***This event has ben canceled due to weather out of an abundance of caution.***

It’s Turkey Time again! As per Ghostlight Ensemble’s nearly yearly tradition (Thanks COVID), we present Must Eat TV: A Live Reading of Your Favorite Thanksgiving Television Episodes. This is the Thanksgiving-themed installment of the company’s ongoing live reading series.

Thanksgiving is that strangest of American traditions involving stuffing ourselves silly with turkey, pie and whatever weird food that only your family serves at Thanksgiving (20 different kinds of Jello molds, anyone?), as well as ignoring that one cousin nobody likes and tiptoeing around politics while giving thanks and watching television. So join your Ghostlight family (including our weird cousin) for a celebration of the Great American Eating Holiday.

The lineup features “Giblets for Murray” from Mad About You, “Thanksgiving” from Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist and “The Last Temptation of Mac” from Night Court. at 7 p.m. at at Black Eagle Club (1938 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60613), in North Center.

There is a suggested donation of $5 at the door, which will help Ghostlight fund its upcoming season, AND a non-perishable good or additional cash donation to benefit North Center’s Common Pantry, which provides emergency food and social services to those in need.

Ghostlight Ensemble presents the next installment of its live movie readings with The Skin of a Killer: A live reading of Twilight on Wednesday, October 23, 2024.

Join us at 7 p.m. at Black Eagle Club (1938 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60613), as we once again turn our attention to a vampire movie…what can we say, they’re our own personal heroin.

Twilight is a 2008 romantic fantasy film based on a novel of the same name that follows the very original plot line of a normal teenage girl who falls in love with a mysterious classmate who reveals himself to be a 108-year-old vampire. But this time set in the Pacific Northwest and with 100 percent more shiny skin.

The reading is directed by Jean E. Mueller-Burr.

Join Ghostlight Ensemble and the Chicago History Museum as we celebrate Spooky Season at CHM with a screening of the Chicago-based horror film Child’s Play (1988, dir. Tom Holland).  

Following the film, Ghostlight will provide some spooky-themed trivia about other horror movies set in Chicago and between each round, actors will perform live reenactments of scenes from these movies on stage! Prizes will be awarded to trivia winners. 

Child’s Play is rated R for violence, strong language, and frightening and intense scenes. Visitors must be 17 years of age or older or accompanied by a parent or guardian who is at least age 25. Seating will be first come, first served.  

Learn more on the Chicago History Museum website.

Cinema Chaos is a monthly unrehearsed movie reading series that joins our ongoing monthly staged movie reading series bringing audiences two movies a month — one rehearsed and well acted and the other…complete and utter chaos.

A group of actors who have never seen the movie in question show up unrehearsed and uncast to perform the script with only 5 minutes to prepare. Roles will be cast at the start of the reading.

In October, we’ll be doing a certain comic book hero movie most people like to pretend never happened: Daredevil. Join us as actors who have no idea what this movie is about do their best to interpret it on the spot for you. It’s the way all good stories are told — in a blind panic.

Readings take place at the Black Eagle Club in Chicago.

Ghostlight Ensemble presents the next installment of its live movie readings with Hunting for Vampires on a School Night: A live reading of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (the movie) on Thursday, September 25, 2024.

Join us at 7 p.m. at Black Eagle Club (1938 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60613), as we spike the punch at the senior dance and then join together to burn down that high school gym full of vampires.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a 1992 American comedy vampire film (that predates the TV series). Blonde, bouncy Buffy (played in this incarnation by Kristy Swanson) is your typical high school cheerleader — her goal is to "marry Christian Slater and die" and nothing gets in her way when it's time to shop. But all that changes when a strange man informs her she's been chosen by fate to kill vampires. Buffy is soon spending school nights protecting L.A. from Lothos, the Vampire King and his determined gang of bloodsuckers.

The reading is directed by John Gleason Teske.

There is a suggested donation of $5 at the door, which will help Ghostlight fund its upcoming season.

Ghostlight Ensemble presents the next installment of its live movie readings with Been There, Done That: A Live Reading of She’s All That on Thursday, August 29, 2024.

