Drury Lane Theatres Exec Producer Diane Van Lente Dies

Diane Van Lente, Executive Producer of the legendary Drury Lane Theatres, died Monday, Aug. 13 at age 57 of ovarian cancer. The daughter of the late Tony De Santis, founder of the Drury Lane empire and Chicago philanthropist, she had been exposed to the theatre business for nearly her entire life.  Affectionately nicknamed "Chi Chi" by her father in her childhood and known as such to those close to her, she was also the mother of two sons, Jason and Thomas Van Lente.  Survivors include her mother, Lucille, both of her sons, nieces and nephews Kyle, Abby and Drew De Santis, as well as aunt and uncle Dante and Kay DeSantis. A funeral mass will be said Friday, Aug.17 at 10am at Holy Name Cathedral, 730 N. Wabash, Chicago, with visitation  with the family at Holy Name from 9am to 10am. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be sent to the American Cancer Society, Ovarian Cancer Research Fund, 1801 S. Meyers Rd., Oak Brook Terrace, IL 60181. 

As Drury Lane's Executive Producer, Van Lente found her home backstage at one of Chicagoland's most renowned theatres.  Hardworking at Drury Lane since age 9, Van Lente began working in food and catering and got into the theatre production side of the business in 1986.  Van Lente served as Executive Producer of the theater for the past for over 25 years.  The De Santis family still owns the hugely successful 971 seat Drury Lane Oakbrook Terrace and the 549 seat Drury Lane Water Tower Place, which opened in 2005.  Drury Lane has dominated the Chicago theatre scene for the last half century, and currently has 24,000 subscribers.  These venues are known to be the primary spot for Midwesterners to see Hollywood and Broadway stars and top local talent in person.  Drury Lane's goal was and has always been to provide affordable and accessible showbiz glamour to all in and around Chicago. Most Chicagoans have attended a theater event or banquet function at a Drury Lane theatre through the years, and have fond memories of the experience.