Oak Park Festival Theatre to Honor Retiring Managing Director Galen Gockel 10/17

On Sunday, October 17, Oak Park Festival Theatre will honor former Managing Director Galen Gockel for his years of tireless service to the company at a reception at The Performance Center at 1010 W. Madison in Oak Park. Gockel, who served as Managing Director from 2005 until 2010, when Lisa Gordon took over his responsibilities, will remain a very active supporter of the company working on special projects.

Under Gockel's stewardship, working closely with Artistic Director Jack Hickey and the OPFT Board, the theatre rebounded from financial difficulties encountered under earlier management. Last summer's Austin Gardens productions of Shakespeare's Love's Labours Lost and the Jeff nominated Of Mice and Men drew rave reviews and record crowds.

Gockel was elected to the Oak Park Village Board in 2001. A graduate of Valparaiso University, during the Korean conflict he was an officer aboard a ship in the Far East. He subsequently earned M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Chicago. His wife Marjorie is recognized as the co-founder of the Oak Park Farmers Market and has been cited for volunteer work with the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust.

The celebration includes the 5 o'clock performance of Harold Pinter's Betrayal directed by Kevin Christopher Fox. A reception and tributes will follow. A very special commemoration of Gockle's contribution to the theatre will be presented to him.

Oak Park Festival Theatre-Oak Park's only Equity theatre and the Midwest's oldest professional theatre performing the classics outdoors-is proud to present its 37th year of theatrical excellence and to provide Chicagoland with the greatest classical plays ever written. Since 1975, the greatest playwrights have illumined our stage and enlightened our audiences. More information on Oak Park Festival Theatre is available at http://www.oakparkfestival.com or by calling (708) 445-4440.