The Biograph Theater at 2433 N Lincoln Ave in Lincoln Park is now the performance home of Porchlight Music Theatre, a Chicago company that produces musicals. The building opened in 1912 as a movie house, is a designated Chicago Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Porchlight stages shows in two spaces inside the Biograph: the Začek-McVay Mainstage, with about 250 seats, and the Richard Christiansen Theater, with about 109 seats. The 2026–27 season includes mainstage musicals along with concert and cabaret programs in the smaller room. The theater is best known historically as the place John Dillinger left just before he was shot by federal agents in July 1934.
The Biograph sits across from Lincoln Hall on Lincoln Avenue. Read more about the area in our Lincoln Park history guide and see nearby venues in the arts and entertainment directory.
Sources: porchlightmusictheatre.org/app/uploads/2026/04/2627_PorchlightSubscriptionSeasonFAQs.pdf, porchlightmusictheatre.org/the-biograph-theater, porchlightmusictheatre.org