A Theater of Our Own: A History and a Memoir of 1,001 Nights in Chicago

In A Theater of Our Own, Richard Christiansen, former chief critic for the Chicago Tribune, draws upon his exclusive interviews, insights, and memories gathered over a period of more than forty years of reviewing the arts as he traces the evolution of the Chicago theater scene. Along the way, Christiansen relates his behind-the-scenes conversations with some of Chicago’s most acclaimed writers, directors, and actors—David Mamet, Frank Galati, Mary Zimmerman, John Malkovich, Laurie Metcalf, Harold Ramis, Gary Sinise, and Joe Mantegna. A Theater of Our Own, a valuable contribution to the history of theater, is a book for anyone who enjoys the theater and its people.

"This is everything it ought to be--both reference and romantic. Would that everyone had the theatre smarts Christiansen has." --Twyla Tharp

"No one is better qualified to chart the history of theater in Chicago than Richard Christiansen. Eloquent on the subject for decades, he remains enthusiastic, loving, and discerning. A worthy Boswell for one of my favorite theater towns." --Hal Prince

"Richard Christiansen is that rare drama critic whose capacity for wonder has not abated despite 'a thousand and one' nights on the aisle. His love of theater is palpable on every page, in every anecdote, as is the pride he unabashedly takes in his city and in its talented sons and daughters. A Theater of Our Own is a colorful history of Chicago's rise to prominence on the American cultural scene but, perhaps more accurately, it is a celebration of live theater by one of its greatest champions." --Donald Margulies