Local Theater Drama
& Comedy
The Hull House Settlement Theatre group, founded by Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr, was the first to
perform several plays by Galsworthy, Ibsen, and Shaw in Chicago. Maurice
Browne, director and co-founder of the Chicago Little Theatre with Ellen Van
Volkenburg, responding to often having been called the founder of the Little Theatre Movement, instead credited Hull House director Laura Dainty Pelham with
being the "true founder of the 'American Little Theatre Movement. -
Wikipedia
The Great Depression years of the 1930's had a great impact to the theatre movement in general creating venues in order to express the social/cultural issues of the day. In time 'The Little Theater Movement' would begin to express itself either in drama or in comedy real folks doing real things. The 1960's and 1970's there was an explosion of local homegrown theatre in Chicago. Ensembles began performing in unorthodox settings, either in back rooms, and vacant
storefronts. Back in 1929
Lake View Community Players
Present
A List of
Local Production Companies:
The Jane Addam
Center
3212 N Broadway
currently the renovated building
that houses the Lake View Athelic Club
Once such place was in a building operated by Hull House located at 3212 North Broadway Avenue now the home of Lake View Athletics Club. This building served as a social net for the working poor and the new populations of the area. In its day this creative organization provide 'homegrown theater' to flourish in this part of the city. The main building on south Halsted Street harvested the establishments of Steppenwolf, Bailiwick, and About Face.
text - The Cambridge Guide to American Theater
The Grim Little Box
of a Theatre
1965 article Chicago Tribune
Awarding Winning Plays
Performed by 1967
Three Plays Slated
in 1968
in 2002
The St. Nicholas
'New Works'
Theatre
2851 N Halsted Street
Part of the Off-Loop Theatre Movement
Another theatre group known at the time was the St. Nicholas New Works ensemble tried to move into the
St. Nicholas Calls it Quits in 1981
once located on Jane Addams Center that is currently located at the Lake View Athletic Club
a promotional photo at the Belmont El platform 1982
"Here's a shot of the northbound end of the Belmont platform in 1982, in a publicity shot for the Steppenwolf Theatre Company. In this photo are Oscar nominees Gary Sinise, John Malkovich and Joan Allen, multiple Emmy winners John Mahoney and Laurie Metcalf, Emmy and Tony Award nominee Terry Kinney, and Tony Award winner Rondi Reed. This was just before everyone started to get famous. Malkovich got his first Oscar nomination in 1984 or thereabouts, and got two others around 1986-87. The woman standing in the photo near him is Glenne Headley, to whom he was married at the time." - a testimonial from Chuck Winans
Ivanhoe Playhouse
Theater
Dinning + Live Theater
1966-2001
at the location on Clark/Wellington
and currently
postcard image - EbayIt apparently began as a tavern-speakeasy and then to a respected restaurant and then again to a nationally recognized playhouse theatre by the 1966. This nationally recognized establishment to blend a live theater performance with a meal, hence called a 'playhouse'. While this venue was considered part of the Off-Loop Movement having performers from Hollywood and New York.
