Theater

Spotlight: Post-holiday humor courtesy of Naperville comedian

Posted December 22, 2025 10:53 am

Naperville comic headlines Comedy Vault

Naperville native Vik Pandya, who traded a career in finance for a career as a stand-up comedian, delivers post-holiday laughs at The Comedy Vault this weekend. A veteran of Zanies, The Laugh Factory and The Chicago Improv, Pandya has opened for Roy Wood Jr., Michelle Wolf and Trevor Wallace.

7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 27, at 18 E. Wilson St., Batavia. $20, plus a two-item minimum. (630) 454-4174 or comedyvaultbatavia.com.

Young playwrights fest

Pegasus Theatre Chicago hosts its 39th annual Young Playwrights Festival, showcasing one-act plays by Chicago high school students in January. Professional theater artists will stage and perform four world premieres. Participating directors include Ilesa Duncan, Anna C. Bahow and Ben Locke.

Previews at 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday, Jan. 1-2, and 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 3, at Chicago Dramatists, 798 N. Aberdeen St., Chicago. $15-$30. PegasusTheatreChicago.org.

Filament Theatre presents the North American premiere of Threshold Australia’s immersive, interactive “RAIN: for babies and their carers.” Courtesy of Jacquie Manning

North America premiere

Filament Theatre presents the North American premiere of Threshold Australia’s “RAIN: for babies and their carers,” an immersive, sensory work that “welcomes babies to the world and celebrates new lives.” Created in 2013 for newborns to crawling babies and their caregivers, “RAIN” features a trio of performers (including a cellist, a vocalist and a movement expert) who help children and their parents/guardians connect through music and sensory exploration.

Previews at 9 a.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, Jan. 6-7, at 4041 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. The show opens at 9 a.m. Jan. 9. $15-$30. (773) 270-1660 or filamenttheatre.org.