The Harold Washington Cultural Center trains the next generation of performers, producers, and creative professionals at 47th and King Drive. Our programs put young people on a real stage, in a real recording studio, and inside a working theater, with working artists beside them. This is where Bronzeville's young talent learns both the craft and the business of the arts.
Off the Streets and On the Stage (OTS) is the Center's flagship program and its working mantra. It offers intergenerational training in professional theater across four tracks: performance, production, hospitality, and audience development.
Apprentices are paid, and cycles reset every 15 weeks, so the next opportunity to start is never far away. Participants learn by doing, contributing to real productions in a 1,000-seat theater.
OTS also treats the theater as a place of healing. The program uses theater as therapy and grief counseling, giving young people a structured, supportive place to work through loss and build real skills at the same time.
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Photo: Theon Reynolds
Photo: Theon Reynolds
Performance and production training takes place inside a working theater. Students train alongside professionals and perform on the same stage that hosts Broadway in Bronzeville productions.
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Photo: Theon Reynolds
The Center houses a recording studio running Pro Tools, a video editing lab, and a digital media center with computer stations. Students work hands-on in the studio, the editing lab, and the media center on industry-standard tools.
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We welcome schools for student matinees and field trips built around our productions. In April 2026, family and school matinees of Once Upon a Rhyme: The Legend of DJ Magic Mirror and The Wicked brought classrooms into the theater. Call the box office at (773) 373-1900 to plan a visit for your school.
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The Center keeps its doors open to the neighborhood it serves, hosting community gatherings, conversations, and celebrations throughout the year. Watch the events calendar to see what is coming next.
See What's On Stage
More than 25,000 young people reached every year.
Every program is grounded in the Center's core values: Leadership, Unity, Commitment Code, Integrity Creed, and Education of Excellence.
If OTS or one of our youth programs sounds right for you, tell us who you are and what you want to learn. Cycles reset every 15 weeks, so a new opening is always ahead.
Schools, churches, and community organizations: bring your students to a matinee, co-host a program, or build something new with us. We have the stage, the studio, and the staff to make it work.
Share your time and skills with the Center and become part of the work. Tell us what you can offer and we will find the place where it helps most.
Harold Washington Cultural Center
4701 S. King Drive, Chicago, IL 60653
(773) 373-1900
We use your information only to respond to you. We never sell it.
Photo: Theon Reynolds
The Center is the longtime home of M.A.D.D. Rhythms, the renowned Chicago tap ensemble founded by NEA National Heritage Fellow Bril Barrett and in residence since 2010. Resident and partner companies bring dance, theater, and production to life on our stages year round.
Meet Our Partners