Chicago karaoke fans, tune up for Collaboraoke: Live Band Karaoke, a new monthly series at Collaboraction Theatre’s new House of Belonging, now open in the Kimball Arts Center, 1757 N. Kimball Ave in Humboldt Park.
Don’t miss this chance to show off your amazing karaoke skills, but this time, backed by a live band! Chicago’s own Ocean and the Waves is ready to rock your vocals with a 200-song repertoire of karaoke classics. Do they play your favorite song to sing along with? Probably, but check collaboraction.org, where it’s easy to find a bunch of songs you'll enjoy singing.
Collaboraoke: Live Band Karaoke kicked off with its first qualifying round April 24. Two more preliminary rounds are Thursday, May 28 and Thursday, June 25. Collaboraction’s new series culminates with the first-ever Collaboraoke: Live Band Karaoke Championship, Thursday, July 23. All shows begin at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets, on sale now at collaboraction.org, are $25, and include one drink ticket at Collaboraction’s new bar and cafe. Or, buy a four-show pass for just $90, which includes four drink tickets, one for each show. Proceeds support The Light, Collaboraction's youth program.
A starry roster of rotating judges will name the winners at each Collaboraoke qualifying round. Maybe you’ll even get “discovered,” because the judges for this Saturday’s first-ever competition are top Chicago casting directors AJ Links of AJ Links Casting and Charleston Owensby of Stewart Talent. Writer, actor, singer and Collaboraction Company Member Sandra Delgado, with Megan McNeal, singer-songwriter, NBC’s The Voice, are queued up to judge the next qualifying round on May 28. Barry Fontenot, singer-songwriter from NBC's The Voice, is confirmed to be a judge on July 23. Each contest is hosted by Anthony Moseley, Collaboraction’s Artistic Director and crooner extraordinaire.
Collaboraction’s new home in the Kimball Arts Center, 1757 N. Kimball Ave in Humboldt Park, is a sleek, 4,000-square foot space featuring a new 99-seat flexible studio theater and a 50-seat cabaret with cafe and bar. Free and nearby street parking is available. For CTA riders, the 82 Kimball-Homan bus stops right in front of the building. The theater is also a short walk from the Kimball stop on the 72 North and 73 Armitage bus lines. For bikers and pedestrians, the Kimball trailhead on The 606 leads directly to the Kimball Arts Center.
In addition to Collaboraoke: Live Band Karaoke, check out Collaboraction’s new home in Humboldt Park’s Kimball Arts Center at any of these upcoming shows and events:
Friday, May 15-Sunday, May 17
Free
Collaboraction is excited to be the host site for the third Inicios: Chicago Latine New Play Festival, sponsored by the Chicago Latino Theatre Alliance (CLATA). Three days, six plays, all new work celebrating Latinidad. Visit clata.org/en/programs/inicios-2026 for the full line up.
RADIATE
Tuesday, May 19
6 p.m. creative workshop and sign up; 7 p.m. open mic
Tickets: Free
RADIATE is Collaboraction’s monthly open mic series produced by The Luminaries, alums of the Collaboraction’s The Light youth ensemble. Each event begins with a guided workshop that invites participants to explore a theme or social change concept through art and reflection. The Luminaries then open the floor for performances from local artists, students, and community members, closing the night with a showcased featured artist.
Collaboraction's new House of Belonging in the Kimball Arts Center.
Credit: Ryan Brandoff
About Collaboraction
Celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2026, Collaboraction is an award-winning Chicago theater company that uses immersive, socially conscious performance to spark change and build equity. Across all platforms, Collaboraction uses its KEDA methodology - Knowledge, Empathy, Dialogue, and Action - to spark changes in behavior and attitudes that manifest social change.
Collaboraction’s new House of Belonging is a sleek, new, 4,000-square-foot space in Humboldt Park’s Kimball Arts Center, with a new 99-seat flexible studio theater plus a 50-seat cabaret with a cafe/bar.
Collaboraction’s past work includes NBC Chicago’s three-time Emmy Award-winning The Lost Story of Emmett Till: Trial in the Delta, the resulting live stage play film, Trial in the Delta: The Murder of Emmett Till, live productions of Crime Scene, Moonset Sunrise, A Blue Island In the Red Sea, its annual Peacebook and Sketchbook festivals, and its youth ensemble, The Light.
Collaboraction is led by Darlene Jackson, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director; Anthony Moseley, Chief Programming Officer and Artistic Director; and a dedicated board, company members and staff.
For more, visit collaboraction.org or follow Collaboraction on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and Bluesky.