Bright lights? Big deal.

Berth of a salesman
As far as The Sparrow is concerned, the House will now see its product marketed above and beyond the heads of its first grassroots audiences; $49.50 is a far cry from the original top price of $22 for what will essentially be the same show in a comfier theater. It will be seen by thousands, but in circumstances far from what first made audiences love it. With BIC handling the marketing, out-of-town ticket buyers will get a taste of “storefront” theater without the mussy inconvenience of visiting an actual storefront.

But the step that gets removed in the process makes all the difference. The reason theater lovers and theater practitioners live in Chicago is the same: Affordable, immediate, original theater is as readily available in residential neighborhoods as mom-and-pop Thai restaurants and used bookstores. But as long as the local media attempt to pimp out our artists for fast recognition or the city steamrolls them by mandating the import of mega entertainment, we’re all unwittingly participating in the culture of McCity.

Christiansen’s book, pointedly titled A Theater of Our Own, is a testament to an arts scene created by and for Chicagoans. Yet if the primary concern of the city is a product that can look or feel the same way in any town, Chicagoans may find themselves with a theater scene filled with massive shows that are created elsewhere and for someone else.

How can Chicago theater be fixed? We have some ideas. See “Staging a coup”.