Downsizing continues to plague the off-Loop, as a tepid economy and soaring costs take their toll on theater budgets and audiences.
Remains Theatre, now in its third year in its cozy, contemporary home at 1800 N. Clybourn Ave., laid off publicist Wendy Jacobson earlier this week, one of the more talented and capable professionals in her line.
“It’s partially financial, but it’s also a matter of changing the way we do things and job definitions, and naturally we were distressed to lose Wendy,” said R.P. Sekon, Remains’ producing director. “But we still have a staff of eight others, and we’re working with arts management consultants on a whole range of issues. This is part of a way to make better use of resources.”
Remains, at it happens, is also searching for a new artistic director to replace longtime leader Larry Sloan, who announced earlier he would be leaving in July, although his departure isn’t economically motivated. “We hope to have a replacement by April,” Sekon said. “We intend to be around a long time.”
As with so many other not-for profit off-Loop troupes, finances have become increasingly precarious in recent days. For Remains, the disappointing reception given “Of Thee I Sing” last fall and less-than-blockbuster audiences for its current show, the acclaimed social drama “Snakebit,” have added to the theater’s crunch.
” `Snakebit’ did well in reviews, but in the coldest months of the winter it’s tough to sell a show about AIDS,” Sekon said.
Remains’ deficit is “modest,” he adds, but this latest go-round is a reminder of the delicate balance faced by non-profit live theaters in recent years. The Body Politic and Wisdom Bridge Theatres, which for the moment appear to be back on their feet, have both struggled with staff cutbacks, budget shortfalls and financial difficulties in the recent past.
To attract a younger market, Remains has been selling half of its tickets at $10 a shot, though Sekon said he and others in the company discuss the pros and cons of the low-priced tickets “all the time.” For now, the $10 tickets survive.
– The Joffrey Ballet’s “Billboards,” even before Tuesday’s scheduled Chicago premiere at the Civic Opera House, has been booked for an unexpected return visit.
The Joffrey will bring the work back for four performances Sept. 30-Oct. 3 to the Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Congress Pkwy. For tickets to the additional performances, call 312-902-1500.
– Chicago choreographer Joel Hall is teaming up with gospel great Calvin Bridges for “New Street Life,” an original work combining jazz dance and music as part of the company’s engagement Thursday through Monday at the Merle Reskin Theater (the renamed Blackstone Theatre), just west of Michigan Avenue on Balbo Drive.
Bridges worked with the Goodman Theater’s production of “The Gospel of Colonus” several seasons back. For tickets to the Reskin engagement: 312-362-8455.
– “Pantomime,” a lyrical work by 1992 Nobel Prize-winning author Derek Walcott, will be the final offering this season at Court Theatre on the University of Chicago campus.
The drama is about an Englishman who brings vaudeville to his guest house on the island of Tobago. Jonathan Wilson, whose acclaimed credits include “From the Mississippi Delta,” will direct. For tickets: 312-753-4472.
