BY LUCIA MAURO
“To taste the juiciest apples, you have to climb out on a limb,”
muses Eileen Boevers, executive/artistic director of Apple Tree Theatre
in Highland Park—an analogy that can be applied to the troupe’s
nourishing productions and willingness to take risks. Now approaching
the finale of its 20th anniversary season with an adaptation of Sir Arthur
Conan Doyle’s The Sign of the Four (June 18-July 20), the company,
since its inception in 1983, has promoted many varieties of artistic fruit.
“We’ve always wanted to do a very eclectic mix of play,”
says Boevers. “We opened our first season with Equus; Stop the World,
I Want to Get Off; Company and Runaways.”
And, over the years, productions—including Anna Karenina, M. Butterfly
and Indian Ink—have shaped the Apple Tree aesthetic: plays that either
break ground in a different way or are not what audiences would find on
their own; plays that are slightly off the beaten track; and, according
to Boevers, “works that celebrate the tenacity of the human spirit
and open people up to a diversity of cultures and challenge them…We
want audiences to leave changed.”
Boevers (a director, writer, actor and teacher) chooses seasons with artistic
director/actor Ross Lehman. Members of the theatre’s artistic board
consistently shop around for scripts regionally, in New York and London.
Already on the roster for the 2003-04 season are Dirty Blonde and Eve
Ensler’s Necessary Targets.
Apple Tree has something of a storied history. It occupied the same basement
space in Highland Park’s Immaculate Conception Church where Steppenwolf
got its start. But, in 1988, Apple Tree had to find another location when
that historic building was razed. Boevers recalls with affection the church
pastor’s openness to the theatre’s works, even plays like Equus
that featured nudity. During this anniversary season, she looks back on
some of the Equity company’s pivotal moments.
In 1986, Apple Tree moved its production of Sweeney Todd to downtown Chicago
and received five Jeff Awards. “That was a watershed time,”
says Boevers. “We felt like we arrived.”
Getting recognition outside the northern suburb also helped Apple Tree
gain wider visibility. In those early days, it was reviewed by the dailies
and has continuously attracted the attention of the Jeff Committee (currently
up to 26 Jeff Awards). The theatre also had the built-in support of its
arts school. In fact, Apple Tree is the professional performing division
of its parent corporation, The Eileen Boevers Performing Arts Workshop
(incorporated in 1970). The school was founded as a program committed
to building confidence, creativity and self-esteem in a non-competitive
environment.
Other Apple Tree educational branches geared toward youth are Theatre
for Young Audiences (TYA) and the Traveling Troupe of the Workshop. TYA
was created in 1989 and presents works for middle- and junior high school
age groups. It includes stage adaptations of literature directly from
state-mandated school curriculum for productions mounted across the Chicago
area (like Theatre Building Chicago, Griffin Theatre and Metropolis in
Arlington Heights). The Traveling Troupe, established by Boevers in 1975,
consists of young artists (ages 11 through 14) who tour the area (from
schools to hospitals and theatres) with musical revues. Its members are
selected by audition each fall.
Apple Tree offers a series of summer theatre camps for various levels.
Not counting these camps, Boevers reports that its school has about 1,000
enrollments—which refers to the number of class hours versus number
of students.
In 1988, when Boevers was faced with having to re-locate, she decided
to stay in Highland Park (where she was raising a family and still resides).
She had built up enough credibility for the theatre to attract the eye
of key movers and shakers. “When the city fathers knew we were shopping
for space in the area,” she says, “red flags went up because
they had lost Steppenwolf. Members of the Economic Development Committee
persuaded the developers of the new shopping area on Elm Place to include
space for us at a rent that would be capped.”
Originally a 120-seat theatre, Apple Tree expanded to 177 seats in a strip-mall
location that has been challenging in terms of visibility (more signage
is being added) but beneficial for its central location and parking. The
intimate, flexible theatre itself affords innovative and resourceful scenic
design possibilities.
Apple Tree, notes Boevers, has remained in Highland Park in order to provide
locals with a high-quality theatre: “I wanted the theatre to be an
intrinsic part of the cultural life here. Our residents could experience
theatre right here on a regular basis—they didn’t have to get
in their cars and travel to the city.”
Now at over 2,000 subscribers, Apple Tree draws half of its audiences
from the northern suburbs and half from everywhere else. At this point,
the theatre is more aggressively marketing to the north—as far as
Milwaukee—and has even tapped into the high singles demographic in
Vernon Hills by hosting singles nights with a dessert reception.
Over the past two years, the company—with an annual budget around
$1 million—has undergone a staff and board re-structuring, with the
once artist-driven board now comprised of 1/3 artists and 2/3 business
community. In 2001, Mary Ellen Mason—a Lake Forest resident with
extensive development experience, including director of annual programs
at the Chicago Botanic Garden—came on board as director of development.
She works with the main board of directors, the associates board (which
plans Apple Tree’s fall benefit and spring gala) and pioneered the
creation of a junior board to get younger people involved.
Mason’s primary goal is to “see all five mainstage productions
underwritten” and to identify other funding sources. She is not focusing
only on corporate, foundation and private support—but on special
events, direct mail and working closely with the board to develop new
relationships and prospects (like the Highland Park Cultural Arts Commission,
which sponsors a theatre program for under-served students). She also
has increased the number of in-kind donations.
“It’s important that you make donors feel valued,” says
Mason. “My belief is that you never can say thank you enough. We
consistently reach out to the needs of the community and work closely
with our board members to make sure they are engaged.”
Apple Tree Theatre, 595 Elm Place, Suite 210, Highland Park, IL 60035.
Tel. 847/432-8223; Fax. 847/432-5214; www.appletreetheatre.com.