Join us at 7 p.m. at Black Eagle Club (1938 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60613), as we raise a glass of that classic margarita — rum, orange juice, cranberry juice, and limeade, with a dash of cola — to celebrate this 90s teen rom-com!

She’s All That is a 1999 American film following that classic teen plot of turning an ugly duckling into a swan. When Zack's popular girlfriend cheats on him with another boy and breaks up with him, he makes a bet with his friends to turn a school “nerd” into their high school's prom queen.

The reading is directed by Olivia Sieck.

There is a suggested donation of $5 at the door, which will help Ghostlight fund its upcoming season.

Cinema Chaos is a monthly unrehearsed movie reading series that joins our ongoing monthly staged movie reading series bringing audiences two movies a month — one rehearsed and well acted and the other…complete and utter chaos.

A group of actors who have never seen the movie in question show up unrehearsed and uncast to perform the script with only 5 minutes to prepare. Roles will be cast at the start of the reading.

In August, we’ll be doing that most epic of love stories: Fifty Shades of Grey. Join us as actors who have no idea what this movie is about do their best to interpret it on the spot for you. It’s the way all good stories are told — in a blind panic.

Readings take place at the Black Eagle Club in Chicago.

Cinema Chaos is a monthly unrehearsed movie reading series that joins our ongoing monthly staged movie reading series bringing audiences two movies a month — one rehearsed and well acted and the other…complete and utter chaos.

A group of actors who have never seen the movie in question show up unrehearsed and uncast to perform the script with only 5 minutes to prepare. Roles will be cast at the start of the reading.

In July, we’ll be doing the Geena Davis-Samuel L. Jackson action film The Long Kiss Goodnight because nothing says, "Hey let's not have any rehearsals and just wing it" like torture, heavy gunfire and a looming bomb explosion! (Don't worry, nothing will happen to the actors or audience members except massive amounts of fun.)

Readings take place at the Black Eagle Club in Chicago.

Cinema Chaos is a monthly unrehearsed movie reading series that joins our ongoing monthly staged movie reading series bringing audiences two movies a month — one rehearsed and well acted and the other…complete and utter chaos.

A group of actors who have never seen the movie in question show up unrehearsed and uncast to perform the script with only 5 minutes to prepare. Roles will be cast at the start of the reading.

In June we’ll be doing that modern classic independent romantic thriller-horror film: Birdemic: Shock and Terror. (Stay tuned for sequels Birdemic 2: The Resurrection and Birdemic 3: Sea Eagle because you can never have too much Birdemic!)

Readings take place at the Black Eagle Club in Chicago.

Ghostlight Ensemble presents the next installment of its live movie readings with Khaaaaaaaaan: A Live Reading of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan on Thursday, May 23, 2024.

Join us at 7 p.m. at Black Eagle Club (1938 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60613), as we raise a Romulan Ale to what is arguably the best Star Trek movie ever made!

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is a 1982 American science fiction film that sees Admiral James T. Kirk and the crew of the starship Enterprise facing off against the genetically engineered tyrant Khan Noonien Singh (played with unforgettable élan by Ricardo Montalbán) who has escaped from a 15-year exile to exact revenge on Kirk.

The live reading is directed by Nick Conrad

Food and drink are available for purchase at Black Eagle Club.

There is a suggested donation of $5 at the door, which will help Ghostlight fund its upcoming season.

Cinema Chaos is a monthly unrehearsed movie reading series that joins our ongoing monthly staged movie reading series bringing audiences two movies a month — one rehearsed and well acted and the other…complete and utter chaos.

A group of actors who have never seen the movie in question show up unrehearsed and uncast to perform the script with only 5 minutes to prepare. Roles will be cast at the start of the reading.

In May we’ll be doing that Tom Hanks cinematic masterpiece The ‘Burbs.

Readings take place at the Black Eagle Club in Chicago.

Ghostlight Ensemble presents the next installment of its live movie readings with Dancing About Architecture: A Live Reading of Playing By Heart on Thursday, April 24, 2024.

