DePaul University Celebrates 100th Anniversary of Reskin Theatre

The Theatre School at DePaul University is delighted to announce that this coming December 31, 2010, will mark the 100th anniversary of the opening of the Merle Reskin Theatre (formerly The Blackstone Theatre). The Beaux-Arts style Blackstone Theatre, which was designed by Chicago architects Marshall and Fox, opened its doors just off of Michigan Avenue in the South Loop on New Years' Eve of 1910. In the course of the past century it has changed owners, names, addresses, audiences, and has stayed a hub of theatrical arts in a changing neighborhood and city.  It faced many noteworthy changes in entertainment, including the introduction of the radio, television and film industries.

Throughout its rich history, many noteworthy productions and famous performers have graced this stage - including Henry Fonda, Uta Hagen, Katherine Hepburn, Ethel Barrymore, Dustin Hoffman, James Earl Jones, Vivien Leigh, Geraldine Page, and Studs Terkel, among numerous others. Today the Merle Reskin Theatre (renamed in 1992) serves as the legendary training ground for students of The Theatre School at DePaul University.

Today the venue opens its doors to approximately 50,000 audience members annually.  The Theatre School is proud to present the next generation of theatre professionals to the Chicago community in a building that has had a constant presence during the development of Chicago's thriving performing arts scene. DePaul's historic Merle Reskin Theatre will continue to be a destination for live productions and events in the South Loop. The Theatre School is delighted to be a part of this milestone anniversary.

AN ABBREVIATED HISTORY OF THE THEATRE:

Located south of the theatre district, the Blackstone Theatre on Hubbard Court (later renamed Seventh Street and then Balbo Drive) adjoined the Blackstone Hotel on Michigan Avenue, which had opened a year earlier. Both were built by Tracy C. Drake and John B. Drake, and designed by architects Benjamin Howard Marshall and Charles Eli Fox. The Blackstone Hotel and Theatre were named after Timothy B. Blackstone, an early Chicago businessman who was one of the first directors of the Union Stock Yards and a partner of hotel magnate John Burroughs Drake. Drake's sons, Tracy and John, took over the management of the family estate after their father's death. They built the Blackstone Hotel and Theatre on a site previously occupied by Timothy Blackstone's mansion.

The theatre is a six-story structure. Originally, a canopy of iron and glass jutted out from the gray sandstone of the theatre's façade, but this was replaced later by a marquee. The interior finish of the lobby of the theatre was designed by Plamondon & Tetze to give the appearance of a European Opera House, with a finish of French walnut and gold. The auditorium's indirect ceiling lighting was supplemented by lights (set in gold-colored sconces and muted by silk shades) along the side walls. The carpets, upholstery, and wall hangings in the auditorium were ivory and green, designed to harmonize with the gold and green in the tapestry drop curtain at the front of the stage. Percy Hammond's review of opening night in 1910 for the CHICAGO TRIBUNE had praised the unusual comfort of the seats, which he wrote were "of a luxurious width and arrangement, calculated to provide an easy of body and mind not often encountered in a theater." The total cost of the theatre was $500,000.

The Blackstone Theatre became a leading center for drama soon after it opened. Playwright George Ade, who spoke at the gala premiere of his new play U.S. MINISTER BEDLOE, predicted that the Blackstone would become the home of the best American plays. Ade's prediction was accurate enough. The Blackstone Theatre presented touring productions from New York City; generally plays that were hits or had won the Pulitzer Prize, New York Drama Critics Circle Award, or Tony Award.

Some early production highlights at the theatre include actor James Hackett in THE GRAIN OF DUST (1911), actress Blanche Bates in THE WITNESS FOR THE DEFENSE, and actress Ethel Barrymore in TANTE (1914) and THE SHADOW (1915). During the 1920s the Blackstone Theatre presented George Bernard Shaw's SAINT JOAN and MAJOR BARBARA, along with nearly 60 other productions. In the 1930s, the Federal Theatre Project used the theatre for original productions by local playwrights - including two attempts at experimental plays that had to be abandoned because of censorship.  Rehearsals of Meyer Levin's MODEL TENEMENT covering housing problems that culminated in a rent strike, were halted after higher administrators in the W.P.A.'s Chicago office heard rumors that Mayor Edward J. Kelly (who had recently banned a dramatization of Eskine Caldwell's TOBACCO ROAD) was upset. Also, the state administrator of the W.P.A closed Paul Green's HYMN TO THE RISING SUN, which dealt with the brutality of chain gains, on opening night while the audience was already waiting in the lobby.

