Theater Wit

Chicago, United States

4

Open now

20 reviews

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Telephone:
+1 773-975-8150
Website:
www.theaterwit.org
Address:
1229 W Belmont, Chicago, IL, 60657
b/t Racine Ave & Lakewood Ave
Lakeview
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
290 ftBelmont & Lakewood EB
300 ftBelmont & Lakewood WB
0.3 miSouthport
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Bussiness info

Good for Kids
No

Today

Today 12:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Open now
Local time (Chicago) 15:36 Friday, 29 November 2024

Business hours

Monday –
Tuesday –
Wednesday 12:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Thursday 12:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Friday 12:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Saturday 12:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Sunday 12:00 pm – 5:00 pm

Description

Specialties

Theater Wit produces plays that are funny and smart. Its hip three-​theater space is also home to some of the best Chicago theatre audiences can experience year-​round. You’ll find a full bar, artisan chocolates, great theatre, and only good, comfortable seats.

History

Established in 2003.

Theater Wit produced primarily in the Theatre Building space on Belmont before it took over the abandoned warehouse next door. In 2010, it opened its remodeled theater. The company is best known for its hilarious annual holiday must-​see production, «The Santaland Diaries,» written by David Sedaris, adapted for the stage by Joe Mantello.

Meet the Business Owner

Jeremy W.

Business Owner

Jeremy Wechsler, is the founder and Artistic Director of Theater Wit, as well as a longstanding freelance director in Chicago. For Theater Wit, he has directed «Mr Burns: a post-​electric play,» «Completeness,» «Seven Homeless Mammoths Wander New England», «This,» «The Four of Us,» «The Santaland Diaries,» «Men of Steel,» and «Thom Pain (based on nothing)» (Jeff award). He was a resident director at Bailiwick Repertory, where some of his previous productions have included the Chicago premieres of «The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told,» «now then again» (Jeff award), «A Month in the Country,» «HenryVI: Blood of a Nation.» He has directed over forty productions in the Chicago area, including: «The Flu Season,» «A Taste of Honey (Best Show of 2008-​Wall Street Journal), «The White Devil,» «Shinhaz,» «The Real Thing,» «Hay Fever,» «The Duchess at Malfi,» «Titus Andronicus,» «The Roaring Girl,» «Flight,» «Life is a Dream,» and «The Threepenny Opera.» He is a teacher and industry leader.

