Physical Theater Festival Chicago 2026

Physical Theater Festival Chicago is an international celebration of bold, visually driven performance that transforms the stage into a space of movement, imagination, and storytelling beyond words. Each year, the festival brings to Chicago acclaimed companies and visionary artists from around the world whose work blends theater, dance, clown, mime, puppetry, circus, and object theater into unforgettable live experiences. Founded in 2014 by Alice da Cunha and Marc Frost, the festival showcases innovative, ensemble-created productions that cross languages and cultures, inviting audiences to rediscover the power of the body, image, and play on stage. Dynamic, inventive, and accessible to all, the festival offers a rare opportunity to encounter some of the most exciting contemporary performances being created today