How to Start Acting in Chicago: Storefront Theater, Commercials, Classes, and Your First 90 Days

People told you Chicago is where actors actually get to act. You can do a play in a storefront space, take an improv class at night, and audition for a commercial at lunch. Then you arrive and realize nobody hands you the map.

Chicago is a theater town first, with a screen market that has grown around it: network series, cable shows, commercials, and industrial work. The way in is different from LA or New York. Here, being seen on stage and being known in a training community often matter more than any single audition.

The short version: learn the theater map, because it changed after 2020. Use the League of Chicago Theatres’ audition board and Theatre In Chicago’s listings every week. Pick one training home, improv or scene study, and stay. Check any agent against Illinois’ license list. Keep a self-tape setup ready for the on-camera side. Then follow a 90-day plan.

What Chicago casts: stage, commercials, and One Chicago

The SAG-AFTRA Chicago Local represents performers and broadcasters across Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, and part of Iowa. Its own page calls Chicago a commercial and broadcasting hub and points to series such as The Bear, Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D., Chicago Med, and The Chi as places members get experience.

The One Chicago shows are the steadiest of those. In April 2026 NBC renewed all three for 2026-27, with Chicago Fire heading into season 15, and NBCUniversal said the franchise supports about 1,500 jobs per season and has filmed primarily in Chicago since 2011. For local actors, long-running series like these mean recurring chances at co-star and day-player roles.

The wider numbers are good too. Illinois reported record film production spending of $703 million in 2025, supporting an estimated 18,000 industry hires. The state’s credit is 35% of qualified Illinois spending and is scheduled for legislative renewal in 2039. The city’s film office says Chicago hosted seven TV productions in the first quarter of 2026, plus commercial shoots.

Commercial and corporate work is part of the Chicago picture too. Our guides to commercial auditions and corporate and industrial videos cover how those rooms work.

Learn the theater map, as it is now

The League of Chicago Theatres counts more than 200 member theaters, and its member list runs from Steppenwolf, the Goodman, Chicago Shakespeare, Lookingglass, and Writers Theatre to the suburban musical houses. Below them is a large scene of small companies in storefronts and shared spaces, where many newcomers get their first Chicago credits.

That scene has shrunk. CBS Chicago reported in November 2025 on closed and demolished venues, including the Royal George and Stage 773, and cited critic Chris Jones’s count of 34 Chicago theater companies that went out of business between 2019 and 2023. The same report noted new buildings at Writers Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare, and Steppenwolf. If an older guide lists a company, check that it still produces before you submit.

Equity’s contract for Chicago-area theaters is the Chicago Area Theatre (CAT) agreement, which covers commercial and not-for-profit theaters of 900 seats or fewer within 35 miles of the city limits. It’s tiered by size and runs through October 3, 2027. Equity’s Central Region office is at 557 West Randolph Street. Our guide to Equity versus non-Equity theater covers which side to start on.

Where Chicago auditions are posted

For theater, two free listings do most of the work:

• Chicago Theatre Auditions, the League’s audition board, lists calls you can filter by Equity or non-Equity, and the League runs a separate job board for theater jobs.
• Theatre In Chicago posts audition notices you can filter by Equity, non-Equity, and film, and says its listings are free for both theaters and actors.

The League also holds an annual career fair. The 2026 Theatre Industry Career Fair was on April 25 at Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of Performing Arts, with mock auditions, headshot sessions, and resume reviews for people who pre-registered. Watch for the 2027 date.

For screen work, principal roles go out through the national casting sites and to agents; our roundup of casting sites for actors compares them. For background work, 4 Star Casting registers union and non-union extras in Chicago through an online form. Backstage’s guide to background acting in Chicago notes that roles fill fast, so respond quickly when a call fits.

Pick a training home and stay

Chicago’s schools double as communities. The people in your class become the people you make work with, so choose a place where you’d want to keep showing up. Some long-running options with adult classes as of November 2026:

• The Second City Training Center on North Avenue teaches improv, acting, writing, and stand-up, with a conservatory track (Second City classes).
• iO Chicago runs improv classes for all levels at its training center and has been performing in Chicago since 1981 (iO).
• The Annoyance on Belmont offers improv levels, writing, and musical improv (Annoyance training).
• Black Box Acting runs a conservatory and part-time classes (Black Box Acting).
• Acting Studio Chicago teaches acting, on-camera, voiceover, and the business (Acting Studio Chicago).
• Green Shirt Studio in Ravenswood has a five-level Meisner program plus on-camera and self-taping classes (Green Shirt Studio).
• The Actors Gymnasium in Evanston teaches circus, physical theater, and stage combat to adults (Actors Gymnasium).

