Welcome from the Song, Stage and Screen 2025 Host Committee
We look forward to welcoming you to Chicago in just over a week, and hope the information below will be useful to you as you plan your visit.
Building Access: The conference will be held at DePaul University’s College of Communication, located at 14 East Jackson Street. With the exception of Saturday, you can access the building during conference hours using the entrances on Jackson Street or State Street. On Saturday, please use the State Street entrance.
Conference Spaces: Our conference rooms are located on floors LL, 1, 11 and 12. Specific locations for each session are listed in the conference schedule. Please note: elevators to floors 11 and 12 are only available at the Jackson Street entrance. Elevators and stairs to LL are available at the State Street entrance. All presentation rooms have a podium, microphone, LCD projector and desktop computer with a USB-C connection. If you need a USB or HDMI connection for your presentation, we strongly recommend bringing your own dongle with you. If you have other technical needs for your presentation, please be in touch with the host committee as soon as possible.
Registration: Registration will open on Wednesday at 5:30 pm in Room 105. When you register, you will receive your nametag and a ticket to The Color Purple (if you purchased one). We will offer brief tours of the conference rooms soon after registration opens. Opening remarks are scheduled for 6:15 pm in Room 105. If you are unable to make it Wednesday, registration will be available Thursday morning from 8:30 - 9:30 am.
Opening Reception: The opening reception will be held at 7:00pm Wednesday evening at the nearby Exchequer Restaurant & Pub (226 South Wabash Avenue).
Restrooms: Restrooms are available on every floor of the building. Gender neutral restrooms are available on floors 1 and 12.
Internet Access: You will receive information for how to access DePaul’s wifi network at registration.
Theatre and Other Attractions: We have compiled a list of productions that will be running during the conference. We have also identified some stalwart Chicago attractions and activities that first-time visitors might like to experience. This information (see below) will be added to the conference website as well.
Final Thoughts: We are very happy to answer any questions you might have about Chicago! Don’t hesitate to be in touch if you are weighing options or need recommendations.
Until we “meet in the middle” very soon . . .
Your Host Committee: Kelly, Dustyn, and Bryan
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Chicago Theatre Options
42 Balloons
Chicago Shakespeare Theater
800 E Grand Avenue
https://www.chicagoshakes.com/
You Will Get Sick
Steppenwolf Theater
1650 N Halsted Street
Iraq, But Funny
Lookingglass Theatre
163 E Pearson Street
https://lookingglasstheatre.org/
Second City
230 W North Avenue
https://www.secondcity.com/chicago
Teatro ZinZanni
32 W Randolph Street
Back to the Future: In Concert
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
220 S. Michigan Avenue
Outside Chicago Theatre Options
Always Something There: A New 80s Musical
Marriott Theatre
10 Marriott Drive
Lincolnshire, IL 60069
https://www.marriotttheatre.com/
Diana, The Musical
Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre
721 Howard Street
Evanston, IL 60202
Always, Patsy Cline
Drury Lane Theatre
100 Drury Lane
Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181
Selected Chicago Performance Experiences
Lips Drag Queen Show Palace
2229 S Michigan Ave
Ed Debevic’s Diner
159 E Ohio Street
Neo-Futurists
Every Friday & Saturday @ 10:30PM & Sunday @ 7PM
5153 N Ashland
Chicago Music Venues
Jazz Showcase
806 S. Plymouth Court
Andy’s Jazz Club
11 E. Hubbard Street
The Green Mill
4802 N. Broadway Avenue
Kingston Mines
2548 North Halsted Street
Museums & Libraries
Art Institute of Chicago
159 E Monroe Street
Field Museum
1400 S DuSable Lake Shore Drive
Museum of Science and Industry
5700 S DuSable Lake Shore Drive
Shedd Aquarium
1200 S DuSable Lake Shore Drive
https://www.sheddaquarium.org/
DuSable Black History Museum
740 56th Place
Garfield Park Conservatory
300 N Central Park Avenue
https://garfieldconservatory.org/
National Museum of Mexican Art
1852 W 19th Street
https://nationalmuseumofmexicanart.org/
Jane Addams Hull House Museum
800 S Halsted Street
https://www.hullhousemuseum.org/
Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago
200 E Chicago Avenue
Harold Washington Library
400 S State Street
https://www.chipublib.org/locations/34/
Newberry Library
60 W Walton Street
Meet Us in the Middle
June 25-28, 2025 Hosted by the College of Communication at DePaul University
This year’s conference program will be announced in April.
Song, Stage and Screen 2025 will convene in Chicago, Illinois, at DePaul University’s College of Communication from June 25-28, 2025. Sometimes referred to as the “Second City” or “Heart of America,” Chicago is a vital (and often unsung) incubator for musical theater, dance, and opera productions.
The location of this year’s conference invites us to contemplate the notion of “the middle,” and to suggest ways that “middles” inform the creation, circulation, consumption and study of musical theater. In recent years, scholars in musical theater studies and adjacent fields have demonstrated that “middlegrounds” can be a robust site for analysis. Stacy Wolf and Jake Johnson have directed our attention to the existence and importance of musical theater in the “middle” of the United States, while Derek Miller has encouraged study of “average” commercial productions and theater careers that are neither especially glorious nor terrible, but that ultimately drive the industry. Colleen Rua has addressed how musicals like West Side Story and In the Heights portray quotidian aspects of Latinx life, while Koritha Mitchell has argued that low or fair-to-middling standards enable and elevate white mediocrity.
