Chicago Social Butterflies

Ragbagalia Arts Fest
2026-05-16 14:00 - 2026-05-17 01:00 (America/Chicago) | Sleeping Village, 3734 W Belmont Ave, Chicago, IL, 60618, United States
As Chicago emerges from its winter burrow, a new cultural fixture is set to bloom with a historic headlining performance. Ragbagalia, a brand-new femme and queer arts festival, officially announces its inaugural event for May 16, 2026, at Sleeping Village, featuring the legendary ESG on their highly-anticipated “Final Dance” tour.
For many, this will be the final opportunity to witness the seismic influence of ESG—a band whose minimalist funk and post-punk rhythms provided the DNA for hip-hop and house music—on a Chicago stage. Their farewell performance anchors a curated “ragbag” team of
artists dedicated to reclaiming space for voices that deserve to be heard. “In today’s political and cultural climate, safer, femme-forward spaces feel more necessary than ever,” says Tracy Evans, Founder of Ragbagalia. “Bringing ESG’s ‘Final Dance’ to this stage is the ultimate tribute to the underground. We are pairing these icons with emerging voices to build something that is both revolutionary and a celebration of the legacy they’ve built.”
Inspired by the radical history of the Riot Grrrl movement and the space-making narratives of authors like Sara Marcus and Carrie Brownstein, Ragbagalia disrupts the traditional festival model. The event is entirely women-led and multidisciplinary, centering women, femme, queer,
and marginalized artists across music, performance, and visual art.
Alongside ESG, the lineup includes Chicago’s own She’s Crafty (all-female Beastie Boys tribute), and powerhouse acts Period Bomb, Uniity, and Pleeay. Rooted in the city’s supportive arts community, Evans and co-leader Ashley Barlow (co-founder of littleHEADbutt Studios) have designed Ragbagalia to prioritize safety, authenticity, and accessibility. Held at the ADA-accessible Sleeping Village, the festival emphasizes affordability
with an all-day ticket that includes live music and a curated pop-up gallery. In keeping with its commitment to equity, profits from the event go directly to the participating artists, with remaining funds donated to the festival’s primary partner, Punk Rock Saves Lives.

David Sedaris in Chicago
2026-05-17 14:00 - 16:00 | Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Ida B. Wells Drive, Chicago, IL, 60605, United States
David Sedaris, renowned humorist and best-selling author, will perform at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago, IL on May 17th, 2026 at 2:00 PM. Known for his witty storytelling and sharp observations of life, Sedaris captivates audiences with his unique comedic perspective. This performance is sure to be an engaging afternoon filled with laughter and insightful anecdotes.

About Face presents Re/Generation Studio 2026
2026-05-22 17:30 - 2026-05-23 18:00 | Goodman Theater, 170 N Dearborn St., Chicago, IL, 60601, United States
Join About Face Theatre and Chicago LGBTQ+ creatives to build the future of queer theatre together. This welcoming series of public workshops is shaped as a collective dreaming space for connecting with each other, learning about new plays, world-building, and exploring new production models.

AN EVENING WITH HARVEY
2026-05-22 19:30 - 21:00 | Open Space Arts, 1411 W Wilson Ave., Chicago, IL, 60640, United States
Join us for a powerful evening celebrating the life, legacy, and enduring impact of Harvey Milk in conjunction with what would have been his birthday on May 22. Milk was one of the first openly gay elected officials in the United States and a visionary voice for equality.
The evening will include a staged reading of A LETTER TO HARVEY MILK by Lesléa Newman, directed by Elayne LeTraunik, a moving and deeply human work that reflects on friendship, identity, memory, and the transformative power of connection, featuring Douglas Levene.

