The Joseph Jefferson Awards Committee has announced two Special Citations awards. Wrigleyville’s Stage Left Theatre and Rogers Park’s Lifeline Theatre are being honored for their contributions to theatre over the years. Both are mainstays of Chicago’s non-union theatre community and exemplify dedication to presenting new material.
Stage Left Theatre recently concluded its 25th Anniversary Season with a mission to develop and produce plays that raise debate and challenge perspectives on political and social issues, seeking to activate audiences to discuss and act on issues raised in the plays, and inspiring playwrights to address political and social themes through their Downstage Left new work development program.
Lifeline Theatre, soon to enter its 25th Anniversary Season, was a lonely theatre pioneer in the Rogers Park neighborhood when it took over a former Commonwealth Edison substation on North Glenwood Avenue in 1986, which it calls home to this day and where it serves as an anchor of the Glenwood Avenue Arts District. Lifeline Theatre specializes in original literary adaptations, using imaginative, unconventional staging to portray sprawling stories in an intimate space. The theatre aspires to be a creative nest for new work that reflects and engages our community.