PRESS
Chopin Theatre the set for an existential tavern
09/5/08
"..the lavishly decorated bohemian basement of the Chopin Theatre doubles as a bar in "Gray in White and Black," an existential drama that recently wrapped production in Chicago" - Robert K. Elder, Chicago Tribune 9/5/08 more>>
Critic's Pick - Best Venue
07/31/08
Chopin Theatre - One of the last old-school entertainment venues in Wicker Park, this theater houses some of Chicago's best storefront companies. more>>
Hey there, Orgie girl!
02/28/2008
Two presentations at Chopin Theatre win 2007 ORGIES (The Orgies are an anonymously-bestowed honor for outstanding original work in Chicago Theater). more>>
Signs of Trouble: Can our Storefront Theaters survive the Broadway Blitz - Chris Piatt and Kris Vire
09/26/07
""With the city's attention fixated on glitzy Loop theaters, we ask if there's still room for a theater of our own.
On Division Street, at Ashland and Milwaukee Avenues, the Chopin Theatre overlooks the "Polish Triangle," where neighborhood residents and elote vendors gather around the Nelson Algren fountain. Behind the theater's shabbily impressive terra cotta facade, Chopin owners Zygmunt Dyrkacz and Lela Headd have played host to some of the most thrilling theater the city's had to offer during the last 17 years: more>>
Mother Russia Mother India - Andrew Patner
09/12/07
INDIA MATRI BHUMI . Chicago Cinema Forum showed this at the Chopin Theatre a really indispensable place for theatrical and other artistic gatherings in this case showing film. more>>
Forum throws cinematic rarities to the lines - Michael Philips
09/07/07
"“But there I was last Saturday night, in the bustling lobby of the Chopin Theatre in Wicker Park -- a community asset of the first order -- trying to weasel my way into a sold-out Rossellini screening .." more>>
Post Revolution Blues - Jerome McDonnel
8/23/07
"Next month, Ukrainians will trudge to voting booths yet again to vote for parliamentary candidates. It will be the nation's fourth national ballot in less than three years. Polls reveal the masses believe the vote may do little to resolve the nation's seemingly intractable political crisis. In Poland this week, political turmoil intensified as ex-government ministers accused Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski's right-wing Law and Justice Administration of using the Secret Services and political arms of the state to discredit political rivals. more>>
Fool For Love - Chris Piatt
08/9/07
"What is it about the musty basement of Wicker Park's Chopin Theatre that brings out the best work of storefront designers? more>>
Kudos to Chopin - Joan Mazzonelli
07/20/07
Dear PerformInk:
Through my own ineptitude I’m sure, I somehow missed Kerry Reid’s article about Sketchbook. I did, however, read the letter to the editor in response to the article from the folks at the Chopin Theatre. more>>
Inconvenient Truth about Art and Money - Zygmunt Dyrkacz and Lela Headd
06/20/07
Dear Performink
To Kerry Reid’s elaborate and thoughtful article on Sketchbook 2007 at Steppenwolf, we’d like to add that Sketchbook had six successful editions at Chopin Theatre, culminating in it having the “hip Wicker Park/Bucktown following” mentioned in the article. more>>
A spoof on Urinetown - Chris Piatt and Novid Parsi
03/16/2006
There's plenty of unique decor in both the upstairs and downstairs theater of the Chopin, which is run by husband-and-wife team Zygmunt Dyrkacz and Lela Headd (both pictured). more>>
People Making a Difference in Chicago Theater
12/29/05
"Chicago Shakespeare gets a lot of (well deserved) praise for bringing in high-profile European troupes. But those who wish to see the best of experimental European theatre … know that Wicker Park's Chopin is the place to go" more>>
International Playhouse - Charlie Wojciechowski
10/1/05
"Can you name the Chicago Theatre dedicated to Polish and Eastern European productions? In 1990, Polish ‚migr‚ Zygmunt Dyrkacz opened his international playhouse in Wicker Park. more>>
La Luna and Aztec Hotel - Anna Belaval
08/24/05
"Good Morning this is Around Town and I am Anna Belaval. Today we will show you what critics are calling 'theatrical magic; an amazing experience for the senses?. We're at Chopin Theatre for La Luna and Aztec Hotel " more>>
Critic's Choice with Andrew Patner
08/17/2005
Critic's Choice with Andrew Patner - “Dyrkacz also brings important European avant-garde companies to his venue, something that happens too rarely here since the demise of the International Theatre Festival of Chicago “ more>>
Mystery Achievement: Teatr Cogitatur and Chopin Theatre conspire to bring Polish avante garde to Chicago - Justin Hayford
08/11/05
"For the past 15 years Zygmunt Dyrkacz has been presenting international experimental theatre at the scrappy Chopin Theatre, including performances by Poland's astonishing Teatr Cogitatur. Despite more than two decades of international acclaim, the troupe had never appeared in this country until Dyrkacz brought it here to present Aztec Hotel in 2003. more>>
La Luna casts spell with light, sound and music - Hedy Weiss
08/10/05
"Question: Where will you find both the trendiest European audiences and the most European-style theater in Chicago?
Answer: At the Chopin Theatre? more>>
Wicker Park's Chopin Theatre - Metromix.com
01/1/04
"Wicker Park's beautiful white terra-cotta Chopin Theatre was built in 1918, and served as an anchor more>>
One theater and a bevy of shows - Centerstage.net
01/1/04
The play's the thing!" says Hamlet, and at Chopin Theatre, it couldn't be truer. Hidden behind its Wicker Park storefront location, Chopin houses a main stage and a smaller studio, a cafe, ample dressing areas, a luxurious waiting lounge and a grand foyer. Though the entire building is masterfully decorated with Oriental rugs, antique furniture and photograph- and artwork-clad walls, there's no need to don your most respectably dull theater dress to attend a production here: more>>
Teatr Cogitatur performs for first time in the U.S.
10/17/2003
Sometimes, under the radar, a troupe slips into town and you're lucky to catch them before they slip out again. more>>
"..far from your typical theater owner" - Chicago Tribune
05/21/99
"“…but the impassioned and intelligent Dyrkacz is far from your typical theater owner...Not only is this a very viable space creatively, but the Chopin also is among the city's most affordable little theaters to rent. On several unpublicized occasions, Dyrkacz has charged impoverished arts groups little or nothing” - Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune 5/21/99 more>>