The Chicago International Puppet Festival is a 12 day event that has been taking place in Chicago for several years that has attracts about 22,000 audience members who travel from around the world to be a part of the biggest event dedicated to puppetry in North America.

This is a wonderful interview conducted by Chicago Broadcasting Network contributor Kim Campbell with Sandy Smith Gerding, Executive Director of the Chicago International Puppet Festival and Taylor Bibat, the festival coordinator and Director of Education.

Listen, not only, for details of the festival events taking place in 2026 but also interesting tidbits about the art of puppetry and the world of puppetry as a creative art form.

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This year we reviewed over 30 Chicago plays and events. This podcast recaps favorites and highlights of the 2025 season plus a few ideas for 2026.
Some productions mentioned include:
Iraq But Funny
Amelie
Tom & Eliza
Galileo
Hedda Gabler
and a few more.

The uplifting story of a distinctively red haired, hopelessly optimistic, depression era orphan named Annie is firmly rooted in the early 1930s where the stark contrast between the haves and have-nots was plainly evident everywhere. This was especially true in urban centers like New York City where fortunes large and small were lost in the 1929 stock market crash.

Part of the success and charm of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens is its simple elegance. The story is easy to understand even by the youngest theater goers yet it does not talk down the audience. It’s a kind of secular parable with a strong moral lesson to change your ways before it’s too late and The Goodman Theatre has continued the lesson in Chicago for 48 years.

“Amadeus” presented at Steppenwolf Theatre Chicago is a story of two men, one believed to be beloved by God and one who believed he could negotiate to win God’s love.

On the surface it is easy to assume this is a biographical sketch of Mozart, and indeed the story written by Peter Shaffer does allude to the final years of the composer’s life, but actually this is a story of one man’s envy of another man’s apparent God given talent.

Podcast theater review and plot summary by Reno Lovison.

Performed in modern dress using original Elizabethan vernacular, Much Ado About Nothing is a quintessential Shakespeare comedy and seminal rom-com that has a little something for everyone. A humorous love story with a touch of drama that pokes fun at everyone no matter their rank. Presented by the Chicago Shakespeare Theater Company in their Courtyard Theater on Navy Pier, through December 21st 2025. Run time is about 2 hours and 25 minutes with one intermission. For ticket and information visit ChicagoShakes.com Podcast theater review y Reno Lovison.

For those unfamiliar with the 1886 original story of Jekyll and Hyde - - it is a tale of the strange case of Dr. Henry Jekyll, a fictional 19th century London physician who decides to experiment on himself using what might be described as psychotropic drugs. In doing so he unleashes his own demon in the person of his alter ego Mr. Hyde. This excellent musical version is presented by Kokandy Productions at the Chopin Theatre in Chicago.

Written in 1978 by Ira Levin DEATHTRAP holds the record for the longest-running comedy-thriller on Broadway, offering multiple plot twists over two acts with one set and five characters.

This now classic play presented by Madkap Productions onstage at the Skokie Theatre will capture you in a web of illusion and deceit, with just enough humor to take the edge off the murderous treachery taking place before your eyes.