Chopin Theatre

Chopin Theatre
Address 1543 W. Division St
Chicago, IL 60642
USA
Coordinates 41°54′11″N 87°40′0″W / 41.90306°N 87.66667°W / 41.90306; -87.66667
Owner Zygmunt Dyrkacz and Lela Headd Dyrkacz
Capacity 226 Main; 175 Studio
Production Live theater, literary, music, film and social events
Construction
Opened 1918
Reopened 1990
Architect M.F. Strunch Architects
Website
www.chopintheatre.com

Chopin Theatre is an independent, for-profit arts center located across the Polish Triangle[1] in Chicago's Wicker Park, considered to be one of Chicago's more artistic communities.

History

Founded in 1990, Chopin Theatre has grown into one of America’s most active arts centers, producing, co-producing or presenting over 500 theater, music, film, literary and social events each year. With approximately 1,800 unique events over its 25-year history, its mission is the promotion of enlightened civic discourse through a diverse range of artistic offerings. Chopin Theatre is privately held and operates without public funding.

Chopin Theatre has produced over 110 of its own productions, mostly Eastern European, and has hosted performers from each American state and from over 40 countries. Its many guests have included renowned theater companies such as Actor's Gang, Collaboraction, House Theatre,",[2] The Hypocrites,",[3] Legnica, ",[4] Montownia, Roadworks Theater, Teatr Cogitar and over 300 other companies; Pulitzer winners Gwendolyn Brooks, Yusef Komunyakaa and Studs Terkel; authors Stuart Dybek, Aleksandar Hemon, Haki Madhubuti, Sara Paretsky, Art Shay, Zadie Smith, Bronislaw Wildstein and Howard Zinn; poets Nikki Giovanni, Luis Rodriguez, Mark Smith, Michael Warr and Adam Zagajewski; actors John Cusack and Jeremy Piven; acclaimed musicians Edward Auer, Peter Brotzman, Chuck D., Kurt Elling, Von Freeman, Fareed Haque, Adam Makowicz ",[5] Rob Mazurek, Dominic Miller and Paul Wertico.

Chopin Theatre has also organized over 60 interviews or "Spotkania" with leading Polish and Polish American cultural and political figures including Wesley Adamczyk, Grazyna Auguscik, Urszula Dudziak, Andrzej Dudzinski, Stuart Dybek, Jan Englert, Slawomir Fabicki, Feliks Falk, Natasza Goerke, Ryszard Horowitz, Kazimierz Kalkowski, Tymoteusz Karpowicz, Tadeusz Konwicki, Krzysztof Krauze, Ireneusz Krosny, Ryszard Krynicki, Frank Kujawinski, Leszek Madzik, Bronislaw Maj, Michal Pawel Markowski, P. Marcinkiewicz, Andrzej Nowak, Marek Nowakowski, Jan Peszek, Maciej Płażyński, Piotr Sommer, Franciszek Starowiejski, Andrzej Stasiuk, Grzegorz Stec, Jozef Szajna, Joanna Trzeciak, Beata Tyszkiewicz, Bronislaw Wildstein, Bronislaw Wroclawski and Adam Zagajewski.

Chopin Theatre is also the producer of I-Fest, www.i-fest.com.[6] an international festival of solo performances which has brought to Chicago 17 international artists from 10 countries—Austria, England, Finland, France, Germany, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Slovenia, Switzerland and Ukraine.

Originally constructed in 1918 by M.F. Strunch Architects as a 987-seat nickelodeon, today it houses a Main Stage (226), Cabaret Studio (50-100) with its Pregnant Buffalo Lounge, the Nelson Algren Café, East Wing Art Gallery and the office/residence of owners Zygmunt and Lela Dyrkacz.[7]

Building

The building of the Chopin Theatre was designed in 1918 by M.F. Strunch Architects as a 987-seat theater at 1541-43 W. Division Street. Today it houses a Main Stage (226) and a Cabaret Studio (50-100) with its Pregnant Buffalo Lounge. According to the Theatre Historical Society of America, the theatre's name has changed several times over the years from Chopin Theatre to Harding Theatre, back to Chopin Theatre and then to Pix Theatre from 1940-1948. During the next 40 years it went through a number of alternate uses: Security Federal Savings and Loan; thrift shop; discothèque, etc. In 1990 the vacant building was purchased by the Dyrkacz Family and gradually restored.

Notable guests

References

  1. ↑ Cox, Ted Division and Milwaukee to Be Designated ‘Polish Triangle’. DNAinfo Chicago. Retrieved on June 3, 2015.
  2. ↑ Chris Jones (19 June 2012). "House Theatre to stage start of ‘new trilogy’ as part of 2012-13 season". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2015-07-15.
  3. ↑ Charles Isherwood (7 November 2008). "Prolific Director, Off Off Off Off Broadway". The New York Times. Retrieved 2015-07-15.
  4. ↑ Theater In Chicago (29 October 2006). "Othello". Theater in Chicago. Retrieved 2015-07-15.
  5. ↑ Howard Reich (30 August 2011). "A rare return by a towering Polish pianist". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2015-07-18.
  6. ↑ Phillips, Michael Kienberger comically plays off childhood memories at "I-Fest’ Chicago Tribune. Retrieved on June 3, 2015.
  7. ↑ Vire, Kris / Chicago is no longer American Theatre’s Second City The Guardian. Retrieved on June 3, 2015

http://chopintheatre.com/about_us.php

http://www.timeout.com/chicago/theater/chopin-theatre

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2003-12-05/entertainment/0312050379_1_landmark-presents-loop

http://www.yelp.com/biz/chopin-theatre-chicago

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