The Annoucement
in 1966
image above - Ebay photo - Craig's Lost Chicago via Pinterest photo below via Sue Sacharski via LakeView Historical-Facebook
The Catacombs
was in the basement of the Restaurant
Sanborn Insurance Fire Map
1950
presence expanded toward Halsted Street by this time
zoomed belowthe parking was east of Clark Street
photo below via Lance Grey
the parking lot sign from across the street on Clark Street
photo above - part of my collection
photo - Calumet 412 1956 photo - Chuckman Collection The rock garden space was replaced 'playhouse' theater
by the mid 1960s
photo - Calumet 412
This space was located in the basement area
1955 photo below - Chuckman Collection
The Various Interior Views
of the Building
photos - Ebay
The Cropped Views
of Above Image 
a postcard view - Chuckman Collection
A plate with brief history in back - Ebay
A Mailer Another mailer
with text
A Dinner Menus Ebay photos
front cover image - an advertisement mailer
a 1966 playbill - Ebay
Performiong in 1967
Zsa Zsa Gabor
photos - Chicago History Museum
Performing
in 1969
1968 image - Chicago Daily Tribune
'In-The-Round' configuration, the theater was opened as a commercial dinner/theater operation in 1966 that served as a showcase for director George Keathley that established a new type of theater called a playhouse. His string of successes included the world premiere of Tennessee William's Out Cry, which ran for more than a year before transferring to Broadway District in New York with its young and unknown Chicago star, Bruce Boxleitner. Jason Roth, contributor to ForgottenChicago/Facebook, mentioned that “Lots of shows performed there in the 70's such as Ronnie Spector, Southside Johnny, Tom Waits, Mink DeVille, Herbie Hancock & Jaco Pastorius, Meatloaf, Crystal Gayle, Link Wray, Kiki Dee, Ramsay Lewis, Rita Moreno, Elvin Bishop, and Dolly Parton. employee patch
photo - Ebay
Number 1 Loop Venue
in 1970
image - EbayThe plate is labeled as the Ivanhoe Overthrows The Templar. On the border areas of the plate are Rebecca, The Templar, Wamba, Coeur De Lion, Lady Rownana, and Ivanhoe according to Ebay.
Swizzle Stick for those cocktails
image - Ebay
Ivanhoe Caroline Lee Bouvier - sister-in-law to President KennedySampling of the Playbillsfrom Ebay
Other Known Celebrities
of that Day
per HistoryWiki and Wikipedia
Tennessee Williams’ Outcry received its world premiere at the Ivanhoe, starring Eileen Herlie and Donald Moffat.
A Special Tax
for this special type of theater
in 1971
Financial Troubles
begin in 1974
for the Future
in 1975
Apparenlty the restaurant had a financial problem
an ashtray - Ebay
Original Owners Sell
the Playhouse (theater & restaurant)
but Venue Remains
in 1975
On the Block!!
to be Sold in 1976
a bar area
1976 photo - Chicago History Museum
Struggling to Survive
in 1976
Performing Photos of that Evening
Comedian David Steinberg
photos - Chicago History Museum
leading off with Peter Allen dining before the show in 1976
the problem for the restaurant was there was not a show the restaurant would be nearly empty
1976 advertisement
An Album Recorded
at the Theater
in 1976
The song list:Virginia Avenue Album
Side 1 - Track 1. Invitation To The Blues
Side 1 - Track 2. Virginia Avenue
Side 1 - Track 3. Jitterbug Boy
Side 1 - Track 4. I Can't Wait To Get Off Work
Side 1 - Track 5. Fumblin' With The Blues
Side 2 - Track 1. Small Change
Side 2 - Track 2. Eggs & Sausage
Side 2 - Track 3. The Piano Has Been Drinking
Side 2 - Track 4. Tom Traubert's Blues Some Tickets
‘
Remembrances of Performances Past’- Blogspot
Earl Scruggs ticket 1977- EbayBill Quateman ticket 1977
Ruled not Arson
By October of the same year theater looking a bit chard from the outside but was back in business according to the Chicago Tribune via Chicago Public Library online section
Southside Johnny with Ronnie Spector - May 1977
photo - Jerome Hughs via Pinterest Dee Dee Ramone of the Ramones - July 1977
photo via Robert Duncan/Pinterest
A Good Summary of the End
in Oct 1977
The Final Death Knell
The New Owner?? in 1979
The Bragan Years
1982-1994
“A lot of people weren’t sure what to make of Doug Bragan when, in 1982, he bought the Ivanhoe Theater — the castle-looking structure at Clark Street and Wellington Avenue in Lake View.
The Ivanhoe was a single-stage, 500-seat theater when he bought it. Mr. Bragan added a 150-seat auditorium and a 50-seat basement stage. It was called the Wellington Theatre from 1990 to 1994.
