Join celebrated theatre historian Mark Larson for an afternoon of conversation and screenings from the archive of Hull-House Theatre. During the 1960s, Hull-House reestablished its place at the center of Chicago theatre and played a pivotal role in the development of the storefront theatre movement. The conversation will also feature Hull-House Director and cultural historian Liesl Olson, and Associate Director Matthew Randle-Bent, a theatre historian. Ahead of the panel conversation, visitors can engage a unique reading room of archival materials relating to the history of Hull-House Theatre.

Mark Larson is the author of Ensemble: An Oral History of Chicago Theater. His new book, Working in the 21st Century, was released in 2024 to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Studs Terkel’s Working. Esquire magazine named it one of the best books of 2024. Larson is currently working on a book-length interview with the iconic Broadway composer, John Kander (Cabaret, Chicago, Scottsboro Boys, New York, New York and others).

Image: Actors from the Hull-House chamber theatre relaxing as they wait to perform in the home of a donor. By Enrico Serini (1963). Image courtesy of the Newberry Library, Chicago.

Act Well Your Part is supported by the Discovery Partners Institute.