Chicago Shakespeare Wins Regional Theatre Tony

BY Jonathan Abarbanel

Criss Henderson

As expected, Steppenwolf’s smash hit production of August: Osage County received multiple Tony nominations—seven, to be exact. But the surprise announcement at last week’s Tony Awards press conference was that Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) has been named recipient of the 2008 Tony Award for an outstanding Regional Theatre.

“Chicago is the Toniest city in America,” cracked Criss Henderson the morning of May 13, shortly after receiving the news. The annual honor is presented to a non-profit theatre by the American Theatre Wing and the Broadway League as recommended by the American Theatre Critics Association.

Chicago Shakespeare Theater founder/artistic director Barbara Gaines called the Regional Tony Award “the most important national celebration of our theatre we’ve received,” observing that Chicago Shakespeare Theater may be better known in England than in the United States. She said the Tony Award is certain to increase CST’s national profile, initiating “a new era” for the company.

Barbara Gaines

CST executive director Henderson said that he and Gaines, professional partners for close to 20 years, privately talk about a “Shakespearean fifth act” of their leadership and that the Regional Theatre Tony Award might be an appropriate opening to that final act, “one which we hope will turn out to be a comedy with music and marriages, and not one with bodies strewn all over the place,” Henderson added. (Although anyone who’s been through a CST tech rehearsal might say the bodies already are strewn!!).

The award makes CST the fourth local theatre to receive the Regional Theatre Tony since 1985, and the second in seven years. Steppenwolf Theatre Company (1985), Goodman Theatre (1992) and Victory Gardens Theater (2001) are the previous recipients. Chicago now has more Regional Tony honorees than any other American city.

In each case, the Tony Award helped jump-start planning and fundraising for a new theatre complex for the winner, and the 2008 Tony Award may serve the same purpose for CST. The troupe currently is developing plans for a new stage somewhere on Navy Pier, although not within the confines of CST’s present Pier quarters. Essentially a proscenium theatre with some flexibility, it would have 900-1000 seats and thus would have nearly twice the capacity of the company’s present 510-seat mainstage.

Said Gaines, “We have so many more artists we want to hire and bring into Chicago [from] throughout the world, and many of them need a proscenium theatre. I, for one, want to work on a proscenium very badly. We have 15,000-20,000 children on waiting lists because they can’t get in to see our shows. How wonderful it would be to fit all of those kids in so they don’t have to skip a year.”

Henderson wouldn’t talk specifics, but said CST and Navy Pier are in ongoing discussions about just where a new space would be located and how it best can benefit both the Pier and CST. “It would be wonderful to have a larger footprint at the Pier,” Henderson commented, “and for the Pier to be better recognized for the wonderful asset it is to the city.” He wouldn’t suggest a proposed timeline or cost for the new facility, although he acknowledged that the Tony Award might speed things up.

Interviewed separately, both Henderson and Gaines added words of praise for Chicago’s community of artists and noted how great it was to receive the Tony Award news the morning of a student matinee (of the current subscription show, The Comedy of Errors) so that they could share it immediately with the company, among which are many longtime CST actors and crew.

Henderson and Gaines both were at home when they received the news via internet, shortly after the 2008 Tony Nominations and special award recipients were announced just before 7:30 a.m. Chicago time. Both were taken by surprise, they said, having had no knowledge that CST even was under consideration for the award.

Indeed, that’s how it must be according to procedures followed by the American Theatre Critics Association (ATCA). The process of selecting a potential winner is confidential: if a theatre gets wind that it’s being considered for the Regional Theatre Tony Award, it will be dropped from consideration.

As administered for ATCA by the Chicago Tribune’s Chris Jones, written recommendations for the Regional Theatre Tony Award can be submitted by any active ATCA member. Many times a bloc of ATCA members will add their support as co-signers or seconders of a recommendation. The recommended theatres are vetted by the ATCA executive committee and then voted upon by the membership. The winning theatre then is submitted to the American Theatre Wing and the Broadway League, which have the right to accept or reject it. To date, they’ve never rejected an ATCA recommendation.

Founded by Barbara Gaines in 1986, Chicago Shakespeare Theater today has 20,600 subscribers, a budget of $13.7 million, a full-time staff of 77 (plus 60 part-timers and 190 actors, musicians and designers) and a handsome purpose-built theatre complex with spacious lobbies, an education center and a 200-seat black box theatre in addition to the mainstage. Many other important staff members have been with CST for years, among whom a partial list would include associate artistic director Gary Griffin, audience development director Alida Szabo, director of education Marilyn J. Halperin and stage management chief Deborah Acker. Numerous actors, designers, composers and crew also have worked with CST over many seasons. The company chiefly utilizes Tiers V and VI of Equity’s CAT agreement, as well as SSDC and USAA contracts.

According to the ATCA criteria, the award should honor a non-profit company which has displayed “a continuous level of artistic achievement contributing to the growth of theatre nationally.” Chicago Shakespeare Theater was among a handful of companies to participate in the 2004 National Endowment for the Arts touring initiative, Shakespeare in American Communities. CST also has been seen in New York City with its innovative approaches to Shakespeare, Rose Rage (2004) and Marionette Macbeth (with Carlo Colla e Figli, 2007). Additionally, through its World’s Stage Series, CST has brought international directors and theatre companies to the United States from England, Ireland, Canada, South Africa, France and Russia, providing Chicago artists, audiences and critics significant opportunities for cross-cultural interaction.

Beyond the United States, CST productions have been seen in London and in Stratford-Upon-Avon, and this summer the CST’s new rap Shakespeare show Funk It Up About Nothin—written and performed by The Bombity of Errors team—will travel to the Edinburgh Festival in August after a Chicago run (June 25-Aug. 3).

Both Gaines and Henderson will travel to New York for the June 15 Tony Award ceremonies at Radio City Music Hall, televised on CBS and emceed by Whoopi Goldberg. Henderson says that Gary Griffin and CST creative producer Rick Boynton will join them along with others from the CST board and staff. They hope to have one helluva party with their Steppenwolf brothers and sisters, who have nine people nominated for three different shows.

The seven August: Osage County nominees are Deanna Dunagan and Amy Morton for Best Lead Actress, Rondi Reed for Best Featured Actress, Anna D. Shapiro for Best Director, Ann G. Wrightwood for Best Lighting, Todd Rosenthal for Best Scenic Design, and Tracy Letts, who will likely chalk up a Best Play Tony to go along with his Pulitzer.

But that won’t be all for Steppenwolf. Reed is joined in the Featured Actress category by fellow Steppenwolf ensemble members Laurie Metcalf and Martha Plimpton, for their roles in November and Top Girls, respectively.