Windy City Playhouse to Bring 'Downtown' Theater to Irving Park

IRVING PARK — Could Irving Park Road become Chicago's next theater district?

With the opening of Windy City Playhouse in spring 2015, it will at least have made a start.

Introducing the Playhouse to neighbors at a recent meeting of The Residents of Irving Park, the theater's managing director Evelyn Jacoby said, "We want to build up community support for an atypical theater district."

Though Chicago is renowned as a theater town, most productions are "limited to certain locations in the city," Jacoby said.

Windy City Playhouse, 3014 W. Irving Park Rd., will not only bring live theater into the heart of neighborhoods where few similar options exist, but the location is also closer to home for a lot of actors and crew members, according to Jacoby.

"We realized how many members of the theater community live in Irving Park and Albany Park and North Center," she said.

Accessibility is a key word for the Playhouse, according to Jacoby, not just in terms of having a physical address within walking distance or a quick bus ride of its target audience — "The same folks who would go to Belmont or Downtown" — but also in terms of the material it presents.

Where Chicago-style theater is often characterized as dark and moody, she said the Playhouse wants to be "really entertaining."

"A comedy can be incredible art," she said. "We want to be easy on the ears, easy on the eyes and a great night out of art that's full of fun."

With a full bar and a kitchen serving light food, the Playhouse aims to be a one-stop shop — a place for patrons to eat and drink before and after the show.

"Our hope is that we're filling a void," said Jacoby.

The space, which will have seating for 150, will also be available for rentals, she added.

The premiere season of shows has already been set, boasting productions directed by veterans from The Goodman and Steppenwolf theaters.

"I think it speaks to the theater community in Chicago that they're willing to commit to a new space and new company," said Jacoby.

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