Writers Theatre Opens New Theatre Center

Writers Theatre today opened its new theatre center, featuring two theatres in a stunning building designed by Studio Gang Architects, led by principal Jeanne Gang, and built by general contractor W.E. O'Neil Construction. The new home, the centerpiece of a $34 million fundraising campaign, provides nationally-recognized Writers Theatre with two intimate performance spaces under one roof, improved patron and artist amenities, and rehearsal and production spaces. Located on the site of the former Woman's Library Club of Glencoe, the new center was developed in partnership with the Woman's Library Club and the Village of Glencoe.

Founded in 1992 as a 50-seat theatre in the back room of Books on Vernon bookstore in Glencoe before adding a second 108-seat theatre in 2003 in the Woman's Library Club building, the Theatre has grown to be a cornerstone of the Chicagoland cultural community, and the new 36,000 square foot theatre center will serve as an architectural landmark on the North Shore. The two performance venues - a 250-seat thrust stage and a 99-seat flexible black box venue - as well as rehearsal rooms, designed in partnership with theatre consultants Auerbach Pollock Friedlander, and public amenities, enhance Writers' reputation for its commitment to the word and the artist and to producing work of the highest artistic caliber. The design maintains the intimacy of the work, while accommodating a growing audience base and energizing daily life in downtown Glencoe. A rooftop terrace and garden offers additional event space.

The first production in the Alexandra C. and John D. Nichols Theatre will be Tom Stoppard's Arcadia, directed by by Writers Theatre Artistic Director and co-founder Michael Halberstam, and will begin performances March 16. During February and early March, the center will host a series of special opening events. Writers Theatre proudly recognizes BMO Harris Bank as Lead Sponsor of these exciting opening events.

"Studio Gang has created a home for us that not only expands our creative possibilities but actually blows them wide open," says Artistic Director Michael Halberstam. "Every aspect of our new theatre center contributes to an environment in which patrons can experience a play and our artists can reach into their souls to engage with our patrons. Everywhere one looks there is an architectural event to experience, bringing plays and audiences into intensely intimate engagement with each other. Jeanne Gang and her team's profound understanding of this company has provided the perfect home for the word and the artist."

The LEED-Gold designed center is anchored by the Litowitz Atrium, a public gathering space that serves as a lobby as well as an informal space for performance, rehearsals, and audience engagement programs, and a formal space for events. The second-floor Grand Gallery Walk surrounds the public gathering space, providing views toward the downtown, lake, and nearby grove,and is structured by timber Vierendeel trusses and a lighter wood lattice hung in tension from the primary structure. In warm weather this central hub opens to the adjacent public park and downtown, allowing the energy and interaction generated within the theater to extend outward into the community beyond. At night, it glows from within like a lantern, drawing interest and activity to this important cultural anchor and downtown Glencoe.

"Writers Theatre now has a home to enhance the spoken word and create meaningful dialogue between the actors, audience, and the greater community through live performance," said Gang. "Through open, transparent public spaces, the new center creates settings for the kind of daily collaboration that is fundamentally exhibited in the missions of both Writers Theatre and Studio Gang. The building exhibits this collective of values through form and craft, itself becoming a lantern for the community and transforming the future of Writers Theatre."

Among other key features in the new theatre center:

· The 250-seat Alexandra C. and John D. Nichols Theatre purposefully designed to maintain Writers Theatre's hallmark intimacy, and includes recycled exterior bricks from the Woman's Library Club in an elaborately patterned acoustic screen that surrounds the house;

· The Gillian Theatre, a flexible 50 to 99-seat black box theatre that pays tribute to Writers Theatre's first performance space at Books on Vernon;

· The Litowitz Atrium, a spacious main lobby with seating tribunes that functions as a central gathering area, where patrons and students will enjoy supplementary artistic, family and educational programs;

· The Stephanie and Bill Sick Rooftop Terrace on the second floor, adjacent to the Grand Gallery Walk, one of several outdoor landscaped spaces that patrons can enjoy when weather permits;

· The luminous Grand Gallery Walk, a timber structure by renowned engineer Peter Heppel, suspended around the lobby and serving as a viewing area and "front porch" to the building; and,

· Landscapes of Japanese forest grasses and Boston Ivy on the west and north exterior walls, further blending the building into the surrounding parks.

The fundraising campaign - On to a New Stage - has raised more than $33 million to date, with support from a wide range of distinguished Chicagoland philanthropists. More than 350 individuals, foundations, corporations and government agencies have now contributed to the campaign. Lead gifts include:

· Alexandra C. and John D. Nichols, who have made a gift of $5 million.

