’s Fall Course Offerings Include:
Youth Classes
- Improv Grades K-2: Putting the YOU in Team!, Sept. 8 - Nov. 17
Weekly on Tuesdays, 4:15 - 5:15 p.m.
Kindergarten - 2nd Grade
- Theater Skills: Fun with Puppets!, Sept. 8 - Nov. 17
Weekly on Tuesdays, 4:15 - 5:30 p.m.
2nd - 4th Grade
- High School Improv: Long Form Ensemble, Sept. 8 - Nov. 17
Weekly on Tuesdays, 6:30 - 8 p.m.
9th - 12th Grade
- Improv Grades 3-5: Essentially Ensemble, Sept. 9 - Nov. 18
Weekly on Wednesdays, 4:15 - 5:45 p.m.
3rd - 5th Grade
- Improv Grades 6-8: Exploring Long-Form Improv, Sept. 9 - Nov. 18
Weekly on Wednesdays, 5:15 - 6:45 p.m.
6th - 8th Grade
- Theater Makers: Olympians Ignite the Stage, Sept. 10 - Nov. 19
Weekly on Thursdays, 4:15 - 5:45 p.m.
2nd - 4th Grade
- Story Explorers: Royal Adventure, Sept. 12 - Nov. 21
Weekly on Saturdays, 9 - 9:45 a.m.
Pre-K - 1st Grade
- Theater Makers: Teen Musicals, Sept. 13 - Nov. 22
Weekly on Sundays, 4 - 6 p.m.
5th - 9th Grade
- Theater Makers: Teen Musicals, Sept. 14 - Nov. 23
Weekly on Mondays, 4:15 - 5:45 p.m.
4th - 8th Grade
Adult Classes
- Story Performance, Sept. 27 - Oct. 18
Weekly on Sundays, 3 - 6 p.m
- Acting 102 Continued, Sept. 9 - Oct. 21
Weekly on Wednesdays, 1 - 2:30 p.m.
- Adult Improv, Sept. 9 - Oct. 14
Weekly on Wednesdays, 7 - 9 p.m.
- Story Telling for Everyone, Sept. 10 - Oct. 15
Weekly on Thursdays, 6 - 8:30 p.m.
- Adult Improv with Jimmy Carrane, Sept. 10 - Oct. 15
Weekly on Thursdays, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
- Play Development, Sept. 13 - Nov. 15
Weekly on Sundays, 1:30 - 3:30 p.m.
- Intro to Stand-Up with Tyler Fowler, Sept. 14 - Oct. 19
Weekly on Thursdays, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
- Scene Study: Mystery/Thriller, Oct. 22 - Nov. 19
Weekly on Thursdays, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
- Comedy Scene Study, Nov. 4 - Dec. 16
Weekly on Wednesdays, 1 - 3 p.m.
MORE FROM OIL LAMP THEATER
The Last Five Years
June 5 - July 5, 2026
Written and Composed by Jason Robert Brown
Directed by Christina Ramirez
Music Directed by Amy Branahl
Performance Schedule: Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30 p.m.; Saturdays at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. with additional Wednesday performances Wednesday, June 10 at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.; Wednesday June 17 at 7:30 p.m.; Wednesday, June 24 at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.; and Wednesday July 1 at 7:30 p.m. There are no performances on Saturday July 4.
The Last Five Years debuted at Northlight Theatre in 2001 and returns to the North Shore after runs on Broadway, Off-Broadway, the West End and, most recently, a concert version at Radio City Music Hall with Tony, Grammy and Emmy Award winner Ben Platt and Golden Globe and NBR winner Rachel Zegler. Jason Robert Brown’s musical masterpiece The Last Five Years is a widely beloved show and the Drama Desk Award-winner for Outstanding Music, taking audiences on the romantic rollercoaster of Jamie and Cathy as they fall in… and out of love over the last five years. Told from each individual’s perspective – one chronologically and one backwards – audiences will be swept into the unique storytelling and find an anti-love story full of humor and heart.
August 14 – September 13, 2026
Book and Lyrics by Ryan Cunningham
Music by Joshua Salzman
Directed by Scott Shallenbarger
Music Directed by Aaron Kahn
Preview Performances: Friday, Aug. 14 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday Aug. 15 at 3 p.m .
