Written by: Spencer Heemang Kim, Staff Writer
Dearest Chicago Theatre,
In the short time I have known you, you have never ceased to awe and humble me. You are collaborative, approachable, and respectful in everything you create. Some may overlook your subtle beauty in favor of the glitz and glamor of your sibling, New York, deriding you as the “Second City,” but it is your community spirit which makes you attractive to so many youthful admirers. May your luster never fade, my dear, for your philosophy and humility are worth more than its weight in gold.
When I am with you, I feel liberated from the rigid sense of artistic hierarchy that pervades other theatre scenes, where writers and directors create the vision that others have to fulfill. Your ensemble manifests a world where each member is a respected equal, where every voice contributes. Where did your virtues come from? What social factors shaped your philosophy? In short, what makes you so unique?
To approach this question, I have consulted with those who appreciate your true worth. Searching for what forged your unique personality, Anne Nicholson Weber interviewed Chicago-based artists in her book Upstaged: Making Theatre in the Media Age. Here is what actor and three-time Tony Award nominee Linda Emond has to say:
"Stardom [doesn’t] loom nearly so large in Chicago. There’s so little celebrity there and such a strong non-equity scene, and some of that Midwestern work ethic is part of the theatre scene. It creates a straightforward, unglamorous, feet-on-the-ground culture. "
Emond understands how a lack of a celebrity culture fosters an active community where each member helps create new work. In other words, your originality and collaborative nature, my paramour, stems from your lack of focus on popularity. Yes, you were never one for the limelight, were you? Ah, that reserved dedication and innovation to your craft is what makes you ever alluring. This inverse relationship between fame and ensemble theatre is reinforced in Chloe Johnston and Coya Paz Brownrigg’s Ensemble-Made Chicago: A Guide to Devised Theater:
"Chicago doesn’t have a Broadway. It has neighborhoods, home for ways of making performance that are not driven by dreams of a name in lights but by a radical commitment to one another."
You were always flexible, and that impulse to create art by taking advantage of every resource is what created your famed ensembles. A clear distinction is made between fame-focused theatre scenes and ensemble, which may suggest that the lack of high-stakes, celebrity-driven theatre culture is what lead to the more experimental and collaborative nature of Chicago theatre. By reducing risk of failure, you were given the freedom to experiment and blossom into the mature artform you now are. Your resourcefulness required that members wear different hats in the production process. This collaborative framework you create naturally lends itself to a less hierarchical model of theatre, as members have to shift roles in production.
All in all, my love for Chicago theatre is even more resolute after admiring what contributes to your immaculate beauty. From when I first arrived here, I was admittedly smitten with the foul charms of Broadway (much to my present chagrin), but you, yes, you were different. Intelligent, but not ostentatious; proud, but not arrogant. You breathed into me the understanding that everyone matters in theatre. Everyone. For that, you have earned my unwavering affection.
Your greatest adorer,
Spencer Heemang Kim
On this Valentine’s Day, I wholeheartedly implore everyone to remember how you fell in love with theatre, and how you can inspire that love for those around you.
Further Reading:
Ensemble-Made Chicago: A Guide to Devised Theater by Chloe Johnston and Coya Paz Brownrigg
Upstaged: Making Theatre in the Media Age by Anne Nicholson Weber
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