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20 reviews of Theater Wit

No registration required
Place rating: 5
Chicago, IL
Went to the Witt tonight with the family to see Kokandy Christmas– Super cute and FUN night for all of us !
The actors were terrific and energetic, the theater was perfect for the price we paid .
The performance was very festive and put us all in a great mood. The musician were also fantastic can’t say enough about the show. I hope they do it again next year we just loved it. Great for all ages.
Place rating: 1
Oak Park, IL
I showed up for my volunteer assignment at Theater Wit and the man in the box office said;
«Oh, we cancelled the show.”“After i told him I traveled two hours to get there he said :“I’m sorry.»
He had a phone number to call but said he forgot to call to say the show was cancelled. This is totally unacceptable, I spent over 2 hours and 40 minutes to get there and taxi and train fare traveling from the suburbs to volunteer. I volunteer for many organizations and I have never been treated so shabbily. The box office staff needs to be properly trained.
I have never been impressed with Theater Wit, the ladies room is often in need of attention, the lobby is crowded with virtually no where to sit and the bar drinks are not as good as at the Theatre next door.
Place rating: 5
Chicago, IL
I went there to watch «The Firestorm», and I uncovered a great theater with a great resident actor company. They have three theater halls so the show offer is pretty various throughout the year. The place is built around and for the plays, no big distractions and the customers too are evidently acquainted with the theater. The play I watched was incredibly witty and dramatic at the same time, well written and superbly played. Just for the records, the bartender was nice and polite, and very helpful with drink suggestions! Thus, highly recommended theater in the heart of Belmont!
Place rating: 5
Chicago, IL
Review of «Bad Jews». Whoa! I did not know what to expect and did not see this intense, complex and thoroughly thought provoking modern day drama coming. By the end of the play, the many layers causing the intensity, passion and zealous behaviors reveal themselves, some more obvious than others, but all there. Brilliantly written and acted.
Being half Jewish and coming from a world where all sides of the plays conversations and passions existed, I believe I get the issues more personally than someone not coming from Jewish heritage, but nevertheless, the terrific, high energy performers will engage and reach you in many ways. Funny, serious and deep.
Whew! I’m emotionally exhausted. Next time I want to see «Bad Jews», I’m just going to attend one of my family’s Ham and Cheese on Bagel Passover sedars. Pass the lobster!
Place rating: 5
Cincinnati, OH
In town for a bachelorette party and we went to the 3pm show of «The Full Monty.» I never saw the movie and didn’t know the majority of the plot line, and I thought it was FANTASTIC! All of the actors did a great job and I was very impressed with the level of talent on display (haha). We blew through their $ 8 glasses of Cava (bubbles) and had a great time. Definitely recommend!
Place rating: 3
Chicago, IL
DO NOT SHOW UP LATE TO MR BURNS!!! You will not be seated due to safety and artistic reasons. I will update the review to say if it was worth the wait.
Place rating: 1
Chicago, IL
We just saw «Mr Burns.» Wow was that awful! We just kept looking at each other saying: «What is going on?» Not moving or funny or insightful. I don’t know what the author was going for. We only made it through the first two acts. It was painful!
Place rating: 5
Lakeview, Chicago, IL
Just saw Methtacular and you are doing yourself an injustice if you don’t go see this play! It was my first time to this theatre and I LOVED it!!! Very clean… friendly staff… and not a bad seat to be found! I can’t wait to go back!
Place rating: 4
Chicago, IL
Check out «The Golden Boy». An honest, pure, very well put together performance. It is an emotional story demonstrating the complexities that is life.
The theater is small, but neat and clean. Staff super courteous and a good variety of events or shows being hosted every week. Magic shows, serious dramas, comedies, improv, and more.
I recommend you visit their website or stop in to get the most up-​to-​date schedule of happenings at this great theater.
A snack bar is available. If I had to critique one thing, do away with the «artisanal toast» and get bigger water bottles. Those little things of water cost too much and I can wash it down in one gulp. Not cool.
Place rating: 5
Chicago, IL
Just saw The Santaland Diaries, written by David Sedaris and performed by Mitchell Fain. Phenomenal! My face hurt by the end, I laughed so much! Mitchell, I think David would be very proud of your performance. I am a huge fan of his writing and you nailed it. Thank you for the laughs and great time!
Place rating: 5
Grand Rapids, MI
If you get a chance go see Burning Bluebeard. It’s a great Christmas play about a true Chicago tragedy. It’s fun and funny, filled with pathos. Great cast. Nice little theater.
Place rating: 5
East Lansing, MI
Three different stages. We did Sunday matinée Santaland Diaries: Nice intimate theater, sits maybe 50, about half-​full on Sunday at 3:00. Fun show, well worth the price. Plus free parking across the street at Coopers if you get there early enough. Very nice and affordable alternative to a show at Second City. We will definately catch more shows at Theater Wit.
Place rating: 4
Chicago, IL
