Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Industry Ticket Offers

Camelot - Light Opera Works at Cahn Auditorium, 600 Emerson in Evanston, is offering half-price industry tickets on June 1, 3 and 6 at 2 p.m., and June 2 and 8 at 8 p.m. For tickets call 847-920-5360 or visit http://www.lightoperaworks.com/ and use code "sword." Tickets must be purchased in advance. No door sales.

Crooked – Rivendell Theatre Ensemble, 5779 N. Ridge Avenue in Chicago , is offering $15 industry tickets for shows this weekend, 5/31 - 6/2 at 8 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and also 3 p.m. on Saturday. Visit http://www.rivendelltheatre.org/ to order using code INDUSTRY or call 773-334-7728 and mention this offer.

Eastland: A New Musical – Lookingglass Theatre, 821 N. Michigan Ave, is offering exclusive industry tickets for the haunting musical about the tragic sinking of the S.S. Eastland. Use code INDUSTRY when calling 312-337-0665 or click here to purchase half price tickets to the 7:30pm preview performance on Wednesday, June 6. Visit http://www.lookingglasstheatre.org/ for more information.

Three Sisters – Steppenwolf Theatre Company in the Downstairs Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted, is offering $15 industry tickets for preview performances June 28 – July 7, excluding Saturday nights. Available online or at the box office with code 10804. More info at http://www.steppenwolf.org/ or call audience services at 312-335-1650.

Chicago Live! - UP Comedy Club, 230 W. North Ave. is offering 50% off the $19 ticket price to the Thursday, May 31, 7 p.m. show. For tickets click here and use code STAGE.

The March – Steppenwolf Theatre Company in the Downstairs Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted, is offering $20 industry tickets for performances June 5 – June 10, excluding Saturday nights. Available online or at the box office with code 10825. More info at http://www.steppenwolf.org/ or call audience services at 312-335-1650.

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Memorial Day

Have a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend everyone!

TCG Chicago Meeting

Theatre Communications Group and the League of Chicago Theatres invite you to attend a meeting to hear the latest news from TCG's Executive Director Teresa Eyring.

Tuesday, June 5, 4 P.M. at the Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn Ave.

Please RSVP to rmarzalek@tcg.org. If you cannot attend please feel free to send someone else from your company that may be interested.

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Industry Ticket Offer

Chicago Live! - UP Comedy Club, 230 W. North Ave. is offering 50% off the $18 ticket price to the Thursday, May 24, 7 p.m. show including guests Laurel Bellows, John Conroy, and Kelly Hogan. For tickets click here and use code STAGE.

Thursday, May 17, 2012

World Leaders...They're Just Like Us

Well, it’s finally here. NATO weekend. I answered a call from a Hot Tix patron yesterday and she was asking about museums and I told her some of them were going to be closed because of the NATO summit, and she said “what’s NATO?” Huh. I said a bunch of world leaders were going to be in town and she said so why are they closing the museums? I dunno I said but you can see some great theatre for half price (remember she called about Hot Tix, these conversations do get off track some times.)

Anyway, nothing much is going on downtown right now, if anything it is less busy than usual. Our building decided to shut down on Monday, so we will be staying home.

I got to wondering exactly what they do at the NATO summit and I went on the website and it sounds pretty boring. Then I got to wondering if maybe they do like we do at conferences, be happy to see our friends we haven’t seen in a while and bitch about our jobs and commiserate about how hard everything is. No press is allowed in the room. Newly elected French leader Francois Hollande will have to wear a white ribbon on his name tag that says “I’m New,” everyone will tell him they never liked Sarkozy anyway. The guy from Pakistan won’t be invited to the dinner. The gay leaders will all go up to Boys Town and be late for the first meeting the next morning. They’ll all go home saying best NATO summit ever.

They are going to be talking about how to get out of Afghanistan, and that is serious stuff, but I like to think “World leaders…they’re just like us.”

