UPTOWN — The first signs of change at the former Profiles Theatre space has arrived.
It's barely been a month since Pride Films and Plays acquired the space and it has officially claimed its new home with a new awning that reads Pride Arts Center.
The non-profit company, which specializes in LGBTQ-themed works, bought the space in July, about a month after Profiles Theatre closed amid allegations of years of psychological and physical abuse of actors surfaced.
The company, which was founded in 2010, is taking over both the space at 4147 N. Broadway, which seats 50, and the space at 4135 N. Broadway, which seats 90.
In June, Profiles Theatre closed to "further the healing process within our community" after an investigation by the Chicago Reader quoted a number of actors who said they were abused by Darrell W. Cox, the artistic director and driving force on and off the stage at the Uptown theater for years.
The authors of the Reader piece, Aimee Levitt and Christopher Piatt, were told by Profiles employees that the drama and physical violence that had been a keystone of the theater's critically-acclaimed productions were indeed at times fact instead of fiction, and traumatic for its performers.
After the "difficult situation," the new tenant company wants to "reclaim the space as a place for people to enjoy the theatrical arts," said Executive Director of Pride Film and Plays David Zak.
Zak, a Lincoln Square resident, said the new space needs some tender, loving care, but the company hopes to hold its first production there in January.
On Tuesday, he shared a photo of workers changing the awning via Facebook.
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