Friedman Properties announced that the Reid Murdoch Building in Chicago’s River North neighborhood will host Theater of the Mind, an immersive theatrical experience.
Co-created by musician and artist David Byrne — best known as the head of new wave band Talking Heads — and writer Mala Gaonkar, Theater of the Mind is expected to open this fall.
Blending neuroscience with storytelling, Theater of the Mind will take audiences on an immersive experience of self-exploration and discovery. Shaped by the creators’ life experiences as well as historical and current lab research, attendees will engage in sensory experiments that challenge their perceptions and reveal the brain’s inner mysteries.
Theater of the Mind will feature 140 performances per week, attracting an estimated 100,000 visitors in its first year and generating a projected economic impact of $11.4 million. This is in addition to the hundreds of thousands of annual visitors who immerse themselves in River North’s unparalleled dining, nightlife, shopping and entertainment scene.
Chicago is only the second city to host Theater of the Mind following its 2022 launch in Denver. Intended as a permanent cultural attraction, the production is co-produced by the Goodman Theatre for its centennial 2025/2026 season. Friedman Properties and the Goodman Theatre share a storied history, having partnered in 2000 to redevelop the Goodman’s namesake venue, integrating new commercial office, retail and restaurant spaces alongside the theater.
Owned and managed by Friedman Properties, the eight-story, 325,000-square-foot Reid Murdoch Building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and has been designated as a Chicago Landmark. The property features offices occupied by various international companies, as well as ground-floor restaurant and retail spaces. Theater of the Mind will reside within a 19,000-square-foot space at 333 N. LaSalle St.
Across Friedman Properties’ diverse portfolio of restaurant, retail, office, hospitality and event offerings, Theater of the Mind is the latest entertainment attraction the firm has brought to Chicago. Friedman Properties was instrumental in establishing a temporary home for Bally’s Chicago Casino within the historic Medinah Temple, which the firm redeveloped in 2003. The company also opened The Magic Parlour in the lower level of Petterino’s, within the Goodman Theatre building.
