Circle Finds New Digs in Friendlier Environment

BY Kerry Reid

Since 1985, Circle Theatre in Forest Park has achieved a lot of success in a little package, from introducing audiences to the work of Rebecca Gilman to successfully re-staging musicals that hadn’t done well in their Broadway outings—perhaps most notably The Sweet Smell of Success in 2006, a production that creator Marvin Hamlisch flew out to see and enthusiastically praised. And they’ve done it all in their tiny space on Forest Park’s Madison Street since 1988. But they’ve been eager to bust out for a while. Circle artistic director Kevin Bellie says “There has definitely been talk about moving for the last three years.”

They aren’t just talking about it anymore. After a trying current season that included productions of Up ‘n Under and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers that were interrupted by dripping water (and a full gusher at a Sunday matinee of the latter in early December), and the notice from their new landlord that they could expect a dramatic increase in rent beginning in 2010, the company is pulling up stakes and moving on down the road within the next year to Oak Park, where they will take up residence in a warehouse space in the Harrison Street arts district.

For Bellie, it’s a welcome change. “Circle never thought Forest Park was an arts community,” he says. “We thought we were pretty special, but we just happened to be in Forest Park. There was lots of community support, but not much government support. Oak Park is an arts community, with writers, artists, and architects. It’s very arts-friendly.”

The move will quadruple Circle’s annual budget, which has hovered around the $250,000 mark. Bellie estimates that the cost of the move and build-out itself will run to $750,000. But some of those costs will be offset by the company’s ability to add 50 seats to their larger venue, and 10 in the smaller studio space. Bellie, who doubles as a choreographer both at Circle and many other theatres in Chicago, also looks forward to having more space on stage to work his terpsichorean magic. “Nearly every review our musicals receive note how well we do—for having so little space,” he says with a laugh.

Circle’s largest percentage of subscribers already comes from Oak Park, but Bellie says that their largest single-ticket sales base is in the 773 area code—not surprising, since the theatre is easily accessible by car and public transit from the city.

One thing that won’t change, says Bellie, is the company’s desire to do challenging work. They are premiering Charles Mee’s latest, Perfect Wedding, in the 2008-09 season. “No one else had asked about it,” says Bellie. In addition to musicals, the company has forged a reputation for premiering work by contemporary writers such as Neil Labute, Adam Rapp, and Julie Jordan, and for reviving classic chamber comedies, such as last spring’s hit presentation of Oscar Wilde’s An Ideal Husband.

The company doesn’t plan to adopt an Equity contract in their new home, however. “The idea of ‘professional non-Equity’ adds as many words as you can to say ‘not community theatre’” says Bellie. “I see a great place for [community theatre], but it’s just not our thing.”

At the same time, Bellie acknowledges that being in the ‘burbs has helped Circle grow its profile. “We know that if we were on Halsted Street, we’d be like everybody else. We’d still be doing Midwest premieres, but we’d be like a lot of other companies. Our location is an advantage.”