Paramount Theatre Names Chi/Broadway star Jim Corti as Artistic Director

The Paramount Theatre and Aurora Civic Center Authority announced today the appointment of Jim Corti, the celebrated Chicago director, choreographer and Broadway actor as the first-ever Artistic Director in the Paramount Theatre's 80-year history.

Corti's appointment signals a major and exciting shift at the Paramount, ushering in a new era. The Paramount is joining the ranks of Chicago's top Equity producing houses with the launch of its own four-play Broadway Subscription Series.

Starting in September, the Paramount will begin self-producing and presenting its own Broadway Subscription series of four popular musicals - each directed, designed and starring Chicago's top professional theater artists - for the low package price of only $89 total to see all four shows! This offer will only be extended to the first 10,000 subscribers.

According to Tim Rater, who was tapped as the Paramount's new executive director just last summer, "People want to see QUALITY, top-notch Broadway productions. Therefore, we are seizing full control of the production values presented on our stage. We will be offering Paramount patrons fresh new takes on beloved plays and musicals built from the ground-up by the amazing Jim Corti in collaboration with the nation's most sought-after professional theater artists. We plan to achieve the highest quality Broadway theatre in the Chicagoland area at the most affordable pricing."

Of course, in addition to producing three-week runs of each subscription show, the Paramount will continue filling its schedule with one of the widest arrays of short-run musical acts, comedy, dance, holiday shows, movies and family presentations in the Chicagoland area.

"The Big Reveal"

So, what are the four popular musicals that will make up Paramount Theatre's inaugural 2011-2012 Broadway Subscription Series? Well, mark your calendar, because the season's four shows will be announced at a "Big Reveal Party," Friday, March 18 starting at 7 p.m. at the Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Boulevard in downtown Aurora.

This "Big Reveal" party is not to be missed! Guests will enjoy complimentary appetizers, cocktails, special guest appearances and spectacular entertainment. Those in attendance will be the first to learn the show titles - as well as have the opportunity to sign up on the spot as charter Broadway Series subscribers for only $89 before subscriptions go on sale to the public. The Paramount's Big Reveal Party is free, but tickets are required and seating is limited. Call the Paramount box office, 630.896.6666 to reserve, then set your dials for excitement for what is surely the biggest announcement ever made on the Paramount stage.

More about Jim Corti, "A Musical Theater Genius"

Jim Corti is the only person to win a Jeff award for directing (Sweet Charity & Blues in the Night), choreography (Singin' in the Rain) and acting (Grand Hotel). A quick scan of Corti's resume reveals why residents of Chicago's western suburbs, as well as musical theater fans from all over Chicago, have reason to celebrate Corti's arrival at Aurora's Paramount Theatre. Corti was the only director to have two productions - Cabaret at Drury Lane Oakbrook Terrace and O Coward! at Writer's Theatre in Glencoe - named to the Chicago Tribune's "Top 10 list of 2009." He is a director and choreographer at major Chicago theaters including The Goodman, Steppenwolf , The Second City, Northlight and The Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire. Moreover, Corti is a Broadway actor and dancer as well, with credits including the New York cast of Ragtime, A Chorus Line, and Candide as well as the national tours of Urinetown, Cabaret and Bob Fosse's Dancin'.

More recently, Corti has worked frequently at Drury Lane directing the Full Monty, the inaugural production at Water Tower Place, and the Oakbrook productions of Sweet Charity (winner, Jeff Award for Outstanding Director) and Meet Me In St. Louis (nominee, Jeff Award for Outstanding Director, same year), Damn Yankees, Bye Bye Birdie, and choreography for Company and Singin' In the Rain (winner, Jeff Award for Outstanding Choreography). He has helmed productions for Victory Gardens Theater, including Lost Boys of Sudan and The Snow Queen (original choreographer, as well as director in 2009), Your Move (co-director and choreographer), Symphony Pastorale/Fugue and God and Country. He won a Jeff Award for his direction of Blues In the Night at Northlight Theatre, where he also choreographed City on the Make, a musical adaptation of Nelson Algren's stories. Regionally, he directed The Peninsula Players production of Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure and The Cleveland Play House productions of A Day in Hollywood/A Night in Ukraine and The Canterbury Tales.

Corti's current projects include directing Aida this spring at Drury Lane Oakbrook Terrace and choreographing American Theater Company's upcoming production of Grease, transitioning to concentrating full-time on overseeing the Paramount Theatre's new Broadway Subscription Series.

