Architectural gem. Great theater atmosphere for dance performances. Love photographing shows here as @thomasbockphoto

Saw a live podcast show here and thoroughly enjoyed it. Great small theater where all the seats are good. Has a concession stand with beer, wine and small snacks and they let you take it inside the theater which is nice. Seats are comfortable and decent amount of leg room. Bathrooms are small.

The place was beautiful I want to see The Nutcracker and I was 3rd row close up and personal two bathrooms that was good for animation now they so drinks and snacks like chips skinny pop popcorn soda and it was very pricey but the overall visit to this particular establishment was beautiful and yes I would go again oh oh before I forget parking you must pay parking and its $2 an hour in this area

I was impressed dancers have more emotion seem less robotic than other Nutcracker performances playing in Chicago now.

This is a community-centric theater that rents rehearsal rooms and fosters dance groups from beginning to stardom. I was totally impressed w the staff and environment when I visited for a show this Friday night. Tickets are affordable, everyone was friendly, and the show was full. Conveniently located, too!

Wonderful place to take in a Live Theater production. Many talented Theatre companies use this space, and I have seen many shows here. Highly recommend this spot. Check Goldstar for great prices on tickets.

Historic, ancient and full of culture and years of art. I attended the midwest UX 2018 conference here - first thing I notice was the heating. It keeps your real toasty and warm. The theater itself screams culture and history. The seating is old but still well maintained and so is the stage. The lighting is ample, stage size is good and the sound is perfect. The washrooms are kinda old on the first floor but nothing much to complain. So levels of seating, there is a Atheneum cafe and other rooms and offices around. The seating can easily accomodate 400+ people - just my estimate. The place is clean and waste management is done well. Great piece of Chicago history.

Tip: there is an elevator for those that can’t do stairs. I had crutches and thankfully could still get around!Went here for the Lakeside Pride band performance - and the place is a great medium size theatre. It looks older and the restrooms are not state of art - but in general the place is great!

Its a very nice comfortable theater. They have small local productions. I sawed See Chicago Dance comprised of local dance companies. It was a very entertaining show. They have a reasonably priced bar.

We gad a great time. This theatre is a beautiful architectural landmark. We say MST3K LIVE 30th anniversary tour.

Decent production of Nutcracker, but have seen better. Set & performance..theater a bit old but nice overall. Easy to park.

Not a bad seat in the house. Great intimate venue. Slight Downside : its an older theater so legroom in between rows isnt great. Check their website for dining discounts at nearby restaurants - just show your tickets to an athenaeum site that night at certain restaurants and get a discount

Great venue for an intimate show - I’ve only ever seen stuff for the Chicago Academy for the Arts being presented at The Athenaeum but the space is perfect for an intimate concert or similar event and the seats are fairly generous in size compared to some of the other old theatres in town.

Great theater! Nice staff! Thank you! I went for a performance with the family. I always wanted to come to this theater cause of the architecture! I loved the performance and the architecture!#CICA

Super pretty theater! We came from out of town to see the Golden Ratio. It is a smaller theater but I enjoyed it because it can be crazy with lots of people

Nice theater. Love the higher set seats so you can see everything. Good sound. Great neighborhood! People are so nice around there.Would definitely go back.

Historic. Beautiful. Amazing! Wish wed had time to take in a show!

Wonderful old theater with good sound.

Went to see an orchestra The Fabulous Equinox. It great! The theater was very nice and a great experience

A fantastic old slightly creaky neighborhood theater with important shows, best acoustics in the balcony! I play concerts here with the Lakeview Orchestra, it sounds great!

Seats not bad. Prices are affordable. Close to my home. NUTCRACKER well done with tiny tots, young kids, teens et al!

Eclipse is a wonderful theater company.So much going on here. Check it out!

Drove 3 hours to see a show and the theater was beautiful and the staff was kind and knowledgeable :)

Great small venue. Bars could use a little more variety.

Always interesting plays. The stage right on site for audience to see from any corner.

We saw the ballet Macbeth. Sat in second row of the balcony. Good seats for a great show. The Athenaeum is a beautiful old theater under restoration. I highly recommend this venue for performances.

