Who writes for The Hawk Chicago?

Our freelance team consists of actors, writers, designers and creators from all aspects of Chicago Theatre, and as such, we respect their right to remain anonymous if they so choose (though some of our writers do willingly use their real names). 

Our doors are always open for new writers to attend theatre on behalf of The Hawk Chicago! Contact us here to get involved.

Emily Schmidt
Founder/Head Editor

Emily Schmidt is a playwright and freelance grant writer based in Chicago. She earned her Masters in English from Loyola University. She previously served as the head writer for Acid Reflux Comedy from 2010-2013.

Who is The Hawk Chicago?

The Hawk Chicago was established in 2015 by several working artists in Chicago in an effort to begin a peer review circle, opening the doors for several artists of various backgrounds to respond to productions across the city.

The Hawk Chicago is not affiliated with any producing organization. The freelance artists who write for our site are free to create with any organization of their choice. The Hawk Chicago works adamantly to avoid critical bias, and no artist with connections to a company has ever reviewed one of their own productions. 

What are the Chicago Theatre Awards?

The Chicago Theatre Awards were established in 2017 to encourage our artistic community to nominate and reward each other for an amazing season of productions. This platform allows a wide array of voices within the community to have a say in awarding the individuals and companies they felt shined in the previous season. There is no small committee or pay-to-play organization deciding the quality of our art. The Hawk Chicago has no say in the nominees or winners of any category, though our freelance writers were encouraged to submit individual ballots.