A delighted Trap Door Theatre re-opens its performance space next month after a thorough renovation. Closed since June of last year, the 60-seat theatre at 1655 W. Cortland Ave. has been remodeled on a budget of $40,000. "That's big in our world because we have no money," artistic director Beata Pilch said of the expense. The money was raised from private sponsors, fundraising benefits, a mail campaign and by raiding the company's own cash stashed away in case of an emergency.

Pilch spent many a day this summer covered in black paint and the grime of renovations as she and company members rebuilt the 800-square-foot space. The company was fortunate enough to have an architect on its board of directors and so was able to redesign its space to better meet the PPA-license requirements.

Trap Door did lose a little of its performance space in moving the stage and seating, but they found more room for the company's growing audiences. "The reason we had to expand was we were selling out," Pilch said.

The company also re-jigged the orientation of the audience and the stage. The audience used to enter through a door facing the stage, but now there is a new lobby and the approximately 17-foot by 13-foot stage runs along the length of the building, so that the exit signs are visible at both the front and back of the house. There is now also a backstage space, which is a new treat for Trap Door.

The theatre is set to officially re-open Oct. 22 when the company stages Fernando Arrabal's The Garden of Delights. It's a nice way to mark the 10 years since Pilch brought her company to Chicago from Europe, with the intention of  focusing on European classics rarely seen in the United States.

Drury Lane Theatre's Water Tower Place location is expected to open up the end of January, 2005 and producer Tony De Santis has his artistic staff already in place. He's hired Jim Jensen, currently the Royal George's manager, and Michael Weber, the artistic director of the Theater at the Center in Munster, Ind., to staff the new venue alongside Diane Van Lente of the Drury Lane Oakbrook operation.

Weber is enthusiastic to be involved with De Santis' "sensational plan" to build, from the ground up, a new major regional theatre venue for the downtown area. "It's an incredible opportunity for Chicago theatre to have a new Equity house in the Loop."

For Weber the move from Munster represents a return home to Chicago. He will helm the new Drury Lane as it aims to move beyond "a steady diet of strictly classic musical fare." The idea is to present Chicago and American premieres of new musicals and plays as well as more traditional musical theatre. "It's going to be a pretty wide mix of things that we are doing," he said, pointing to Broadway in Chicago's Loop venues as the new theatre's main competition.

This new theatre will be a distinct entity from its sibling Drury Lane Oakbrook and will have to program its seasons for a different type of audience. Weber expects more walk-up and casual ticket buyers will fill the seats of the new 575-seat venue. "We're really aware that we're going to have to be providing a very different kind of show for [Loop audiences]," he said.

The Illinois Film Office next month will host its first annual "Sweet Home Illinois" party in Los Angeles. The event capitalizes on the large number of famous folk with ties to Illinois. "Los Angeles is just full of all these wonderful people from Illinois who feel a tremendous loyalty to their hometown," said IFO head Brenda Sexton. By gathering them all together, the IFO hopes to involve more of these people in bringing business back to Illinois.

Illinois loyalty has already worked this year, Sexton said, pointing to big-budget films such as The Weatherman and Ice Harvest, which were filmed locally largely due to the fact that someone influential on set had lived in or continues to reside in the state.

Also at the Oct. 4 event, actress Joan Cusack, director Harold Ramis and producers Albert Berger, Bob Teitel and George Tillman will be recognized with Commitment to Illinois Awards. But everyone there will get the prize of eating Chicago's favorite foods, with Billy Goat, Demon Dogs and Eli's Cheesecake among those serving up grub at the shindig.

Season of Concern has hired Stephen Rader as its new executive director. He spent the past five years working as the executive director of HealthWorks Theatre, a touring company presenting HIV/AIDS prevention-related programming to youths. He replaces Brian-Mark Conover who is leaving the fundraising organization after nearly 10 years at its helm. Conover is moving to Miami, Fla.

In other people news, Michael Tiknis joins The Joan W. and Irving B. Harris Theater for Music and Dance as its new managing director. Formerly the president/CEO of the Midland Center for the Arts in Midland, Michigan, Tiknis replaces retiring general manager Joyce A. Moffatt. His term at the helm of the 1,525-seat performance venue begins Oct. 15. A September election gave the League of Chicago Theatres five new board members. They are Chuck Smith, Kristin Larsen, Phil Santora, Walter Stearns and Bradford Matson. Steve Carmichael is the new head of the B.F.A. lighting design program at the Theatre School at DePaul University. In the meantime, he's continuing on as Chair of the school's B.A. Theatre Arts Program, which is being phased out at the to-be-closed Barat campus. Carmichael will teach on both the Barat and Lincoln Park campuses this academic year.

Are you eager to see your name in bold print? Looking to share your latest industry news? E-mail Jenn at jqgoddu@sbcglobal.net if you have announcements for Behind the Curtain.

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