American Theater Company to Break Ground on New Building

BY Jonathan Abarbanel

The American Theater Company has more than a new artistic director up its sleeve—a lot more. The 22-year-old company has launched a $4 million capital campaign aimed at buying land in Logan Square and building a new three-story, eco-friendly home for itself. For the last six months, the American Theater Company (ATC) board quietly has been lining up its ducks—among them two leadership gifts—in preparation for a public announcement.

In fact, the troupe still isn’t quite ready to go public, but their plan was tipped in Juneau, Alaska, where the daily Juneau Empire newspaper carried a Sept. 20 story on PJ Paparelli, ATC’s new artistic director, who leaves Juneau’s Perseverance Theatre to move to Chicago. The story contained the startling announcement that “American Theatre Company is building a brand-new $8 million facility in downtown Chicago.” Startling because no announcement has been made to the media here in Chicago.

In response to PerformInk inquiries, ATC board VP Macie Huwiler confirmed the capital campaign and corrected the errors in the Juneau paper as to the dollar amount and the location.

“Our hope and plan is to build in Logan Square,” she said. “It fits so well with our mission of what it means to be an American because Logan Square is such a microcosm of American.”

Huwiler said consideration of a new home began two-and-a-half years ago. “Initially we thought, ‘Well, we’ve outgrown our old space, let’s look for something else to rent.’” But when they crunched numbers, the idea of owning became more and more appealing, especially in a location where real estate costs are not yet in the stratosphere.

The plan for a three-story building of 11,500 square feet (vs. ATC’s current 3,500 square feet) calls for a 148-seat first floor playhouse (ATC now has 108 seats), second floor offices, and third floor studio/rehearsal space and a kitchen. Huwiler said the third floor will be suitable for workshops, ATC’s children’s outreach program and possibly as a rental space for itinerant Off-Loop producers.

What’s more, the new ATC facility will be a green theatre, one of only three such in the country, according to Huwiler. Recycled materials will be used extensively, the building will have a green roof consisting of sedum plantings and a garden terrace, and the facility also may utilize solar panels as part of a geo-thermal HVAC system. ATC is using the Chicago-based architectural firm of Hartshorne and Plunkard, who are known as green specialists.

ATC has identified a probable location near Milwaukee Ave. and Fullerton, but the land purchase isn’t a done deal yet. As for funding, Huwiler says the capital campaign—which she chairs—is close to the halfway mark in pledges, among them a leadership gift from the Kresge Foundation. A second sizeable gift from an as-yet unnamed donor also has been received.

The Logan Square location is within a funded TIF district, so some of the $4 million cost will be in the form of public money. “This will be a true public-private partnership,” says Huwiler, who adds that the alderman, Ray Colon, “has been fantastic at helping us.” For instance, Colon is working to secure after-hours use by the theatre of a nearby CTA parking lot.

The American Theater Company is an ensemble company with a FY2008 budget of $650,000, and plans for a four-show season (including the annual holiday season production). Damon Kiely, artistic director for nearly nine years, left ATC over the summer to assume a full-time faculty position at the DePaul Theatre School. Paparelli, his successor, takes up the reins Nov. 1.

In a best-case scenario, ATC could be in its new quarters within two years.