The new Performing Arts Venue (PAV) license now is a reality, but that doesn’t mean the skids of official sanction are better greased than before, as the side project recently discovered. The tiny Rogers Park venue, tucked under the El tracks on Jarvis, had decided to move to slightly larger quarters just down the block. Their new space formerly had been a small cafe that didn’t require new walls or new doors, and already was licensed as a public venue. According to Adam Webster, a staff member at the new Dept. of Business Affairs and Licensing led the side project to believe that transferring the license to the new PAV would be an easy lateral move.

Following the 30 day comment period, the side project returned to City Hall to seal the deal only to find that 1) their staff member was gone, and 2) another staffer told them that the Building Dept. would have to sign off, which the Building Dept. wouldn’t do because the codes for burn retardation time (materials and thickness of walls), doors, etc. are different for a theatre and a cafe, even if both have the same maximum occupancy. Now the side project is going through the expensive process of preparing plans and pulling permits to upgrade the space, indefinitely postponing the opening of the venue with Lee Blessing’s Thief River. The rub—if it’s the City’s mistake and not the side project’s misunderstanding—is that the Business Affairs Dept. gave the side project bad or incomplete information, which led to an expensive blindsiding. If so, it’s an old story that hasn’t gone away with the new department.

A reminder: the League of Chicago Theatres and the Building Dept. urge—indeed beg—theatre troupes to call the department and arrange a pre-inspection before signing any lease or purchase agreement for a new space, just to avoid problems such as this one. Also, the League and City will hold a free PAV workshop this Monday (Jan. 23), 2p.m. – 6p.m. at the Cultural Center (5th floor meeting rooms) which will walk attendees through the new licensing process. Reserve for Safe, Legal, and Licensed: the PAV License Clinic by contacting Ben Thiem, League of Chicago Theatres member services director, at 312/554-9802 or ben@chicagoplays.com.

Former Neo-Futurarian Greg Kotis, the Tony Award-winning author of the musical Urinetown, will be back on the New York boards in June with a non-musical project, Pig Farm. Kotis’ new play continues the theme of environmental despoliation sounded in Urinetown, this time set on the eponymous pork preserve and concerning itself with sludge dumping in the local river and the Environmental Protection Agency (such as it is under the current administration). The world premiere of Pig Farm will run June 9-Sept. 3 at the Laura Pels Theatre, produced by the Roundabout Theater Company in collaboration with the Old Globe Theater (San Diego), and staged by Tony Award winning Urinetown director John Rando.

Remy Bumppo Theatre Company celebrated Christmas by giving actor Joe Van Slyke a present: they made him an artistic associate of the company in the closing days of December. Van Slyke is the first addition to the original five associates named in 2002 by founder/artistic director James Bohnen, and his invitation to join them came from the associates themselves. A well-known veteran performer, Van Slyke has appeared at just about every theatre of note in town in his 25-year career in both musicals and plays. He’s appeared in seven Remy Bumppo productions, most recently as Lord Grenham in the troupe’s well-received production of Aren’t We All, which closed Jan. 8.

It almost seems as if they’re doing archeology on Monroe Street rather than historic renovation. Broadway in Chicago has again postponed the opening of the LaSalle Bank Theatre (formerly the Shubert) to a date TBA, owing to the unexpected discovery of mosaic tile floors in need of restoration. We have no doubt that the mosaics show Thespis and Bacchus in conference with Lee and J. J. Shubert and a couple of chorus girls. In any case, Tuesdays With Morrie, which was to have opened the house Jan. 31-Feb. 12, now will play the Cadillac Palace Feb. 28-March 12, as will the return of Dame Edna, March 14-19. Originally, the refurbished and renamed historic house was to have opened in November. When the job finally is done, the LaSalle Bank Theatre will have new seats, a new paint scheme echoing the original decor, larger lower level rest rooms and a lobby restored to its original two-story atrium form. George Halik, of Booth Hansen Architects, said “It’s been an exciting but labor intensive process uncovering all the layers of history in the historic Majestic/Shubert Theatre.” The theatre first opened its doors on New Year’s Day in 1906 as the Majestic, and was renamed the Shubert Theatre in 1945.

My local Coldwell Banker broker sent me a 2006 calendar with attractive photos of Chicago. I found that it noted not only Arbor Day, Ben Franklin’s Birthday, VJ Day, various meteor showers and Left Hander Day, but also scores of theatre, opera, music, film and museum events. It listed the names and opening dates of shows at Goodman, Steppenwolf, Victory Gardens, Curious Theatre Branch, Symphony Center, the Art Institute, Lyric Opera, etc. I’d never seen that in a calendar!

Intrigued, I called Jeff Voelz, publisher of American City Calendars in Brookfield, WI. He created the city-specific event calendar in 1985 and barely sold 7,500 in Milwaukee, he said, but now distributes 250,000 a year in Milwaukee, Chicago, the Twin Cities, Kansas City and Omaha with another city to be added in 2007. Inclusion in the calendar is free for all events that are open to the general public, Voelz said, with physical space on the calendar and variety the only limitations. For instance, when five shows open on the same night—as they sometimes do in Chicago—not all could be listed. Of course, you need to be sure of titles and dates well in advance as the 2007 calendar will go to press around Labor Day, with a copy cut-off date of Aug. 15. On the 2006 calendar, theatre listings dry up after June since few houses know even now what their 2006-2007 seasons will be. Still, half a year of listings is better than none at all.

Jeff Voelz and American City Calendars can be reached at jvoelz@wi.rr.com or by phone at 262/821-1650.