Lookingglass Theatre Company is a

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

theater company Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

History

Lookingglass was founded in 1988 by

David Schwimmer David Lawrence Schwimmer (born November 2, 1966) is an American actor, director and producer. He gained worldwide recognition for portraying Ross Geller in the sitcom ''Friends'', for which he received a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Primeti ...

, David Catlin, Eva Barr,

Thom Cox Thom Cox (born Thomas J. Cox) is an American theatrical producer and co-founder of the Lookingglass Theatre Company Lookingglass Theatre Company is a non-profit theater company in Chicago, Illinois. History Lookingglass was founded in 1988 b ...

, Lawrence DiStasi, Joy Gregory, David Kersnar, and Andy White. The company's first production, ''Through the Lookingglass'', was directed by David Kersnar and was produced at the Great Room in Jones Residential College on the

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

campus. The company has since produced more than 60 world-premiere plays, including

Mary Zimmerman Mary Zimmerman (born August 23, 1960) is an American theatre and opera director and playwright from Nebraska. She is an ensemble member of the Lookingglass Theatre Company, the Manilow Resident Director at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago, Illinoi ...

's ''

Metamorphoses The ''Metamorphoses'' ( la, Metamorphōsēs, from grc, μεταμορφώσεις: "Transformations") is a Latin narrative poem from 8 CE by the Roman poet Ovid. It is considered his '' magnum opus''. The poem chronicles the history of the ...

,'' as well as her adaptations of ''The Arabian Nights'' and ''The Odyssey''. The company also premiered and toured creator David Catlin's circus-driven re-imaginings of

Lewis Carroll Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (; 27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898), better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, was an English author, poet and mathematician. His most notable works are '' Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (1865) and its sequ ...

Alice in Wonderland ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (commonly ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English novel by Lewis Carroll. It details the story of a young girl named Alice who falls through a rabbit hole into a fantasy world of anthropomorphic creatur ...

in ''Lookingglass Alice'' and

Herman Melville Herman Melville ( born Melvill; August 1, 1819 – September 28, 1891) was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet of the American Renaissance period. Among his best-known works are '' Moby-Dick'' (1851); '' Typee'' (1846), a ...

's ''Moby Dick.'' Other productions have included David Schwimmer's adaptations of

Upton Sinclair Upton Beall Sinclair Jr. (September 20, 1878 – November 25, 1968) was an American writer, muckraker, political activist and the 1934 Democratic Party nominee for governor of California who wrote nearly 100 books and other works in sever ...

's ''The Jungle'' and

Studs Terkel Louis "Studs" Terkel (May 16, 1912 – October 31, 2008) was an American writer, historian, actor, and broadcaster. He received the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction in 1985 for '' The Good War'' and is best remembered for his oral h ...

's ''Race: How Blacks and Whites Think and Feel About the American Obsession.'' Recent productions include

Jules Verne Jules Gabriel Verne (;''Longman Pronunciation Dictionary''. ; 8 February 1828 – 24 March 1905) was a French novelist, poet, and playwright. His collaboration with the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel led to the creation of the '' Voyages extra ...

's ''20,000 Leagues Under the Sea,'' adapted by David Kersnar and Althos Low; ''Plantation!'', a play about reparations, written by Ensemble Member Kevin Douglas and directed by Ensemble Member David Schwimmer; ''Beyond Caring,'' created by British author and director

Alexander Zeldin Alexander Zeldin (born 24 April 1985) is a British dramatist, author, and theatre director. Career Zeldin made work in Russia, South Korea and the Middle East as well as at the Naples Festival, before, between 2011-2014, developing a number of ...

Leadership

Currently, Lookingglass is led by Artistic Director Heidi Stillman, and Executive Director, Rachel Fink. Fink is preceded by Rachel Kraft, who served as Executive Director for 12 seasons and oversaw the company's 2011 Regional Theatre Tony Award; a 2016 $1 million MacArthur Award for Creative and Effecting Institutions; and the 2017 League of Chicago Theaters Artistic Achievement Award.

Company

The Lookingglass Company is made up of cross-disciplinary artists: 24 Ensemble Members and 23 Artistic Associates. The ensemble includes

, Joey Slotnick and

. Artistic associates include

Deanna Dunagan Deanna Dunagan (born May 25, 1940) is an American actress. While principally active as a stage actress, she has also worked in television and film. She is best known for her Tony Award-winning portrayal of Violet Weston in Tracy Letts' '' Aug ...

