The End of an Era

Last night a few of us gathered at Illinois Theater Center in Park Forest, IL, where many of us had spent many years performing. ITC, as it is known, was a small Equity theater in the south suburbs of Chicago. I happened upon it back in 1986 when I was doing a production of The Fantasticks and my co-star and friend Richard told me he was planning on auditioning for a production of Sweeney Todd at this theater. I asked him if I could join him for the audition and grab a ride and the rest, as they say, is history.
I was fortunate to be accepted into this loving, supportive, dysfunctional, rewarding, exhausting, challenging, funny, theater family. After spending the summer of 1986 as the Beggar Woman in Sweeney Todd, I went on to many wonderful and glamourous roles at ITC for the next 20 years. I was fortunate enough to receive my Actors Equity union card from this theater as was my daughter Erin when she and I played mother and daughter in their production of Kander & Ebb's, The Rink. What a joy that was!
Sadly, due to the death of the surviving co-founder, Etel Billig a month or so ago, her family and the theater board have made the difficult decision to close the theater. A place that has been the jumping off point for so many talented and successful performers will no longer produce.
SO, those of us who've been around for many years spent the evening - some spent the last week - cleaning up the theater and pulling out props and furniture and costumes to sell in the estate sale. The theater is in debt and they need to make some money to pay off this debt. We spent a little money too, getting things that would remind us of all those wonderful years.
I am grateful to ITC. Grateful for the opportunities they gave me, the belief they showed in me all those years ago, the guidance that afforded me, the roles they trusted me with and the family I received because of it all. We have family that we are born into - you love them because they are your family - plain and simple, but these are people who came into my life as a result of our sharing something together. We laughed and cried together, as family, we buried our mentors, we've watched our children get married, we've celebrated occasions together - we are a family. A dysfunctional, funny, opinionated and loving family. One that I cannot live without.
The theater may be closed, the curtains may be pulled and the lights are dimmed, but our little theater family will be together for as long as we can - on or off the stage.