Chicago Living - Relocation Guide 2008 - (Page 84)

➡ theater & arts Chi Talk BARBARA GAINES Artistic Director, Chicago Shakespeare Theater Where were you born and raised? I was born in L.A., but raised in Westchester County, N.Y. Where do you currently reside? Near Belmont Harbor [In Lincoln Park, on the North Side of Chicago] Five things you love about Chicago: 1 The city itself. I get great views of the city and the lake from both my home and the theater. 2 The people. Everywhere I go, I see a genuine Midwestern warmth and generosity of spirit that is very rare in large cities. 3 The culture. The galleries, museums and theaters. But I also mean that in the sense of cultural diversity—we celebrate so many cultures here. 4 The park system. I love that I can walk for miles along our lakefront. It’s totally like I’m not living in a cement city. 5 Mayor [Richard M.] Daley and [First Lady] Maggie Daley. They have done more to open up the city globally for business, tourism and the arts than anyone I know. How would you characterize changes in Chicago’s theater scene? When I came here in ’73 or ’74, Lincoln Avenue had just a couple of storefront theaters and that was really it, plus touring shows. Now, we’ve gone from just a few theaters in the city to 190 in less than 40 years. It’s truly amazing. What advice would you have for an arts patron who’s new to the area? Definitely take advantage of Hot Tix to see lots of excellent theater for not a lot of money. Do the same with the museums and go exploring on the free days. And don’t overlook Millennium Park in the summer—there’s symphony, opera, jazz, gospel—and it’s all free. Millennium Park is the place to be! Mirror of the Invisible World at the Goodman Theatre Arts Advantage Chicagoland’s theater, music and dance offerings lead the region. For many new Chicago-area residents, discovering the area’s rich arts scene brings a pleasure all its own. Chicago offers international-caliber strength in all the arts—symphonic music, opera, dance, theater, jazz and standup. What’s more, all the diversity comes in a fairly manageable size. This is particularly true of Chicago theater, which is represented by the 190-member League of Chicago Theatres. Lyle Allen, the league’s managing director, believes Chicago’s theater scene rivals New York’s. “Our quality is incredible, yet Chicago theater is unbelievably affordable, he says. “For about the price of a movie ticket— ” maybe even less—you can attend live theater. ” Barbara Gaines, artistic director of Chicago Shakespeare Theater, is bullish on Chicago, too. “Many of my friends are world-class directors, and they feel Chicago is the center of theater in the United States, she says. “We have ” superb actors, directors and craftspeople here. From 50-seat storefronts to 800-seat downtown theaters, the bar for quality is set very high. ” In recent years, Chicago has become something of an incubator for major Broadway productions. “Producers often use Chicago as a marketplace in which to refine large shows before taking them to New York, says Allen. ” 84 chicagol i v i ngmag.com C h i c a g o L i v in g 2008 http://www.chicagolivingmag.com

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Chicago Living - Relocation Guide 2008

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