Chopin Theatre is an independent arts center in the heart of Chicago's artistic neighborhood, Wicker Park. Established in 1990, it has had approximately 1,400 events with over 7,000 presentations (5,000 theatrical, 900 film, 800 literary evenings and over 100 music, dance, visual arts and social events). Chopin Theatre has also produced over 110 of its own productions, mostly Eastern European, and has hosted performers from every state in the U.S. and from over 40 countries.   Our many guests have included Pulitzer winners Gwendolyn Brooks, Yusef Komunyakaa and Studs Terkel;  writers Stuart Dybek, Aleksander Hemon, Haki Madhubuti, Sara Paretsky, Art Shay, Zadie Smith, Bronislaw Wildstein and Adam Zagajewski;  poets Nikki Giovanni, Luis Rodriguez and Mark Smith; actors John Cusak and JeremyPiven; musicians Grazyna Auguscik,  Edward Auer, Peter Brotzman, Chuck D., Kurt Elling, Von Freeman and Rob Mazurek. 

Chopin Theatre is also the producer of I-Fest.com , an international festival of solo performances which has brought to Chicago 17 international artists from 10 countries -- Austria, England, Finland, France, Germany, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Slovenia, Switzerland and Ukraine. 

Originally constructed in 1918 by M.F. Strunch Architects as a 987 seat Nickelodeon, today it houses a Main Stage (200), Cabaret Studio (50-100) with its Pregnant Buffalo Lounge (renamed courtesy of Robbie Telfer) the Nelson Algren Café, East Wing Art Gallery and the office/residence of owners Zygmunt Dyrkacz and Lela Headd along with their sons Conrad and Alexander.