CHICAGO (WLS) — TimeLine Theatre Company proudly unveiled its new home in Uptown, marking a significant milestone in its journey.
After years of operating from a church, the theatre company is thrilled to have a permanent venue to call its own.
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This achievement is particularly meaningful for the founders.
“It’s been 29 years since we started the company,” said artistic director PJ Powers. “We were six former DePaul University theatre students with big dreams of creating a theater company that delves into history and connects it with current issues.”
The new facility is a transformed warehouse located on Broadway Avenue in Chicago’s North Side. Covering 21,000 square feet, it boasts a 250-seat theater, a bar, a cafe with a patio, a gallery, and spaces for rehearsals and public gatherings.
This $46 million initiative was realized through generous donations and support from both the state and city. Mayor Brandon Johnson was on hand to celebrate the ribbon-cutting event.
“Uptown has always been one of Chicago’s most vibrant cultural corridors, and today TimeLine joins a proud tradition in this neighborhood,” Johnson said. “Arts and cultural spaces, like this new theater, are not luxuries. They are important spaces that connect out communities.”
The new site allows for TimeLine Theatre Company to continue its mission to highlight social and political issues through storytelling. It is opening the door for the next generation of artists.
“I got my start at TimeLine when I was just 9 years old, playing young Queen Elizabeth in the play ‘The Audience,’ and I later returned for ‘What the Constitution Means to Me,’ so TimeLine feels like home,” performer Sophie Ackerman said.
Performances at the new theatre are set to begin in May.
“We want young people to first and foremost feel like this is a space for them,” Powers said. “And to know that they can have a place in theater and they have a voice in making art.”
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