“Most storefront theaters stood in their own way when it came to the business side of things. Here we are as artists, not competent and not rich, and here’s this guy with money who’s saying, ‘Here’s how you do this.’ And it was certainly helpful and helped me mature as a businessman and producer, and he gave me more confidence in my work and ideas. What he did was he gave you a chance.”
He also had a knack for spotting shows that were ending their run at other theaters but still had wheels and potential, according to friends
Mr. Bragan, who held a seat at the Mercantile Exchange until selling it in 1991, sold the Ivanhoe in 2001 after a dispute with a neighbor over parking spaces that were critical to the theater’s success.”
New Name
Ivanhoe Playhouse Theater
Commentary
from Forgotten Chicago-Facebook
John Olson
Saw some shows there in the mid to late 70's. Martin Mull and Flo and Eddie (aka the Turtles).
Bernie Biernacki
My parents went there on the 40’s and my wife and I ate there twice, and even saw a play there in the 70’s. I think Bruce Boxlitner (sp) was in it. My dad always talked about "riding down into the catacombs."
Bob Mucci
I remember the fake elevator that made it seem you went down a hundred feet. But the building is a Binny's booze emporium now.Yes, and there was a little window and they had a scroll of a brick wall that kept running real fast behind the window to make you think you were descending far and fast.
Bernie Biernacki
Bob, I remember the elevator well. You stepped into it and when the door closed it started shaking and shuddering. When it stopped another door open you were in the catacombs - just next to where you entered the "elevator".
Stan Barker
Bernie, the fake elevator gimmick goes back to a "Subterranean Theater" that was proposed, never built, during the 1893 World's Fair. In the mid-1960s, when I was a kid, that gimmick was used at a "Gold Mine" attraction at Fort Dells amusement park in Wisconsin Dells. I never went to the Ivanhoe... closest I got was buying rickets to the Sex Pistols who were supposed to play there, New Year's Eve 1977. They broke up and cancelled their tour before they got to Chicago. I cashed my ticket back in. My old girlfriend hung on to hers, still has it - Worth some money now.
Sue M Paula
"Please, please let me out"! Remember the spooky trip down the fake elevator and the woman screaming?
Ivanhoe was a fabulous place!!
Jan Zweerts
As a kid we went there. When a certain paving stone was stepped on a air driven dummy would rear up to scare you. Spooky, but fun.
Paul Igasaki
Yes. Went with my parents to see a play there in the seventies. Remember the seats around the stage and a bedroom scene that my parents didn't expect me to see.
Ken Dietz
Went there several times in the 70's to see music acts---The Four Seasons being one of them. The Sex Pistols were scheduled to play there but they broke up before the scheduled date. The Ivanhoe was going to remove all the seats just for that show. Two Ton also had a puppet on his show by the name of 'Bubbles'. Two Ton would sing "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles" and the puppet would appear. I think the set of his show had a pirates theme.
Marcey Wadas Crylen
Went to the Ivanhoe for dinner after a Christmas dance at DePaul and met Two Ton Baker!Nancy Kesseler AdamsOur favorite as children was Two Ton Baker. We saw him in person once - a charming man who truly loved children. There is a link somewhere (I'll check) with the songs he sang. It's a nice site. Brings back memories! Last Days
in 2001
Little or no parking left
Binny's Depot to expand into the remaining
theater/restaruant space
The Next
Occupant
1989 & 1990 ads
Currently the space for
Binny's Depot
2002 advertisement 2007 photo - Mark Susina via Flickr
with an entrance view to the former catacombs
photo - Angie Naron via Flickr in 2010 2013 photo below - Garry Albrecht
The renovated catacombs
now used for events
The designing firm reinforced the basement and kept the basis floor design of the old catacombs
The Owners Inspiration located within
Center on Halsted
3656 N Halsted Street
The center aims to be a focal point for the lesbian, gay,
bisexual and transgender community of Chicago, serving its diverse social,
recreational, cultural and social service needs. The plush, 170-seat
Hoover-Leppen Theatre serves as the resident space for two non-equity
companies, sketch ensemble GayCo and Hubris Productions.
