Steel Beam Theatre

It doesn’t get any better than today! World class acting and fun. We may soon need a bigger venue for such ambitious hilarity!

Wonderful, wonderful, perfect. How lucky we are to have this venue!

We have been to a number of plays there and particularly enjoyed seeing Bay of Portugal there last week. It is a small theatre and we have also seen some plays there that are only ok but we love the intimacy and connection between the audience and actors.
It is not broadway but we enjoy going and will be back

This is not broadway and the acting is fine and a bit spotty. That being said, we love the small, intimate setting. The price is very reasonable. It’s close, parking is free, lots of restaurant choices nearby, and it’s entertaining. I’ve also put my kids in their summer camp years back and they really enjoyed it.
I wish they had more things to see there. Maybe they could have ‘guest’ performances from some of the small theaters in Lincoln park or other locations? Maybe a panto or local comedy night?
We will continue to Attend. It’s a nice, easy night out.

I’ve only been to the theater once recently to support a friend in a show. She gave me her comp tickets, so I can’t complain about the price at all. However, I know that the theater hires professionals, so you will likely see a good production. Therefore, you may also need to pay a little more for it. Some things to note if you are attending as an audience member:
— The entrance off of Main street actually leads to the back of the theater. The main entrance is around back. I came through the back, which was not an issue, but I imagine it could be, if we were running late.
— The back entrance mentioned is the accessible entrance with a wheelchair lift along the staircase.
— The entrance off the lobby (not on Main street) is connected to the theater by only a half-​wall. This is notable because someone was speaking very loudly at the beginning of the show I saw, and it could be heard by all of us in the theater. Take note!
I sat in the very back «box» seat area, where there were only 4 seats. I really enjoyed the seats because they are a little elevated. I highly recommend those because the theater size makes it so that you still see the stage completely from the back.

greatly impressed every time I come and see the shows here, granted I have only seen the kid’s shows, but such talent they have! such great entertainment and I love the small theater, it is cozy and I never leave disapointed.

We attended the Santa Sing Along today at 1pm. It was a disappointment. Kudos to the children acting on stage. But for the $ 27 we paid for one adult and child I expected something a little more polished and professional.
The costumes were wrinkled and dirty. It was hard to hear the solos even in the second row. Santa had an English accent (no one else did) and Mrs Claus had her hands all over all the children (very creepy).
The whole «sing along lasted almost 30 minutes and then the kids were able to sit on Santa’s lap.
They were also raffling off a week stay at a Disney hotel for $ 5 a ticket but no airfare or park tickets.
Overall the concept was creative but the execution and the organization of the show were worse than a recent elementary school play we saw.
On the plus it is a beautiful theatre with comfy seats in a nice location near the river.
But only packaged junk food and pop for snacks.
My child was scared and did not smile the entire show and only did he smile when Santa asked him to for pictures.
We left as soon as we could. Definitely not for kids maybe the adult shows are better.

Our first experience with the Steel Beam Theater was a disappointment, but I’m willing to give it another chance someday. My wife and I saw the Neil Simon play, «The Sunshine Boys». First a few positive notes: I love the small theater setting and layout. The set was nice and the acting was fine.
But the audience was DEAD. At the end of at least one scene, the audience didn’t even applaud. I just don’t think they quite knew what to do and when to do it. Some of them may say they were unimpressed by the performance, but the theater staff and director are responsible for audience experience management. They must assure that as the ticket holders arrive, the environment primes their anticipation and preps them to eagerly suspend disbelief. In this case, the greeting was tepid, maybe even timid. I’d recommend enthusiastic personalities be placed in contact with the public to warm them up. It’s a small enough venue that friendly personal conversations should be very easy to initiate with just about everyone who walks through the door.
One specific thing that I thought was a very strange distraction was that the background music (80s rock) continued to play as the curtains initially opened and right up until the first spoken words. This bizarre overlap of real and make-​believe worlds occurred again at the beginning of the second scene as well. With no distinct break between the real world and the 1970’s world on stage, I had an exceedingly hard time allowing my mind to be transported into the performance. I had never before experienced anything like that at a theater and was envisioning the audio tech at the control board frantically trying to figure out how to fade out the music.
I know from personal experience that, with the right audience management tactics, even mediocre actors can light up an audience that is ready for a great show.

Ok, I gotta give this 5 stars because you can tell they work their fannies off to get their production as good as they possibly can. Saw The Scrooge, and while I absolutely can’t take plays, this 72 seat theatre is perfect for me. None of the pretentious hooligans that typify a plays audience… yeah, you know who you are. Have a drink before, unwind in the cozy closet of a theatre, and enjoy.

Steel Beam offers great, thought provoking, enjoyable entertainment at a great price. Tickets for adults start at $ 22 for mainstage productions. The talent is fabulous, and parking is free! Try community theater for a great change of pace.
Their children’s theater is great for introducing your kids to the theater. Tickets for kids’ shows start at $ 10 and run on Saturday and Sundays during the day. See

Okay, so it should be noted that I was an intern here this summer, so I’m not completely unbiased, but I’ll write a review anyway:
This is one of a few good theaters in the area (the Arcada and Pheasant Run being the others), but this one is cute and quaint and family owned and operated. The owners are very nice, and the shows here are high quality. There’s a diverse selection of shows each year, as well as fantastic kids programs, including a summer camp and a few kids shows throughout the year.
There are also dinner theater packages available through nearby restaurants.