Chicago Theatre Week moves city, suburban productions online this year
After eight years, Chicago's annual theater festival coordinator Deb Clapp wasn't optimistic the event would happen this year.
Clapp, the executive director of the League of Chicago Theatres, assumed neither theatergoers nor the league's 225-plus city and suburban members would have much interest in celebrating live performances in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic that closed theaters 11 months ago.
But when league members expressed interest in going ahead with Chicago Theatre Week 2021, Clapp agreed. The result, produced in cooperation with Choose Chicago, is an event re-imagined for the virtual realm with filmed performances, audio plays and readings from Chicago-area ensembles including the suburbs' McAninch Arts Center in Glen Ellyn, Metropolis Performing Arts Centre in Arlington Heights, Northlight in Skokie, Oil Lamp in Glenview, Writers in Glencoe and the Actors Gymnasium in Evanston.
The determination of theater makers, donors and board members to go ahead with Chicago Theatre Week 2021 reflects the spirit of perseverance that underscores Chicago's vibrant theater scene, Clapp said.
“Everyone wants to celebrate this community that has continued to work throughout the pandemic, that has tried to stay in touch with audiences by doing as much as they can safely - both online and outside,” she said.
Clapp continues, “This art form is so important. It's so integral to what Chicago is, that we need to continue to support it ... and oh boy when we get back is there going to be a party.”
Some of the featured performances - such as Metropolis' “Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery” and Broken Nose Theatre's “Bechdel Fest 8: Realign” - are current. Others, including Victory Gardens Theater's “Where Did We Sit on the Bus?” and Court Theatre's “An Iliad,” are filmed performances of previous shows.
“For loyal theatergoers and newcomers alike this is a way to stay connected to the art form you love,” said Clapp.
The festival's mission remains the same: to encourage people to sample Chicago-area ensembles and maybe step out of their comfort zone and experience a new theater company. The reduced ticket prices are meant to incentivize theatergoers to try something new, Clapp said. The same premise animates this year's digital version. You don't have to leave your house, she said, so what have you got to lose?
“You can see interesting digital content,” she said, “and maybe when you're ready to go back (to the theater) you'll try it out in person.”
Admission to the digital performances varies by theater, but many tickets are pay-what-you-can with donations encouraged - and there's not a theater in the area that hasn't felt the pandemic-induced financial strain. To that end, Clapp suggests viewers consider donating to a company the $15 or $30 they would spend on a ticket during a typical Chicago Theatre Week.
While the type of streaming that defines Chicago Theatre Week 2021 may remain part of theater, Clapp says it will never replace the in-person experience.
“Moving into digital has opened up possibilities, but I don't think it will become a major part of what we do,” she said. “Not that digital is less than ... but there is something so incredibly magical about people coming together in a space to tell and experience a story in a way that's only going to happen that one time.”
And theater officials hope that by this time next year, Chicago-area theater and its annual Chicago Theatre Week celebration will have returned in their original, well-loved formats.
“When we are given a green light to reopen, whether that is with masks and distancing and new protocols in place,” Clapp said, “we will be ready.”
Chicago Theatre Week 2021
When: Feb. 25 through March 7. See chicagotheatreweek.com for a schedule.
Where: Online through participating theaters' websites
Tickets: Prices vary by theater or ensemble. Some are pay-what-you-can with donations encouraged.