Emerald City Theatre Guts, Rebuilds Storefront to Call Home (PHOTOS)

The non-profit theater formerly hopped between Lake View stages like Theater Wit and Sage 773, but starting May 29, they’ll have a space all their own.

They’ve hopped between local staples like Lincoln Park's Apollo Theater The Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place, but now organizers behind the Emerald City Theatre Company are unveiling a newly transformed space to call their own. Marketing and Events Manager Aileen McGraddy said owners completely gutted and transformed the storefront at 2933 N. Southport Ave. across the street form the Athenaeum to create their Little Theatre. Following their ribbon cutting on May 29, the Emerald City Little Theatre is ready to provide professional lighting and sound systems for young children age 0-to 4-years-old. The organization's other students will also utilize the new space.  “It is a natural extension of our current work,” said Executive …

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Music Box Theatre Gutting, Renovating Screening Space

The historic theater on Southport Avenue is transforming one of its screening rooms. A bigger screen and new layout is in order.

Fans of foreign and independent films will soon have an updated, new space to sit back, relax and enjoy the show as the Music Box Theatre guts and renovates one of its screening rooms. The historic theater at 3733 N. Southport Ave. started construction on one of its two auditoriums, practically gutting the entire space. When finished, the 99-seat space will be downsized to 70 seats and feature a larger screen. Permits estimate the work will cost $150,000. Buck LePard, assistant general manager at the Music Box, says the project has been in the works for some time, and now it’s finally come to fruition. “We’re renovating our second theater,” LePard said. “We have two theaters—our main one that seats 700 and another that seats about 100. We’…

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Grumpy Old Man

3:56 pm on Tuesday, May 14, 2013

I only included it as one I recall. It certainly wasn't in the same category as Fine Arts, Three Penny, Village or the Biograph. I've been in Chicago for the relatively short time of 24 years so I'm a kid on the block as far as Chicago is concerned.   more ›

Lineup Announced: 'Fun.' Among Taste of Chicago Headliners

The Department of Cultural Affairs has announced the lineup of musical acts that will perform at the 2013 Taste of Chicago. Read on for the full list.

It looks like a little something for everyone at this year's Taste of Chicago.  The Department of Cultural Affairs and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel unveiled the list of performers that will be taking the stage at the Petrillo Music Shell during this summer's Taste of Chicago.  “We are thrilled to announce the headlining talent for this year’s Taste of Chicago,” Emanuel said, in a news release. “The Taste draws hundreds of thousands of residents and visitors to downtown Chicago and we are excited to offer attendees such a variety of recognized, energized and award-winning quality entertainers while enjoying a taste of Chicago’s culinary scene.” Tickets for the seating area will cost $25 while lawn seats are free. Tickets will go on sale at …

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Chipotle's Cultivate Returning With Exclusive Beer, New Lineup

The company's free, one-day festival is returning this summer to the heart of Lincoln Park. Cultivate Festival showcases the importance of fresh food, recycling and sustainability, overall. Initial details were released Monday.

Chipotle's free, one-day festival of food and music is returning to Lincoln Park for the third consecutive year. Company representatives announced the summer's plans Monday, which include sustainability fests, known as "Cultivate Festivals" in Denver, San Francisco and Chicago. The local soiree will be held in the heart of Lincoln Park on Sept. 8. Although the Chicago event's site wasn't yet finished on Monday, the company did release some lineup details. Watch a video of the 2012 Cultivate Festival in Lincoln Park. "In addition to live music and on-site chef demonstrations, each Cultivate event will include six interactive experiences focused on sustainable food—including experiences from the California Avocado Commission and Tabasco …

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Workers Busy as Steppenwolf Claims Old Ethan Allen

Construction was under way this week on a significant expansion to Lincoln Park's Steppenwolf Theatre Company. The business permit for the renovation was issued March 5.

