Sideshow Theatre Company to Receive BIC Emerging Theatre Award at League of Chicago Theatres Gala

The League of Chicago Theatres announces Sideshow Theatre Company as the winner of the 2016 Broadway In Chicago Emerging Theatre Award. The award will be presented at the League of Chicago Theatres Annual Gala, an elegant event that brings together friends of Chicago theatre to raise funds for programs to support Chicago's 240 member theatre companies, on May 23, 2016 at the Chicago History Museum, 1601 N. Clark St.

Tickets for the Gala are available for $325 per person, and all proceeds benefit the League of Chicago Theatres which promotes, supports, and advocates for theatre in Chicago. To purchase tickets, or for sponsorship opportunities and participation information, visit www.chicagoplays.com or call 312-554-9800.

The Broadway In Chicago Emerging Theatre Award was created in 2007 to encourage, support, and promote young theatres in Chicago that have demonstrated great ability and promise, artistic excellence and fiscal responsibility in business practices. Eligible companies are members of the League of Chicago Theatres, have been incorporated at least 3 and no longer than 10 years, and have demonstrated artistic excellence, fiscal responsibility, community leadership and potential for future growth.

Nominated by a committee of industry professionals, educators and League of Chicago Theatres board members, five finalists are selected each year, and from those, a majority vote from the League membership determines the winner. Broadway In Chicago provides a $5,000 cash prize and marketing support, including a substantial advertising package for the recipient.

Sideshow Theatre Company Artistic Director Jonathan L. Green comments, "We are so grateful to be recognized by the League of Chicago Theatres and Broadway In Chicago. For nearly a decade, Sideshow has been dedicated to boldly deconstructing and reconstructing our shared stories. This award embodies what makes our city so unique as a theatre town: a collaborative community where 250 diverse companies, big and small, thrive and support each other's work. As we approach our 10th anniversary season, we hope to serve as an inspiration for the next generation of Chicago theatres."

"It is a great honor for Broadway In Chicago to sponsor this award every year," said Eileen LaCario, Vice President of Broadway In Chicago. "We are proud to be a part of the Chicago Theatre Community which is unique and unlike any other in the country where theatres of all sizes mentor and support each other. This year we celebrate Sideshow as the 2016 Emerging Theatre, recognized by their peers for their work and contributions to Chicago Theatre."

The other nominees for the 2016 Broadway In Chicago Emerging Theatre Award were: Chicago Fringe Festival, Definition Theatre Company, Filament Theatre and Route 66 Theatre. Jackalope Theatre Company, Oracle Productions, The House Theatre of Chicago, Silk Road Theatre Project (now Silk Road Rising), the side project, Steep Theatre, The New Colony, Theatre Seven of Chicago and 16th Street Theater are previous recipients of the award.