Saw How Did This Get Made 6/3/18 (part of the Onion Comesy Fest) and the venue was outstanding,mostly thanks to me getting front row seats ! The seats doent have arm rests ,but are fairly comfortable m

Nice old school. Beverages served . Nice surprise

Lovely old theater. Saw a performance of The Nutcracker and the sound was great. The staff was friendly. Some of the chairs had seat covers on them, but I understand theyre slowly working in renovations. Also, if your seats are in the balcony, right above where the entrance is, your view may be partially blocked by the top of the entrance.

The theater is NOT mobility friendly! There is no public elevator access to the balcony levels or above. We had to have an employee guide us through a storage room to use the elevator. It was too stressful worrying about how we were going to leave the theater to enjoy the show. Should have stayed home with the sprain!

Good acoustics. Adequate seats spacing. Need to upgrade bathrooms.

The theater was a comfortable temperature. The staff cheerfully guided us through the evening.

While it’s a beautiful theater, the man scanning our tickets and directing people around at the Straight up with Stassi show was incredibly rude and making fun of the people at the show saying things like “Jesus had higher standards.”We Could also see either water or part of the ceiling falling onto the stage throughout the show and the bathrooms were disgusting.

Was able to attend the Movie Trivia Schmodown at this venue. It was my first time here and I was very impressed. Awesome aesthetic, cool historical feel. Would gladly go back for another event.

I went to see my daughter at a dance performance. I love the historical look of the theater

A funny and witty play. The building is easily accesible. Sitting arrangements support a satisfactory visual and aural experience.

Nice theater, all good seats, bathrooms are definitely old school (though modern)

Saw Brian Cox. He was amazing but the seats have probably been there since the Theatre opened. Not much space and a lot of the wiring is on the floor around your seating so be careful not to trip.

Great architecturally unique theater. We were there for a venue that was heavy on the technology, but I imagine the acoustics are great. Excellent lighting and layout, easy to find. Elevator for accesability.

This theatre is lovely with its vintage wrinkles and charm. The acoustics are great, and all seats are good, but what makes this theatre particularly wonderful, is its staff.My son and I saw Coyote Petersons Brave Wilderness here. I could not afford the VIP tickets for the Meet and Greet, so after the show we had to leave. Several times before the show I explained to my son who is autistic, that we would not be able to get Coyotes autograph and meet him. Nevertheless, he was upset. After speaking with my son, I went to the rest room before our long trip home. While I was there my son asked a staff member if could just go in and give Coyote some drawings he made for him. Understandably, the staff member told my son that he wouldnt be able to let him in, but then offered to give the pictures to Coyote for him. On our way home, my son explained to me what had happened in my absence and said that it made him very happy. These days it seems like judgment of others is passed on far too easily. But this staff member offered a little extra kindness to my son which helped to turn his disappointment around. In addition, I had made a call to the box office before heading out for the show, and was helped by the most cheerful and friendly staff member as well. I am grateful to the staff of this theatre for making this a happy experience for my son and I. I would recommend this place to anyone.

Enjoyed a special evening with my mom watching Los Panchos performing. Beautiful music and they sounded incredible. #lospanchos #athenaeumtheatre

There is interesting programming at this venue and people working hard to maintain this landmark building.

Great atmosphere but needs a bit of TLC! Listen to Moody Blues and had a great time.

Very good theater. Enough seats. Horrible Parking

Beautiful theatre. Great acoustics. Enjoyed the Justin Hayward concert at this local.

I had bought tickets to see Todd Rundgren . Since I bought the tickets my wife had fallen and hurt her knee ended up in a walker. The tickets were for balcony I called the theater the day of the show. They gave us tickets on main floor. They were more than gracious. Instead of missing the show because of her injury we were able to go had a great time. THANK YOU

Beautiful old theater in process of being restored. Nice little bar area for drinks before the show. All staff from bartender to ticket takers were some pretty cool folks. Really nice sized theater with good acoustics. Eclectic range of performers I noticed too. Will keep tabs on this venue for future shows.

Highly recommended, danced are truly from the heart.

Wonderful old decor adds to the charm of this great theatre.

Love the theater and its history.

Nice theater. All seats are good seats. Gets a little warm inside so dress lightly. If you grew up in the old parochial system you will feel like you stepped back to those days. I would go again.

My daughter dances here for TuTu School. Great sound and every seat is a great view of the stage. Decent paling.

They have several studio type theatres so there is a lot going on at the same time. My daughter was a founding member of Eclectic Theatre and they perform most of their shows at the Athenaeum. Parking is very good if you dont mind paying a nominal fee at the lot next door. Also there is a waffle shop across the street! Theatre, comfort food--what could be better?

