In 2050, I envision a Chicago that is world-renowned for not only its sports, politics, skyline, food and businesses, but also its dynamic arts scene. The arts will be the centerpiece of our cultural ecosystem.
With the advent of artificial intelligence, many see technology as a hazard to the creative arts — particularly theater, film and television — with actors being replaced by digital approximations of themselves. I see the opposite. This technological advancement will challenge our notions of what the arts are capable of.
It will also reshape the landscape of performance. I see many itinerant theaters finding permanent homes, and midsize to large venues returning to audacious productions with far greater frequency.
As a young, aspiring actor, I was captivated by Chicago’s vibrant arts scene. I loved all forms of art, but the theater enraptured me.
I remember watching Peter Brook’s “Hamlet” at Chicago Shakespeare Theater and marveling at Adrian Lester’s mastery of language and movement. I can still picture Harry Lennix in “A Raisin in the Sun” at the Goodman Theatre, and I dreamed of one day emulating his voice and presence onstage. I close my eyes and can still see him: the control, the presence, the command of the stage.
Later, I sat in on rehearsals of “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” at Steppenwolf Theatre and was consumed by the process, watching Gary Sinise, Amy Morton and K. Todd Freeman craft what would become one of the company’s defining productions.
I reveled in the fact that these bold performances were amplified in my city. Today, these daring productions are seared into my memory as examples of what Chicago theater is capable of. I had no idea at the time how they would shape my perspective of the future of this industry in Chicago.
While names like Steppenwolf and Goodman often dominate national headlines, smaller theaters define the cultural identity of our theater scene. Companies such as A Red Orchid, Raven, TimeLine, Strawdog, Steep, About Face and Shattered Globe exemplify the vitality of the theater community.
For many of these institutions, a permanent home is vital to longevity. Every company dreams of one day having a space of its own. Space, place and presence are not only hallmarks of success, but also a representation of the work that has been put in over time for everyone associated with the journey: a place to call home. By 2050, many will have secured that stability, companies such as Definition Theatre, Teatro Vista Productions and Lillian Marcie Center that Lennix is building on the South Side.
By 2050, Chicago will have returned to large-scale productions. Today, even productions with larger casts or elevated production costs have become difficult to produce. That will change: There will be a return to abundance as these productions expand Chicago’s artistic footprint and reinforce its place as a leading theater city.
This essay is part of a series developed in collaboration with World Business Chicago wherein accomplished authors envision what Chicago could and should look like in 2050.
Chicago is known for its hard-nosed politics and take-no-prisoners attitude. Our theater-makers share that spirit. We take risks. We make bold choices. And we have not been afraid to fail.
The financial constraints of making art have made us more risk-averse. But by 2050, I see us becoming bolder, and a key will be our willingness to evolve.
Arts organizations will also be on stronger financial footing. Today, many operate in a precarious position, almost wholly dependent on philanthropy to meet annual budget needs. That model is increasingly unsustainable.
Funders are stretched thin. Post-pandemic, organizations have scaled back programming because of the loss of foundational support and ticket revenue. At the same time, theater competes with streaming services in the attention economy.
Scaling back becomes a double-edged sword: Fewer productions mean fewer opportunities to engage audiences or generate revenue. Theater leaders recognize this and are working to create new models of sustainability.
By 2050, we will have found them, resulting in our most robust programming in decades, with less reliance on philanthropy than today’s 50% to 75% model.
That transformation will include a fundamental shift in how theater engages with technology:
• We will accept that theater cannot compete with streaming on its terms — and stop trying to.
• Instead, we will not only have embraced but also have integrated the same technology that has revolutionized the TV and film industries. Imagine an audience in the theater interacting in real time with viewers at home, or productions unfolding simultaneously onstage and behind the scenes for different audiences.
• We will have evolved as engineers of the theatrical experience, to the point that technology will be embedded into the art form itself.
This transformation will not replace theater. It will expand it.
The arts are at the center of culture. They are our recorded history of civilization. They give us context for what came before and an idea of what may come. Most importantly, they speak to our humanity, to the belief we have in ourselves.
In 2050, we will look back at who we are today and wonder if we fulfilled the promise of tomorrow.
As I look to the future, I find myself returning to my earliest days as a young actor, and to a saying that has stayed with me throughout my career: “Fortune favors the bold.”
Glenn Davis is the artistic director of Steppenwolf Theatre Co.
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