Chicago's American Theatre Company Announces Closure

The American Theater Company. best known for their original stagings of the Tony Award-winning hit plays, Disgraced and The Humans, has announced that it will end its 13-year run this season. See a statement from the theatre's board of directors below:

"The Board of the American Theater Company has made the difficult decision to close the theater. We're Gonna Be Okay will be ATC's final production.

Ultimately, the challenge to transform the organization in the wake of the tragic and sudden death of former artistic director PJ Paparelli was more daunting than expected. Despite the innovative, engaging and inclusive approach to ATC that current artistic director Will Davis brought to our theater, which continued to garner a positive reception for our productions and educational programs, the theater has suffered from a reduction in earned revenue.

This challenge was particularly acute this year, when despite the enormous success of works that originated at ATC - such as Tony Award winner The Humans and Pulitzer Prize winner Disgraced - our current productions have not been able to reach the audience they deserve. In the theater-rich Chicago community, it is increasingly difficult for a small non-profit organization like ours to thrive.

We express our deep gratitude for the support so many members of the community have provided to ATC over the years, enabling us to produce ground-breaking world premieres, educate thousands of teenagers through drama and provide a home for Chicago's diverse artistic community. This action does not mean that we are walking away from our ideals, but rather that we believe that our ideals are best served only when our mission "to explore stories that ask the question 'What does it mean to be an American?'" can reach the widest possible audience in a financially prudent manner - a goal that ultimately proved unachievable in the current environment."