Ensemble-Made Chicago examines the genealogy of ensemble-generated theatre in Chicago, tracing it to its roots in the theatre classes taught by Neva Boyd at Hull House at the turn of the twentieth century and locating current ensemble-generated theater groups on a map of today's Chicago.

Kenneth Sawyer Goodman—a key figure in Chicago’s theater scene and the man for whom the Goodman Theatre was named—wrote and produced his own theatrical works, including "The Wonder Hat" and "Back of the Yards," before the influenza epidemic of 1918 cut short his life.

Shakespeare’s plays have been an integral part of Chicago's history ever since the city’s incorporation in 1837. This project traces the history of Shakespearean productions in nineteenth-century Chicago, as well as the role that these productions in grand downtown theaters played in establishing Chicago’s evolving cultural identity.