Awards

Lookingglass won the 2011

Regional Theatre Tony Award The Regional Theatre Tony Award is a special recognition Tony Award given annually to a regional theater company in the United States. The winner is recommended by a committee of drama critics. Background Initially presented in 1948 to Robert ...

and has won over 45

Joseph Jefferson Awards The Joseph Jefferson Award, more commonly known informally as the Jeff Award, is given for theatre arts produced in the Chicago area. Founded in 1968, the awards are named in tribute to actor Joseph Jefferson, a 19th-century American theater st ...

in its 30 Seasons.

New work

Glassworks is Lookingglass' New Play Development program. The company has produced 66 World Premieres and has three World Premiere plays slated for its next 2018-19 Season.

Recent world premieres

's ''20,000 Leagues Under the Seas.'' :''Plantation!'' :''Mr. and Mrs. Pennyworth :''Thaddeus and Slocum: A Vaudeville Adventure'' :''In the Garden: a Darwinian Love Story'' :''Still Alice'' :''The North China Lover''

Other premieres

:''Metamorphoses'' :''Eastland: A New Musical'' :''Lookingglass Alice'' :''Around the World in 80 Days'' :''Black Diamond'' :''Moby Dick'' :''The Arabian Nights'' :

Hans Christian Andersen Hans Christian Andersen ( , ; 2 April 1805 – 4 August 1875) was a Danish author. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogues, novels, and poems, he is best remembered for his literary fairy tales. Andersen's fairy tales, consist ...

's '' The Steadfast Tin Soldier'' :''Act(s) of God'' :

Mary Shelley Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (; ; 30 August 1797 – 1 February 1851) was an English novelist who wrote the Gothic novel '' Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' (1818), which is considered an early example of science fiction. She also ...

's ''

Frankenstein ''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' is an 1818 novel written by English author Mary Shelley. ''Frankenstein'' tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific ...

Educational programming

Lookingglass sponsors in-school residencies and student matinee programs for students in

Chicago Public Schools Chicago Public Schools (CPS), officially classified as City of Chicago School District #299 for funding and districting reasons, in Chicago, Illinois, is the third-largest school district in the United States, after New York and Los Angeles. ...

. The company also offers classes and artistic summer camps for youth. In 2006, Lookingglass founded The Young Ensemble, where children devise and produce their own work.

Community engagement

Lookingglass participates in a ''Reflect Series'', a series of Sunday post-show panel discussions featuring local experts.

Facilities

In 2003, Lookingglass moved inside the

Chicago Water Tower The Chicago Water Tower is a contributing property and landmark in the Old Chicago Water Tower District in Chicago, Illinois, United States, that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Built to enclose the tall machinery of a ...

Water Works building in

Near North Side, Chicago The Near North Side is the eighth of Chicago's 77 community areas. It is the northernmost of the three areas that constitute central Chicago, the others being the Loop and the Near South Side. The community area is located north and east of the ...

. The main stage is in the

black-box In science, computing, and engineering, a black box is a system which can be viewed in terms of its inputs and outputs (or transfer characteristics), without any knowledge of its internal workings. Its implementation is "opaque" (black). The te ...

style, meaning the seating can be rearranged for each production. Lookingglass artists can reconfigure the stage and seating arrangements to meet the design needs for specific productions. The theatre has a maximum capacity of 240 persons, including 60 possible seats on the removable balcony level. There is also a multi-purpose studio space, used for education programs, special events, and rehearsals. Designed by Morris Architects Planners, the space is a converted landmark. It houses the Lookingglass performance space, lobbies, dressing rooms, and concession areas, as well as a

Chicago Public Library The Chicago Public Library (CPL) is the public library system that serves the City of Chicago in the U.S. state of Illinois. It consists of 81 locations, including a central library, two regional libraries, and branches distributed throughout the ...

. Additionally, the station continues to pump 125 million gallons of water to Chicago's north side every day. An itinerant theater company for years, Lookingglass moved into a permanent home on June 14, 2003, with a new theater in the renovated Water Tower Water Works on Chicago's

Magnificent Mile The Magnificent Mile, sometimes referred to as The Mag Mile, is an upscale section of Chicago's Michigan Avenue, running from the Chicago River to Oak Street in the Near North Side. The district is located within downtown, and one block ...

. Its first production in the new space was an adaptation of

's ''Race'', adapted and directed by David Schwimmer.Chicago Tribune. Bommer, Lawrence 2003.
/ref>

References

External links

* {{Authority control Theatre companies in Chicago