For the purpose of this year’s conference, “the middle” can refer to:
Geographic centrality: a hub or crossroads
Symbolic centrality: primacy or concentration
Measures of time, distance or process: a midpoint or median; en medias res
Political centrism: neutrality, compromise, or nonpartisanship
Normalcy or mediocrity: middling quality; the middle of the pack
Conventionality or provincialism: middlebrow tastes
Between elite and inferior status: middle-class or mid-level success
Conference speakers must be current members of ISSM. There will be a modest conference fee for all attendees.
2025 Conference Co-Chairs: Kelly Kessler, Dustyn Martincich, and Bryan M. Vandevender
2025 Conference Program Committee: Ryan Donovan (chair), Eric Glover, Kelly Kessler, Brandon LaReau, Ashley Pribyl, Guro von Germeten
Conference FAQs
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Song, Stage, and Screen 2025 is being held at DePaul University’s College of Communication in the Daley Building at 14 E. Jackson Blvd (@ Jackson & State)
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From Midway International Airport via Chicago Transit Authority:
From the Midway Transportation Center, board the Orange Line train toward the Loop
Exit the Orange Line at the “Harold Washington Library” stop
Exit the station and head East on Van Buren Street
Turn left and head North on State Street
Turn right and head East on Jackson Street
From Midway International Airport via Rideshare Service:
The loading zone for rideshare services is on the Lower Level outside Baggage Claim, Doors 2-4.
From O’Hare International Airport via Chicago Transit Authority:
From the Midway Transportation Center, board the Blue Line train toward Forest Park
Exit the Blue Line at the “Jackson” stop
Exit the station and head East on Jackson Street
From O’Hare International Airport via Rideshare Service:
Loading zones for Rideshare services are at the following locations:
Terminal 2 - waiting area Upper Level between Door 2A and Door 2E
BLACK Zone A - Outside North of vestibule 2A
BLUE Zone B - Outside vestibule 2A
ORANGE Zone C- Outside vestibule 2B
GREEN Zone D - Outside vestibule 2E
Passengers should wait in the specific colored zones until their driver arrives at the same colored zone before proceeding to the designated pick-up location. A waiting area inside is available between vestibules 2A and 2D.
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17 East Monroe Street
(312) 726-7500
0.3 Miles from Conference Site
24 East Ida B. Wells Drive
(312) 360-0300
0.2 Miles from Conference Site
Hampton Inn Majestic Chicago Theatre District
22 West Monroe Street
(312) 332-5052
0.2 Miles from Conference Site
111 West Adams Street
(312) 601-3525
0.2 Miles for Conference Site
20 South Michigan Avenue
(312) 427-3800
0.4 Miles from Conference Site
Silversmith Hotel Chicago Downtown
10 South Wabash Avenue
(312) 372-7696
0.3 Miles from Conference Site
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Chicago is a food city, beyond its classic pizza, hot dog, and Italian beef sandwiches. Chicago also hosts the largest Polish population outside of Poland, so if you’re in need of pierogies, you’re in the right city. The Loop is also a relatively short train ride to Chinatown if you would like to score some dim sum. Feel free to ask the hosts for their favorite recommendations and don’t be afraid to venture out of the Loop to explore the flavors the city has to offer.
Some Well-Known Chicago Restaurants:
The Billy Goat Tavern (as parodied on SNL in the 70s - “Cheezborger, Cheezborger, No Pepsi, Coke, No Fries, Chips”)
Giordano’s Pizza
Gino’s East Pizza
Al’s Beef
The Wiener’s Circle (if you want hot dogs and for workers to be mean to you)
Duck, Duck, Goat
Girl and the Goat
Rick Bayless Restaurants
Frontera Grill
Topolobampo
Xoco
Culinary Neighborhoods to Visit if You’re Up for a Jaunt:
Randolph Street/Fulton Market- Fantastic eateries at a range of prices can be found in this neighborhood just West of the Loop/Downtown area.
Logan Square/Wicker Park
Andersonville (a Swedish enclave and an array of tasty foods)
Little India (a section of Devon)
Chinatown (just a couple stops south of the Jackson stop on the Red line)
Pilsen (excellent Mexican food and amazing graffiti art)
Food Options Around the Conference Venue
Maharaj Indian Grill
333 S State Street
https://maharajindiangrill.com/
Bibibop Asian Grill
24 E Jackson Boulevard
BienMeSabe Venezuelan Arepas
29 E Adams Street
https://www.bienmesabechicago.com/
Poke Poke
118 S Wabash Avenue
Art of Pizza on State Street
727 S State Street
Hannah’s Bretzel
66 W Randolph Street
https://www.hannahsbretzel.com/
The Berghoff
17 W Adams Street
Miller’s Pub
134 S Wabash Avenue
Petterino’s
150 N Dearborn Street
Giordano’s Pizza
223 W Jackson Street
Also, within a block you will find more lowkey places like Chipotle, Jimmy Johns, Starbucks, and Potbelly. There might even be a food truck across the street.
Chicago Pride is ON!
Head to Boystown to check things out. The Addison Redline stop is the closest.
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WiFi
Here are sharable instructions for connecting to your conference wifi:
1. Connect to the "depaul" wireless network.
2. You will be redirected to the "DePaul Wifi Setup" page. Select "DePaul Guest WiFi."
3. Select "Register" under Conference Guest.
4. Enter the Conference ID: issm2025
5. Check to agree to DePaul's Acceptable Use Policy.
7. Complete the registration process by entering your email address + name.