Jibz Cameron: Hell in a Handbag
2026-05-23 19:30 - 20:30 | Logan Center for the Arts, 915 E 60th St, Chicago, IL, United States
A freaks freak, artist Jibz Cameron, best known for her multimedia alter ego Dynasty Handbag, on her new memoir “Hell in a Handbag”
Queer performance artist Jibz Cameron, best known for her multimedia alter ego Dynasty Handbag, heads to Chicago for an evening of performance, film, and readings celebrating the debut of her memoir. Entitled Hell in a Handbag, the book traces Cameron’s unique perspective shaped by a childhood spent with hippie clowns in Northern California, to making morbid zines as a teen in the East Bay punk scene, to in-your-face experiences of misogyny in New York City’s avant-garde theater scene. By turns both frank and funny, Cameron addresses the impact of addiction and mental illness in her life, as well as her mother’s suicide, in a candid account of her journey. This personal narrative culminates in the birth of Dynasty Handbag, and her gutting commentary on contemporary life. In a first, both Jibz Cameron and Dynasty Handbag will appear each evening to tell the story of these intimately intertwined halves of one iconic individual.
Please note: This program contains mature content including mentions of suicide and self-harm.

Chicago Repertory Ballet's Spring Series
2026-05-29 19:30 - 22:00 | Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 101 N. Dearborn St., Chicago, IL, United States
MAY 29 – 31 | RUTH PAGE CENTER FOR THE ARTS
REPERTORY INCLUDES:
THE RITE OF SPRING – WADE SCHAAF
WORLD PREMIERE – YANIS ERIC PIKIERIS
WORLD PREMIERE – WADE SCHAAF
Join Chicago Repertory Ballet for an exhilarating Spring Series that celebrates repertory, reinvention, and bold new voices. Anchoring the our Spring Series is the remounting of Founding Artistic Director Wade Schaaf’s The Rite of Spring, set to Igor Stravinsky’s watershed score.
CRB has not performed this ballet since its striking 2021 presentation on Crickett Hill, and we are thrilled to bring this monumental work to the stage at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts. Drawing inspiration from the Ballets Russes era while infusing it with CRB’s contemporary classical sensibility, Schaaf’s Rite is visceral, ritualistic, and theatrically charged — a work that honors tradition while boldly reinterpreting it for today’s audiences.
The program also features a world premiere work by choreographer Yanis Eric Pikieris. Known for his sweeping physicality and intricate musicality, Pikieris crafts movement that is both architecturally precise and emotionally expansive. His choreography demands virtuosity while revealing the humanity of the dancer — an arresting combination that has quickly distinguished his voice.
Also on the program is a world premiere by Founding Artistic Director Wade Schaaf. Schaaf’s work has been described as “musically sophisticated and dramatically immediate,” blending structural rigor with an unflinching theatrical instinct. This new creation continues their exploration of contemporary classical form, pushing the company’s artists both technically and expressively.
Do not miss these exciting works including the Chicago premiere of Miami based choreographer Yanis Eric Pikieris!

PRIDE Night - BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN at Chicago Shakespeare
2026-06-02 17:30 - 21:00 | Chicago Shakespeare Theater, 800 E. Grand Ave., Chicago, IL, 60611, United States
Join us for a special PRIDE Night at Chicago Shakespeare’s North American premiere production of BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN, Tuesday, June 2 at 5:30 p.m. with a party before the performance at 7:00 p.m.
Gather around the “CAMPfire” for a joyful celebration to kick-off Pride Month with Western music, dancing, community, and a
splash of camp. Each ticket to the show includes one free drink, light bites, and special pre-show activities in the lobby.
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
May 28-June 28, 2026 at Chicago Shakespeare Theater
Gather around the campfire for the highly anticipated North American premiere! This sweeping love story for the ages by Ashley Robinson brings Annie Proulx’s captivating novella that inspired the Academy Award-winning film to the stage. Wyoming 1963: a wild landscape of extreme rural poverty and insular conservative communities. When Ennis and Jack take jobs on the isolated Brokeback Mountain, all their certainties of life change forever as they flounder in unexpected emotional waters of increasing depth. Directed by Jonathan Butterell and starring Harrison Ball (former principal dancer at the New York City Ballet) as Ennis Del Mar and Jack Cameron Kay (Netflix’s Boots, Club Kid) as Jack Twist, this beautiful tale of an irresistible and hidden love spans twenty years. A live Country Western band onstage weaves a soulful sonic landscape as vast as the West with original songs by Dan Gillespie Sells.

