The Theatre Building Chicago is the former name of a

theater Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

building located in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

's Lakeview neighborhood. The Theatre Building Chicago once referred to both the three theatres that are in the space, as well as the producing organization that is based on the premises. The building was sold to Stage 773 in 2010. The producing organization was later rebranded as Chicago Muse and folded in 2012.

History

In its lifetime, Theatre Building Chicago hosted over 800 plays; 9,000 events; 500 theatre companies; 1,078,000 audience members; 29,400 actors, designers, directors and other theatre artists appearing in over 25,000 performances. Many theatre companies the Theatre Building Chicago as a space for one long-running play, but In 1988 TBC initiated “United Stages at Theatre Building” in response to several companies’ requesting a seasonal home base rather than a spot for a single show. Six companies comprised United Stages: Absolute Theatre Company, American Blues Theater,

Chicago Shakespeare Theater Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) is a non-profit, professional theater company located at Navy Pier in Chicago, Illinois. Its more than six hundred annual performances performed 48 weeks of the year include its critically acclaimed Shakespeare s ...

, Commons Theatre, Immediate Theatre and

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. “United Stages at Theatre Building” lasted through the 1989 and 1990 seasons. In 1997 the Illinois Theatre Association honored the Theatre Building Chicago with an Outstanding Contribution Award for twenty years of service. Other notable companies that TBC hosted: Bailiwick Repertory Theatre, Chicago Theatre Project, Emerald City Theatre, Famous Door Theatre Company,

Griffin Theatre Company Griffin Theatre Company is an Australian theatre specialising in new works, based in Sydney. Founded in 1979, it is the resident theatre company at the SBW Stables Theatre in Kings Cross. the artistic director is Declan Green. Artistic direc ...

, Porchlight Music Theatre, and Provision Theatre.

Notable Connections

* The first show in the theatre on March 15, 1977 was '' Cap Streeter'', a musical about a Chicago legend, produced by the Dinglefest Theatre Company. The first show produced by the company in 1979 and was The Man in 605 by Allan Gross. The show featured

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and

Aidan Quinn Aidan Quinn (born March 8, 1959) is an American actor who made his film debut in '' Reckless'' (1984). He has starred in over 80 feature films, including ''Desperately Seeking Susan'' (1985), '' The Mission'' (1986), ''Stakeout'' (1987), ''Aval ...

. * Steppenwolf’s first show in the city of Chicago, ''Say Good Night, Gracie'', opened November, 1979 at the Theatre Building Chicago and performed through early 1980 and featured

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and Austin Pendleton. * ''Morning Call (play), Morning Call'' was the first televised play in Chicago in 1982.

Tony Randall Anthony Leonard Randall (born Aryeh Leonard Rosenberg; February 26, 1920 – May 17, 2004) was an American actor. He is best known for portraying the role of Felix Unger in a television adaptation of the 1965 play '' The Odd Couple'' by Neil Sim ...

was the MC in this

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and Steppenwolf Theatre joint endeavor. * ''

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'' by

Sam Shepard Samuel Shepard Rogers III (November 5, 1943 – July 27, 2017) was an American actor, playwright, author, screenwriter, and director whose career spanned half a century. He won 10 Obie Awards for writing and directing, the most by any write ...

, a Remains Theatre presentation in 1982, featured

Gary Cole Gary Michael Cole (born September 20, 1956) is an American television, film and voice actor. Cole began his professional acting career on stage at Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre Company in 1985. On television, he has had starring roles in the ...

and

William Petersen William Louis Petersen (born February 21, 1953) is an American actor and producer. He is best known for his role as Gil Grissom in the CBS drama series ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'' (2000–2015), for which he won a Screen Actors Guild Aw ...

. *

Jeremy Piven Jeremy Samuel Piven (born July 26, 1965) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Ari Gold in the comedy series '' Entourage'', for which he won a Golden Globe Award and three consecutive Emmy Awards. He also starred in the Britis ...

performed in the Next Theatre Company’s presentation of Knuckle in 1989. *

Lookingglass Theatre Company Lookingglass Theatre Company is a non-profit theater company in Chicago, Illinois. History Lookingglass was founded in 1988 by David Schwimmer, David Catlin, Eva Barr, Thom Cox, Lawrence DiStasi, Joy Gregory, David Kersnar, and Andy White. The co ...

presented ''West'' in 1991 with

David Schwimmer David Lawrence Schwimmer (born November 2, 1966) is an American actor, director and producer. He gained worldwide recognition for portraying Ross Geller in the sitcom ''Friends'', for which he received a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Primeti ...

. * American Blues Theater presented Keith Reddin’s Peacekeeper in 1990. The play was directed by

David Petrarca David Petrarca (born November 10, 1965) is an American director and producer of theatre, television and film. He was director at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago from 1988 until 2005. His work as a director includes HBO's ''Boardwalk Empire'', ...

and featured company members Kate Buddeke, Jim Leaming and Carmen Roman. *

Mark Hollmann Mark Hollmann is an American composer and lyricist. Hollmann grew up in Fairview Heights, Illinois, where he graduated from Belleville Township High School East in 1981. He won a 2002 Tony Award and a 2001 Obie Award for his music and lyrics to ...

joined a Theatre Building Chicago workshop for musical theatre writers in 1987. TBC presented his new musical

Wild Goat The wild goat (''Capra aegagrus'') is a wild goat species, inhabiting forests, shrublands and rocky areas ranging from Turkey and the Caucasus in the west to Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan in the east. It has been listed as near threate ...

in 2004.

References

External links

{{Chicago mtp 1977 establishments in Illinois Theatres in Chicago