Kayla Pulley, author at Chicago Reader

A character with large prosthetic ears wearing short denim overalls and a sweater is standing in the front. A character in striped minidress and boots stands behind them. The room looks like a medieval chapel with stone arches and wooden beams.

Puffs of Potter

by Kayla Pulley June 23, 2023July 13, 2023

Otherworld Theatre’s latest production offers a unique experience for Harry Potter enthusiasts and theater lovers alike, delving into the captivating journey of seven years at a particular school of magic and focusing not on the main wizard but on the Puffs who just happened to be there at the time. One of the strengths of […]

A puppet of a caterpillar is depicted coming out of a broken egg and sitting on a large leaf. Three puppeteers in white are behind the caterpillar.

Theater Review

Springtime family fun

by Kayla Pulley April 26, 2023April 26, 2023

The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a delightful, mesmerizing production created by Jonathan Rockefeller that’s been traveling the globe for the last five years. Chicago Children’s Theatre first brought this charming show, based on four classic children’s books by Eric Carle, to local audiences in 2019. (In addition to the title story, the show also brings […]

Seven actors with PlayMakers Laboratory are seen onstage, performing in front of a curtain with colorful graphics and blocks with cartoon images. Three people are in the background on the left, three on the right, and the person in the middle is wearing a short purple wig, headset, and a PlayMakers T-shirt with jeans. They appear to all be dancing and singing.

Best of Chicago

Best arts education programming

by Kayla Pulley April 5, 2023April 9, 2023

PlayMakers Laboratory (PML) stands out among other theater and arts education programs for its unique approach to teaching creative writing—and so much more—to Chicagoland area students (grades three to six). What sets PML (founded in 1997) apart is that the adult actors and musicians in the program adapt the students’ written stories into sketches and […]

Dr. Ricardo Rosenkranz stands onstage. He is middle-aged with graying curly hair, wearing a long dark frock coat and round-rimmed glasses with dark frames. The set behind him looks like a Victorian study, with an elongated "skull" with eyes in a glass case on the right and a glass covered candy dish on a table to the left. Dr. Rosenkranz is holding what appears to be a wand.

Theater Review

Magical storytelling for Pisces season

by Kayla Pulley March 2, 2023March 2, 2023

Chicago: it’s Pisces season. In case you are not a zodiac crackerjack like moi, Pisces is a water sign, typically represented by two fish swimming in counter directions, which is said to symbolize the counterbalance of fantasy and reality. In the magical world of the zodiac, water signs represent depth, emotion, and psychics. Seeing Physician […]

Theater Review

Tales From the Wandering Wyvern Inn offers a magical experience

by Kayla Pulley December 16, 2022January 9, 2023

Otherworld Theatre, known for its sci-fi and fantasy works, takes us into the winter solstice with Tales From the Wandering Wyvern Inn: A One-Shot Immersive LARP. If you are a fan of escape rooms, mystery, and/or theater, this show is a LARP dream and a wonderful introduction to the world of live-action role-playing. LARPING is […]