Chicago Shakespeare Theater Brokeback Mountain Hall of Fame Benefit
2026-06-02 18:00 - 22:00 | Chicago Shakespeare Theater, 800 E. Grand Ave., Chicago, IL, 60611, United States
Pride Reception and Performance

Blue Dress
2026-06-05 19:30 - 21:00 | The Annoyance Theater, 851 W Belmont Ave., Chicago, IL, United States
Blue Dress is a fast-paced queer meta-fantasy that unites Alice from Wonderland and Dorothy from Oz in a shared, unstable world where familiar rules no longer apply. As they search for a way home, the two encounter strange characters, shifting realities, and growing tensions that challenge how they see themselves and each other. What begins as an adventure becomes something deeper as both are forced to question the roles they’ve been assigned and whether they’re willing to break from them. Blending camp, comedy, and emotional honesty, Blue Dress explores identity, friendship, and the courage it takes to define your own story.
This show runs Fridays in June at 7:30pm at Annoyance Theatre. 90 minutes.

SMILEY
2026-06-05 19:30 - 21:00 | Open Space Arts, 1411 W Wilson Ave., Chicago, IL, 60640, United States
Open Space Arts is proud to present SMILEY by Guillem Clua, a sharp, funny, and deeply relatable queer romantic comedy that has captivated audiences around the world.
Originally premiering in Barcelona, SMILEYquickly became a breakout success in Spain, enjoying extended runs in Barcelona and Madrid and earning widespread acclaim. Since its debut, the play has been produced internationally across Europe and Latin America, with productions in Germany, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Chile, Puerto Rico, Peru, and beyond.
While SMILEY has become a global audience favorite, it has had only limited exposure in the United States, with select Spanish-language productions in New York and Miami. Open Space Arts’ production introduces this internationally celebrated work to Chicago audiences, offering a fresh opportunity to experience one of the most engaging contemporary queer love stories to emerge from the European stage.
When ÁLEX leaves a voicemail for his ex, it lands in the inbox of BRUNO—a stranger. What begins as a wrong message turns into an unexpected connection between two very different men. As texts turn into calls, and calls into something more, they navigate attraction, vulnerability, and the complicated reality of modern love.
Funny, fast, and disarmingly honest, SMILEYexplores the thrill and risk of connection in a world shaped by screens, expectations, and the fear of being truly seen.
Guillem Clua is one of Spain’s most widely produced contemporary playwrights, whose work has been staged internationally and translated into multiple languages. His plays, including SMILEY and THE SWALLOW, are known for their emotional intelligence, wit, and insight into the complexities of human connection.
Open Space Arts continues its commitment to bold, intimate storytelling that centers queer lives and voices with SMILEY, a play that reflects the company’s ongoing exploration of connection, identity, and the evolving nature of love.

Saturn Returns
2026-06-11 19:00 - 20:30 | The Edge Theatre, 5451 N Broadway, Chicago, IL, 60640, United States
Directed by Molly Smith, Saturn Returns tells the universally human story of getting older through tap dance and live music with new choreography by Smith and the dancers of Chicago Tap Theatre. Based on the Saturn return process in astrology, this show, the ultimate in CTT’s ’25-’26 season, is a heartwarming snapshot of our individual pasts, presents, and futures.

Amplify Queer Joy!
2026-06-12 19:00 - 21:30 | Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted, Chicago, IL, 60613, United States
Join the Chicago Playback Theatre for two evenings celebrating your true, queer stories! Friday 6/12 @Center on Halsted, Monday 6/15 @Flossmoor Public Library (FREE SHOW).
This pride month the Chicago Playback Theatre Ensemble is bringing queer joy to the forefront! We invite our queer community members and allies to join us and watch as we bring true stories of queer love, laughter, resilience, connection, and healing to life through the art of Playback Theatre- an interactive form of improvisational theatre centered around stories from the audience. Despite the trials and tribulations the queer community has and continues to face, our joy shines through and thrives and we aim to amplify this joy through music, improv and the power of community.
We strive to make our performances accessible to all. There is an elevator to the performance space. Chairs in the space are movable so we can make room for mobility devices. If you require specific accommodations such as sign language interpretation, audio description, or reserved seating for individuals with mobility challenges, please email us at coartisticdirector@chicagoplayback.com at least 14 days prior to the event. This allows us ample time to make the necessary arrangements to ensure your experience is as seamless and enjoyable as possible.