Deb

Chicago Arts Marketing IdeaLAB

Announcing - the first Chicago Arts Marketing IdeaLAB will take place this August! A day-long opportunity to get beyond the day-to-day and explore big-picture inspiration and strategy. Modeled after the National Arts Marketing Project's "Think Tank: Unlocking Strategy with Marketing Masters," the day will include inspiration in the form of six short 8-minute case studies to get the conversation started, time devoted to in-depth discussion and idea sharing around hot topics, and networking with peers from across Chicago's arts marketing community.

The planning committee is currently seeking applications/nominations for case study presentations.
Has your organization tackled and conquered a specific marketing challenge? Is there an innovative project at another organization that recently caught your attention? We're looking for case studies representing a variety of organizations and budget levels, covering theatre, music, dance, museums and visual arts, that will be relevant to and applicable for IdeaLAB attendees.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE

The IdeaLAB is sponsored by the League of Chicago Theatres and The Theatre School at DePaul University.

Theatre Bay Area Announces Duke Foundation Intrinsic Impact Study Subsidy

Theatre Bay Area is excited to announce that, thanks to generous support from the Doris Duke Foundation, up to thirty theatre organizations across the country will be able to survey their audiences using the intrinsic impact questions developed for the Counting New Beans study released earlier this year at a reduced cost. These questions, and the unique surveying technology developed through that project, will allow arts organizations to quickly and easily survey their audiences on the impact of the art and immediately see and explore the results. Through this program, theatre organizations will also receive 3-5 hours of consulting with the project director of Counting New Beans, Clayton Lord, in order to develop their survey, understand results, and construct actionable steps.

To apply for this subsidy, please visit: http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/905492/Intrinsic-Impact-Subsidies-Application. All theatre organizations of all sizes and variations in the United States are eligible to apply for this subsidy, and organizations that do not get this subsidy are still eligible to participate for the full fee.
Any questions should be directed to clay@theatrebayarea.org, and the deadline to apply is June 3, 2012.

Information on the Subsidy:
1) This subsidy is only available to theatre organizations in the United States. That said, intrinsic impact work (and the web interface and support system Theatre Bay Area has piloted with WolfBrown) is available to all genres throughout the world. So if you are not a theatre company in the United States, but are interested in doing this work, please email Clayton Lord at clay@theatrebayarea.org to be pointed in the right direction.
2) The basic fee structure for intrinsic impact assessment through Theatre Bay Area is as follows: $1,000 one-time setup fee per organization to build your basic survey, provide you with tutorials on the basic concepts, and map out a plan for future surveying, plus $500 per production you choose to survey. The Duke Foundation provides a subsidy of $1,000 per organization for 30 organizations, which covers the setup fee. This means that any theatre organization conducting this work will have a minimum fee outlay of $500. We recommend, but do not require, that organizations doing this work for the first time plan to survey multiple productions over the course of a season to get a baseline. The fees associated with this process are for the consulting time necessary on Theatre Bay Area’s part to help each organization craft their survey and learn how to navigate and analyze their own results.
3) The subsidy is meant to allow Theatre Bay Area to provide support to a cohort of thirty diverse organizations (diverse in all senses) within the theatre field of the United States. We will be taking into account board, staff and audience diversity, organization size, geographic location, type of work/mission, and proposed projects. That said, even if you do not get the subsidy, you will be welcome to participate in the surveying program.

Information on the application process:
1) Applications are due by June 3, 2012.
2) If you have any questions along the way, please email clay@theatrebayarea.org.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Arts as Vehicle for Community Engagement Panel Discussion

Sunday, May 20th at 3PM
6018 N Kenmore Avenue
Moderated by Willa Taylor, Education Director at Goodman Theatre
Panelists: Megan Carney (Director, UIC’s Gender and Sexuality Center), Mica Cole (Artistic Director, Free Street Theater) Bonnie Metzgar (Artistic Director, About Face Theatre), Michael Rohd (Artistic Director, Sojourn Theatre) and Tricia Van Eck (Artistic Director, 6018North) discussing their work using the arts for social change. The event is free and open to the public.

Check out all of the Fable Festival discussions and activities at http://www.fablefestival.org/.

