Gorilla Tango Theatre Celebrates 10 Years

Ten years ago, a 'little engine who could' did what few thought possible: made for-profit storefront theatre a success. Since December 2006, Gorilla Tango Theatre has been a linchpin of the Chicago theatre community, showing that - even in times of great economic (and otherwise) uncertainty - an entrepreneurial theatre model is recession proof.

Owner Dan Abbate is proud of the success of GTT, as it's known. "We've welcomed so many successful artists through our doors - artists like Cameron Esposito ("Take My Wife"), Natalie Kossar ("Pattern Behavior"), TJ Miller ("Cloverfield," "Deadpool," "Silicon Valley"), and Hannibal Buress ("30 Rock," "The ERIC ANDRE Show," "The Secret Life of Pets") - and so many great shows have come out of our partnerships (Bye Bye Liver: The Chicago Drinking Play, Circus Cats of Chicago, Boobs and Goombas: A Super Mario Burlesque, and the whole Gorilla Tango Burlesque series). We've proven that this model not only creates success for the theatre but also success for the individuals who have come out of the process."

Dan capitalized on an innovative theatre model which has since been reproduced around the Chicagoland theatre scene: theatre in bulk. Continues Abbate, "The secret to our success is no secret: it's volume. We knew early on that in order to succeed we had to have tons of things going on at all times - not just Friday and Saturday nights. iO Chicago, Comedysportz, Second City - they understand this model. When we started ten years ago, storefront theatre wasn't doing this yet, especially not to the extent that we did it. My wife and partner in crime, Kelly (Williams), used to give me a hard time because we'd work box office for as many shows as I could get on the schedule - sometimes seven nights a week. We'd be working shows on a Saturday from 11:30am until 2am Sunday morning, straight. We've done so many things, and have seen so many artists and groups pass through our doors. It's been an amazing ten years."

Jonathan Pitts of the Chicago Improv Festival, who has worked extensively with Abbate, Williams, and Gorilla Tango, adds, "Gorilla Tango Theatre has made its definitive mark on many of Chicago's performance communities - by giving a home to so many new and experienced performance companies, Gorilla Tango has created a space for immeasurable artistic voices to be heard."

Audience member Jenna S. says, "Gorilla Tango is all about supporting the new, small, independent performances that are the lifeblood of this city's theatre scene. I saw a friend's sketch comedy show here and it was fabulous - partly because Gorilla Tango is so friendly to people who need a space to put on a show. "

Joe S., states, "First show I ever performed in, wrote and produced was at GT and was amazing!"

Sam Haines, a graduate of The Theatre School at DePaul University, joined the Gorilla Tango team this past summer as Production & Operations Manager. "I'm thrilled to have joined Gorilla Tango when I did. We've entered a period full of new ventures, which wouldn't be possible without the entrepreneurial, flexible mentality that thrives here. The community of diverse, multifaceted artists is always growing."

For the last ten years, Gorilla Tango is proud to have been a go-to venue for people who want their voice heard. Here's to ten more!

ABOUT DAN ABBATE
Dan Abbate divides his time between Chicago, IL, and Wellington, FL. He is an entrepreneur, thought leader, and investor with a career-long focus in business process automation through the use of advanced technology and organizational development and improvement. A silent and lead investor in a number of technology startup companies (including www.bdex.com and www.glince.me), Mr. Abbate is also a member of the Young Professionals of Wellington, Rotary International, and Entrepreneurs' Organization of South Florida, where he is a mentor in the Accelerator Program, which focuses on guiding young entrepreneurs with companies less than $1,000,000 in revenue to achieve that milestone and beyond within two years. Dan holds a degree from DePaul University in Philosophy and Business, presented his prophetic talk "How Not To Be Replaced By A Robot" at TedXBoca in 2015, and his book, Automation Manifesto, was published in 2016 and available now via Amazon and other retail book outlets.

ABOUT KELLY WILLIAMS

Kelly Williams has an MFA in Directing for the theatre, and, together with her husband, owns Gorilla Tango Theatre as well as a grant writing business (www.williamsgrantwriting.com, which, humorously enough, was never able to benefit the theatre, since GTT is for-profit). She is now exhausted and lives a quiet life in Florida where she sips mimosas and swats mosquitos.

Gorilla Tango Theatre (GTT) exists to provide entertainment people actually want to see. GTT believes that every theatre person is a business person; it seeks to educate, foster, and provide resources to theatre practitioners so that each theatre production is treated as an entrepreneurial venture. GTT is conveniently located at the intersection of Western and Milwaukee in Chicago's Bucktown neighborhood and is easily accessible by public transportation (just steps away from the Western Blue Line stop and the #49 Western, #73 Armitage and #56 Milwaukee buses). Street parking is also readily available. GTT offers a variety of affordable beer and wine for purchase. Consult the website for show rating information, tickets, and details.

To post a comment, you must register and login.