Improvised Jane Austen tells a tale, on the spot, in the style of the most beloved 19th century authoress.

The women and men of Jane Austen's fiction are just trying to laugh, love and live their true selves within the stifling manners of Regency-era England. It’s fertile ground for comedy with heart and bite — and without a script.

Ghostlight Ensemble Member Holly Robison is a member of Improvised Jane Austen.

General Admission: $20 at the door
CHICAGO THEATER WEEK! DISCOUNT TICKETS WITH CODE: CTW24
iO Theater
In the Weed Cabaret
1501 N Kingsbury Street
Chicago, IL 60642

Ghostlight Ensemble presents the next installment of its live movie readings with Dot, Dot, Dot: A Live Reading (and Singing!) of Mamma Mia: The Movie on Thursday, March 28, 2024.

Join us at 7 p.m. at Black Eagle Club (1938 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60613), as we raise a glass of champagne to Aphrodite’s Fountain, the tunes of Abba and the plot that absolutely nothing at all to do with any Abba song ever release. And stick around after the reading for some Gimme Gimme Gimme Karaoke.

Mamma Mia! The Movie is a 2008 romantic comedy movie based on the stage production that launch jukebox musicals onto the world. The film, like the musical, is based on the songs of pop group ABBA, and follows a young bride-to-be who invites three men who might be her father to her upcoming wedding.

The live reading is directed by Maria Burnham.

There is a suggested donation of $5 at the door, which will help Ghostlight fund its upcoming season.

Improvised Jane Austen tells a tale, on the spot, in the style of the most beloved 19th century authoress.

The women and men of Jane Austen's fiction are just trying to laugh, love and live their true selves within the stifling manners of Regency-era England. It’s fertile ground for comedy with heart and bite — and without a script.

Ghostlight Ensemble Member Holly Robison is a member of Improvised Jane Austen.

General Admission: $20 at the door
CHICAGO THEATER WEEK! DISCOUNT TICKETS WITH CODE: CTW24
iO Theater
In the Weed Cabaret
1501 N Kingsbury Street
Chicago, IL 60642

Improvised Jane Austen tells a tale, on the spot, in the style of the most beloved 19th century authoress.

The women and men of Jane Austen's fiction are just trying to laugh, love and live their true selves within the stifling manners of Regency-era England. It’s fertile ground for comedy with heart and bite — and without a script.

Ghostlight Ensemble Member Holly Robison is a member of Improvised Jane Austen.

General Admission: $20 at the door
CHICAGO THEATER WEEK! DISCOUNT TICKETS WITH CODE: CTW24
iO Theater
In the Weed Cabaret
1501 N Kingsbury Street
Chicago, IL 60642

Cinema Chaos is a monthly unrehearsed movie reading series that joins our ongoing monthly staged movie reading series bringing audiences two movies a month — one rehearsed and well acted and the other…complete and utter chaos.

Eight actors who have never seen the movie in question show up unrehearsed and uncast to perform the script with only 5 minutes to prepare. Roles will be cast at the start of the reading. First up: The Room. Which The Room? Show up and see.

Readings take place on Thursday at the Black Eagle Club in Chicago.

Improvised Jane Austen tells a tale, on the spot, in the style of the most beloved 19th century authoress.

The women and men of Jane Austen's fiction are just trying to laugh, love and live their true selves within the stifling manners of Regency-era England. It’s fertile ground for comedy with heart and bite — and without a script.

Ghostlight Ensemble Member Holly Robison is a member of Improvised Jane Austen.

General Admission: $20 at the door
CHICAGO THEATER WEEK! DISCOUNT TICKETS WITH CODE: CTW24
iO Theater
In the Weed Cabaret
1501 N Kingsbury Street
Chicago, IL 60642

An ongoing staged reading series, For Your (Re)Consideration explores the works of historically overlooked female writers. Featuring a variety of distinct voices and styles from different historical periods, the readings seek to bring attention to these remarkable women who have been sidelined by history for reasons that had nothing to do with their talent and everything to do with their gender and, in many cases, their race.

In 2024, Ghostlight Ensemble presents Plays for Women!: A collection of overlooked suffrage plays — a reading of short suffrage works, most of them largely unknown and rarely performed, to coincide with March as Women’s History Month. This is a co-production with the Richard H. Driehaus Museum.

The reading runs about 90 minutes with an intermission. A brief talkback will follow. For more details, see the Plays for Women! show page.

Improvised Jane Austen tells a tale, on the spot, in the style of the most beloved 19th century authoress.

The women and men of Jane Austen's fiction are just trying to laugh, love and live their true selves within the stifling manners of Regency-era England. It’s fertile ground for comedy with heart and bite — and without a script.