Workers filed in and out Wednesday of Halsted's old Ethan Allen building, where work is under way on a giant expansion to the adjacent Steppenwolf Theatre Company. The company plans to issue up to $17 million in bonds to refinance existing debts and expand into the former furniture showroom, according to Crain's Chicago Business. The publication reports:   The rest of the bonds will be used to refinance loans at lower interest rates, including $6.1 million in bonds issued in 1998 and a mortgage obtained last year when it paid about $6.4 million for the site … The expansion will create “a learning lab” for theatergoers, said David Schmitz, managing director of Steppenwolf, which had revenue of $13.8 million in the fiscal year that ended Aug…

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Theater Wit Plans 6-Week Extension of Hit Show 'Completeness'

The romantic comedy at the Lake View theater will now run through May 4, officials announced.

Theater Wit has announced a six-week extension of its current hit play, Completeness.   Wit's "Highly Recommended...knockout Chicago premiere," according to Hedy Weiss of the Chicago Sun-Times, of Itamar Moses's smart, sexy new romantic comedy will now run through May 4, 2013. Completeness "celebrates the seductive power of smarts!" writes Chris Jones with the Chicago Tribune, while Kris Vire, Time Out Chicago assures  "If you don't find math and science sexy, Completeness might change your mind."    Wits' play about two brainy grad students toggling in and out of love has become a fast box office success for Theater Wit, located in the heart of Chicago's Lake View neighborhood at 1229 W. Belmont Avenue. Performances continue Thursday, …

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Mystery Dining Dishcrawl Leaves Good Taste in Lake View

Dishcrawl features tasting at four neighborhood eateries, but participants don't know what those are until the night of the event.

A new trend in dining is hitting Chicago. Dishcrawl is an event that combines tastings from four different restaurants, all a short distance from each other. The city had its first Dishcrawl in November and on Tuesday, fad came to Lake View. A small group toured four restaurants near Clark and Roscoe streets, but until 48 hours before the event, those restaurants remained a mystery. Participants buy tickets in advance and then receive an email detailing a meeting location. After a tasting at the first restaurant, the diners are led to the others, but usually don’t know the location until leaving the previous eatery. Tickets sold out in less than two weeks for the Lake View Dishcrawl, breaking a new record for Chicago, organizer Tessa …

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Lake View Gallery Curates Art for 'Chicago Fire'

The Leigh Gallery on North Halsted is dishing up art for the stars, with her main client these days being the crew at Chicago Fire.

Chicago Fire may be filming in Bucktown, but when it comes to snagging props for their show, they’re on the hunt in Lake View. The Leigh Gallery, located at 3306 N. Halsted St. in Boystown, serves up more than 80 artists' work to the production. Owner Jean Leigh, who opened the gallery eight years ago, says getting the unique gig was kind of a stroke of luck. “The way it happened was one of my artists had been utilized by TV companies in the past when filming in Chicago,” Leigh said. “They went to him, but they needed much more. They used a couple other galleries in the city, but he told them to come here, and when they did, they went nuts.” Leigh says she’s been working with the entertainment industry to be Chicago’s curator to the …

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DePaul Student Calls Oscars Honor 'Fork in the Road'

If you didn't look closely, you likely missed a Lincoln Park chemistry student's recent moment in the spotlight. He was among those handling trophies at this past week's Academy Awards show. Watch the attached video to see what earned him the spot.

If you were searching during Sunday's Oscars ceremony for the models who typically hand off the show's shiny trophies to presenters, you didn't find them. Instead, you saw aspiring filmmakers—one of which was a DePaul University student. Six of the country's college students, including Abe Diaz, won a contest to help present the statuettes this year, according to a Yahoo News story. Diaz, 18, is studying chemistry at the Lincoln Park university, but says film has always been a passion. He and the other five winners earned the 2013 Oscar-handling honor via 30-second videos and essays about their aspirations in the movie industry.  Yahoo reports:  "This tradition of the buxom babe that comes out and brings the trophy to the presenter to give…

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