Join us at 7 p.m. at Black Eagle Club (1938 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60613), as we take a martini in each hand and toast to the new us!

Playing By Heart is a 1998 American comedy-drama film which tells the story of several seemingly unconnected characters in Los Angeles. Among the characters are an older couple, who are about to renew their wedding vows; a theatre director and architect navigating a new beginning; a young woman looking for a good time; a gay man dying of AIDS and his mother who had not been close; a couple having an affair and her husband who is exploring ways to break through the staleness of their marriage. It has an all-star cast of Gillian Anderson, Ellen Burstyn, Sean Connery, Anthony Edwards, Angelina Jolie, Ryan Phillippe, Dennis Quaid, Gena Rowlands, Jon Stewart and Madeleine Stowe.

The live reading is directed by Christine Marie.

There is a suggested donation of $5 at the door, which will help Ghostlight fund its upcoming season.

Ghostlight Ensemble presents the next installment of its live movie readings with Dot, Dot, Dot: A Live Reading (and Singing!) of Mamma Mia: The Movie on Thursday, March 28, 2024.

Join us at 7 p.m. at Black Eagle Club (1938 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60613), as we raise a glass of champagne to Aphrodite’s Fountain, the tunes of Abba and the plot that absolutely nothing at all to do with any Abba song ever release. And stick around after the reading for some Gimme Gimme Gimme Karaoke.

Mamma Mia! The Movie is a 2008 romantic comedy movie based on the stage production that launch jukebox musicals onto the world. The film, like the musical, is based on the songs of pop group ABBA, and follows a young bride-to-be who invites three men who might be her father to her upcoming wedding.

The live reading is directed by Maria Burnham.

There is a suggested donation of $5 at the door, which will help Ghostlight fund its upcoming season.

Cinema Chaos is a monthly unrehearsed movie reading series that joins our ongoing monthly staged movie reading series bringing audiences two movies a month — one rehearsed and well acted and the other…complete and utter chaos.

Eight actors who have never seen the movie in question show up unrehearsed and uncast to perform the script with only 5 minutes to prepare. Roles will be cast at the start of the reading. First up: The Room. Which The Room? Show up and see.

Readings take place on Thursday at the Black Eagle Club in Chicago.

Ghostlight Ensemble presents the next installment of its live movie readings with Such a Lot of Guns and So Few Brains: A Live Reading of The Big Sleep on Thursday, February 15, 2024.

Join us at 7 p.m. at Black Eagle Club (1938 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60613), as we raise our glass of brandy with champagne to this headscratcher of a detective story and try to figure out whodunnit.

The Big Sleep is a 1946 American film noir starring Humphrey Bogart as wisecracking private detective Philip Marlowe and Lauren Bacall as Vivian Rutledge in a story that begins with blackmail and through a series of complicated plot twists leads to multiple murders.

The live reading is directed by Bob Koester.

There is a suggested donation of $5 at the door, which will help Ghostlight fund its upcoming season.

Ghostlight Ensemble kicks off a new year of live movie readings with Does Barry Manilow Know That You Raid His Wardrobe? A Live Reading of The Breakfast Club on Thursday, January 25, 2024.

Join us at 7 p.m. at Black Eagle Club (1938 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60613), as we sneak some cigs in the supply closet and agree that Ally Sheedy looked much better before her “makeover”.

The Breakfast Club is the era-defining, classic 1985 American teen coming-of-age film written, produced and directed by John Hughes. Five strangers with seemingly nothing in common end up together in Saturday detention and throughout the course of the day shed their personae and emerge into unlikely friendships.

The live reading is directed by Chad Wise.

There is a suggested donation of $5 at the door, which will help Ghostlight fund its upcoming season.

It’s Turkey Time! For the first time since 2019, Ghostlight Ensemble will present Must Eat TV: A Live Reading of Your Favorite Thanksgiving Television Episodes. This is the Thanksgiving-themed installment of the company’s ongoing live reading series, and the last live reading of the year.