Chicago's theater community, Aurora's civic leaders chime in on Jim Corti and Paramount Theatre's new direction

Paramount's new Executive Director, Tim Rater, said "We wouldn't be doing this without Jim. I needed to know we could pull off the quality of production needed if we were to produce our own shows. Presenting touring productions wasn't working. The ticket prices needed to cover the cost of those tours are outrageous, and many of the most appealing tours will only play in downtown Chicago. By shifting to in-house productions, we take control. We can now choose the shows our patrons want to see. They can now see them when they want to. And we will do bigger and better productions than ever before. Our goal is to craft a unique experience that the audience can get only at the Paramount Theatre. We are in uniquely capable hands. With Jim's artistic direction and our beautiful theater the shows will be the very best in Chicago. Count on it."

Sue Vos, President and CEO of the Aurora Convention and Tourism Bureau, said, "The Paramount is such a jewel in the downtown crown, and we are over the moon that it will be mounting its own shows as well as continuing its fabulous offerings. We have always referred to the Paramount as "Broadway in the 'burbs," and now that we will have professional shows that will run for several weeks, we truly are going toe-to-toe with the theaters in the city. We are excited for what Jim and Tim are beginning to do here, and when the shows are announced on March 18, it definitely will get people talking."

"The Paramount is in wonderfully capable and talented hands with Jim Corti," agreed Deb Clapp, Executive Director of the League of Chicago Theatres. "We are thrilled that their new venture will include producing plays and offering new opportunities for Chicago theatre artists."

Dennis Zacek, longtime artistic director at Chicago's Tony Award winning Victory Gardens Theater, added "Let me be clear, I have had the pleasure of knowing Jim Corti since teaching him as an undergrad at Loyola University, and without question, he is a musical theater genius. Jim has that rare capacity to transmogrify classic plays and musicals in a way that they become wholly revitalized, yet without being any less true to the original text."

About The Paramount Theatre

The Paramount Theatre has been a center for performing arts, entertainment, and arts education for more than 75 years in Aurora, the second largest city in Illinois. Named "One of Chicago's Top Ten Theatres" by the League of Chicago Theatres, the 1,888-seat Paramount Theatre attracts an annual audience of more than 150,000, and is nationally renowned for the quality and caliber of its presentations, superb acoustics and historic beauty.

Following an extensive search process, Tim Rater was selected as the Paramount's new executive director last summer, and assumed management responsibilities just prior to the start of the 2010-2011 season. Since his arrival, Rater has spearheaded the search for a new artistic director, initiated the shift of the Paramount's business model from a presenting to a presenting/producing house, and introduced new programming such as the newly announced productions of The Vagina Monologues and Flanagan's Wake in the Paramount's sister theater, the 216-seat Copley Theatre, directly across the street at 8 E. Galena Boulevard.

Rater came to the Paramount Theater as a theater consultant and producer with over ten years of leadership experience in the performing arts. As Executive Director for the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre (MPAC), a $22 million performing arts facility in downtown Arlington Heights, Rater oversaw the opening of the complex, helped transition the high profile sale of the theater to the Village of Arlington Heights, built and strengthened partnerships with both the city and key constituents in the Chicagoland area, and developed the Metropolis School of Performing Arts (which today has an enrollment of over 2,200 students). In under five years, he took MPAC from 20 productions with 200 performances each year to 53 productions with over 400 performances each year; and with an annual attendance today of over 85,000 people, Rater helped MPAC become one of the top 10 most attended theaters in the Chicagoland area. Before joining Paramount, Rater most recently served as Executive Director for the Wheaton Grand Theatre Project in downtown Wheaton, Illinois. He has also worked as a consultant for the financial planning of the Genesee Theater, Kenosha Theater, Tivoli Theater and Highland Park Theater projects.
The Paramount Theatre, located in the heart of downtown Aurora at 23 E. Galena Boulevard, opened on September 3, 1931. Designed by nationally renowned theater architects C.W. and George L. Rapp, the theater captures a unique Venetian setting portrayed in the art deco influence of the 1930s. The first air-conditioned building outside of Chicago, the Paramount offered the public a variety of entertainment, including "talking pictures", vaudeville, concerts and circus performances for more than 40 years.

In 1976, Aurora Civic Center Authority purchased the Paramount and closed the theater for restoration. The $1.5 million project restored the Paramount to its original grandeur. On April 29, 1978, the Paramount Arts Center opened, offering a variety of theatrical, musical, comedy, dance and family programming.

In 2006, a 12,000 square foot lobby was added. The Grand Gallery houses a state-of-the-art box office, a cafe, a gift shop and an art gallery.

For more information, visit the Paramount Theatre online at www.paramountaurora.com.

 

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