Loading Events

Back to All Events

  • This event has passed.

Ari Gato Attempts to Share the Spotlight: A Murderously Funny Cabaret

June 27 @ 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Chicago drag superstar, Ari Gato, is BACK with a BANG this summer for a night of fun, music, and MURDER!

Join Ari as her “solo” cabaret falls apart once again as she’s forced to share the spotlight, but this time… there are CONSEQUENCES!

A night of amazing singing, stories, and laughter to close out your Pride Season that you WON’T want to miss. Featuring the talents of Jon Jackson, Laura Vidal, Bosston and Alex Newkirk on the keys, you know you’re in for an unforgettable show. And somebody will DIE!

Come find out who on June 27th at The Understudy Coffee & Books!

Tickets are PWYC (pay for a ticket via the “Donation” section) or a suggested donation of $15. See you there✨

Other Events

Kokandy Book Club presents: A Streetcar Named Desire

July 13 @ 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm

A musical cabaret inspired by A Streetcar Named Desire produced by your friends at Kokandy Productions! Join The Understudy and Kokandy Productions for the latest installment of our BOOK CLUB series! Summer is here—the air thick with music, perfume and sweltering heat. It’s Tennessee Williams weather! Book Club is back, storming into town like a long lost sister you thought you’d never see. We’re tickled to tackle A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, Williams’ masterful, Pulitzer Prize-winning tale of Blanche, Stella, Stanley…

RSVP NOW
Kokandy Book Club presents: A Streetcar Named Desire
July 13 @ 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm

Leftovers Night with Band Practice

July 17 @ 7:30 pm - 10:00 pm

An open stage for clowns, goofs, and funny people who'd like to test out first drafts. Hosted by the iconic clown duo, Band Practice Leftovers Night is a strange and delicious feast of alternative comedy acts that are in the making, need experimenting, or somehow didn’t quite make it to the main event just yet. Berlin based idiot duo Band Practice is teaming up with Chicago’s Pocket Theatre to host this celebration of comedy anarchy. This evening originated back in…

RSVP NOW
Leftovers Night with Band Practice
July 17 @ 7:30 pm - 10:00 pm

RED BELL by Katherine Swan

July 20 @ 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm

When ex-dancer Rina shows up at Hank’s gym wanting to learn how to box, she embarks on a journey that will forever transform her. When ex-dancer Rina shows up at Hank’s gym wanting to learn how to box, she embarks on a journey that will forever transform who she is and who she will become. But when a past trauma surfaces, Rina must confront a painful history that she’s struggled to leave behind. As she hurtles towards her first fight,…

RSVP NOW
RED BELL by Katherine Swan
July 20 @ 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm

FEM/THEM Comedy Open Mic at The Understudy

July 22 @ 7:30 pm - 10:00 pm

If you identify as funny and not-a-dude-onstage, this is your night diva! Hosted by Preeti Thaker and Jordan Levene Preeti & Jordan present: A Comedy Open Mic for Women + Non-Binary Comics! If you identify as funny and not-a-dude-onstage, this is your night diva!   WHAT’S THE PLAN? • 7:30 PM — arrive responsibly early, wonder what the vibe is gonna be like. Support the space by buying a drink! • 8:00 PM — the mic starts, the chaos begins…

RSVP NOW
FEM/THEM Comedy Open Mic at The Understudy
July 22 @ 7:30 pm - 10:00 pm

Love Detectives

July 24 @ 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm

Band Practice combines a real live dating show with a real live clown detective show to find out the true nature of this so-called "love". Drat! LOVE has been ripping up the streets leaving people wounded, broken, confused, and perhaps with a bad haircut and useless evidence of its nefarious behavior. You are invited to join the investigation to find love and catch it once and for all. Band Practice combines a real live dating show with a real live…

RSVP NOW
Love Detectives
July 24 @ 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm

IN THE NEXT ROOM by Sarah Ruhl

July 27 @ 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm

A play reading of In the Next Room (or, The Vibrator Play) by Sarah Ruhl produced by Exit, Pursued by a Play Reading. In the Next Room or the vibrator play is a comedy about marriage, intimacy and electricity. Set in the 1880s at the dawn of the age of electricity and based on the bizarre historical fact that doctors used vibrators to treat “hysterical” women (and some men), the play centers on a doctor and his wife and how…

RSVP NOW
IN THE NEXT ROOM by Sarah Ruhl
July 27 @ 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm