Jay S.
Yelp
The mission of Redtwist Theatre is "to do white hot drama, in a tiny black box, with a little red twist." Judging from shows that I have seen and a few I have had the pleasure of working on at this theatre, they succeed in their mission.
Redtwist is indeed a tiny black box theatre. It holds less than 40 people. They have produced some of the best in contemporary dramatic plays. In recent seasons they have produced, "Equus" (there is a another production of this play currently running on Broadway), "Les Liaisons Dangereuses (Dangerous Liaisons)", and a gender-blind version of "Glengarry Glen Ross." In the upcoming season they will produce "The Pillowman," an intense crime drama that recently premiered on Broadway, "The Goat," which premiered at The Goodman a few years ago, and "Waiting for Godot."
The acting at this theatre is often stellar. Ensemble members Jacqueline Grandt and Brian Parry are both a pleasure to watch on stage. If you get the chance to see a play that either of them is in (at Redtwist of another one of Chicago's many theatre companies), do it.
Many of their productions have been Jeff Recommended. In fact, their shows are Jeff Recommended well more often than they are not, and a few that have won Jeff Awards. (Jeff Awards are like the Tonys except for Chicago theatre not New York theatre.) This tells me that Redtwist Theatre is often considered by members of the Jeff Committee to be top-notch in acting, directing, and design.
As I mentioned, I have worked behind the scenes on a few shows at Redtwist, but don't take that to mean I am biased toward the place. Critics for newspapers and magazines across the Chicagoland area have agreed with me. Redtwist puts up good work. They are worth checking out indeed.