The Joan W. and Irving B. Harris Theater for Music and Dance is Chicago’s primary residence for music and dance, connecting diverse audiences with outstanding artists from across the city, the nation, and the world.
Opened in 2003 in Millennium Park, the Harris was the first multi-use performance venue built in downtown Chicago since 1929, and fulfilled the city’s need for a shared home for mid-size performing arts organizations. Today, the Theater features some of the most diverse arts and culture offerings of any venue in the city, and is a distinctive model for artistic quality, collaboration, and making the performing arts relevant and accessible to the widest possible audience.
Founded on the principle of serving Chicago’s vibrant community of performing arts organizations, the Theater provides subsidized rental, production, marketing, and professional development support for its Resident Companies. Since opening with 12 founding companies, the Harris has since served as a home for over 55 local arts and humanities organizations including Giordano Dance Chicago, Music of the Baroque, Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus, Chicago Humanities Festival, Chicago Opera Theater, Puerto Rican Arts Alliance, and WBEZ Chicago. In 2020, the Harris Theater Creative Future Fund was established to provide financial support to Resident Companies engaging audiences in-person and virtually. Fostering innovation amongst Resident Companies and local independent artists has led to new collaborations and strengthened partnerships within the arts and culture community.
Launched in 2006, the Harris Theater Presents series brings the highest caliber artists from every corner of the world to Chicago to tell stories of human experiences from a multitude of perspectives. Representing over 32 countries across six continents, ambitious international projects, new commissions, and co-productions have been presented on the Harris stage, the rooftop, the iconic Pritzker Pavilion, and the HT Virtual Stage. Harris Theater Presents has featured emerging voices and world-renowned artists including Laurie Anderson, Bangarra Dance Theatre, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Joshua Bell, Batsheva Dance Company, English National Ballet, Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Angélique Kidjo, Paris Opera Ballet, and Silkroad Ensemble.
A commitment to excellence in all areas of production alongside the Theater’s adaptable architectural design has made the Harris a sought-after venue for important civic and cultural events. Organizations hosting their engagements at the Harris bring unique opportunities for dialogue between Chicagoans and the world’s leading thinkers, innovators, and artists.
Woven through each aspect of the Theater’s work are programs that nurture future generations of artists and audiences. The Harris breaks down barriers to experiencing the arts by building an inclusive environment and featuring accessible and captivating performances for all ages in the Mix at Six and Family Series. Educational lectures, panels, and classes are held in tandem with the Theater’s presenting season to deepen audiences’ connection to the artists on stage and use the arts as a tool for lifelong learning. By cultivating partnerships with local organizations across the healthcare, human services, and education sectors to provide their participants with subsidized performance tickets and accessible enrichment activities, the Harris ensures that the arts reach as many individuals and families as possible.
