Porchlight’s New Season Gives the Biograph a Full Calendar

Porchlight Music Theatre’s 2026–27 season puts a new sequence of productions inside the Biograph Theater. Little Shop of Horrors is scheduled for November 4–December 13, 2026, on the Začek McVay Mainstage at 2433 North Lincoln Avenue. The production page names Michael Weber as director, David Fiorello as music director, and Nataki Rennie as choreographer. [1]

Explore the building’s history in Biograph Theater in the Research Library.

More than a single engagement

The company’s season announcement also lists Dead Outlaw for February 10–March 21, 2027, as a coproduction with Theater Wit, and Shake It Away: The Ann Miller Story for April 3–25 in the building’s Richard Christiansen Theater. The latter is written and performed by Kayla Boye. Those dates describe planned performances, not completed engagements. [2]

For a historic venue, the sequence is consequential. A single production can bring an audience through the doors for a few weeks. A season establishes reasons to return and gives the building a continuing place in people’s plans. Urban Lithograph reads the calendar as evidence of intended use, while the eventual performances will provide the fuller record.

A movie house with another performance life

Chicago’s landmark record dates the Biograph to 1914 and credits Samuel N. Crowen. It identifies characteristic features of early neighborhood movie houses: a recessed entrance, a narrow lobby, a ticket booth, and a canopy marquee. Red brick and white-glazed terra cotta gave the building a recognizable street presence. [3]

Its association with John Dillinger has often shaped public attention, but the building also belongs to a history of ordinary entertainment. The upcoming musical season offers a way to approach it through that continuing purpose. The address remains a destination for a shared performance, even though the medium and the arrangement of the interior have changed.

Use the performance address

Porchlight’s production and season pages place these shows at the Biograph. The company’s general website separately lists its organizational address on West Diversey Avenue. Ticket holders should follow the venue printed on the production listing and their booking, rather than navigating to the company’s office. [1][2][4]

Check the live production page for performance times, access arrangements, and availability. The new calendar establishes a concrete next chapter for the Biograph: a series of productions that can be understood alongside the longer life of the theater itself.