Victory Gardens Theater

Victory Gardens Theater is a theater company in Chicago, Illinois dedicated to the development and production of new plays and playwrights. The theater company was founded in 1974 when eight Chicago artists, Cecil O'Neal, Warren Casey, Stuart Gordon, Cordis Heard, Roberta Maguire, Mac McGuinnes, June Pyskaček, and David Rasche each fronted $1,000 to start a company outside the Chicago Loop and Gordon donated the light board of his Organic Theater Company. The theater's first production, The Velvet Rose, by Stacy Myatt premiered on October 9, 1974. Since 2011, Chay Yew has continued their mission as the Artistic Director.

VG Biograph in 2018

Clark Street, 1974

The company’s initial home was the Northside Auditorium Building, 3730 N. Clark Street in Chicago, originally a Swedish social club. Its second production—a country-western musical co-produced with commercial producers called The Magnolia Club by Jeff Berkson, John Karraker and David Karraker—was the company’s first hit. Marcelle McVay was the first Managing Director.

In 1975, director Dennis Začek staged The Caretaker by Harold Pinter, beginning a relationship that led to Začek being named artistic director in 1977.

Key on-going collaborators worked with the company for the first time in the Clark Street space, including actor William L. Petersen, Marcelle McVay, director Sandy Shinner, and playwrights Steve Carter and Jeffrey Sweet. All of these people continue relationships with the company today. McVay, who is married to Dennis Zacek, subsequently became managing director and Sandy Shinner later became associate artistic director.

Body Politic Theater, 1981

In 1981, the success of Sweet’s third play with the company, Ties, led to it being transferred to an extended run in the larger space downstairs at the Body Politic Theater at 2257 N. Lincoln. When Ties closed, downstairs became Victory Gardens’ new home. Upon the demise of the Body Politic company some years later, Victory Gardens acquired the whole building, housing four stages.

In 1989, Začek’s staging of James Sherman’s Beau Jest was such a hit that it moved for a long run off-Broadway and was subsequently staged in hundreds of productions around the world. In 2008, Sherman released a film version of the play starring Lainie Kazan and Seymour Cassel.[1]

In 1996, the Victory Gardens Playwrights Ensemble was created, a coming together of a diverse group of playwrights under a producing organization, virtually unheard of in American resident theaters. Founding members Steve Carter and James Sherman were joined by Claudia Allen, Dean Corrin, Lonnie Carter, Gloria Bond Clunie, John Logan, Nicholas Patricca, Douglas Post, Charles Smith, Jeffrey Sweet and Kristine Thatcher as the founding members of the company’s Playwrights Ensemble.

On June 3, 2001, Victory Gardens received the Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre.[2] Winning the award made them one of five Chicago companies to be so honored the other four being the Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Goodman Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, and Lookingglass Theatre Company.

Move to Biograph Theatre, 2006

In 2006, Victory Gardens underwent a $11.8 million renovation and opened a re-designed Biograph Theater at 2433 N. Lincoln Avenue as its new home. The Biograph, the notorious location of the ambush of gangster John Dillinger, opened with a party hosted by William L. Petersen, who played Dillinger at Victory Gardens at the beginning of his career. The space at 2257 N. Lincoln has been redubbed the Victory Gardens Greenhouse and is mostly rented to a variety of non-profit companies including Shattered Globe and Remy Bumppo Theatre Company. In 2008 the Victory Gardens Greenhouse was sold to the Wendy and William Spatz Charitable Foundation. It is now the Greenhouse Theater Center.

In 2010, Victory Gardens named the studio space at the Biograph Theater the Richard Christiansen Theatre in honor of longtime Chicago Tribune theatre critic Richard Christiansen, author of the book A Theatre of Our Own.

Current Leadership with Chay Yew

Chay Yew was named Artistic Director in 2011. Chay is joined by Erica Daniels, who acts as Managing Director of the company.

