Irene Hsiao
Chicago Reader
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Past articles by Irene:
When is a pipe not a pipe?
Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble's revival of This Is Not a Pipe, a 2006 show inspired by René Magritte, sticks too close to the surface. → Read More
High-rise havoc
A dystopic tale unfolds against the Chicago skyline in Las Migas, presented by Colectivo El Pozo as part of the Destinos festival. → Read More
Revolutionary abstractions
Russian artists right after the Bolshevik Revolution struggle with new forms and old feelings in Chagall in School. → Read More
Seeking a friend for the end of the world
After an undefined postapocalyptic event, a young girl finds solace in her boom box and the search for friendship. → Read More
The Blasian March comes to Chicago
On plantations in the 1800s, plantation owners used diversity as a means of division. “We lay great stress on the necessity of having our labor mixed. By employing different nationalities, there is less danger of collusion among laborers,” reports an 1883 Planters Monthly article. Sowing division was essential to maintaining the oppression of the working […] → Read More
'Afong Moy was a real person'
TimeLine Theatre produces the Chicago premiere of Lloyd Suh's play about the first Chinese woman to come to America. → Read More
Something old, something new
Hubbard Street's spring program combines older pieces with new work that feels in harmony. → Read More
'We need to be imagining other possibilities for ourselves'
The United States incarcerates more people and incarcerates them at a higher rate than any other country in the world, with 2.3 million people presently in custody—over half a million more than the country with the next highest population of imprisoned people. A report released in 2021 by the Sentencing Project found that Black people […] → Read More
Moving beyond performance
The city's new yearlong initiative for the dance community offers opportunities to build support beyond the stage. → Read More
The collective quest of Chicago dance
Dance performances returned live to Chicago in 2021, and performers asked probing questions about where to go next. → Read More
Five jokes, two hours
The Play That Goes Wrong goes on too long at Broadway Playhouse. → Read More
Winter in the Wildwood is an earnest low-stakes fairy tale
Otherworld offers an immersive seasonal fairy tale with great visuals, but low dramatic stakes. → Read More
Jump back into the cultural stream
Theaters, comedy clubs, museums, galleries, and other venues are blowing off the COVID-19 shutdown dust and preparing to welcome you back this fall. Many companies are picking up with productions that were cut short in March 2020, while others have world premieres up their sleeves. We suggest calling venues ahead of time or checking their […] → Read More
Breathing life into Red Clay
Vershawn Sanders-Ward and Red Clay Dance bring a new dance and community center to Woodlawn. → Read More
Contretemps beats against the time
Contretemps Contemporary Ballet challenges the stereotypes of the form in Heat Lightning. → Read More
Contretemps beats against the time
A new ballet company challenges the stereotypes of the form in Heat Lightning. → Read More
Teatro ZinZanni brings back glitz, kitsch, and the joy of living
The dinner circus spectacle reopens at the Cambria Hotel. → Read More
Mitsu Salmon considers the orchid
A new interdisciplinary work digs into the roots of one of the most mythologized of flowers. → Read More
Joel Hall Dancers tap the spirit of the phoenix again
In LEGACY: Phoenix^5, the company celebrates the past and looks to the future. → Read More
Hubbard Street and 10,000 Dreams challenge stereotypes while centering AAPI choreographers
Unboxed spills Nutcracker tea; Final Bow for Yellowface builds a dance incubator. → Read More