Chicago Alliance For Playwrights

Organizational/Group Members of CAP

Chicago Dramatists

Founded in 1979, Chicago Dramatists is a professional, not for profit theatre, dedicated to the development and advancement of playwrights and new plays. Chicago Dramatists employs a variety of year-round programs to nurture the artistic and career development of both established and beginning playwrights. These programs include play readings, workshops, productions, festivals, classes, discussions, symposia, talent coordination, collaborative projects with other theatres, referrals to producers, and two membership programs: the Resident Playwright program and The Playwrights’ Network. In the last year alone, Chicago Dramatists’ plays earned over 270 individual honors, including productions, awards, and further development, at prominent theatres in Chicago and across the nation.

1105 W. Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL 60622
General Information: (312) 633-0630 / Fax: (312) 633-0610
Email: New Plays@aol.com.
Website: www.chicagodramatists.org (under construction).

Artistic Director: Russ Tutterow
Managing Director: Ann Filmer

Chicago Writers Bloc

Supported in part by grants from the Dramatists Guild Fund and cooperation from Chicago area theatres, this group of professional playwrights meet once a month to read and critique each others work and have chamber readings by Chicago actors. This year the CWB received a grant from the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation to present two skeletal productions. Each year CWB has a festival of new plays done in staged readings. Past festivals have taken place at the Pegasus Theatre, Live Bait Theatre, Center Theatre and the Theatre Building. Plays that originated around the CWB table and have gone on to other venues are Joseph Urbinato's "Don't Disappoint Captain January,"Joanne Koch and Sarah Cohen's "Sophie, Totie & Belle," Joanne Koch's "Nesting Dolls," June Finfer's "Graceland Lives," and Chloe Bolan's "Monsieur Kiki." If you are interested, submit script that has had at least one staged reading or production to Joanne Koch, 343 Dodge Avenue, Evanston, IL 60202. Email them at junediana@earthlink.net

Columbia College

Theatre/Music Department

Columbia's Theatre/Music Department has existed in its present state since Chairperson Sheldon Patinkin began in 1980. The department offers a program aimed at equipping its students with the skills needed to fully develop their careers. Performance is considered to be the key to progress. The faculty and staff are all working professionals - - active and prominent members of Chicago's lively theatre and music communities. The department stresses intensive one-on-one training in all of the technical aspects of the profession and supplies a multitude of opportunities for applying this learning in performance situations.

The Theatre/Music Department produces a seven-show subscription season for general theatre audiences. At the 400-seat Emma and Oscar Getz Theatre, fully mounted productions of two large-cast plays or musicals are presented and one concert featuring our Faculty Ensemble as directors and designers. In the 80-scat New Studio, the season is rounded out with full productions of three smaller plays and cone musical or concert. In addition, many all-student workshop productions and recitals are presented each semester in the 80-seat Classic Studio.

Theatre Building Chicago

Theatre Building Chicago celebrates its 27th season with a renewed commitment to develop original musical works and to support both acclaimed and emerging theatre companies and artists. Theatre Building Chicago serves as a crossroads for Chicago’s grassroots theatre.

Each year Theatre Building Chicago provides space and services to over a thousand artists in 15 theatrical presentations and 300 special events-all at fees below cost by as much as 25%. Since opening its doors on March 15, 1977, Theatre Building Chicago has hosted more than 500 plays, 200 theatre companies, 770,000 audience members, 7,000 events and 25,000 actors, designers, directors and other theatre artists.

Theatre Building Chicago is devoted to the cultivation of musical theatre writers, lyricists and composers. The only one of its kind in the country,

Theatre Building Chicago conducts a musical theatre workshop and presentation program that has premiered 85 new musicals in Chicago and seen a number of them of them soar into other productions on Broadway and across the country.

For further information contact: Theatre Building Chicago. 1225 West Belmont Chicago, IL 60657. 773-929-7367 www.theatrebuildingchicago.org

Women's Theatre Alliance