For degrees, The Theatre School at DePaul has trained actors since 1925, and Chicago also has Northwestern’s theatre program in Evanston, Columbia College Chicago’s acting program (BA and BFA), and the theatre conservatory at Roosevelt’s Chicago College of Performing Arts. Our guide to choosing an acting class has the questions to ask before you enroll anywhere.

Check an agent against the Illinois license list

Illinois regulates talent agents as employment agencies. The state’s Private Employment Agency Act defines a “theatrical employment agency” and makes it a violation to run an agency without a license, and the Department of Labor’s FAQ says the exemption for recruiters does not apply to theatrical employment agencies.

You can check an agency yourself. The department’s Private Employment Agencies page links a list of licensed agencies, current as of January 15, 2026 when we checked, plus a page of suspended and revoked agencies. If you’re in SAG-AFTRA or plan to join, also check the union’s franchised agents list for the Chicago Local.

Licensed or not, the money rule holds: a legitimate agent earns a commission when you book, not a fee to sign you. Our guides to getting an agent with no experience and spotting acting scams cover what to ask and what to refuse.

Keep the on-camera side sharp

Even in a theater town, screen auditions usually start on tape. Self-taped auditions became the norm rather than the exception after the pandemic, Backstage reported, and SAG-AFTRA added self-tape guidelines to its November 2023 TV and film agreement.

The Chicago problem is timing. You might be in rehearsal for a play every night when a tape request lands with sides due in a day. Have your corner ready to go; our guides to self-taping an audition and self-taping alone cover the setup, and how to name and send a self-tape covers delivery.

What usually runs short is time to learn the lines. Offbook helps with that squeeze: upload the sides, pick your role, and realistic voices read every other character, then wait for you to finish your line before cueing the next. Run it on your laptop before rehearsal, listen to the scene on your phone on the train, and hide your lines for a last check before you press record.

Getting around on the CTA

Much of the city is reachable by train and bus. The CTA’s fare chart lists a regular ‘L’ ride at $2.50 and a bus ride at $2.25, with a 7-day pass at $20 (as of November 2026; the chart is labeled effective February 20, 2023). Suburban theaters and studios may need a car, a Metra train, or a ride from a castmate, so check the trip before you accept a role.

Your first 90 days in Chicago

1. Days 1 to 14: Build an honest one-page resume with our free acting resume builder, theater credits first if that’s what you have.
2. Days 1 to 14: Bookmark the League’s audition board and Theatre In Chicago, and check both twice a week.
3. Days 7 to 30: See three shows at different companies, from a big house to a storefront, and note which ensembles you’d want to join.
4. Days 14 to 45: Take a first-level class at an improv theater or a Meisner studio and plan to continue to the next level.
5. Days 14 to 60: Audition for non-Equity shows with a monologue from our monologue library, and say yes to readings and new-play workshops.
6. Days 30 to 60: Register for background work if you want set experience, and set up casting site profiles for on-camera roles.
7. Days 30 to 90: Tape a practice scene from our free acting scripts every week and log every audition in our free audition tracker.
8. Days 60 to 90: With a few credits and some footage, research agents and check each one on the Illinois license list.

Comparing markets? Read the same guide for Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta, New Orleans, and Dallas-Fort Worth, or our guide to building a career outside LA and New York.

Questions actors ask

Is Chicago a good city to start acting?

For many actors, yes. It has a large theater scene with Equity and non-Equity companies, well-known improv and acting schools, a commercial market, and long-running TV series. Illinois also reported record film production spending in 2025. The theater scene is smaller than before 2020, so check that a company is still producing before you submit.

Where do Chicago theaters post auditions?

Two free sources cover a lot of it: the League of Chicago Theatres’ Chicago Theatre Auditions board, which you can filter by Equity and non-Equity, and Theatre In Chicago’s audition listings. Individual theaters also post on their own websites.

Do Chicago talent agents need a license?

Yes. Illinois’ Private Employment Agency Act covers theatrical employment agencies, and the Illinois Department of Labor publishes a list of licensed agencies along with suspended and revoked ones. If you’re in SAG-AFTRA, also check that the agency is franchised for the Chicago Local.

Should I start with improv or scene study in Chicago?

Either can work. Improv training at places like Second City, iO, or the Annoyance builds quick thinking and a community of collaborators. Scene study or Meisner training builds the text work you’ll use in plays and on camera. Many Chicago actors eventually do both.

What is the CAT contract?

The Chicago Area Theatre agreement is Actors’ Equity’s contract for commercial and not-for-profit theaters of 900 seats or fewer within 35 miles of Chicago’s city limits. It’s tiered, so pay and terms vary by theater size. The current agreement runs through October 3, 2027.