A few weeks ago, TimeOut New York published their Nine wishes for NYC theater. At that time, we Twittered the post and suggested that Chicago’s theater scene should look at the list, think about it, and translate it for ourselves. So, we decided to take our own advice, and created a wish list for ourselves.

To save you all from reading a 16 page blog entry, we are going to run this as a series until, well, until we run out of goals. So check back often to see The New Colony’s latest Goal for the Future of Chicago Theater! And, of course, feel free to comment and tell us your thoughts, and even add your own goals. If you are so inclined to write and publish your own list – feel free to link to it in our comments section so that everyone else can see.

And now – let the games…BEGIN!

1) Make Chicago the Home of NEW theater.

Those of us who chose Chicago as our theater home over any other city did so for a very specific reason. Chicago is one of the greatest cities for innovative and exciting new ideas. New artists are welcomed openly here. We want the new blood. We don’t make it hard to start working here. There really is something for everyone.

So let’s make that the mantra of this city. Chicago is not New York. Nor will it ever be. Nor do we want it to be! Chicago needs to declare and solidify itself as America’s City of New Theater.

We are not a city that should run the same fifteen shows for fifteen years. That is stagnant. And Chicago’s history as a city of invention and reinvention compels us away from stagnancy. But merely avoiding stagnancy is not enough. This city can be an epicenter of new art if we choose to make it that. The only way for that to happen is for our theater community to collectively end the habit of remounting and reproducing the same shows over and over again (sometimes within the same season!).

Storefront theaters: we make up the majority of that scene. So rather than letting the 10% at the top control the direction of Chicago theater – let’s take that responsibility and herald in a new era of World Premieres and New Works!

That doesn’t mean that the great works born throughout theater’s history should not be respected and performed now and then. It simply means that they should be the minority.

Let Broadway remount Neil Simon’s plays until the end of time.

We should be where the great plays of tomorrow are created, produced and given to the world.

NEXT UP: Show Some Balls When Programming Your Season

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  3. Goals for the Future of Chicago Theater: Jeff Awards – DIVERSIFY! “Did
  4. Goals for the Future of Chicago Theater: Audience Education Programs This Goal
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One Response to “Goals for the Future of Chicago Theater: NEW Theater”

  1. 12:36 am, 30 October, 2009 р.
    Mandy Tossman says:

    I love watching entertaining shows in Chicago. I got a word that a show- Banana Spheel is coming up. Any hint about the show?

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