Thanksgiving is that strangest of American traditions involving stuffing ourselves silly with turkey, pie and whatever weird food that only your family serves at Thanksgiving (20 different kinds of Jello molds, anyone?), as well as ignoring that one cousin nobody likes and tiptoeing around politics while giving thanks and watching television. So join your Ghostlight family (including our weird cousin) for a celebration of the Great American Eating Holiday.

The lineup features “Bart vs Thanksgiving” from The Simpsons , “The Miracle of Thanksgiving” from Full House and “Turkey in a Can” from Bob’s Burgers at 7 p.m. at at Black Eagle Club (1938 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60613), in North Center.

There is a suggested donation of $5 at the door, which will help Ghostlight fund its upcoming season, AND a non-perishable good or additional cash donation to benefit North Center’s Common Pantry, which provides emergency food and social services to those in need.

Ghostlight Ensemble presents the Halloween installment of its ongoing live reading series in October: I’m Your Boyfriend Now, Nancy: A live reading of A Nightmare on Elm Street.

Join us at 7 p.m. on Thursday, October 26, at Black Eagle Club (1938 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60613), for Red Bull and vodkas as we try to stay awake all night and not get killed!

A Nightmare on Elm Street is the 1984 American supernatural slasher film, written and directed by Wes Craven, that gave the world Freddy Krueger — a genre defining villain with burn scares and a blade-fingered glove who preys on the teenagers in their dreams, which in turn kills them in real life.

The reading is directed by Jean E. Mueller-Burr.

Food and drink are available for purchase at Black Eagle Club.

There is a suggested donation of $5 at the door, which will help Ghostlight fund its upcoming season.

Ghostlight Ensemble presents the next installment of its ongoing live reading series: Q the Tribbles: A Live Reading of Episodes of Star Trek & Star Trek the Next Generation.

Join us at 7 p.m. on Thursday, September 14, at Black Eagle Club (1938 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60613), as make a slight departure from our usual movie reading to bring you some out of this world television.

The reading will feature the episodes The Trouble with Tribbles from the original Star Trek series and Deja Q from Star Trek the Next Generation.

Star Trek is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. Both series feature a mixed alien and human crew traveling through space aboard the starship Enterprise with the mission to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before. The original series, created in the 1960s, is set in the 23rd century. The Next Generation, which began in the late 1980s, is set in the 24th century.

The reading is directed by Nick Conrad.

Food and drink are available for purchase at Black Eagle Club.

There is a suggested donation of $5 at the door, which will help Ghostlight fund its upcoming season.

Ghostlight Ensemble presents the next installment of its ongoing live movie reading series: That’s OK. I Make Lamb: A live reading of My Big Fat Greek Wedding.

Join us at 7 p.m. on Thursday, August 24, at Black Eagle Club (1938 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60613), as we stuff ourselves with roasted meats and ouzo to celebrate the cinematic union of Greek and Xenos! (In advance of the September release of My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3!)

My Big Fat Greek Wedding is a 2002 romantic comedy about a 30-something Greek woman who yearns for something more than her family and culture’s prescribed notions that Greek girls are supposed to do three things in life: “Marry Greek boys, make Greek babies, and feed everyone...until the day we die.” When she falls in love with a non-Greek, she struggles to get her family to accept him while coming to terms with her heritage and cultural identity.

The reading is directed by Maria Burnham.

Food and drink are available for purchase at Black Eagle Club.

There is a suggested donation of $5 at the door, which will help Ghostlight fund its upcoming season.

Ghostlight Ensemble presents the next installment of its ongoing live movie reading series: The Most Smartest: A live reading of Drop Dead Gorgeous.

Join us at 7 p.m. on Thursday, July 27, at Black Eagle Club (1938 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60613), as we toast the most beautiful woman in Mount Rose, Minnesota, who definitely, probably will not die. Maybe.

Drop Dead Gorgeous is a 1999 mockumentary that follows a small town beauty pageant and the fierce, deadly lengths the contestants take to secure the crown. The film stars Kirsten Dunst, Ellen Barkin, Brittany Murphy, Allison Janney, Denise Richards, Kirstie Alley and Amy Adams in her film debut.