Different Perspective on a Classic
in 2022
Theater District
as of 2016
Who Are We?
The Belmont Theater District acts as an advocate to create, promote and strengthen the diverse artistic offerings of the Lakeview and Lakeview East neighborhoods to its residents and visitors. We’re a collaboration between the Lakeview and Lakeview East Chambers of Commerce in partnership with local theaters and businesses, with additional support from SSAs #8, #17, and #27. – Belmont Theater District
The following mentions such as the Athenaeum Theater, Music Box, Laugh Factory (former Lake Shore Theater), Mercury Theater, and Theater Wit are in my post called Theaters Present due to their pre-existing presence in Lake View since the first quarter of the 20th century.
The current list of theaters as of 2019
Annoyance Theater & Bar began in Lake View at 3153 N Broadway
moved to Uptown only to return to Lake View according to LakeView Historical contributor York Chan
SSP originally began at their parish church on Wellington Avenue. The parish was desolved and the property is the now the home of Advocate Illinois Masonic Hospital. SSP currently calls
St. Bonaventure Church home.
Theatres in more Detail:
of former theatres groups
in Lake View
From these early days of experimentation and dingy boxed-in theater spaces created a climate for a variety of theatre venues & themes, and theatre exploration in Lake View. Basically, find a cheap space somewhere and then start creating. The Pandemic of 2020 along with a shelter-in-place degree by governmental agencies was a death knell for many small theatre companies mentioned below.
Mary-Arrchie Theatre Company
735 W Sheridan Road
Late last month, Mary-Arrchie Theatre Company, a reliable
supplier of Off-Loop ferocity across 29 years and more than 100 productions,
announced that its just-commenced 30th season will be its last. According to
the theater’s longtime artistic director Richard Cotovsky, there are two
reasons for this: One having to do with the lease, the other with energy.
Cotovsky says the company has lost both. This summer, he learned that
Mary-Arrchie’s performance space, a somewhat rickety second-floor walkup on
Sheridan Road just north of Boystown, had been sold to new owners with plans to
redevelop the whole corner. “The new landlord came up the stairs and gave us a
paper saying he was the new landlord,” Cotovsky says. “I have yet to have a
real conversation with the guy, but I’m sure we’re in the plans for adios.” New
condos are likely in the cards. Chicago Magazine 2015
3809 N Broadway Avenue
It is with a mixture of sadness and deepest gratitude
that we, the Staff, Company Members, and Board of Directors announce that
Oracle will cease operations by the end of December 2016 after 11 years of
making theatre in Chicago – 6 of which were spent pursuing our mission of
Public Access Theatre™. The last year and a half has also brought significant
internal changes. Chief among these was the need to find a new home after
losing our longtime space of 11 years at 3809 N. Broadway due to condominium
development. We took a calculated risk to move our operation to a larger space
in Northcenter. Brad Jayhan-Little (Executive Director) and Ben Fuchsen
(Executive Producer) have been leading the company for most of its history; the
summer brought large personal life changes for both of them. The confluence of
these changes made them realize that it is time for each of them to move on to
other endeavors. For these reasons, the Board of Directors decided to dissolve
Oracle and grant its assets to other important nonprofit institutions dedicated
to making art accessible to all. - Public Access Theatre
last Lake View location
was at Theater Wit building
2936 N Southport Avenue
once located in Lake View at
3829 N Broadway Avenue
Moved to Rogers Park in 2016
was located within the
former Wellington United Church of Christ building
615 W Wellington Avenue
will move to the Community of Uptown
5033 N Broadway
According to their website: "the TimeLine Theatre
Company presents stories inspired by history that connect
with today's social
and political issues.
photo - Armando L. Sanchez via Chicago Tribune
2018 Google Map view
‘The nonprofit theater announced it would be moving from
Lake View to Uptown in December [2019], adding to the effort to revitalize
Uptown’s entertainment district. TimeLine bought the building at 5033-35 N Broadway in December. The five-story, 45,120-square-foot former moving and
storage facility sits at the corner of Broadway and Argyle. TimeLine plans to
be ready by fall 2021. The plan calls for a 250-seat theater, a 150-seat
theater, a bar, lobby and staff offices’ according to Block Club of Chicago.