In 1946, after numerous companies rented the theatre, The Shubert Organization acquired the Blackstone. Highlights under their ownership included Elia Kazan's 1955 production of Robert Anderson's TEA AND SYMPATHY, featuring actress Deborah Kerr; as well as Helen Hayes and Mary Martin in Thornton Wilder's THE SKIN OF OUR TEETH that same year. Lorraine Hansberry's A RAISIN IN THE SUN held its Chicago premiere at the Blackstone in 1959. Myrna Loy appeared in Neil Simon's BAREFOOT IN THE PARK in 1965; Katherine Hepburn starred in Enid Bagnold's A MATTER OF GRAVITY (1977); and Hendy Fonda in FIRST MONDAY IN OCTOBER (1979).

The 1980s were a more tumultuous time for the Blackstone Theatre.  Though there were some critically acclaimed productions, the number of nights that the theatre was dark increased until finally it closed its doors for an entire year in 1987. The Schubert Organization decided to dispose of the theatre, which was now in danger of demolition.  Across town, DePaul University had agreed to give the Goodman School of Drama a new home in 1978, after the trustees of the Art Institute voted to phase-out the drama school. On July 1, 1978, the Goodman School of Drama (renamed The Theatre School at DePaul University in 1985) became the ninth college of DePaul University. On May 26, 1988, Rev. John T. Richardson of DePaul University, announced the purchase of the Blackstone Theatre from the Schubert Organization, and after extensive renovations, re-opened the theatre in February of 1989.

In 1992, due to a magnanimous gift for Mr. and Mrs. Harold Reskin, the Blackstone Theatre was renamed the Merle Reskin Theatre.  Under the ownership of DePaul University, the theatre has remained busy with production activities and public programming. The Theatre School at DePaul University has continued the Goodman School of Drama's commitment to offering highly imaginative children's productions, in the Chicago Playworks for Families and Young Audiences Series. The school has also continued to build on the traditions of the Blackstone Theatre, by offering contemporary plays and classics for adult audiences in The Showcase Series.  Numerous other companies and organizations utilize the theatre through rentals for public programming.

Alumni of The Theatre School and Goodman School of Drama who have graced the stage of the Blackstone include Geraldine Page in SEPARATE TABLES (1958), SWEET BIRD OF YOUTH (1960) and CLOTHES FOR A SUMMER HOTEL (1980). Theoni V. Aldredge designed the costumes for CLOTHES FOR A SUMMER HOTEL as well as for CACTUS FLOWER and YOU KNOW I CAN'T HEAR WHEN THE WATER'S RUNNING (both in 1968). Concetta Tomei appeared in THE ELEPHANT MAN (1980) and Elizabeth Perkins starred in BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS (1984). Joe Mantegna appeared in HAIR (1969) and co-starred with Peter Falk in GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS (1986).  Jillian Anderson (THE x-FILES), Zach Helm (Screenwriter, STRANGER THAN FICTION), Judy Greer (ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT), Monique Coleman (Disney's HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL), Tarell Alvin McCraney (Playwright, THE BROTHER/SISTER PLAYS), and numerous other artists held their Chicago stage debut at the Merle Reskin Theatre as students.  The theatre has served as a world-class training ground for hundreds of designers, technicians, arts administrators, playwrights, and actors that have entered the industry as alumni of The Theatre School, and continued their careers on a local and worldwide scale.

Most of the information above was researched and compiled for the school for distribution during the renaming of the theatre in 1992.  For photos, interviews, or for a complete list of the production history at The Blackstone/Merle Reskin Theatre, please contact Andrea Tichy.

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