The reading is directed by Christopher Paul Mueller.

Food and drink is available for purchase at Black Eagle Club.

There is a suggested donation of $5 at the door, which will help Ghostlight fund its upcoming season.

Ghostlight Ensemble presents the next installment of its ongoing live movie reading series in celebration of Pride Month: I Like Girls. A Lot.: A live reading of But I'm a Cheerleader.

Join us at 7 p.m. on Thursday, June 15, at Black Eagle Club (1938 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60613), and we’ll raise a glass of something pink and fruity and not at all gay.

But I'm a Cheerleader is a 1999 American satire/teen romantic comedy/cult classic that stars Natasha Lyonne as Megan Bloomfield, a high school cheerleader whose parents send her to a residential in-patient conversion therapy camp to "cure" her lesbianism. At camp, Megan realizes that she is indeed a lesbian and embraces her sexuality.

The reading is directed by Kayla V. White and Justin Broom.

Food and drink is available for purchase at Black Eagle Club.

There is a suggested donation of $5 at the door, which will help Ghostlight fund its upcoming season. We’ll also be collecting donations for The Center on Halsted’s Senior Pantry & Youth Services. Bring an item or $$$ is always welcome. Find a complete list of needed items here.

Ghostlight Ensemble presents the next installment of its ongoing live movie reading series: All The Damn Vampires: A Live Reading of The Lost Boys.

Join us at 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 18, at Black Eagle Club (1938 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60613), and we’ll raise a maggot filled Bloody Mary to this vampy teen horror classic!

The Lost Boys is a 1987 American supernatural black comedy horror film directed by Joel Schumacher about a divorced mom and her two sons who move to a California beach town only to discover the local teenage gang is a pack of vampires.

The reading is directed by Chad Wise.

Food and drink is available for purchase at Black Eagle Club.

There is a suggested donation of $5 at the door, which will help Ghostlight fund its upcoming season. We’re also accepting donations of items to support the migrant families coming into Chicago on behalf of the North River Commission. Items include shampoo, soap, toothpaste, razors, coloring books and crayons, prenatal vitamins and granola bars, among other things. Please refer to the full list here and bring only items that are listed.

Ghostlight Ensemble presents the next installment of its ongoing live movie reading series: Really, Really, Ridiculously Good Looking: A Live Reading of Zoolander.

Join us at 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 6, at Black Eagle Club (1938 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60613), and we’ll raise a orange mocha frappuccino to this eugoogly classic!

Zoolander is a 2001 American comedy film directed by and starring Ben Stiller. Clueless fashion model Derek Zoolander is brainwashed to kill the Prime Minister of Malaysia, who wants to stop the fashion industry from using cheap labor in his country.

The reading is directed by Bob J Koester.

Food and drink is available for purchase at Black Eagle Club. For those who imbibe, a drinking game will accompany this performance.

There is a suggested donation of $5 at the door, which will help Ghostlight fund its upcoming season.

Ghostlight Ensemble presents the next installment of its ongoing live movie reading series: The Dude Abides: A Live Reading of The Big Lebowski.

Join us at 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 23, at Black Eagle Club (1938 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60613). We’ll raise a White Russian and kick back and admire the rug…or the acting. Yeah, definitely the acting.

The Big Lebowski is a 1998 crime comedy film written, produced, and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen that follows the adventures of slacker Jeff "The Dude" Lebowski after he is mistaken for a millionaire of the same name. Seeking restitution for a rug ruined by debt collectors, he enlists his bowling buddies for help while trying to find the millionaire's missing wife.

The reading is directed by John Gleason Teske.

Food and drink is available for purchase at Black Eagle Club.

There is a suggested donation of $5 at the door, which will help Ghostlight fund its upcoming season.

Ghostlight Ensemble presents the next installment of its ongoing live movie reading series: Flames on the Side of My Face: A Live Reading of Clue.