2936 N Southport Avenue
*desolved in 2019*
CHICAGO - After 24 years, the Emerald City Theatre will
close its doors at the end of January. Emerald City, located at 2936 North
Southport Avenue, made the announcement Friday. Operators said barring a
last-minute major contribution, they will have to close because of increased
program costs and decreased revenue. Karen and Alyn Cardarelli founded Emerald
City in a storefront in 1996. It has since grown to Chicago’s largest theater
for young audiences, serving more than 60,000 people a year through its shows,
classes and camps. It is the largest theater arts education program in Chicago.
Those who have seen and loved their performances are sad to hear the news. The
company has created over 100 productions in downtown Chicago, Lakeview and Lincoln
Park. One Fund, the theater’s community engagement program, promotes increased
literacy by providing more than 100,000 free plays and companion books to
students at low-resourced Chicago Public Schools. The company has also produced
shows on major stages such as Victory Gardens and the Apollo theaters. Emerald
City released a statement saying: “We are grateful for our extraordinary
audiences, artists, educators, and community, who generosity have allowed ECT
to carry out its mission for over two decades. Together, we have collaborated
with thousands of children and their grown-ups across Chicago to develop skills
to creatively face the world.” – WGN9
Prior to their current location at
Ruth Page Center for the Arts in 2017
the esemble performed at Stage 773 and before that at the same location called Theatre Building Chicago. From 1997-2000 Porchlight used the Athenaeum Theater and before that The O Bar & Cafe at 3343 N Clark Street and Organic Theater Greenhouse/Lab Theater at 3319 N Clark
Street
once located at
621 W Belmont
Avenue
St. Peter's Episcopal Church
currently located at
4546 N Western Avenue
929 W Belmont Avenue
former Aunt Sather building location
currently at
230 W North Avenue
3914 N Clark Street
*apparently located at Stage 773??*
originally
3824 N Broadway
(the original Chateau Hotel)
once located in the former Chateau Hotel building
now currently in the Community of Edgewater
Briar Street
Theater
once a stable for horses
and then a garage for cars
1923 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map
a two story building
zoomed from above
What is the Briar Street Theatre today began as a carriage house in 1901. Then, the spaces were used for stables for the Marshall Field’s department store delivery service. Of course, the building outgrew its purpose and became unused. In 1970, Topel and Associated owner Walt Topel purchased the building from a moving company to use for his film production. Topel redesigned the space into a sound stage and from 1977 to 1985, used it for his post-production company, Cinetronics. When the company relocated downtown, it was reopened as a theater and quickly became part of Chicago’s arts culture. Today, the venue is still owned by the Topel Family. Inside, the original second floor still hangs by visible large turnbuckles. The 625-seat theater offers impressive sightlines and acoustics with a proscenium stage. There isn’t a bad seat in the house (or Horse, as some joke), as the layout was designed to have a perfect view from every angle. Today, it hosts the long-running Blue Man Group performance. - Chicago Traveler
photos - Trip Advisor From 1977 to 1985, this building also housed Walt Topel's post-production company, Cinetronics, Ltd. In 1985, the theater was reopened and became a part of the culture that is Chicago. The Blue Man Group are three bald men dressed black clothing and the remaining showing skin is painted blue. During the performance, they incorporate the audience in their performance with music, art, science, and vaudeville in a way that has not been experienced in any other form. - Wikipedia
Before BlueMan Group
The Seating Arrangement
from their Facebook page
photos - Trip Advisor
Sensory Therapy
for Kids
small theatres under one roof
once a post office
photo edit - Open House Chicago 1923 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map
text images below - Wit Theater
As a production company, Theater Wit’s is the premier smart art theater in Chicago, producing humorous, challenging, and intelligent plays that speak with a vibrant and contemporary theatrical voice. As an institution, Theater Wit seeks to be the hub of the Chicago neighborhood theater scene. In our three spaces, we bring together Chicago’s best storefront theater companies. Here you will find a smorgasbord of excellent productions, see the work of a parade of talented artists, and mingle with audiences from all over Chicago. text - Enjoy Illinois
How does it work?