"Iceboy!" Pride Night Out at The Goodman
2026-06-26 17:30 - 19:30 | Goodman Theater, 170 N Dearborn St., Chicago, IL, 60601, United States
We’re kicking off Pride Weekend at The Goodman! Celebrate community, creativity and connection with a vibrant pre-show party and discounted tickets to the world-premiere musical comedy Iceboy!—starring Emmy Award-winners Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman. Join us in Goodman’s main lobbies for: live music by DJ Rae Chardonnay, pre-show bar discounts, light bites and a welcoming space to connect with friends and allies. Then experience Iceboy!—a hilarious, high-energy story set in 1938 New York City, where Broadway’s brightest star adopts a 40,000-year-old Neanderthal who becomes an overnight sensation.
Tickets are $70 for the pre-show party and 7:30pm performance of Iceboy! with code PRIDE.
Enter code PRIDE in the “Have a Code” field on the next age before proceeding to check out. Not valid on previously purchased tickets or in combination with other offers.

BALLATA FEMMENELLA
2026-06-29 19:00 - 21:00 | Facets, 1517 W. Fullerton, Chicago, IL, United States
BALLATA FEMMENELLA is a moving and deeply textured journey into the largest and oldest transgender community in Europe: the femmenelle of Naples. Rooted in centuries of history and culture, the femmenelle are an integral part of the city’s identity—at once spiritual, social, and political.
Through the voices and lived experiences of its protagonists—including activists, artists, sex workers, and community leaders—the film traces both ancestral traditions and urgent contemporary struggles. It draws us into the intimate streets and hidden corners of Naples, where history, identity, and daily life are inseparable.
Their stories illuminate lives shaped by resilience, devotion, exclusion, and fierce pride, offering a portrait that is at once intimate and expansive.
Far from any folkloric simplification, BALLATA FEMMENELLA stands as both a political and poetic work—a manifesto of denied identities and a declaration of love for a community without which Naples, and perhaps Europe itself, would be immeasurably poorer.

The Lizzie McGuire Movie: The Play
2026-07-10 19:30 - 22:00 | Steppenwolf, 1650 N. Halsted St., Chicago, IL, 60614, United States
After two sold out runs at Color Club and winning runner up in Chicago Reader’s Best New Play, The Lizzie McGuire Movie: The Play is back to show you what dreams are really made of. Adapted for the stage by Sage Huston and Matty Merritt and directed by Brigid Broderick and Matty Merritt, this show reimagines Lizzie McGuire’s iconic trip to Rome in a way Disney would never allow. The show pays homage to our blonde queen and answers the question: “what the hell happened to Miranda??”
A parody production of a beloved childhood movie with dance, drag, a live band, over-the-top acting and giant DIY cardboard props. Let’s get into the duality of girlhood: Wanting to be the center of attention but not wanting anyone to look at you. Feeling uncomfortable all the time, but being unafraid to follow your heart.
THE ARTISTS
Directed by Brigid Broderick and Matty Merritt
Written by Sage Huston and Matty Merritt
Film & Projections by Derek Davidson
Music Direction by Courtney Mankowski & Bizzy Stephenson
Stage Managed by Max Nutter
Artists involved: David Tarantino, Mina Bond, Jacob Ryan Reno, Audrey Carter, Annaleigh Stone, Kari Hernandez, Joe Cariola, Jerwin Gabriel Santiago, Daniela Aguilar, Jacob Cohen, Elena Dern, Beth Nelsen, Maddie Daviss, Cay Allan, Joey Chimes, Jacklyn Tyburk

