The Skokie Theatre Keeps Calm and Carries On
By Carla Gordon
Fish gotta swim. Producers gotta produce.
So, when the pandemic—hopefully temporarily—closed the Skokie Theatre, its owner, Wendy Kaplan put on her thinking cap. Kaplan, who was raised in a theatrical family and carries the “show must go on” attitude in her DNA, began to explore outdoor programming ideas during the warm-weather months. Mainly, she had her eye on the Skokie Village Green, which is an expansive space directly in front of the Skokie Library. The space includes plenty of room for seating and a performance platform with electrical connections for sound and some lighting. Although there are some permanent benches surrounding the space, most audience members bring their own chairs.
Getting a “go” from the Village of Skokie was no easy endeavor. However, Kaplan seems to have majored in tenacity. After ultimately identifying the right movers and shakers within the Village of Skokie’s government, she received permission for outdoor programming. However, that permission came with a laundry list of do’s and don’ts.
Among the requirements was that at each outdoor show Kaplan, representing the Skokie Theatre, had to instruct audience members to wear their masks continuously and to avoid mingling with fellow audience members and especially performers. Chairs had to be placed at minimum six feet from other audience members. In fact, sawhorses were placed about 10 feet from the downstage lip to discourage audience member from the otherwise traditional schmoozing with performers. Eating and drinking beverages other than one’s own water was not permitted. Alas, Kaplan had to repeat these instructions before every performance, but she managed to do so masked and with a positive spirit.
Programming for the Skokie’s Village Green Summer Series was varied and entertaining. Daryl Nitz and Ester Hana’s show sold out immediately, and there were several encore performances. (Now that the chill is upon us, Nitz and Hana as well as many of the Summer Series performers are offering virtual programs under the auspices of the Skokie Theatre.) Charlene Brooks’ solo show with able music direction by Howard Pfeifer was filled to its pandemic-permissible capacity. Judy McLaughlin Rossignuolo-Rice, joined by hubby Bernie Rice and featured performers Russ Goeltenbodt and Carla Gordon, added an encore performance to “Songs to Make You Smile.” Kevin Wood and cast, consisting of The Boomer Babes, Carla Gordon, and Alex Magno, encored their spring show That’s Amore with a scheduled performance and an extra one when the first audience reached capacity. Folk music was represented by Three for the Road and Friends with Aimiee Bass, Steve Bishop, Joss Davidson, Carla Gordon, and founder Bill Lange. Mick Archer brought some rock ’n’ roll into the mix, and Chicagoland’s jazz community was well represented by Anne and Mark Burnell along with Abigail Riccards and Jeanie Tanner. There were other fun performances as well.
Now that outdoor programming is on cold-weather hiatus, Kaplan has the Skokie focused on virtual programming. Upcoming programs include Daryl Nitz and Ester Hana; Anita Kallen and Catherine Thomson’s Herstory, Senior Storytellers; and Kevin Wood leading his cast in Holiday Happenings, to be aired December 12 and 19 under the auspices of Skokie Theatricals, the fundraising arm of the Skokie Theatre. For details contact the Skokie Theatre—www.skokietheater.org or call 847-667-7761.
The word is out that Wendy Kaplan is already negotiating with the Village of Skokie for approval for the Skokie Theatre to present outdoor programming in 2021. Is anyone surprised?
