Signature Event: Running Tour of Ensemble-Made Chicago

Love Chicago theater? Learn all about what makes Chicago's scene so special on this 3.7-mile running tour in Lakeview!

About the event:

Calling all theater lovers! 

Join Read & Run Chicago at Three Avenues Bookshop for a 3.7-mile running tour (11:00-12:00 minute per mile pace) through Lakeview inspired by Ensemble-Made Chicago with guide Quinn Rose. Visit three locations featured in the book and six different theaters to learn about Chicago’s unappreciated and overlooked theater culture and history. Between some silly exercises, affirmations, and even a rant circle, you’ll also have the chance to test out some of the methods used by Chicago’s beloved storefront theaters.

After the tour, stick around for a [Q&A with Coya Paz], our pop-up “concession stand,” a rant circle (have anything you want to get off your chest?), and bonus–some birthday cake to celebrate Quinn, who is guiding this tour in honor of their birthday.

Whether you are a theater expert or just want to discover something amazing about Chicago, we welcome you to move, learn, and spend a Sunday morning with fellow Chicagoans.

Note: there is no bike tour option for this event. You can still bike on your own if you’d like–just be sure to take care of your own safety!

Schedule

• 9:45 AM – Doors open 
• 10:00 AM – Event kickoff
• 10:15 AM – Running tour begins 
• 11:45 AM – Post-tour snacks, social time, and rant circle
  

No Pre-Reading:

This is a signature event (a Read & Run Chicago event using the original Read & Run Tours format) called a Running Tour, which means there's no pre-reading required! 

If you’d like to read Ensemble-Made Chicago, purchase it online via our Bookshop.org link here.

Meet your hosts

Read & Run Chicago is a community organization managed under Read & Run Tours. Founded in 2021, the mission is simple: to use movement and stories to explore Chicago. Programming includes free community meetups like book swaps and reading nights, plus the signature Read & Run Tours event format we’re most known for: book-themed guided runs where stories take place, all inspired by books set in Chicago, mostly written by local authors. Read & Run Chicago’s ultimate goal is to help Chicagoans better connect with themselves, each other, and the physical spaces they call home. Along the way, Read & Run Chicago champions literacy initiatives, local nonprofits, public libraries, independent bookstores, and the writers who bring Chicago’s communities to life. We’ve hosted over 120 events featuring 30+ authors and local experts and have been highlighted by CNN, Runner’s World, Midwest Living, NBC’s Chicago Today, FOX32 Good Day Chicago, WGN Radio, Block Club Chicago, and more. More information at readandrunchicago.com, Instagram, and Facebook.

Quinn Rose: Quinn (she/they) is a digital librarian with a passion for queer history, theater, digital humanities, and anything that can combine all three at once. They spend their time working in metadata, volunteering at Gerber/Hart Library and Archives, and managing two black cats.