Nervous Breakdown in G Minor
2026-07-17 19:30 - 22:00 | Steppenwolf, 1650 N. Halsted St., Chicago, IL, 60614, United States
How do you pursue an art form you love when you no longer feel you belong? In this solo show with live music, Lewis Rawlinson traces his journey through queerness, addiction and mental health. Nervous Breakdown in G Minor is a lyrical autobiography about growing up Mormon in Montana, training as a classical cellist and confronting the realities of pursuing a life in music.
Lewis interweaves storytelling with a live performance of a four-movement cello sonata, a turbulent work that mirrors his path from discovery and joy through doubt and collapse to rebirth. The result is a raw exploration of identity and a reclamation of narrative—seeking a more honest, and ultimately universal, connection to music.
Nervous Breakdown in G Minor recently completed a critically acclaimed run at the Winnipeg Fringe Festival. The show was also the recipient of a 2023 Chicago DCASE Grant and was performed at The Den Theatre and Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre.
THE ARTISTS
Written and performed by Lewis Rawlinson
Piano performed by Mo Xo
Directed by Stephanie Rogers
Developed with Arlene Malinowski

Dream Devis: The Death and Life Of
2026-07-23 19:30 - 21:00 | Steppenwolf, 1650 N. Halsted St., Chicago, IL, 60614, United States
Dream Devis, Chicago’s trans femme South Asian collective, return to Steppenwolf after their sold-out eponymous show last year. Join our Devis for an existentialist romp through time, history, mythology and pop culture through song, dance and comedy.
Dream Devis: The Death And Life Of centers and celebrates women at the margins of their own stories via a decidedly queer, camp lens on the big questions of life (and death).
This new work uses a short story by the legendary polymath Rabindranath Tagore, known widely as the greatest man of Indian letters, as the creative springboard for a fantastical exploration of mythology, literature and history. Tagore’s heroine Kadambini, caught between the world of the dead and the living, becomes a witness to the subversion of famed victims, notorious villainesses and controversial icons.
The Dream Devis, an ensemble of South Asian queer and trans femme artists and performers led by noted Chicago drag queen and artist Abhijeet (@bon_abhijeet) and writer-performer Saleha Salam/Leha As The Salamander (@thesalamanderchicago) and featuring Shruthi Kannan of the beloved local Bollywood-punk band Do The Needful (@dtnchicago), portray these women in a series of vignettes of visual spectacle in an evocation of the South Asian theatrical tradition of folk variety shows.
THE ARTISTS
Abhijeet
Leha As The SalamanderShruthi Kannan
Masala Sapphire
Gulabi Sapphire
DJ RIYA RIYA
@dream.devis

Claire Lochmueller: CRACKS - A One-Trans-Woman Dark Comedy Memoir
2026-08-21 19:30 - 22:00 | Steppenwolf, 1650 N. Halsted St., Chicago, IL, 60614, United States
Through a hybrid of storytelling, stand-up comedy and theatre, this one-trans-woman dark comedy memoir by Claire Lochmueller details a journey from a childhood in the Catholic Church/JROTC military school to a career as a multi-award-winning trans theatre-maker. CRACKS navigates topics of gender identity, substance abuse and finding joy in a story about how two lives, through laughter and tears, became one trans identity.
CRACKS has toured fringe festivals across the US and in Canada.

Bambi Banks Presents: Clue University: A Drag Parody
2026-08-27 19:30 - 22:00 | Steppenwolf, 1650 N. Halsted St., Chicago, IL, 60614, United States
Bambi Banks returns to the LookOut Series with Clue University, a slasher parody play that combines all the fun and whimsy of the game of Clue with the complicated world of a collegiate rush week. In this thrilling murder mystery, six Sorority Sisters must unmask a killer living amongst them, testing their bonds of sisterhood and bringing to light the question: is blood thicker than power?
Clue University takes place in a College Sorority house. Three new pledges enter rush week excited to start their new Greek life at Sigma Epsilon Chi. This comedic play is about the deep complexities of growing up as a young woman while a killer is on the loose.
THE TEAM
Director – Bambi Banks
Assistant Director – Lezbian Minnelli
Stage Manager – Abhijeet
Writer – Neutral Gena
Set Designer – JforPay
THE CAST
Ivory – Bosstyn
Amber – Annie Andrews
Amethyst – Sundae
Cherry – Starr Banks
Jade – Lady Piphany
Cyan – Apsara Chan
Tiger – Diego
Rose – Tiny Miracle
Professor – Stephanie
Electrician – Lezbian Minnelli
Swing for Pledges – Ash Wednesday
Swing for Twins – Miley Swallow