Join us at 7 p.m. on Thursday, February 9, at Black Eagle Club (1938 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60613), and make sure you bring your fedora and magnifying glass!

Clue: The Movie is a 1985 murder mystery/dark comedy film based on the board game of the same name. Six blackmail victims are invited to an isolated mansion by a man who knows a dark secret from each of their pasts. Each has a pseudonym and is handed a weapon, at which point the lights are switched off and the person believed to be their blackmailer is killed. Can the guests uncover the murderer before they all become victims? Note: Since this performance is only one night, we will feature all three theatrical endings a la the video release.

The reading is directed by Maria Burnham.

Food and drink is available for purchase at Black Eagle Club.

There is a suggested donation of $5 at the door, which will help Ghostlight fund its upcoming season.

Ghostlight Ensemble presents the next installment of its ongoing live movie reading series with Flip Your Goddamn Hair: A Live Reading of Charlie’s Angels (2000 edition).

Charlie’s Angels is a 2000 American action comedy film about three women working at a private detective agency in Los Angeles for a mysterious boss they've never seen. Their client has hired them to retrieve stolen voice-ID software — which they do using martial arts, tech skills and sex appeal — only to find out the baddies are actually after something else entirely.

Details
What: Flip Your Goddamn Hair: A Live Reading of Charlie’s Angels
Where: Carbon Arc Bar & Board (4614 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60625)
When: Monday, February 17, 2020
What time: 7:30 p.m.

Ghostlight Ensemble presents the next installment of its ongoing live movie reading series with Hell is Just a Sauna: A Live Reading of 10 Things I Hate About You.

10 Things I Hate About You is a 1999 American romantic comedy retelling of William Shakespeare's comedy The Taming of the Shrew set in a late-1990s high school. New student Cameron is smitten with Bianca and, in order to get around her father's strict rules on dating, attempts to get bad boy Patrick to date Bianca's ill-tempered sister, Kat.

Details
Where: Carbon Arc Bar & Board (4614 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60625)
When: Monday, January 27, 2020
What time: 7:30 p.m.
How Much: Suggested donation of $5 at the door, which will help Ghostlight fund its upcoming season. We’re also raising funds for the Albany Park Theatre Project, a multiethnic youth theater ensemble based in the Albany Park neighborhood of Chicago whose mission is to inspire people to envision a more just and beautiful world by dedicating time to art, youth and social justice.

Ghostlight Ensemble presents the third annual installment of its Thanksgiving live TV reading series, Must Eat TV: A Live Reading of Your Favorite Thanksgiving Episodes.

Thanksgiving is all about stuffing yourself silly with family and friends; ignoring your redneck cousin Jack and his 23 kids and his 12 dogs; giving thanks; and television. So join your Ghostlight family, friends and cousin Jack for a celebration of everyone's favorite eating holiday.

The lineup features “Blitzgiving” from How I Met Your Mother,  “Shibboleth” from The West Wing and “Auntsgiving” from Blackish at 7:30 p.m.

The live reading is directed by Maria Burnham and takes place at Carbon Arc Bar & Board (4614 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60625).

There is a suggested donation of $5 at the door, which will help Ghostlight fund its upcoming season, AND a non-perishable good or additional cash donation to benefit Common Pantry, of North Center. 

Ghostlight Ensemble teams up with Terra Mysterium in October to present special installment of its ongoing live movie reading series with Don’t Keep Him Waiting: A Live Reading of the Original The Wicker Man — just in time for All Hallows' Eve.

Dig out your animal masks or costumes of any sort and join us at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 29 at Mrs. Murphy & Sons Irish Bistro in North Center.

The Wicker Man is a 1973 British horror film that follows Police Sergeant Neil Howie as he travels to the isolated island of Summerisle in search of a missing girl. Howie, a devout Christian, is appalled to find that the inhabitants of the island have abandoned Christianity and now practise a form of Celtic paganism.

The reading will feature live musical performances and is directed by Matthew Ellenwood.

There is a suggested donation of $20, which will help Terra Mysterium and Ghostlight fund upcoming productions.