By Elizabeth Yellen
Special to Inside
In a city with 200-plus venues for theater, an addition may go unnoticed by the casual pedestrian. Not so the newly reborn Lakeshore Theater, which stands at the lively intersection of Broadway and Belmont Ave. The Lakeshore opened in 1913 and over the ensuing decades functioned as a cinema operated variously by Loews, Meridian and Cineplex Odeon. One of the cinema proprietors changed the theater's name to the Broadway.
Besides fininacial problems and overextension, the theater's demise came about when the owners realized that in the age of the multiplex "it was hard to make a single-screen theater work," said Chris Ritter, the Lakeshore's general manager. The theater was dark for over two years. But it was not initially Ritter and his business partner, co-executive producer Richard Friedman, who stepped in to reopen the theater, which at first retained the name Broadway. Rather, it was a New York producer who rented the theater for a staging of "Hedwig and the Angry Inch." After this production left, Ritter and Friedman saw great business potential so they pounced in August 2002, gave the space its original name and renovated it.
The result of the renovations, which Friedman said cost "in the neighborhood of $200,000," is a 343-seat room. Ritter and Friedman now hold a 10-year lease on the building that Ritter hopes to renew. "[The theater has] got a lot of potential for being around a long time," he said.
Ritter and Friedman initially met at a poker game, and subsequently worked together at the prominent NorthLight Theater, Ritter as marketing director and Friedman as managing director. Although he has been involved in theater his whole life—his father is a theater professor and his mother is an actress and he himself holds a college degree in acting—the Lakeshore represents Ritter's first business venture. Unlike such theaters as the Steppenwolf, which are non-profit and therefore exercise complete artistic control, "the business [at the Lakeshore] is to rent out" the facility to other groups, said Ritter. In this scenario, the Lakeshore provides all the management services, including house managers, usher services, concession services, box office staff and technical crew.
Ritter said that this type of operation is particularly common in New York, but he also cited similar examples in Chicago. One such example is the Briar Theater, home to the long-running "Blue Man Group." Ritter explained that if "Blue Man Group" closes, the Briar will rent to someone else.
In order to find shows to book, Ritter engages in a combination of advertising and written and verbal solicitations. "It's a relationship industry," he said. As part of his job he travels to New York to see shows and try to woo producers. Since opening on Oct. 4, 2002, the Lakeshore has hosted four shows that range from a G-rated family holiday show to an X-rated piece that played to mainly female audiences.
Ritter said that operating expenses amount to approximately $40,000 per month when running at full capacity. The partners are finding that they "must be creative" because the "theater market is in redefinition," said Friedman. Due to the weak economy, he explained, fewer producers are looking for Chicago venues. Thus the theater anticipates the acquisition of a liquor license, which will give the management the leverage to attract musical and late-night acts.
Ritter and Friedman share a vision of offering an eclectic lineup. Still, Ritter said, "I have a gut instinct we're going to be doing younger, edgier types of entertainment, but we want the facility to be open to anybody, so we don't have a set agenda about shows." Thus, he said, he will not exclude a particular show "because of what it is." He also remains open to the possibility of drawing on his and Friedman's extensive producing experience to mount shows in-house.
"Puppetry" is the Lakeshore's most successful to date. It closed Memorial Day weekend after running since February and selling nearly 26,000 tickets, said Ritter. As for the rest of the shows, their results were "all over the board," Ritter noted. Yet he said the theater is thriving financially.
The theater's success may not be a given, considering that it stands in a congested neighborhood with scarce parking. Yet thanks to a nearby parking garage, this location has not proved problematic. In addition, the location holds great potential for walk-in business. "It's a phenomenal location," said Ritter, not only because of the potential for increased business but also because of the diverse surrounding community. Ritter said he has not yet confirmed the Lakehore's next production, but is examining various options.
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