A Chicago theater favorite is heading back to the South Side for a night of audience participation and plenty of laughs.
The interactive comedy Late Nite Catechism returns for a one-night-only performance at 7 p.m. Saturday, March 21, at the Beverly Arts Center, located at 2407 W. 111th St. on Chicago’s South Side.
Created by Vicki Quade and Maripat Donovan, the show first premiered in Chicago in 1993. Quade wrote the first draft of the script in just three weeks, launching what would become one of the longest-running theatrical productions in Chicago and across the United States.
Now celebrating its 33rd anniversary, the comedy continues to draw audiences with its mix of familiar memories, improv and classic Catholic school humor.
“Late Nite Catechism is such a fun show,” said Elena Cleary, marketing coordinator at the Beverly Arts Center. “It brings audiences right back to those classroom memories, but in a way that has everyone laughing together.”
The performance blends stand-up comedy with a mock classroom experience led by the character known simply as Sister, a sharp-tongued but lovable nun who runs the evening’s lesson.
Audience members are not just spectators. They become Sister’s students for the night. Throughout the show, she quizzes the crowd on Catholic traditions and childhood memories from parochial school days, recalling the era of Latin Mass and meatless Fridays.
Correct answers can earn glow-in-the-dark rosaries or other prizes, while those who step out of line might find themselves called to the front of the class.
The show playfully pokes fun at old-school classroom discipline while keeping the tone lighthearted and familiar to anyone who remembers Catholic school.
Tickets are $35 for nonmembers and $32 for Beverly Arts Center members.
Tickets can be purchased online at:
https://thebeverlyartscenter.com/event/late-nite-catechism/