What's next after al fresco dining in Arlington Heights? How about theater under the stars
First outdoor dining, and now outdoor theater?
On the heels of the popular Arlington Alfresco that closed downtown Arlington Heights streets in 2020 - and is set to start again this Friday - the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre plans to stage productions this spring and summer just blocks away under a tent.
Theater and village officials have proposed closing Eastman Avenue from Arlington Heights Road to Evergreen Street - right in-between North School Park and a village-owned parking garage - where a 40-by-90-foot tent would play host to two theater productions from May through September.
The structure - with tent flaps open on the west and south sides - would have room for at least 80 socially-distanced, masked theatergoers. The stage would be situated 60 feet east of Evergreen and face Arlington Heights Road, with the nearest residences some 200 feet away in the other direction at the Hancock Square apartments. Metropolis officials say the tent will be lined with small speakers that face inward, and volume will be regulated, in an effort to be good neighbors.
The plans earned a positive reception from village trustees this week, though formal approvals are still to come before the first show opens May 6.
"We believe that the tent possibility gives us the greater option to produce shows immediately that are revenue generating and provide the highest level of safety and comfort for our patrons at least from a consumer confidence point of view," said Joe Keefe, the theater's executive artistic director.
The downtown Campbell Street theater's in-person programming has been shuttered for a year - and revenues effectively frozen - amid the COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions on indoor gatherings. Metropolis hosted a test concert last August with plexiglass on the stage, but officials say it proved challenging.
Current restrictions under Phase 4 of the state's Restore Illinois plan allows 50 theater patrons indoors, but as many as 100 outdoors.
Metropolis officials believe the theater could be one of the few in the suburbs or city to host performances under the stars this summer, with larger venues staying closed because of tight profit margins and storefront theaters operating with only part-time staff.
Metropolis has already sold 1,600 season subscriptions, while officials hope to ramp up single ticket sales for the outdoor shows: "Little Shop of Horrors," and the Frank Sinatra tribute "My Way."
"There are no metrics yet to tell us what those sales are going to be," Keefe said. "Having said that, if we don't produce a show, we know what those metrics are - they're zero."
Brookes Ebetsch, the theater's executive operations director, also said there's plans to partner with restaurants on the north side of the train tracks for "dinner and a show" marketing offers.
"We view this opportunity as a sort of 'Metropolis Alfresco,'" Ebetsch said.
They said they hope to defray costs for the outdoor tent and related equipment through donations, and are 30% of the way there already.