Evanston's Next Theatre to Close

It is with great sadness that the Board of Directors announces that Next Theatre is closing, effective immediately. Next Theatre, founded in 1981, created 34 years of award-winning socially provocative theater in its home at the Noyes Cultural Arts Center in Evanston.

"We are enormously proud of the legacy that Next leaves. The theater has been an important part of the cultural landscape of both Evanston and the Chicago theater communities," said Next Board President, Rob Andalman. "For three and a half decades the theater was a canvas for artists whose purpose was not just to entertain, but to touch audiences' hearts and minds. Next sought to provoke feelings and conversations on some of the really hard questions - and, more often than not, it succeeded."

He added, "Unfortunately, the theater's audiences have shrunk dramatically in the past few years and it has not been able to build a contribution base to compensate for that. At this juncture, the Board concluded that it was not responsible to continue operations."

Next Theatre has a 34-year legacy of producing thought-provoking, often edgy work. The Company brought many playwrights to the attention of Chicagoland audiences, including: Suzan Lori Parks (In the Blood), Larry Kramer (The Normal Heart), and most recently Amy Herzog (After the Revolution), as well as the U.S. premiere of Everything is Illuminated. Next produced the world premieres of Tracy Letts's first play Killer Joe, as well as Among the Thugs, The Lovesong of J. Robert Oppenheimer and the enormously successful Adding Machine the Musical. Adding Machine: The Musical had a sold-out run at the theater in 2007 and went on to an award winning run in New York. It has been produced around the country, and even in Australia. The production received six Lucille Lortel Award nominations in the 2008 season, more than any other show, and won the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Musical.

Next intends to seek out other area theaters that might be willing to honor its subscriptions for the remainder of this season.

"On behalf of the Board and the staff of Next Theatre, we thank those in the Evanston community and beyond for the support the theater has received over these 34 years," Andalman said. "It has been a very special run."

To post a comment, you must register and login.