Broadway in your Backyard

Porchlight’s Free Neighborhood Concert Series Returns next Summer!

Porchlight Music Theatre‘s free concert series Broadway in your Backyard is part of Chicago Park District’s Night Out in the Parks series, supported by the Mayor’s Office and Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. Broadway in your Backyard is performed at a number of different parks in the Chicagoland area and features a rotating company performing favorite songs from RENT, Hello, Dolly!, The Music Man, Grease, Six, The Little Mermaid, Hair, West Side Story, Mamma Mia! and MORE.

Broadway in your Backyard will return in Summer 2023. Check back soon for more details.

Summer 2022 Program

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ABOUT NIGHT OUT IN THE PARKS

In 2022, Porchlight Music Theatre’s Broadway in your Backyard was presented as part of the Chicago Park District’s Night Out in the Parks series, supported by the Mayor’s Office and Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. The Chicago Park District in partnership with over 100 local artists and organizations, present engaging events and performances that enhance quality of life across Chicago and amplify the artistic and cultural vibrancy in every neighborhood. Through multiple disciplines, which include theater, music, movies, dance, site-specific work, nature programs, and community festivals, the series aims to support Chicago-based artists, facilitate community-based partnerships and programs, cultivate civic engagement and ensure equity in access to the arts for all Chicagoans.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is Broadway in your Backyard?

Named one of “the most exciting Night Out in the Parks events this summer” by Time Out Chicago, Porchlight Music Theatre, as part of the city of Chicago’s Night Out in the Parks, brings some old and new favorites to your neighborhood park for a free 60 minute concert each summer at parks all over Chicago!

Should I bring my own chair, blanket or towel to Broadway in your Backyard?

Yes! Porchlight will be unable to provide chairs or blankets at these events. Please bring your own, pack a picnic and join us for some of Broadway’s best tunes.

How long is the concert?

Each performance of Broadway in your Backyard is one hour.

Will there be public restrooms available?

Patrons who plan on attending Broadway in your Backyard should read more about the facilities offered at each park on the Chicago Park District website.

Is the concert appropriate for all ages?

Broadway in your Backyard is perfect for the entire family!

Can I bring food?

Yes, you may bring coolers, non-alcoholic beverages and/or food to the park. Please follow all rules and regulations of the Chicago Park District, information found at their website. And be sure to place all trash at the end of the event in trash cans at the parks.

May I take photos?

Yes, please take photos and share on social media. Be sure to tag Porchlight and use the hashtags #BroadwayInYourBackyard, #NightOutInTheParks, #InTheParks, #MyChiParks.

What if it rains?

In the event of inclement weather, Broadway in your Backyard will not be rescheduled unless otherwise noted by Porchlight and the city of Chicago Park District.

Broadway in your Backyard is part of Chicago Park District’s Night Out in the Parks series, supported by the Mayor’s Office and Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events and is partially sponsored by ComEd’s Powering the Arts program.

Porchlight Music Theatre is partially supported by generous contributions from Actors’ Equity Foundation; Allstate; Michael Best & Friedrich LLP; Chapman | Spingola, LLP; Abe and Ida Cooper Foundation; Gen Ops Plus; Elegant Event Lighting; Glimpse Vision; James P. and Brenda S. Grusecki Family Foundation; Hearty Boys; A.L. and Jennie L. Luria Foundation; The MacArthur Fund for Culture, Equity and the Arts at Prince; the Pritzker Traubert Foundation; Ryan and Spaeth, Inc.; Daniel and Genevieve Ratner Foundation; The Saints and Dr. Scholl Foundation.

The season program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency, a state agency, and by a CityArts Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events.

Porchlight Music Theatre wishes to thank members of the Matching Gift Corporate Program including Abbvie; Allstate; Lloyd A. Fry Foundation; Peoples Gas; Pepsico; Polk Bros Foundation and The Saints.