Opening Night: Saturday, Aug. 15 at 7:30 p.m.
Performance schedule: Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30 p.m.; Saturdays at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. with additional Wednesday performances Wednesday Aug. 19 at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.; Wednesday, Aug. 26 at 7:30 p.m.; Wednesday September 2 at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.; and Wednesday September 9 at 7:30 p.m.
Modern dating is a mess. Sometimes to find Mr. Right you need to find Mr. Wrong even if that means seeing someone stuck on their ex, awkward encounters of the intimate kind and lots of horrible coffee dates. Opposites attract in this feel-good musical that will transport audiences into the heart of your favorite guilty pleasure rom-com. Created by acclaimed musical team Ryan Cunningham and Joshua Salzman and inspired by Jane Austen’s gold-standard romance novel “Pride and Prejudice,” this delightful musical will make you fall head over heels.
October 2 – November 1, 2026
Adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher from the original play by Frederick Knott
Directed by Daniel King
Preview Performances: Friday, Oct. 2 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday Oct. 3 at 3 p.m.
Opening Night: Saturday, Oct. 3 at 7:30 p.m.
Performance schedule: Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30 p.m.; Saturdays at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. with additional Wednesday performances Wednesday, Oct. 7 at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.; Wednesday Oct. 14 at 7:30 p.m.; Wednesday Oct. 21 at 11:00 a.m. and 3 p.m. and Wednesday, Oct. 28 at 7:30 p.m.
Alfred Hitchcock’s adored, chilling thriller gets a modern twist that no one will see coming. A murderous misstep begins a high-stakes hunt for the real criminal as time is quickly running out. This captivating, heart-racing play leaves audiences on the edge of their seats while the mystery of the year unravels before their eyes. Will the clues unlock the right person, or will an innocent victim pay the price? The suspense is to die for…
*All productions, dates, creatives, etc. are subject to change.
ABOUT OIL LAMP ACADEMY
The Oil Lamp Academy is the bold new chapter for arts education at Oil Lamp Theater—a welcoming, professional-led space where high quality performing arts instruction shapes confident, well-rounded and connected individuals of all ages.
Taught by professional artists and educators in our welcoming and inclusive space at the Oil Lamp Academy, classes are for anyone interested in an accessible, uplifting experience that sparks creativity, expands self-expression, and builds connection.
ABOUT OIL LAMP THEATER
Oil Lamp Theater is a professional nonprofit performing arts organization in Glenview, Illinois, welcoming over 10,000 patrons annually from more than 225 communities—41% from Glenview and others from across the North Shore and Chicago. Since establishing its intimate 60-seat home in downtown Glenview in 2012, Oil Lamp has grown into a cultural beacon, earning recognition as “Best Live Theatre in the North Shore” for four consecutive years.
With more than 70 productions to date, Oil Lamp is known for its dynamic Mainstage season, special events and its resilience during the pandemic, when it innovated with drive-in performances and outdoor productions. Today, the theatre continues to foster connection, broaden horizons and illuminate the human condition through professional theater and year-round programming.
In addition to its productions, Oil Lamp Theater operates Oil Lamp Academy, its education branch dedicated to “Training for Life Through the Performing Arts.” In 2025 alone, the program served more than 230 students ages three to 97 years old, offering classes that use theater as a pathway to build confidence, creativity and lifelong skills.
This past September, Oil Lamp launched Light The Way, a transformative fundraising campaign designed to expand arts education, strengthen essential staff and establish a larger performance venue with the goal of staying in downtown Glenview. Building on its roots as a scrappy storefront, Oil Lamp is evolving into a more robust organization—without losing the intimacy and warmth that define its theater experience. Oil Lamp Theater hopes this announcement inspires excitement throughout the community. Stay tuned as additional news is shared in the near future. For information or to support the campaign go to OilLampTheater.org/Light-the-Way or reach out to Oil Lamp at light-the-way@oillamptheater.org.
Oil Lamp Academy Improv Instructor Jimmy Carrane and Stand-Up Instructor Tyler Fowler