Industry Ticket Offers

Crooked – Rivendell Theatre Ensemble, 5779 N. Ridge Avenue in Chicago, is offering a limited number of comps for preview performances on 5/18 and 5/19 at 8 p.m. and 2 for 1 tickets to 8 p.m. performances on 5/25 and 5/26 with the code Memorial Day. Email box office manager Trisha Hooper at trisha@rivendelltheatre.org  or call 773-334-7728 to reserve tickets. Visit http://www.rivendelltheatre.org/ for more info.

Devour - 20% Theatre Company at the Charnel House, 3421 W Fullerton Ave, is offering $15 industry tickets for Wednesday - Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. (May 16th - May 20th). For tickets, email boxoffice@twentypercentchicago.com and request Industry Tickets or go online (http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/239659) and enter code "Industry"

Bombs, Babes and Bingo by Merri Biechler - Mortar Theatre Company at Luna Central, 3914 N. Clark St. is offering $15 industry tickets on Tuesday, June 12th at 7:30 p.m. Includes special musical performances after the show and drinks and socializing. Tickets can be purchased online at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/249121. Visit http://mortartheatrecompany.org/ for more information.

Elephant's Graveyard - Red Tape Theatre, 621 W. Belmont is hosting an industry-only performance on Monday, May 21 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10 and available at the door or online with code MARY. For tickets and more information visit http://www.redtapetheatre.org/. Contact Myah Shein at myah.shein@redtapetheatre.org with questions.

Angels in America – Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis, is offering complimentary tickets to every Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday performance through June 1, subject to availability.

Friday, May 11, 2012

Gala Week

It's a busy week here at the League office as we're finalizing all of the last minute details for our annual Gala  on Monday.  It's going to be a really fun evening as we celebrate another amazing year of Chicago theatre and honor Charlie Newell, Theatre Seven of Chicago, Nathan Lane and Brian Dennehy.

Several other events are coming up in the next month. We still have some spaces available for Liz Lerman's Critical Response Process workshop on June 4-5th, but they're going quickly. Don't miss out on an amazing opportunity to learn and practice this process which can serve both artists and administrators. Tom Leavens of Leavens, Strand, Glover & Adler, LLC. is leading a workshop on Rights Agreements on the 11th, and we have our next Chicago Theatre Intern Networking event scheduled for Monday, June 25. Lots of great things coming up so we hope we'll see you at one of them!

And if you're in the neighborhood stop by our new office at 17 N. Wabash, Suite 520 and say hello!

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Industry Ticket Offers

Take Her to See the Maco Lights - Prologue Theatre Co. at Luna Central, 3914 N. Clark, is offering a limited number of $10 industry tickets for three dates: Friday, May 18 at 8 p.m., Thursday, May 24 at 8 p.m., and Thursday, May 31 at 8 p.m. Use the code "industry" at Brown Paper Tickets, or bring a headshot/resume/business card to show at the door. Visit http://www.prologuetheatreco.org/ for more info.

My Kind of Town - TimeLine Theatre Company, 615 W. Wellington Ave. is offering $22 industry tickets on Saturday, May 12 at 8 p.m. For tickets call 773.281.8463 and mention this industry offer. For more information visit http://www.timelinetheatre.com/.

Angels in America – Court Theatre, 5535 S. Ellis, is offering $10 industry rush tickets to every performance through June 3. Best availability May 17 & 18. Rush tickets are $10 per person with proof of industry one hour before curtain, subject to availability.

After the Revolution - Next Theatre Company, 927 Noyes, Noyes Cultural Center, Evanston is offering ½ price industry tickets for Thursday, May 17 at 7:30 p.m. INTERNET SALES ONLY. Go to http://www.nexttheatre.org/ and use code “morty”.

Freecycle Chicago Free Market

Monday May 14 - Friday May 18, Noon - 6pm
Location: Mess Hall 6932 N. Glenwood Ave Chicago, IL (1/2 block south of Morse Stop on Red Line) How it works: Everything is totally free. If you have things you don't want anymore that are in usable condition (clothes, movies, music, household items, etc.), bring them to share. Once you set it down it is for the taking. Take whatever you need! You don't have to bring something to take something. Anything left at the end of the week is donated to the 49th Ward Free Swap on May 19/20 and local charities. All are welcome! There will also be free food available and some places to sit and hang out. Volunteers needed: for sorting, greeting, and general help. Email John Bambrick-Rust with questions at john_bambrick@hotmail.com.

