A Red Orchid Theatre

Awesome venue. We saw accidentally like a martyr and you felt you were in the bar with the actors. Berry smart and funny show with some great twists and turns. Doug Vickers and Troy West are worth the price of admission alone.

Love this theater. It’s a small venue with a big heart and great talent. I’ve seen a couple of shows here including Simpatico, and most recently, Accidentally Like A Martyr. It’s a very intimate theater and no matter where you sit you are very close to the set, almost as if you’re part of the action. I’m not sure who chooses the music for the productions but whoever it is they do a great job of choosing titles that paint an aural picture of the scene. For example, Simpatico began with a blaring Black Rebel Motorcycle Club’s, Ain’t No Easy Way Out. What a great opener that gave foresight into what was to come in the play. Accidentally Like a Martyr concluded beautifully with the Warren Zevon song of the same title. Tickets are currently well priced at around 35 bucks. It’s well worth every penny to get some great live theatre and support the efforts of this ensemble.

In the center of Old Town and all its madness lies this tiny neighborhood theater.
Saw the production of Mud Blue Sky. Story about a senior flight attendant coping with her time flown by seen through her relationship with her coworkers and her teenage pot connection. Nicely casted, good performances and interesting storyline.
This theater has quality plays and raises the bar of what to expect in a local theater. Case in point: Mike Shannon, old performer there. Now a regular in the hit HBO series Empire Boardwalk and seen in the last Superman movie.
The space is a tiny arena style seating. Competes with the Den, the Theater Wit, and the Raven to name a few in size. Not a bad seat in the house.
Red Orchid does it right. Talk about bang for the buck. Support the arts. Check it out sometime.

Went to see the preview of Ecstasy. The theater is tiny, intimate and interesting. The actors were mostly excellent, except it was very hard to understand some of them with fake dialects. The play was so slow and boring. It was mostly watching 4 people try to have a good time (which they never did), smoke and get drunk. The 2^nd act of 85 minutes seemed like it would never end — nothing ever happened and there were about 5 minutes of anything interesting. I would give Red Orchid another chance because of the venue and the actors, but this story is awful.

it’s so much fun to see a show here. The actors are excellent. You have to keep reminding yourself that it’s not real. We saw Trevor last week and Simpatico earlier this year. It’s amazing what they do at this little storefront theatre.

We saw «Trevor» here on Saturday. It’s an extremely small venue and we were seated on the stage within inches of the action. A great place to see live theater!

Yes yes yes and yes.
I love this theater. Small, intimate; every seat in the house is great. It looks like the ensemble cast has been the same for years– the actors in the small number of shows I’ve been to have all been amazing. I first came for Michael Shannon– but I stayed for the other incredible cast members.
The only thing I would say could improve the experience would be more bathrooms. There’s only one women’s rest room– which can be an annoying wait during intermission.

Amazing place to see a show! We saw Simpatico with Michael Shannon and were blown away! We will be coming here for years to come. When I say this place is small, I’m not even doing it justice. You’re talking like 60 people, max. You can just feel the intensity. Great stuff!

I’ve had very mixed results in the times I’ve been to this theatre. The theatre itself is a little bit cramped, and in the winter it can be BRUTALLY cold in there. In all fairness, I haven’t been back in a few years so they might have fixed the comfort issue. The plays are usually pretty edgy, and as I mentioned, hit-​and-​miss.

8 years in Chicago, and only a couple of plays under my belt. Boo me. I’ll even join the chorus (do I hear you Nick and Megan?!? yeah… I thought so)
As a former amateur and theater-​goer (back in my «golden» Parisian days when I was young and fabulous) I am having a hard time to believe myself.
But now that my friend reviews plays and scores two free tickets every time she is «on duty» (such an awful job, isn’t it?) AND that some of her closest friends are in the «show business» I have not even the shadow of an excuse to keep the lame-​sauce going.
Seeing «Becky Shaw» last night at A Red Orchid Theater was a perfect way to rekindle the theatrical spark since I almost had the best of both worlds: I was in the public and an stage at the same time. The room is small and intimate — under 100 seats — which makes for a great experience. The AC was blasting for good reasons (one of the actors has MS and needs to stay cool) but if you are planning to go and see this play — take a jacket, a scarf and ear muffs with you. Or not. But you’ll be warned.
As for the play itself — I couldn’t have been happier. Wonderfully written, sarcastic and witty, a slice of modern life brilliantly captured, analyzed and portrayed by the very talented actors of the Red Orchid Ensemble (and some more) who ask poignant and eternal questions on love, lie, good and bad, reality and fiction without articulating definitive answers.
A true pleasure.

OMG! What a performance by Michael Shannon in «Mistakes Were Made.» This was my first time at A Red Orchid, and was impressed w/​the intimacy of the theatre — not a bad seat in the house. Well worth the $ 15 preview admission. East access from the Brown line Segwick stop. Shannon pretty much does a one-​man show as he talks to various people on the phone. His character changes among his callers (and his conversation w/​a fish) Sorry about the cliché, but he does display a roller coaster of emotions.

I like the intimate atmosphere and would definitely return. It’s a good theater to go to if you like a more laid-​back atmosphere and want to enjoy the actual production without a bunch of fancy flash.

Red Orchid is a fun, and strange little theater on north Ave. I usually like to go see muscials at some of the bigger venues in Chicago, but from time to time, I like to be entertained by local theater companies. Red Orchid is not expensive (about 10 dollars a ticket) and they usually put together some great shows. Last year, I went to go see Fat Boy, which ran for a very long time. It really does not matter where you sit because you will get a good view no matter where you are. If you are looking for really twisted, and strange plots, this theater won’t dissapoint.

Just saw the production «Not a Game for Boys,» which was, as always very well done. The script is comic and tragic at the same time, the actors are great, the staging is clever.
We’ve never been disappointed with a production at this intimate theater over the last 10 years we’ve been coming to see their shows.
So if you like small theaters with slightly offbeat performances, you should check out A Red Orchid Theatre’s productions sometime.

Came here to check out a play my friend was in, the Hothouse. I never heard of this theater until his invitation. Very small and intimate setting, my favorite type for a theater. The play was great although unfortunately I rolled in a tad late, the ticket box girl was very nice in escorting us in.