Samuel D. Hunter, an ensemble playwright at Victory Gardens, is a 2014 recipient of the MacArthur "Genius" Award.[3]

Playwrights Ensemble

Current Victory Gardens Playwrights Ensemble:

Victory Gardens Playwrights Ensemble Alumni:

Recent Production History
    • Right To Be Forgotten by Sharyn Rothstein. Chicago Premiere (May 2020)[4]
    • Dhaba on Devon by playwright Madhuri Shekar and directed by Artistic Director Chay Yew. World Premiere (March 2020)[5]
    • How To Defend Yourself by playwright Liliana Padilla and directed by Marti Lyons. Co-World Premiere with Actors Theatre of Louisville (January 2020)[6]
    • The First Deep Breath by playwright Lee Edward Colton II and directed by Steve H. Broadnax III. World Premiere (November 2019)[7]
    • Tiny Beautiful Things by author Cheryl Strayed, adapted by Nia Vardalos, and directed by Vanessa Stalling. Chicago Premiere (September 2019)[8]
    • If I Forget by playwright Steven Levenson and directed by Devon De Mayo. (June 2019)[9]
    • Cambodian Rock Band by playwright Lauren Yee, with Music By Dengue Fever, and directed by Marti Lyons. (April 2019)[10]
    • Pipeline by playwright Dominique Mori and directed by Cheryl Lynn Bruce. (February 2019)[11]
    • Rightlynd by playwright Ike Holter and directed by Lisa Portes. (November 2018)[12]
    • Indecent by playwright Paula Vogel and directed by Gary Griffin. (September 2018)[13]
    • Culture Clash: An American Odyssey by Culture Clash (October 2018)[14]
    • Mies Julie by playwright Yaël Farber and directed by Dexter Bullard. (May 2018)[15]
    • Lettie by playwright Boo Killebrew and directed by Chay Yew. (April 2018)[16]
    • Breach: a manifesto on race in America through the eyes of a black girl recovering from self-hate by playwright Antoinette Nwandu and directed by Lisa Portes. (February 2018)[17]
    • Fade by playwright Tanya Saracho and directed by Sandra Marquez. (November 2017)[18]
    • Fun Home by Jeanine Tesori (Music), Lisa Kron (Book & Lyrics), and directed by Gary Griffin. (September 2017)[19]
    • Native Gardens by playwright Karen Zacarías and directed by Marti Lyons. (June 2017)[20]

National Artistic Advisory Board

Victory Gardens has assembled several national theater artists who serve as artistic advisors and ambassadors. This board includes Luis Alfaro, Nilo Cruz, Eve Ensler, David Henry Hwang, Tony Kushner, John Logan, Craig Lucas, Sandra Oh, Suzan-Lori Parks, Jose Rivera, Anika Noni Rose, Sarah Ruhl, Jeanine Tesori, Paula Vogel, George C. Wolfe, and B.D. Wong.

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See also
  • Chicago theatre

References
  1. "Beau Jest (2008)". IMDB. Retrieved 2020-05-06.
  2. Jones, Kenneth (2001-05-08). "Victory Gardens Theater, Committed to New Works, Gets Regional Tony Award Honor". Playbill. Retrieved 2020-05-06.
  3. Lee, Felicia R. (September 17, 2014). "MacArthur Awards Go to 21 Diverse Fellows". The New York Times.
  4. "Right to Be Forgotten". Victory Gardens. Retrieved 2020-02-03.
  5. "Dhaba on Devon Avenue by Madhuri Shekar". Victory Gardens. Retrieved 2020-02-03.
  6. "How to Defend Yourself by Liliana Padilla". Victory Gardens. Retrieved 2020-02-03.
  7. "The First Deep Breath by Lee Edward Colston II". Victory Gardens. Retrieved 2020-02-03.
  8. "Tiny Beautiful Things at Victory Gardens". Victory Gardens. Retrieved 2020-02-03.
  9. "If I Forget". Victory Gardens. Retrieved 2020-02-03.
  10. "Cambodian Rock Band". Victory Gardens. Retrieved 2020-02-03.
  11. "Pipeline". Victory Gardens. Retrieved 2020-02-03.
  12. "Rightlynd*". Victory Gardens. Retrieved 2020-02-03.
  13. "Indecent". Victory Gardens. Retrieved 2020-02-03.
  14. "Culture Clash: An American Odyssey". Victory Gardens. Retrieved 2020-02-03.
  15. "Mies Julie". Victory Gardens. Retrieved 2020-02-03.
  16. "Lettie*". Victory Gardens. Retrieved 2020-02-03.
  17. "Breach: a manifesto on race in america through the eyes of a black girl recovering from self-hate*". Victory Gardens. Retrieved 2020-02-03.
  18. "Fade". Victory Gardens. Retrieved 2020-02-03.
  19. "Fun Home". Victory Gardens. Retrieved 2020-02-03.
  20. "Native Gardens". Victory Gardens. Retrieved 2020-02-03.
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