Welcome to Page Left!

Welcome to Page Left, the official newsletter of Chicago’s Stage Left Theatre! If you’re receiving this, it’s because you’ve seen one of our shows or worked with us recently and agreed to receive communications. We’d like to thank you for your support. If you'd like to take a pass on any future newsletters, there is a button below. 

Before we get to the cool stuff, let’s give you a little bit more information about what you can expect from Page Left.

1. No inbox clutter.

Page Left is a monthly publication. You’ll hear from us once each month, so your inbox won’t be clogged with emails from Stage Left.

2. Original writing you can’t get anywhere else.

The centerpiece of every issue of Page Left will be an original, feature-length article by one of our ensemble members or one of the company’s collaborators. These pieces will cover all sorts of topics related to theatre, politics, and culture, giving you a unique insight into the thinking that goes into the work you see onstage. For our inaugural edition, we have an exciting roundup of this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival by ensemble member Peter Leondedis!

3.  A round-up of news about Stage Left and the Chicago theatre world.

We’ll also include updates on what we’ve got going on with Stage Left — auditions, shows, readings, and other fun stuff we’re planning. We’ll also keep you up to date on things we’ve seen around town that we liked and shows and events that some of our friends have going on as well. 

And best of all, it’s free. We just want to make sure we’re keeping our audience up to date on what we’re up to. Please feel free to share with anyone you think might enjoy this content!

Every August for the past four years, I’ve made the pilgrimage from Chicago to Edinburgh’s Festival Fringe with my sons George and Alex. What began as a post-college graduation adventure has transformed into our most anticipated annual tradition — a week of absolute and complete theatrical immersion. 

As an actor myself, I thought I understood the scope of what theatre could be. Chicago’s storefront scene is vibrant and diverse, with everything from community productions to Equity shows to experimental work that pushes boundaries. But Edinburgh operates on an entirely different scale of ambition and madness. When 3,000 shows descend on a medieval city for a single month, when every conceivable space from grand concert halls to literal underground caves become performance venues, when street corners buzz with buskers and flyerers and the air itself seems charged with creative electricity — that’s when you realize you’ve only been seeing theater through a keyhole.

The legendary variety of the festival’s offerings still overwhelms me in the best possible way. Here are a few of our favorites from the event.

This year, we caught Fisherman Jon: What’s on the End of My Rod? The silly name belied what turned out to be a surprisingly moving clown odyssey about a lonely fisherman whose unexpected catch transforms his entire worldview. Fisherman Jon, played masterfully by Coral Bevin, catches and then loses the love of his life, a carp. A storm, some sort of mermaid, and eventually a reunion are on Jon’s journey, and we went right along with him. The performer’s ability to find genuine pathos in a rubber fish and fishing line reminded me why physical comedy, when done right, can break your heart as easily as make you laugh.

The sketch comedy scene here operates at a level of fearless absurdity that makes late-night television look timid. Police Cops: The Original celebrated its 10th anniversary this year. In this show, three actors with flawless timing and a taste for the absurd take the idea of The Naked Gun and amp it up to 11. Then there’s Woody Fu: One-Man John Wick, where a single performer channels Keanu Reeves to create movie magic live onstage. I should mention that this performance was one of many we saw that took place in a shipping container decked out with lights, sound, and about 50 seats. Yup, that’s right. A shipping container turned into a theatre. The unconventional venue didn’t stop the show from staging elaborate action sequences, nor did the fact that it was a one-man performance prevent the actor’s recreating some of John Wick’s most intricate dialogue. We’re still quoting this show even a month later. 

