THEATRE Y
Theatre Y wants to participate in people’s lives in ways that matter, here and now.
Rather than telling stories about a community,
we seek to participate in our community’s story.
Theatre Y serves to manifest imagined realities,
claiming global citizenship to better understand our shared humanity.
COMING SOON
“Nobody can make his own suffering sound convincing.”
- Peachum in The Threepenny Opera
“One should open one’s eyes and take a new look at cruelty.”
- Friedrich Nietzsche
“The point of art is to show people that life is worth living
by showing that it isn’t.”
- Fanny Howe
“Our raft-making won’t stop the fires from flaring up,
but it may teach us how to sit with the heat without burning away.”
– Báyò Akómoláfé
Nobel Prize winner Elfriede Jelinek’s Charges (The Supplicants) is a cry for the displaced. Originally written to address the global refugee crisis,
Theatre Y’s production—co-directed by Melissa Lorraine and Héctor Álvarez—
turns the lens squarely on modern-day America. In Chicago’s own neighborhoods,
the threat of removal looms over our neighbors every day.
February 26-March 29th, 2026
Thursday- Saturday 7 pm & Sundays 5 pm
Location: Theatre Y - 3611 W Cermak Rd, Chicago, IL 60623
FREE and open to the public. PLEASE RSVP - LIMITED SEATING!
All performances are FREE to the public thanks to members
who donate as little as $5/month ($60/year).
We welcome DONATIONS and MEMBERS!
Special Events this January!
January 31st at 2pm
2024 non-equity jeff nominations:
best sound design: Kimberly Sutton, rhinoceros - theatre y
Theatre Y turns 20 years old this year!
STAY TUNED FOR Theatre Y Production Announcements!
If you are not yet a member, you can become one today and support free, public theater in our community (the average membership is $20/mo, but as little as $5/month guarantees you a seat to each Theatre Y performance and opens our doors to those who can’t afford a ticket)!
Reach out to info@theatre-y.com to learn about our
Theatre Y Youth Apprenticeships
Private Screenings by Request
PICTURED: JAIME SNOW, DARRELL FAIR AND CHARLES HILL / PHOTO BY: KARL SODERSTROM
Theatre Y is a community of humans fully committed to reimagining the ritual of theater as a tool of liberation, a revolutionary practice, and a path to understanding our shared humanity. To that end, since 2018, Theatre Y Co-Founding Artistic Director Melissa Lorraine – together with a team of filmmakers, actors, activists from DePaul and PNAP, and 25 men sentenced to die in prison –– have been engaged in movement therapy for trauma rehabilitation while co-creating original works of art.
Hear Melissa share more about her “Y”:
CINEMATOGRAPHER: JUSTIN JONES / EDITOR: SHAYLA GAMMON
We would love for you to meet the 25 amazing human beings who have become our beloved brothers, but these men are currently serving life sentences without any possibility of parole. (Learn more about parole in Illinois.) Perhaps you’ve seen their pictures on the Inside Ensemble wall at the theater or read about the Incarcerated Mass on our website. Tragically, when Stateville was closed by court order this September, our friends were scattered and sent to prisons all over Illinois, shattering our community. Please contact info@theatre-y.com to host a screening!
PICTURED LEFT TO RIGHT: BENNY RIOS, DECEDRICK WALKER, TYRONE BREWER JR., AND MICHAEL SULLIVAN / PHOTO BY KARL SODERSTROM
Past Events
2024 non-equity jeff Recipients:
best performer in a leading role (play) - Bide akande, Rhinoceros - theatre y
best scenic design: Marvin Tate, rhinoceros - theatre y
Artists rotate hosting 'The Monday Night Buzz'-or ‘The Friday Night Swerve’ - A FREE showcase of musicians, artists and critical thinkers, towards richer, braver, more intimate human connections; A salon-type atmosphere where artists, thinkers, teachers, healers, lovers, family & friends gather weekly to radiate, exchange ideas, celebrate & uplift each other.
Theatre Y’s Program Inside of Stateville Correctional Facility
We affirm the theater as a ritual and catalyst of public dialogue,
and make our performances accessible to all.
Theatre Y operates under a model that is similar to NPR’s Public Access Membership.
Theatre Y Members donate monthly to support our work
which is offered free to the public.
The average membership is $20/mo,
but as little as $5/month guarantees you a seat to each Theatre Y performance
and opens our doors to those who can’t afford a ticket.
Photos by Karl Soderstrom