Ghostlight Ensemble Member Holly Robison is a member of Improvised Jane Austen.

General Admission: $20 at the door
CHICAGO THEATER WEEK! DISCOUNT TICKETS WITH CODE: CTW24
iO Theater
In the Weed Cabaret
1501 N Kingsbury Street
Chicago, IL 60642

Improvised Jane Austen tells a tale, on the spot, in the style of the most beloved 19th century authoress.

The women and men of Jane Austen's fiction are just trying to laugh, love and live their true selves within the stifling manners of Regency-era England. It’s fertile ground for comedy with heart and bite — and without a script.

Ghostlight Ensemble Member Holly Robison is a member of Improvised Jane Austen.

General Admission: $20 at the door
iO Theater
In the Weed Cabaret
1501 N Kingsbury Street
Chicago, IL 60642

Improvised Jane Austen tells a tale, on the spot, in the style of the most beloved 19th century authoress.

The women and men of Jane Austen's fiction are just trying to laugh, love and live their true selves within the stifling manners of Regency-era England. It’s fertile ground for comedy with heart and bite — and without a script.

Ghostlight Ensemble Member Holly Robison is a member of Improvised Jane Austen.

General Admission: $20 at the door
CHICAGO THEATER WEEK! DISCOUNT TICKETS WITH CODE: CTW24
iO Theater
In the Weed Cabaret
1501 N Kingsbury Street
Chicago, IL 60642

Ghostlight Ensemble presents the next installment of its live movie readings with Such a Lot of Guns and So Few Brains: A Live Reading of The Big Sleep on Thursday, February 15, 2024.

Join us at 7 p.m. at Black Eagle Club (1938 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60613), as we raise our glass of brandy with champagne to this headscratcher of a detective story and try to figure out whodunnit.

The Big Sleep is a 1946 American film noir starring Humphrey Bogart as wisecracking private detective Philip Marlowe and Lauren Bacall as Vivian Rutledge in a story that begins with blackmail and through a series of complicated plot twists leads to multiple murders.

The live reading is directed by Bob Koester.

There is a suggested donation of $5 at the door, which will help Ghostlight fund its upcoming season.

Improvised Jane Austen tells a tale, on the spot, in the style of the most beloved 19th century authoress.

The women and men of Jane Austen's fiction are just trying to laugh, love and live their true selves within the stifling manners of Regency-era England. It’s fertile ground for comedy with heart and bite — and without a script.

Ghostlight Ensemble Member Holly Robison is a member of Improvised Jane Austen.

General Admission: $20 at the door
CHICAGO THEATER WEEK! DISCOUNT TICKETS WITH CODE: CTW24
iO Theater
In the Weed Cabaret
1501 N Kingsbury Street
Chicago, IL 60642

Ghostlight Ensemble kicks off a new year of live movie readings with Does Barry Manilow Know That You Raid His Wardrobe? A Live Reading of The Breakfast Club on Thursday, January 25, 2024.

Join us at 7 p.m. at Black Eagle Club (1938 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60613), as we sneak some cigs in the supply closet and agree that Ally Sheedy looked much better before her “makeover”.

The Breakfast Club is the era-defining, classic 1985 American teen coming-of-age film written, produced and directed by John Hughes. Five strangers with seemingly nothing in common end up together in Saturday detention and throughout the course of the day shed their personae and emerge into unlikely friendships.

The live reading is directed by Chad Wise.

There is a suggested donation of $5 at the door, which will help Ghostlight fund its upcoming season.

Ghostlight Ensemble Theatre hosts its fifth Holiday Cabernet – an evening of holiday classics (or not-so-classics) by favorite G.E.T. performers, emerging artists and surprise guests in a cabaret-style setting with an M.C. who overindulges in the holiday spirits.

In addition to performances, the event will include a holiday market by local artists and artisans, as well as a silent auction.

G.E.T. Yule holiday spirits on with us this December!

The Cabernet takes place at Mrs. Murphy and Sons Irish Bistro (3905 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60613).

It’s Turkey Time! For the first time since 2019, Ghostlight Ensemble will present Must Eat TV: A Live Reading of Your Favorite Thanksgiving Television Episodes. This is the Thanksgiving-themed installment of the company’s ongoing live reading series, and the last live reading of the year.

Thanksgiving is that strangest of American traditions involving stuffing ourselves silly with turkey, pie and whatever weird food that only your family serves at Thanksgiving (20 different kinds of Jello molds, anyone?), as well as ignoring that one cousin nobody likes and tiptoeing around politics while giving thanks and watching television. So join your Ghostlight family (including our weird cousin) for a celebration of the Great American Eating Holiday.