I had a great time watching a play by the name of «Rabbit» (which was pretty darn good) this past Friday @ Theater Wit. The first thing you see is the bar when you walk inside. They have beer, spirits as well as wine. The bartender made me some pretty decent gin drinks before the play as well as intermission.
The ushers were very nice and made sure everyone received a program. Seating is pretty cool as you have a pretty clear view from whichever angle you sit. I wanna say you cold fit 50 people inside to watch a play or maybe a few more. Nothing to complain about here as I would definitely come back and see another show.
Place rating: 5
Chicago, IL
I really, really, really love live theater. What I don’t love is shelling out an arm and leg for a ticket. A teacher’s salary certainly puts a cramp in my style. That’s why I am so grateful for all the small theaters scattered throughout the city. Theater Wit is one such venue.
It really is a small, charming venue, which features three small stages. My friend and I had the opportunity to see their rendition of George Bernard Shaw’s: Pygmalion. It was FANTASTIC! This if one of my all-​time favorite plays, and I can’t get enough of Audrey Hepburn in «My Fair Lady».
So, when I saw that this was one of their featured plays, I knew I had to go! What sealed the deal was how inexpensive the tickets were. On average, a live production will only set you back about $ 25 for seats in a very intimate theater.
Trust me when I say there are no bad seats in the house. The seats are comfortable and there is plenty of leg room. Since I am on the taller side, I hate being in venues where I feel like I am stuck in one position for the entire duration of a show. I had no such problems at the Wit. I have a feeling that with the affordable and high quality shows at the Wit, I am going to be able to feed my obsession without breaking the bank, and that’s pretty damn fantastic.
Place rating: 4
Chicago, IL
Great way to spend a friday night with friends!
Tired of the same old typical bar scene? Check out a play! Had a great gals night stopping at Bittersweet for a small sweet bite and latte and then headed over to watch a great play.
The theater is clean spacious and friendly staff.
They have a wide selection of refreshments if that’s your thing! They have vallet and street parking all around if you don’t want to take the train.
stage, lighting and actors all great!
Place rating: 4
Chicago, IL
Surrounding yourself on a Sunday afternoon with people who prefer to take risks with themselves is pretty foicking cool dude.
Saw Trainspotting here not too long ago and it was way tits and balls and more tits.
Sometimes you have to let go of the ledge and peek over to see the view and Theater Wit allows this in a comfy close and personal way.
Cozy seating, clean pissers and a bar up front with locally made gummy bears.
Way tits. and way cool.
Check out their website for info on their membership which allows you access to many more ass and tits type events.
Cheers
Place rating: 4
Chicagoland, IL
Let me preface that I’m not a part of the ‘theater’ scene. I’ve been to a bunch of musicals but this was only my 2nd play, so I can’t really compare this with too many other experiences. With that being said, I can say I really enjoyed Theater Wit. It’s a really personable and small theater. From the gentleman at will call to the ticket takers, everyone seemed genuinely enthused to have you there – kudos/​thumbs up/​thank you for that. There’s lots of street parking around and you can even park across the street at Cooper’s if you eat there before the show. The only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars was because there was a louder play in the theater next to us and it started blaring through the walls during the climax of our play. That could be something that is worked on for future plays or better managed. We will definitely come back if there’s another play that interests us.
Place rating: 4
Chicago, IL
I really like Theater Wit. I’ve been twice and think it’s a great, updated little theater.
The concessions are great, small but quality beer, wine and liquor selection — it’s always nice to have choices other than Miller Lite. They also have some bakery snacks.
The theater itself holds about 100 people. The seating is comfortable, but it can be hard to see if you’re short like me and sit behind someone tall. I recommend trying to sit near the front.
The acting is great and tickets are often on Goldstar, so you can’t go wrong.
Place rating: 3
Chicago, IL
Not a bad venue for open events such as speaker, or reading, but anything more elaborate will be hard to pull off here.
Beer at the concession stand, chairs not uncomfortable, simple stage, decent acoustics for voice.
Place rating: 3
Chicago, IL
The Theater Wit is the newly-​renovated theater space that formerly housed the Bailiwick Theater.
I caught a production of «David Bowie’s Christmas Special 1977» this past weekend. I hadn’t been to this space in its current incarnation so I was curious as to how it would look.
The theater features three separate performance spaces that I would guess could seat about 100 people. They’ve also upgraded their lighting and sound equipment.
The lobby looks to be a drastic improvement and also has a wine and coffee bar. They have drink specials that pay homage to the shows they currently run, for instance, they were featuring a «gin genie» for $ 5.00.
The staff was super friendly. My only complaint was that the bathrooms were a little nasty — think overflowing garbage cans and MIA toilet paper in a couple stalls.
Overall, I think this is a decent space to catch a show, in fact I have already made plans to return in December to see «The Santaland Diaries» by David Sedaris.