Community theaters making post-pandemic plans
Entertainment venues have been hit especially hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, two Chicagoland community theaters, while currently shuttered, are hopeful they will survive and even thrive after coronavirus shutdowns end.
Katy Steele, actor and Publicity Manager for Albright Community Theatre in Batavia, has been involved with the theater since 2012. She said the Albright staff has working on the theater space during the pandemic.
“Currently, the Albright is using the time away from the stage to focus on making improvements to our space. For example, we’re converting one of our back rooms (previously used for storage and extra rehearsal space) into a black box theatre that can be used for workshops and more stylized or intimate productions,” Steele said.
Josh Beadle, executive director/ founder of Three Brothers Theatre, said the Waukegan theater also has been busy making plans.
“We will be announcing a series of radio/podcast plays in two weeks as well as a series of streaming one-person plays,” said Beadle, who has been involved with the theater since it opened eight years ago. “Our hope is to reopen in February 2021 with ‘The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged).’ ”
Steele said Albright Community Theater also hopes to return in early 2021, and they’ve started a GoFundMe fundraiser to generate support for the decades-old establishment. The first show on the schedule is “So Glad We Had This Time … Apart,” a collection of sketches from “The Carol Burnett Show.”
“Over the past few years, our board of directors has worked to use the success of our shows to put us in a position where we can weather this storm without significant financial concern. This, along with the support of the city of Batavia, means we are incredibly blessed not to be another statistic of the pandemic,” Steele said.
“The Albright Community Theatre first opened its doors in 1974 with a membership of five people and an audience of eight. We’ve persisted through eight relocations, a devastating fire, and a name change to become a wellloved fixture of our Batavia community.”
Three Brothers has moved its fall season to 2021. “Financially, we’re in great shape right now. We have no fear of closing and we’ve got a nice rainy day fund to ensure that we don’t go anywhere any time soon,” Beadle said.
Community theaters are full of dedicated volunteers and staffers.
I asked Beadle and Steele to mention someone in their groups to highlight.
“I’d love to give a shout out to Jordan Wilson, our box office manager, for being on top of this whole situation and offering up new rules, regulations, and policies for when we are able to return,” Beadle said.
“One of the Albright’s most beloved people is Jeannine Collins. Jeannine has been part of the theater since it was founded 46 years ago — in fact, she played the title character in our very first show, ‘Star Spangled Girl,’ ” Steele said. “She’s brought her love of theater to countless plays, and has made sure that generations of actors and volunteers have felt welcome in the theater she helped create. Jeannine continues to stay involved and enthusiastic, and in December of 2019 we named the Jeannine Collins Mainstage in her honor.”
Albright Community Theatre is located at Batavia Government Center at 100 N. Island Ave. on the third floor. Call 630-740-6228 or email info@albright theatre.com, or go to albrighttheatre. com/index.html.
Three Brothers Theatre is at 115 and 221 N. Genesee St. in Waukegan. Call 224-419-4325 or email 3brotherstheatre@gmail. com, or go to threebrothers theatre.com.