The lineup features “Bart vs Thanksgiving” from The Simpsons , “The Miracle of Thanksgiving” from Full House and “Turkey in a Can” from Bob’s Burgers at 7 p.m. at at Black Eagle Club (1938 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60613), in North Center.

There is a suggested donation of $5 at the door, which will help Ghostlight fund its upcoming season, AND a non-perishable good or additional cash donation to benefit North Center’s Common Pantry, which provides emergency food and social services to those in need.

Ghostlight Ensemble presents the Halloween installment of its ongoing live reading series in October: I’m Your Boyfriend Now, Nancy: A live reading of A Nightmare on Elm Street.

Join us at 7 p.m. on Thursday, October 26, at Black Eagle Club (1938 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60613), for Red Bull and vodkas as we try to stay awake all night and not get killed!

A Nightmare on Elm Street is the 1984 American supernatural slasher film, written and directed by Wes Craven, that gave the world Freddy Krueger — a genre defining villain with burn scares and a blade-fingered glove who preys on the teenagers in their dreams, which in turn kills them in real life.

The reading is directed by Jean E. Mueller-Burr.

Food and drink are available for purchase at Black Eagle Club.

There is a suggested donation of $5 at the door, which will help Ghostlight fund its upcoming season.

Ghostlight Ensemble presents the next installment of its ongoing live reading series: Q the Tribbles: A Live Reading of Episodes of Star Trek & Star Trek the Next Generation.

Join us at 7 p.m. on Thursday, September 14, at Black Eagle Club (1938 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60613), as make a slight departure from our usual movie reading to bring you some out of this world television.

The reading will feature the episodes The Trouble with Tribbles from the original Star Trek series and Deja Q from Star Trek the Next Generation.

Star Trek is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. Both series feature a mixed alien and human crew traveling through space aboard the starship Enterprise with the mission to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before. The original series, created in the 1960s, is set in the 23rd century. The Next Generation, which began in the late 1980s, is set in the 24th century.

The reading is directed by Nick Conrad.

Food and drink are available for purchase at Black Eagle Club.

There is a suggested donation of $5 at the door, which will help Ghostlight fund its upcoming season.

Ghostlight Ensemble presents the next installment of its ongoing live movie reading series: That’s OK. I Make Lamb: A live reading of My Big Fat Greek Wedding.

Join us at 7 p.m. on Thursday, August 24, at Black Eagle Club (1938 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60613), as we stuff ourselves with roasted meats and ouzo to celebrate the cinematic union of Greek and Xenos! (In advance of the September release of My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3!)

My Big Fat Greek Wedding is a 2002 romantic comedy about a 30-something Greek woman who yearns for something more than her family and culture’s prescribed notions that Greek girls are supposed to do three things in life: “Marry Greek boys, make Greek babies, and feed everyone...until the day we die.” When she falls in love with a non-Greek, she struggles to get her family to accept him while coming to terms with her heritage and cultural identity.

The reading is directed by Maria Burnham.

Food and drink are available for purchase at Black Eagle Club.

There is a suggested donation of $5 at the door, which will help Ghostlight fund its upcoming season.

Ghostlight Ensemble presents the next installment of its ongoing live movie reading series: The Most Smartest: A live reading of Drop Dead Gorgeous.

Join us at 7 p.m. on Thursday, July 27, at Black Eagle Club (1938 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60613), as we toast the most beautiful woman in Mount Rose, Minnesota, who definitely, probably will not die. Maybe.

Drop Dead Gorgeous is a 1999 mockumentary that follows a small town beauty pageant and the fierce, deadly lengths the contestants take to secure the crown. The film stars Kirsten Dunst, Ellen Barkin, Brittany Murphy, Allison Janney, Denise Richards, Kirstie Alley and Amy Adams in her film debut.

The reading is directed by Christopher Paul Mueller.

Food and drink is available for purchase at Black Eagle Club.

There is a suggested donation of $5 at the door, which will help Ghostlight fund its upcoming season.

In its fourth installment, The Impostors Theatre Co.’s Footholds is an anthology of short plays tied together by one shared conceit. This year’s foothold is the setting of a small trolley car.

Ghostlight Ensemble Member Courtney Marie directs one of the short plays for this series.

In its fourth installment, The Impostors Theatre Co.’s Footholds is an anthology of short plays tied together by one shared conceit. This year’s foothold is the setting of a small trolley car.

Ghostlight Ensemble Member Courtney Marie directs one of the short plays for this series.

In its fourth installment, The Impostors Theatre Co.’s Footholds is an anthology of short plays tied together by one shared conceit. This year’s foothold is the setting of a small trolley car.

Ghostlight Ensemble Member Courtney Marie directs one of the short plays for this series.