New era for the arts in Elgin: Theater scene gets boost from new arts center

The delight Janus Theatre co-founder and artistic director Sean Hargadon feels for his company's new home is palpable. Strolling through the new Elgin Art Showcase, which Janus inaugurated earlier this month with its spirited revival of Ben Jonson's 17th-century satire “The Alchemist,” Hargadon stops frequently to point out its amenities.

Foremost is the flexible, accessible black box theater that accommodates up to 50 audience members. Equally impressive are the updated light and sound systems; dedicated dressing rooms; storage for sets, props and costumes; and a comfortable lobby and box office.

But the improvement that makes Hargadon happiest is the working thermostat.

“How I love to have that,” he said.

Temperature control is a luxury Janus lacked at its previous home, the old Elgin Art Showcase, which the theater inaugurated in 2007.

“It's a beautiful building but it's old, and with that comes challenges,” Hargadon said of the company's former space atop the historic, eight-story Elgin Professional Building, which theater artists and audiences accessed via a creaky elevator that often felt one passenger shy of stalling.

The view of downtown Elgin was fabulous. High ceilings and soaring windows made the space feel grand. But the lack of air conditioning made summer performances difficult for actors and audiences. The expansive windows failed to block the sirens, train whistles and other urban noise that periodically punctuated performances. Lighting design options were limited, and the ancient electrical system resulted in more than a few blown fuses.

The company got good use out of the building, 19 years' worth, but it was time to move on, according to Hargadon.

Janus' new home — which it shares with the Elgin Fringe Festival, Elgin Theatre Company, The Home Creative, iambe theater ensemble and Schaumburg on Stage/point2point productions — marks a major turning point for the theater company, which recently commenced its 28th season.

“This is a space we can grow in,” Hargadon said.

Janus, its fellow Elgin Art Showcase residents and their audiences have co-owners Mary Alice Benoit and her husband Michael Benoit to thank for the new arts center.

Mary Alice Benoit, executive director and producer of the community theater organizations Schaumburg on Stage and point2point productions, first envisioned the nearly 100-year-old building at DuPage Street and Villa Court as a performance space about six years ago.

Built in 1927 and expanded during the 1950s, the building served as a lodge for the Elgin chapter of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks until the 1970s. Interested in purchasing the property, the couple initially learned it was under contract. When that deal fell through, they bought it for $634,000.

“When we moved in it was in a state of disrepair,” recalled Benoit. “But it had great bones and fantastic original features that had been preserved from an earlier renovation.”

Renovations took two years, cost about $2 million and were funded in part by Tax Increment Financing. Benoit’s ensembles occupy the main floor off the Villa Court entrance, while Elgin Art Showcase and its resident companies occupy the lower level DuPage Street space.

For the Bartlett resident and her husband, transforming the space into a cultural hub has been a labor of love.

“We love the Elgin community and its commitment to the arts,” she said.

The new Elgin Art Showcase along with the Hemmens Cultural Center and Side Street Studio Arts establish what Benoit calls a “perfect trifecta” capable of accommodating intimate as well as large-scale productions.

Amanda Harris, director of cultural arts and special events, characterizes Elgin's relationship with the Benoits and the showcase's resident companies as a partnership dedicated to elevating the city's arts programming.

The city has a three-year lease with Benoit and charges resident companies a fee to use the facility. The 2026 rate for a three-production season is $2,860.

“The biggest takeaway for me is that Elgin has something for everybody when it comes to entertainment and that applies to the Elgin Art Showcase,” Harris said. “You get to see some unique things there.”

One thing relocation won't change is the intimacy and audience immersion that characterize Janus productions, said actor Aaron Hoge.

“We won't lose that interactive style,” said “Alchemist” castmate Benedict L. Slabik II, who insists the company will continue its tradition of “classics with a new twist.”

“And a reverence for the traditional,” added Hoge.

While the potential of the new, modern space intrigues fellow ensemble member Julie Bayer, she admits missing the ambience of their former home.

“You had that wonderful, big fireplace, the large windows with the sconces, the chandeliers,” she said. “I miss that charm.”

<strong id="strong-8dc368c181a50e0660af0955b40eff7a">“The Alchemist”</strong>

Showtime: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, March 27 and 28; 2 p.m. Sunday, March 29

Where: Janus Theatre at the Elgin Art Center, 220 DuPage St., Elgin, janusplays.com

Tickets: $25

Upcoming: “An Enemy of the People,” by Henrik Ibsen, May 8-24