· Litowitz Family Foundation has made a gift of $3 million.

· Ellis Goodman Family Foundation has made a gift of $3 million.

· Mary Winton Green and the Green family, who have made a gift of $2 million. The rehearsal and special events room will be named the Green Family Rehearsal Room.

· Stephanie and Bill Sick, who have made a gift of $1 million.

· Walter and Karla Goldschmidt Foundation has made a gift of $1 million.

· One anonymous donation of $1 million and two anonymous donations of $2 million.

· Generous contributions of $500,000 have also been committed by each of the following: Philip and Janice Beck, Julie and Lawrence Bernstein, The Conant Family Foundation, Abe and Ida Cooper Foundation, The Morris and Dolores Kohl Kaplan Fund of the Dolores Kohl Education Foundation, Harrison and Lois Steans, Mary Pat and Andy Studdert, and Elaine and Richard Tinberg.

"Our new theatre center allows the company to take its place alongside the nation's leading dramatic institutions," says Board President Christopher S. Pfaff. "While Writers has long been recognized for its world-class art and artists, an amazing group of supporters with a shared belief in the mission has come together to support those artists and that artistic vision. On behalf of On to a New Stage Campaign co-chairs Elaine and Richard Tinberg and Gillian and Ellis Goodman, along with the Writers Theatre Board of Trustees, I thank all of those who contributed so generously, and thank our entire Chicagoland community for their unwavering support of this project."

The $34 million fundraising campaign includes: theatre center design and construction; transition costs; an operating reserve for programming; and a cash reserve.

"The opening of the new Writers Theatre represents the culmination of more than eight years of tireless dedication, perseverance and the incredible contributions of so many," says Executive Director Kathryn M. Lipuma. "Countless individuals have committed themselves to ensuring that our artists, staff and audiences feel at home - that this stunning new center would be everything we dreamed of for our future. We have been overwhelmed and truly humbled by such a demonstration of unprecedented generosity from our many supporters and friends."

The project was awarded a prestigious and highly competitive National Endowment for the Arts "Our Town" Grant, which recognizes civic collaborations that engage in creative place-making to enhance and revitalize their communities.

Working closely with the Theatre's building committee, AMS Planning & Research, a Connecticut-based arts management consulting practice that has supported the development of hundreds of arts facilities, provided planning and development services, along with owner's counsel during construction, to Writers Theatre from the outset of the project in 2008.

On to a New Stage Campaign leadership is reflective of Writers Theatre's wide geographic reach, and includes:

· Honorary Co-Chairs Mary Winton Green, Jennifer and Alec Litowitz, and Alexandra C. and John D. Nichols;

· Co-Chairs Gillian and Ellis Goodman and Elaine and Richard Tinberg;

· Glencoe Co-Chairs Roberta Olshansky and Christopher and Sara Pfaff;

· North Shore Co-Chairs Stephanie and Bill Sick and Mary Pat and Andy Studdert;

· Chicago Co-Chairs Beth L. Kronfeld and Matthew D. Means and William and Amalia Mahoney; and

· Steering Committee Members: Janice and Philip Beck; Susan and Donald Belgrad; Julie and Lawrence Bernstein; Sara and Dan Cohan; Hersch and Avril Klaff; Emily and Christopher N. Knight; Dolores Kohl Kaplan; Jane and Richard Lipton; Lucy R. Minor; Laurie and Michael Petersen; Lizzy and Josh Scheinfeld; Harrison and Lois Steans; Bobette Takiff; and Roger and Pam Phillips Weston.

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ABOUT WRITERS THEATRE: For 24 years, Writers Theatre has captivated Chicagoland audiences with inventive interpretations of classic work, a bold approach to contemporary theatre and a dedication to creating the most intimate theatrical experience possible, establishing the Theatre as a major Chicagoland cultural destination with a national reputation for excellence.

Under the artistic leadership of Michael Halberstam and the executive leadership of Kathryn M. Lipuma, Writers Theatre has been deemed the "best drama company in the nation" by The Wall Street Journal and achieved twenty years of surplus operations. Prized for the finest interpretations of classic and contemporary theatre in its previous two venues, Writers Theatre's work includes Artistic Director Michael Halberstam's world premiere in Glencoe and subsequent production of A Minister's Wife at Lincoln Center Theater; David Cromer's productions of A Streetcar Named Desire and Picnic; and the commissioning, world premiere and New York premiere of Crime and Punishment, which has received more than 30 subsequent regional theater productions.

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