LINCOLN PARK — Theater on the Lake is throwing open an area to see the Air & Water Show this weekend even as a $6 million renovation of the building continues.
The theater, 2401 N. Lake Shore Drive, is offering $10 tickets to a so-called Lakefront Green area outside the building to view the Air Show Saturday and Sunday.
"It's the community's front yard, so they're invested in what happens here too," said Susan Nicholl, general manager of the theater. "I think the public and the community will be very pleasantly surprised."
Mayor Rahm Emanuel broke ground in December on the $6 million project to turn the theater into a year-round venue with 330 seats, and it's expected to be completed by fall, with the addition of a 125-seat restaurant and semicircular patio to the south with a view of the skyline.
The grounds around the building — originally constructed as a sanitarium in 1920 and converted into an open-air theater in 1953 — are being turned into a private viewing area to generate some income this weekend. Nicholl said the theater occupies six acres, and some of that will be left open to the public, while another area will be turned into what she called "sort of a beer garden."
A $10 general-admission ticket grants entry to that enclosed area with reserved seating and access to food and drink, as well as bathrooms.
The ticket packages available include a $50 "6-Pack" including six vouchers for beer and wine, with one that can be redeemed for food, while a $75 all-inclusive package includes admission, beer, wine and one voucher for food. Those attending must be 21 for the beer & wine packages. It's slated to run 10 a.m.-5 p.m. both days. Nicholl said they expected to sell out.
Nicholl added they would also be open on a come-on-in basis for the show's practice on Friday from 10-3 at no additional charge except to buy food or drink.
While a mile up the lakefront from the Air & Water Show's ground zero between North Avenue Beach and Oak Street Beach, the venue's $10 ticket is a considerable savings compared with the $125-$750 viewing packages available at the brand new Shore Club at North Avenue Beach, 1603 N. Lake Shore Drive.
According to Nicholl, the renovation is on pace, and the theater could reopen in the next few weeks with the new patio, indoor dining area and kitchen. She said they were shooting for Labor Day weekend or perhaps before that, adding, "We're repolishing a beautiful gem."
