Court Convening 1: America@250

In the wake of the 2026 midterm elections and as part of its America@250 programming, Court Theatre inaugurates its first annual Court Convening, inviting artists, activists, and scholars to debate the importance of interpreting the “classics” for our times. Part I of this dynamic Town Hall conversation will directly explore the age-old question, “What is a Classic? And why now?”. Chris Jones (Theatre Critic of the Chicago Tribune), Ellen MacKay (Interim Deputy Dean in Arts and Humanities and Senior Advisor to the Provost for the Arts at University of Chicago) and Robert E. Shapiro (Partner, Barack Ferrazzano; Adjunct, Department of Philosophy, Rochester Institute of Technology), join Marilyn F. Vitale Artistic Director Avery Willis Hoffman to discuss, debate, and dissect this question. Part II will feature key representatives of productions from Court Theatre’s 2026/27 season discussing the ways in which this season’s offerings respond to current conditions and test the various definitions of classic theatre. Participants in Part II include Charlotte Brathwaite(Director, Tituba), Ron OJ Parson (Court Resident Artist and Director, Joe Turner’s Come & Gone), and Denise Yvette Serna (Co-Director, Mojada), and Michelle Boone (President and CEO, Poetry Foundation). Header image: “Tropicalamerican” by Edra Soto.