Wonderful 1st time experience for Chicago performing arts!

Intimate theater full of history.

Fun small theatre!

I love the place so much history & the place is beautiful

Decent enough venue - the play we went for was rubbish

Beautiful building. Lots of parking

Top of the line for community theater. Lovely old venue but well maintained. Saw Bus Stop put on by Eclipse Theatre Group. Excellent!! This is the 2nd show I have seen and both productions have been very good with outstanding acting.

Caught the last of HDTGM shows here. Ive ridden my bike by here everyday for the last 4 years and had never been in. Lovely venue and, frankly, Im shocked more high profile events dont book it. Our seats were fairly high up but the view was great and the concessions were easily reached. Enjoyed the visit lots.

Great old neighborhood church playhouse with unusual shows. Every seat has a great view except the side boxes. Intimate

The staff was very helpful and polite. Keep up the good work. Hope they keep getting renovation money, because that theater is really nice.

Beautiful old theater, very steep, narrow seating.

This place rocks. Within walking distance of good restaurants. A small venue where all the seats feel close to the stage. Easy parking at the church behind the building. Dont hesitate to get tickets here. Its been an enjoyable experience each time weve gone.

Pretty cozy old theater with a variety of shows from musicals to dances to theater. Relatively inexpensive and eady to access. Hard to find parking. Take an uber.

Good theatre with a variety of different plays

Great, old venue. Hard, old chairs. Sore, old back.

It was a great venue for a comedy show, thats the only kind of performance Ive seen there. Its similar to old halls in many Midwestern cities - Emery and Music Hall in Cincinnati, Victoria in Dayton. No cupholders on the seats, if thats relevant.

A vintage theatre experience, like traveling back in time.

Great place to see a concert! Sound was fabulous, cheap parking not a bad seat in the house! I will highly recommend.

Small and intimate, this theater has no bad seat, but it does have some ventilation issues! It got so hot inside. Otherwise, its a great concert venue.

Beautiful theater. I love coming here. They dont make buildings like that anymore. Its like taking a trip in the past.

Justin Hayward and friends were amazing !

They have a main stage plus three smaller theaters. We went to a small theater (~50 seats) to see premier of Clever Little Lies, a modern comedy that needs a little more work before it can become a staple of small community theater. Good cast and several laughs plus a couple of twists make this a great cocktail play.

Seats are pretty hard and skinny - if youre a larger hipped person, youre gonna have a hard time sitting comfortably for a longer show. I know this because the guy in front of me moved around constantly throughout the entire 2 hours show. CONSTANTLY. The sound isnt the best up in the balcony either. Try to get floor seats.

Baby with the Bathwater was nothing like Ive seen before - absolute riot. Loved the play, and especially loved the cast.

Beautiful old theatre. Saw Stephanie Miller October 2018. Upper balcony, but could see and hear everything.

Great venue, friendly staff and good view from anywhere in the theatre from what I could tell.

A nice quaint neighborhood theatre!

Beautiful theatre with alot of history. We were only there once this weekend, but will go back for many more shows

Helpful staff great shows

Amazing venue and great staff shepherding us through something Im sure theyve never had to deal with - a bunch of StarWars nerds and trivia fans.

Great show. Great seating. Not much else to say.

Well kept old theater that provides an intimate feel.

What up jerks? They have great doors but no pretzel buns :( Five stars.

The joe Budden podcast was great. The theater was very nice and the workers were very helpful.

Great place to let yourself go and just enjoy the show .

Enjoyed watching the Nutcracker!

The Atheneum hosts The Moth Storytelling Slams and podcast several times a month. The event is not to be missed! The theater itself has an intimate and historic feel. Check out their classes and performances. They have studios for dancers and camps for kids too.

The staff was great, and its got good acoustics, and a great atmosphere. Its age lends it a really nice classic feel, but the building is showing its age in some places, and could use a few renovations and cosmetic repairs.

Awesome venue to see a concert!

Beautiful theater, not a bad seat in the house.

Older building and very nice inside and out.

One of the best nights of my life was in this theater. Its special!

Labor of Love screening

Such a beautiful theatre. The lobby and ticketing area were clean and ornate. The seats are a bit old but still comfortable. We did not go up to the balcony but did love the small bar next to the lobby.

Loved it. Very nice an pleasant staff.

Decent old theater located in a nice area.

Lovely theater. Not a bad seat in the house!