The Wirtz Center Chicago hosts, presents, and produces work by innovative local and national artists, many of whom are performing in Chicago for the first time. The center opened in 2021 with the Chicago premiere of Native Guard, co-produced with Atlanta’s Alliance Theatre.
One of Chicago’s newest performance venues, the Wirtz Center Chicago, features two black box theaters, an expansive lobby and gathering space overlooking Lake Michigan, a well-equipped backstage area with a green room and dressing rooms, two rehearsal studios, a design studio, and a large conference room.
The Wirtz Center Chicago is a resource shared by academic programs and initiatives across the School of Communication. It is home to Northwestern’s MFA in Acting program and hosts readings, performances, and screenings of work by students in the MFA programs in Writing for the Screen and Stage, Documentary Media, Directing, as well as PhD programs in Performance Studies and Screen Cultures, among others.