One Legacy. Limitless Impact.
The Golden Anniversary Season · 1976 – 2026
★ Six 2026 Jeff Award Nominations ★
You have to feel this room for yourself.
★ Five 2026 Jeff Award Nominations ★
A celebration of the legendary men whose voices defined soul music — brought to life by Chicago’s finest singers and a live band that never quits.
Chicago theater’s highest honor recognized two Black Ensemble productions: Men of Soul earned five nominations — the production, director Daryl D. Brooks, the ensemble, music director Robert Reddrick, and performer Maxel McLoud Schingen — and Jaitee Thomas was nominated for his portrayal of Jackie Wilson in The Jackie Wilson Story. Winners announced September 14 at the Harris Theater — but Men of Soul leaves our stage August 2.
Every production features live music, extraordinary voices, and stories that bring people together.
★ Five 2026 Jeff Award Nominations ★
Through August 2, 2026 · Fri 7pm · Sat 2 & 7pm · Sun 2pm · Tickets $69
The kings of soul — their hits, their heartbreak, and the voices that changed American music. Backed by the Jeff-nominated live band.
September 5 – October 25, 2026
A journey through funk music — from James Brown to Sly Stone — that will pull you right out of your seat.
December 12, 2026 – January 24, 2027
Jackie Taylor’s beloved holiday classic returns — the fairy tale retold with soul, laughter, and heart.
Five Jeff Award nominations. One unforgettable show.
Men of Soul · On stage through August 2
A journey through the milestones that shaped one of Chicago’s most influential cultural institutions.
Jackie Taylor founds Black Ensemble Theater on Chicago’s North Side with one extraordinary mission: to eradicate racism through the arts. Small stage. Big vision.
The company grows into one of Chicago’s most distinctive theaters, celebrated for original musical tributes to the lives and songs of legendary Black artists.
Jackie Taylor founds the Black Playwrights Initiative — a creative home where Chicago’s African American playwrights develop new work for the stage.
The $20 million Black Ensemble Theater Cultural Center opens on North Clark Street — a permanent home for audiences, students, and artists for generations to come.
Jackie Taylor receives Chicago’s Fifth Star Award, adding to honors that include the League of Chicago Theatres’ Lifetime Achievement Award.
Every season, audiences experience original productions while students, teachers, and families grow through education programs that change hearts one story at a time.
Half a century of inspiring audiences, nurturing artists, and bringing communities together. The golden anniversary honors Jackie Taylor’s founding vision — still burning bright.
With the Free to BE Village, Black Ensemble expands beyond the stage — into education, film and technology, artist housing, and community investment.
Scroll the timeline →
Celebrating 50 years of changing hearts, minds, and lives through the arts.
And the next chapter is on stage right now.
Founded by Jackie Taylor in 1976, Black Ensemble Theater is the only theater in the nation whose mission is to eradicate racism and its damaging effects through theater arts and community engagement.
I have experienced wonderful plays at phenomenal prices.
Patricia B. · FacebookWonderful live theatre presentations! All great seats!
Mel B. · FacebookIt’s fabulous — always entertaining productions.
Tee F. · Facebook
For Schools & Educators
Field-trip productions that teach K–12 students real life skills — and give teachers new tools for a more positive classroom.
Explore Plays With a Purpose
For Schools & Educators
An in-school residency that uses drama, dance, and music to boost learning and give teachers classroom strategies that work.
Explore the school program
For Young People
Teens learn set design, lighting, costumes, and stage management — then create and perform their own show on our main stage.
Explore summer training
For Playwrights
A creative home for Chicago’s African American playwrights — training, resources, and a path to the Black Ensemble stage.
Explore the initiative
From Cabrini Green to an international stage. In 1976, Jackie Taylor founded Black Ensemble Theater with a bold idea: that theater could heal what divides us. Fifty years, more than 100 original productions, and a $20 million cultural center later, her vision is stronger than ever.
Her mission from day one: eradicate racism — one audience, one story, one song at a time.
Read Jackie’s storyAugust 14, 21 & 28 · 6:30–8:00 PM · 4450 N Clark St · Free & open to the public
50 Years. One Legacy. Limitless Impact. · Performances, cocktails, auctions · Tickets $200
New works from the Black Playwrights Initiative · Dates coming soon
We’re building an immersive performing arts hub in Uptown — a performing arts education center, film and technology center, affordable artists’ lofts, a restaurant, a literary café, and more. A neighborhood revitalization strategy powered by the arts.
Architectural rendering · Free to BE Village
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