Chicago Physical Theater Festival

The Physical Theater Festival Chicago is an annual celebration of contemporary, visual, and physical theater that brings innovative performances from around the globe. Launched in 2014 by Alice da Cunha and Marc Frost—both trained in London at the London International School for the Performing Arts (LISPA)—the festival was born to introduce a more progressive, physical approach to theater-making in Chicago. Now in its 12th year, the festival showcases award-winning, ensemble-created works across traditions like clown, mime, improv, puppet and object theater, circus, dance, and street performance. It inspires local audiences and artists to reimagine the power of live performance across cultures and genres. In 2024, its most successful edition to date, the festival welcomed 18 international artists and over 1500 attendees. The next edition will take place from June 2 to 8, 2025.