TUTA Theatre Chicago Summer 2012 Classes

TUTA Theatre Chicago is proud to announce new summer class offerings at their space in West Town. Running June 25 - August 19, for eight week sessions, actors can choose from both beginner and advanced classes. Artistic Director & Co-founder Zeljko Djukic will offer a special Advanced Scene Workshop using the material of playwright Harold Pinter. Class size is limited and will be by instructor approval only. Company Member Jacqueline Stone will offer a TUTA Basics: Body, Space, and Movement class designed for beginners who want to be more comfortable with their bodies on stage, and for advanced students who want a refresher course to stimulate spontaneity and creativity within themselves. For full registration details and deadlines go to http://www.tutato.com/page/classes. Register before June 10 and receive a $25 discount.

Monday, May 7, 2012

Industry Ticket Offers

Bachelorette - Profiles Theatre's The Alley Stage, 4147 N. Broadway is offering $15 industry tickets for Thursdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 7 pm through May 27. For tickets call 773.549-1815 and mention code Industry.

In a Forest, Dark and Deep by Neil LaBute - Profiles Theatre's The Main Stage, 4139 N. Broadway is offering $15 industry tickets for Thursdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 7 p.m. through June 3. For tickets call 773.549-1815 and mention code Industry.

Tigers Be Still - Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave. is offering $10 industry tickets to Thursday evening performances through June 3. Must present headshot or resume at box office. For more information or to reserve tickets visit http://www.theaterwit.org/.

Space Availability at Theater Wit

Theater Wit has primetime slots available for the 2012-2013 season: Theater 3 is available from August 27, 2012 through October 14, 2012. Theater 2 is available from December 3, 2012 through December 30, 2012. Theater 3 is available from February 25, 2013 through March 24, 2013 Additional slots open in May 2013. For full rate and rental details, visit http://www.theaterwit.org/space/rental.

Friday, May 4, 2012

A Debate on Funding

I was very excited to see this article – a debate on funding! But, there’s not a whole lot new there. I was a little disappointed that it didn’t go deep enough and I have to say that I’m a little tired of the postage stamp argument (NEA funding equals the cost of a postage stamp per capita). At my first job as a house manager I proudly wore a postage stamp pinned to my shirt so patrons would ask me about it. It was a nationwide thing. I don’t think that argument is working lo these many, I won’t say how many, years later.

Financing our work is one of our most difficult and important challenges and I do believe that we need to change it but to change we need to risk and I don’t know if any of us are in a position to risk anything. Is the answer as one of the writers in the article above seems to think, to focus all of our efforts on individual donors? Would it be more advantageous to do more advocacy work and increase the pool of money available to arts organizations, leaving the distribution of those monies in someone else’s hands? Could we come together and make a more compelling argument than the postage stamp argument? Than the economic generator argument? Will we ever be able to make a coherent argument that the arts are just as important as health and human services? Will we ever be able to lead the discussions about funding for the arts?

Maybe we need to think more entrepreneurially – to look toward more “earned” income streams. But how realistic is that – how much more can we “earn” over ticket sales? Can we lower our costs through more efficiencies, I would say yes, but again, not by much. And the investment of human capital in both of those ventures is huge. The need for funding from outside sources will always be there. How can we make it work better for our organizations, how can we take risks together that might improve the funding climate for all?

Deb

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Industry Ticket Offers

[title of show] - Northlight Theatre, 9501 Skokie Blvd. in Skokie is offering $10 tickets for theatre industry professionals for performances May 12-17 (May 12 at 2:30 or 8pm, May 13 at 2:30pm, May 16 at 1 or 7:30pm, May 17 at 7:30pm). Offer available by phone or walk-up, must mention the code INDUSTRY to reserve. Proof of industry (headshot, business card, etc.) requested upon ticket pickup. For reservations call 847.673.6300 and mention this industry offer.

Time Stands Still – Steppenwolf Theatre Company in the Upstairs Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted, is offering $20 industry tickets for the 7:30 p.m. performance on May 8 and the 3 p.m. on May 13. Available online or at the box office with code 10543. More info at http://www.steppenwolf.org/ or call audience services at 312-335-1650.

