What better way to spend Halloween than being absolutely terrified?! Join CST for two special All Hallow’s Eve performances featuring specialty cocktails and a costume contest with prizes. Show times are 6:00 & 10:00 PM and doors open 1 hour prior to curtain.
Written by Levi Holloway
Directed by Felix Barrett
Restaged by Levi Holloway
The Yard
Paranormal Activity
Written by Levi Holloway
Directed by Felix Barrett
Restaged by Levi Holloway
The Yard
Run Time: 2 hours (including intermission)
Audience Notice: RATED R for disturbing content and horror. Features loud noises, sudden darkness, and stage blood.
Lead Production Sponsor:
Shows this weekend are nearly sold out. For up-to-the minute availability, call the Box Office at 312.595.5600. Ticket Waitlist Details →
“★ ★ ★ ★! Enough connection to the movies to be beloved by fans, while being completely accessible to the unfamiliar.”
“The one thing most people will want to know: Will I be scared? Yes. Very. Cleverly, too.”
“Amazing staging, stunning special effects… and just plain a ton of fun!”
James and Lou move from Chicago to London to escape the past… but they soon discover that places aren’t haunted, people are. An original story set in the world of the terrifying Paranormal Activity film franchise, this thrilling new play from celebrated Chicago playwright Levi Holloway (Broadway’s Grey House) and Punchdrunk’s Felix Barrett (Sleep No More) with illusions by Tony Award winner Chris Fisher (Stranger Things: The First Shadow, Harry Potter & The Cursed Child) will haunt you long after you get home. Experience the horror of this North American premiere produced by Chicago Shakespeare before it hits LA, San Francisco, and DC later this season. Can you even believe your eyes?
October 2025
6:00 PM / Friday , Oct 31
Halloween Performance
10:00 PM / Friday , Oct 31
Halloween Performance
FRI, OCT 31, 6:00 PM
Features specialty cocktails & costume contest with prizes
FRI, OCT 31, 10:00 PM
Features specialty cocktails & costume contest with prizes
Run Time: 2 hours (including intermission)
Audience Notice: RATED R for disturbing content and horror. Features loud noises, sudden darkness, and stage blood.
Lead Production Sponsor:
October 2025
6:00 PM / Friday , Oct 31
Halloween Performance
10:00 PM / Friday , Oct 31
Halloween Performance
FRI, OCT 31, 6:00 PM
Features specialty cocktails & costume contest with prizes
FRI, OCT 31, 10:00 PM
Features specialty cocktails & costume contest with prizes
FRI, OCT 31, 6:00 PM
Features specialty cocktails & costume contest with prizes
FRI, OCT 31, 10:00 PM
Features specialty cocktails & costume contest with prizes
“Taut and terrifying… I don’t want to spoil the play’s many delicious frights.”
“I have never seen anything like this on any Chicago stage.”
Artists
Spotlight
Special Performances: Halloween Shows – October 31
Spotlight Features on Paranormal Activity
How is it possible that the Paranormal Activity film is one of the most profitable movies ever made? What is the legend of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s bell? And who are the creative minds that brought the show to life and made you jump out of your seats? Dig deeper in our digital program.
WBEZ & Chicago-Sun Times Feature
“We’re introduced to a couple who seem very familiar to us. And sometimes our weaponry is in the mundane,” shares playwright Levi Holloway. “They’re not extreme characters. They’re very human. So, when they’re met with the uncanny or the impossible, we ask ourselves an audience, ‘What would I do’ and ‘Would I survive?’”
Special Performance: Paranormal Prom
On October 9, audiences delighted in a sinister soiree culminating in the most terrifying live theater experience Chicago had even seen. Tickets included specialty “spirits”, delectable bites from Harry Caray’s Tavern, lobby activities, and admission to Paranormal Activity.