We’ve also ventured into territory that challenges every preconception one might hold about what constitutes performance. Pigs Fly Easy Ryan is very difficult for me to describe beyond telling you that it featured flight attendants who end up mostly naked and sliding down a small plastic slide. Here’s what the company had to say about it, however: it’s an “aviation bimbofication transubstantiation ritual for big-boy audiences 18 and over, featuring two flamin’ hot crash fetishists who illegally impersonate flight attendants to live out their ultimate fantasy of total destruction.” I guess maybe we saw some of that. Suffice to say, it’s the kind of deliberately provocative work that could only exist at the Fringe, where artistic freedom meets complete disregard for conventional taste. Somehow, that collision produces something genuinely memorable more often than not.

But perhaps our most profound discovery was Tim Crouch’s My Arm, a deceptively simple piece that uses “just a table and a single sheet of paper" and articles from the audience to create a masterclass in theatrical storytelling. Crouch takes a childhood anecdote about a boy who kept his arm raised to create a piece that questions the very nature of performance, truth, and the relationship between actor and audience. Watching him work, we witnessed theater at its most essential — one person, one story, and the mysterious alchemy that transforms shared space into shared experience. (NOTE: Stage Left will be producing Tim Crouch’s Total Immediate Collective Imminent Terrestrial Salvation in Chicago in early 2026 - watch this space for more.)

We closed our Fringe with one of our favorites: Stamptown, Zach Zucker’s gloriously unhinged festival that has somehow maintained its anarchic energy for eight consecutive years. This is the kind of show that defies description — and occasionally defies logic — but never fails to leave us questioning our assumptions about what constitutes entertainment. It’s an off-the-rails variety show featuring comedians, fire-eaters, jazz trumpeters, aerial acts, and random, often unmotivated full frontal nudity. This year, inexplicably, the audience decided to sing the Family Guy theme song nine times throughout the show. It’s a high-energy, absurd spectacle of the highest order. 

The real treasure of these Edinburgh expeditions, though, happens in the beer tent conversations afterward. Whether we’ve just witnessed theatrical brilliance or phenomenal failure — and the Fringe delivers both in equal measure — there's something magical about dissecting the experience over pints and food truck delicacies. These post-show discussions have become as essential to the experience as the shows themselves, turning every theatrical encounter into a shared investigation of what worked, what didn’t, and why we care so deeply about this strange art form that brings us together.

After four years, we navigate the cobblestones with the confidence of seasoned festival veterans. We know which venues offer the best sightlines, which pubs serve food past midnight, and how to read between the lines of a one-star review that might actually signal hidden genius. My sons have developed their own critical instincts, their own must-see lists, and their own theories about what separates memorable theater from mere spectacle.

Peter Leondedis, Stage Left Ensemble Member

We’re excited to announce our next show: Come Again by Lisa Dellagiarino Feriend! Directed by Jeff Award-winner Kyle Aschbrenner, it tells the story of a nurse named Marina Johnson who awakens one morning to find a stranger in her apartment telling her she’s been chosen as God’s herald to warn the world about climate change. It’s a comedy for a species on the brink of self-destruction. Performances are November 21 through December 21 at the Raven Theatre, 6157 N. Clark Street. We’ll have more info soon about getting tickets. 

Our recent production of The Distrikt of Lake Michigun, a new play by ensemble member Stephanie Murphy, was a huge success. We converted a former retail store in the Water Tower Place mall into a theatre for the show. The director, ensemble member Seth Wilson, wrote an essay for Howlround about the experience and how other theatre companies can give it a try! 

Jenna Fischer, aka Pam from The Office, is currently appearing in a new play called Ashland Avenue at The Goodman Theatre. Our ensemble member Kyle Thomas saw it, and you can read his review here.

American Blues Theatre’s production of Things With Friends is a clever and incisive twist on kitchen sink realism. Seth reviewed it, and you can check out his thoughts here.

Did you know that Stage Left Theatre is the second-oldest ensemble-based theatre in Chicago? And did you also know that we’re currently seeking new board members? If you’re interested in helping to build the venerable company’s next chapter, head over here to learn more and fill out an application!

Thanks for reading! Be sure to drop by the company webpage or our Instagram for more information about what we’ve got going on.

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