DCA Theater Call for 2013 Submissions

DCA Theater is pleased to announce that we are now accepting proposal submissions for our January through June 2013 production slots in the DCA Storefront Theater and for our Incubator Series in the DCA Studio Theater. All Chicago-based, itinerant theater companies are encouraged to apply. Companies selected for the DCA Storefront Theater receive FREE performance space in downtown Chicago, full box office, online ticketing, house management services, and more. Companies selected for the Incubator Series receive FREE space to develop an original script or new work and share their process with the public during a single-night showcase. The deadline for proposal submissions is Tuesday, May 15, 2012. ALL proposal submissions are accepted electronically via email.

To begin the application process, go to www.dcatheater.org/yourshow/ to download all the necessary forms and the checklist for required application materials. URL: http://www.dcatheater.org/yourshow/.

Physical Theatre Workshop with Doug Berky

Explore masks, movement, and mime in an intensive workshop with skilled physical theatre performer Doug Berky. Through a combination of mask work and physical improvisation, learn how to fully utilize your body to develop dynamic characters. Doug combines the traditions of Commedia d'ell arte, Marcel Marceau, and Charlie Chaplin for a truly unique performance style that will expand your skills as an actor and storyteller. The workshop is hosted by Halcyon Theatre

Date: Saturday, May 12 from 2-5.
Cost:
$50.
Location: Workshop will take place at Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church at 3253 W. Wilson, in Chicago's Albany Park neighborhood .

For nearly thirty years, Doug Berky has brought classic solo physical-theatre performances to stages all over the world, transcending age, race and culture. Using the illusion of the mime, the antics of the clown, the transformation of his own handmade, original and exquisite masks, the suspense of a good story and the excitement of improvisation, Doug inspires laughter... and reflection. He has toured with The Two Penny Circus and The Montanaro Mime Theatre where he appeared in the award-winning NBC children's series, "See Saw," and television specials for Swedish National Television. Doug has performed and taught as Artist-In-Residence at numerous schools and colleges including schools for the deaf, The Commedia School (Copenhagen, Denmark), Roanoke College (Salem, VA), Furman University (Greenville, SC), and the University of Wisconsin, Racine.
For more info: Contact Jenn Adams at 773.413.0454 or jenn@halcyontheatre.org
Register here.

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Industry Ticket Offers

Rise of The Numberless - Bailiwick Chicago and The New Colony at Collaboraction Studio 300 in the Flat Iron Arts Building, 1579 N Milwaukee Ave. is offering $10 industry tickets for the 7:30 p.m. performance on Monday, May 7th. Available online or at the door with code INDUSTRY. More info at http://www.numberless.org/.

Elephant Graveyard - Red Tape Theatre, 621 W. Belmont, is offering $10 industry tickets to preview performances May 10-12 at 8 p.m. Tickets are available online at http://www.redtapetheatre.org/ with code STUIND or at the door. Contact Myah Shein at myah.shein@redtapetheatre.org with questions.

Lend Me A Tenor - Citadel Theatre at Lake Forest High School West Campus, 300 S. Waukegan Rd., Lake Forest is offering $10 industry tickets on Thursdays from May 10 - 31 at 8 p.m. Pay at the door or call 847-735-8554 and mention this offer.
 
Duchess of Malfi - Strawdog Theatre, 3829 N. Broadway, is offering $10 industry tickets on Thursdays with headshot or resume through May 26. Use code INDUSTRY when purchasing tickets online at http://www.strawdog.org/.

Space Availability at Stage 773

Stage773 has space for your next production! Fully renovated Northside theatre space available at Stage773. The building holds 4 beautiful theatres in the heart of Lakeview. Two MAINSTAGES have 148 seats, a BLACKBOX that has 80 seats and our intimate CABARET theatre with 70 seats. Stage773 is in a great location near public transportation comes with lighting package, full box office and marketing assistance. Full bar, valet parking, great staff. Contact Jill Valentine at (773) 929-7367 x111 or jill@stage773.com for details