Mayor Daley Salutes Chicago's Award-Winning Theater Community

Mayor Richard M. Daley today saluted the Chicago theater community for all it adds to the fabric of life in the city as two of its most prominent companies prepared to attend Sunday’s Tony Awards ceremony in New York City, where they are nominated in many categories for Broadway’s highest honor.

"I think there's no more vibrant part of what makes up Chicago than our theater community. We have more than 200 producing theater companies that put on more than 800 productions every year and draw more than 5 million theater-goers, Daley said in remarks at the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Randolph St.

This has a major impact on our local economy and it contributes greatly to Chicago's reputation as a global city," he said.

The Mayor said theater brings tourists, whose dollars support hotels, restaurants, parking garages, museums, retail stores and jobs for our residents who work in those places.

It provides jobs for actors, artistic designers, and others who work in the theater and it attracts new residents who come to the city looking for a vibrant arts scene.

"It helps our reputation as an arts destination grow and all of these things taken together enhance our neighborhoods and the quality of life of our residents," Daley said.

This is a banner year for theater in Chicago, the Mayor said.

Chicago Shakespeare Theater received the Regional Theatre Tony Award for its continuously high level of artistic achievement and will accept it Sunday in New York.

This is the fourth time a Chicago company has received this recognition - more than any other city in the country.

And Steppenwolf Theatre's August: Osage County has received 7 Tony Award Nominations this year, including best play and best direction. Half the actresses nominated this year for a performance in a play have performed with Steppenwolf Theatre.

"Steppenwolf is enormously proud of the seven Tony nominations for August: Osage County – and we congratulate ensemble members Laurie Metcalf and Martha Plimpton on their nominations for November and Top Girls, respectively," said Steppenwolf Artistic Director Martha Lavey.

"August: Osage County, written and directed by Steppenwolf ensemble members, premiered at our theater in Chicago. We are deeply grateful to our Chicago audiences for their ongoing support of our theater that has allowed us to become a premier American theater for the development and production of new work," she said.

Steppenwolf's production already has won numerous national awards this year, as has another Chicago production -- Next Theater's "The Adding Machine."

"In no small measure are we proud to be a part of this community as the recipient of the 2008 Regional Theatre Tony Award because we know that this 'region' is unlike any other. We will accept this award not just on behalf of Chicago Shakespeare Theater, but also on behalf of the tremendously gifted artists who work on our stages and on the stages across our great City,” says Artistic Director Barbara Gaines.

"Chicago's Tony nominations are a testament to something far more precious than a gold figurine - to a theater community that's innovative, respected and thriving, and to a city with a cultural vitality that's second to none," said Commissioner Lois Weisberg of the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs.

Daley said the city's Department of Cultural Affairs works very hard to support theater in Chicago, to make people aware of it and help it grow.

For example:

Chicago DCA Theater programs foster the growth of Chicago's emerging theater companies as well as encourage public awareness and cultural appreciation of the performing arts.

• Storefront Theater and Studio Theater
  Chicago DCA Theater's Storefront Theater at 66 E. Randolph Street and the Studio Theater located within the Chicago Cultural Center bring Chicago's "off-Loop" theater companies to the downtown theater district. Presenting companies benefit from the space and resources, while theater-goers get an exciting look at the city’s emerging and developing theater scene.

• Chicago Arts Resources (CAR)
  CAR is an online resource created by Chicago artists for Chicago artists working in Dance, Music, Theater, and Visual Arts. The recently updated website includes an artist resource directory, links to local and national organizations, industry-related articles, and content created by the city's working artists.

• Cultural Grants
  Funding for the arts, totaling more than $1 million a year, is administered through the Cultural Grants Division of the Chicago DCA, making funding available to small neighborhood organizations, growing organizations with tiny budgets, and emerging artists. Programs for non-profit theater companies include the CityArts Program and the Community Arts Assistance Program (CAAP).

• Cultural Planning Assistance
  This division of Chicago DCA provides assistance to theaters and cultural organizations with questions regarding space and facility planning.

• Cultural Network
  In informal gatherings facilitated by the Collaborative Programs division, local theater companies and arts organizations meet to share resource information and find ways to collaborate with each other.

"So I want to thank you all this morning for the big role you play in making Chicago the kind of place people want to visit, and live and work and raise a family. The work you do really matters," Daley said.