AUDITORIUM THEATRE OF ROOSEVELT UNIVERSITY INC
50 East Ida B Wells Dr, Chicago, IL 60605 www.auditoriumtheatre.org

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Organizations Filed Purposes: The Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University, an Illinois not-for-profit corporation, is committed to presenting the finest in international, cultural, community and educational programming to Chicago and to the continued restoration and preservation of the National Historic Landmark Auditorium Theatre.

The Auditorium Theatre is a National Historic Landmark, a designated Chicago Landmark, and a contributing property to the Historic Michigan Boulevard District. Of all Chicago's monuments, none more accurately embodies the spirit of the city and soul of its people than the performance venue that has stood within this building anchoring this boulevard since 1889. Today the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University restores and operates the 3,900 seat theatre as an Illinois not-for-profit historic site and live venue directed by the humanities mission to present the finest in international, cultural, community, and educational programming to Chicago, and to the continued restoration and preservation of the National Historic Landmark Auditorium Theatre. We earned national recognition this fiscal year when the League of Historic American Theatres presented the 2019 Outstanding Historic Theatre Award to the Auditorium Theatre for demonstrated excellence in public programming, community impact, and ongoing restorations. Following the success of the 1885 Opera Festival, prominent Chicagoan Ferdinand Wythe Peck approached the now-legendary architectural firm Adler and Sullivan to develop Chicago's first permanent venue for grand opera. When the city's tragic Haymarket riot made headlines around the world in 1886, our founders became even more determined to innovate a democratic theatre design where people of all classes, not just the city's elite, could gather together to enjoy an experience of the performing arts and public dialogue - a Theatre for the People. Three years later, US President Benjamin Harrison dedicated the opening of the Auditorium on December 9, 1889 to a standing-room only crowd. Its mammoth scale, extraordinary acoustics, sheer beauty, and engineering marvels demonstrated that Chicago had surpassed its tragedies and helped to secure the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition for the city of Chicago. In its first 50 years, the Auditorium hosted the world's most celebrated opera stars, renowned actors, groundbreaking dancers, and political leaders of the highest levels. The theatre shuttered in 1941 in the wake of the Great Depression. Aside from when the city of Chicago operated it as a World War II servicemen's center, the venue sat unused and in disrepair until Mrs. Beatrice Spachner led 75 members of the Auditorium Theatre Council through a seven-year campaign to restore the venue to its original purpose and functional use. Their work culminated in the grand re-opening of the Auditorium Theatre in October 1967 with New York City Ballet performing George Balanchine's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" to a sold-out house. Today, we continue its legacy as the Theatre for the People by restoring and operating the Auditorium Theatre as a resource for all of Chicago. In the 2019 fiscal year, the Auditorium Theatre brought together 258,000 patrons to our landmark stage in the downtown Loop neighborhood of Chicago, and engaged 15,500 people in original arts access programs that took place onsite and in more than 52 neighborhood sites across Chicago. The Auditorium Theatre provides economic opportunity for 600 local artists, humanists, teaching artists, and production professionals each year, and more than 1,000 others visiting Chicago while on tour nationally and internationally. The mission-based Auditorium Theatre 2018-19 Season highlighted brilliant storytellers and deepened our commitment to them with many premieres and celebrations. The 17 season engagements offered 29 public performances and 4 student matinees through the International Dance Series, American Music Series, "Made in Chicago" 312 Dance Series, and "National Geographic Live" series. Season engagements included: Ballet Folklorico de Mexico de Amalia Hernandez, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, American Ballet Theatre, Eifman Ballet St. Petersburg, Disney in Concert: Tim Burton's "The Nightmare Before Christmas" with Chicago Philharmonic playing the film score live, Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons, "Too Hot to Handel: The Jazz-Gospel Messiah," "A Whole New World of Alan Menken," a shared performance with Ate9/ Visceral/ and Deeply Rooted Dance Company, Trinity Irish Dance Company, and a shared evening with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and Malpaso Dance Company. Season patrons traveled from every standard Chicago zip code, over 450 other zip codes across Illinois, and all 50 states to visit the Auditorium Theatre. They represented every living generation, every income level, and every level of education. Pre-show Fireside Chats, post-show Q+As, Young Professionals Nights, Dance Master Class Series, and similar events brought together 1,350 patrons to connect with each other and with the artists and ideas of our seasons. The signature programs of the Creative Engagement Department are an extension of the Auditorium Theatre Season and were offered at little or no cost so that 15,500 people of all ages, incomes, and backgrounds could connect with each other and with the artists and ideas of our seasons. They took place at the theatre and at 52 neighborhood sites throughout the Chicago area. These include ArtsXChange professional development mentorship year for teachers, Hearts to Art performing arts youth bereavement camp, the Student Matinee Series, TOO HOT Outreach and Prison Initiative, and ADMIT ONE community arts engagement program. At the center of our humanities work is the continued restoration of the last extant theatre designed by American masters Dankmar Adler and Louis Sullivan and the preservation of the venue's storied legacy as "A jewel of the city anyone can wear" (Chicago Tribune). The signature restoration project of 2019 Currently, we are restoring more of Louis Sullivan's original stenciling finishes that were lost to redecorations during his lifetime and famously rediscovered by Crombie Taylor with John Vinci in the 1960s. Before now, these designs had not been in place for over 100 years. Auditorium Theatre Historian Bart Swindall began developing the Historic Theatre Tour program in 1992. In 2019, trained docents led 1,600 visitors on 60-minute public tours. Tours are regularly scheduled 200 times year-round for small groups up to 10 visitors. An additional 30 private tours were given to large groups on request.

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