This part is theater-geeky… The theater is a communal experience; in which we are as affected by the micro-musculature responses of those who surround us as much as by the performances. It is not a solitary communion, but a community effort that reaches toward collective understanding. We’ve all attended the theatre when the audience has been “live” —particularly engaged and responsive. Those evenings are more rewarding, because the group feedback amplifies the action of the play. The beauty of audience design is that it doesn’t require anything except honest response from its participants. The more the people around us are invested, the greater our response. It is a core biological response to group dynamics that dates back a hundred thousand years. By placing disparate communities into the room who wouldn’t normally be seeing the play (and certainly wouldn’t be seeing the play together), we can consciously craft the response dynamics in the room so that everyone’s experience is informed and transformed by one another.
the lobby below
Ticket Windows below
and once called
Gone but not
totally Forgotten
3540 N Southport Avenue According to thier old website, Defiant Theatre defied fear. We strived to subvert the
social, moral, and aesthetic expectations of mainstream artistic expression. We
dared to impassion our audiences and ourselves using any means necessary,
limited only by our boundless imagination. TimeOut Chicago stated few defunct theaters are looked back on by storefront aficionados with the fondness earned by Defiant, which wrapped in 2004 after 13 years of punchy, poppy, ambitiously physical productions of Shakespeare (a 2003 Titus Andronicus, starring Larry Yando, was a gory scorcher), provocative contemporary playwrights like Caryl Churchill and Sarah Kane, and their own creations, such as the satiric Action Movie: The Play franchise (yes, franchise).
CHICAGO -- Over the last decade the underground
performance space at Voltaire, a restaurant and coffeehouse in the Lakeview
neighborhood, has been one of the Chicago theatre community's most prolific
playgrounds. Charging a pittance, Cabaret Voltaire has allowed countless small
theaters to test their wings. Many of its ventures have been mediocre, but
Voltaire launched such successes as Lepers, by Neil LaBute (screenwriter of In
the Company of Men), the now-national hit Schoolhouse Rock Live! and Barto
Productions' legendary 1991 revival of Dylan Thomas' Under Milkwood. Sadly, on
May 15, this fertile playground will close its doors. The owners of the theatre
are currently on a hunt for a new space, somewhere in Chicago, but haven't come
up with anything yet.. Cabaret Voltaire is named after the infamous club in
1916 Zurich, where the founders of the Dada movement -- Tristan Tzara, Hugo Ball,
Jean Arp, Richard Huelsenbeck -- created performances intent on infuriating
their audiences to the point of violence. - by Lawrence Bommer and Sean
McGrath via Playbill
Victory Gardens
3730 N Clark Street
Steppenwolf Theatre
Company
once
located at the Jane Addams Center
3212 N Broadway
Post Note
Belmont Theater District Blog
The Belmont Theater District has such a variety of theaters and comedy clubs and yes, even a magic show that we thought they all deserved their own spotlight blog so you can learn more about your favorite theaters and hopefully discover new faves, too. So we’re rounding up what we’ve written so far, and as more theater profiles are published on the blog, they will be added to this list.
Please follow me to my next post called
The Community Area of Lake View
Important Note:
These posts are exclusively used for educational purposes. I do not wish to gain monetary profit from this blog nor should anyone else without permission for the original source - thanks!
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