As this cold, wet June wore on and no schedule had been posted for Theater on the Lake’s annual storefront-theater festival, which was supposed to commence June 23, concern grew among longtime fans that it might not be happening.
TOTL managing director Angelique Grandone says that the switch from low-cost to no cost was done to make the plays more accessible. It also brings the festival in line with most everything else operating under the umbrella of the Park District’s Night Out in the Parks program. This year, Grandone says, Night Out in the Parks will partner with at least 43 theater companies to present more than 200 free performances in more than 125 city parks.
Prologue runs from morning into evening all three days (schedule at chicagoparkdistrict.com). It’ll launch with an interactive discussion of whether Chicago should become the first city in the nation to adopt a Cultural Bill of Rights. That’ll be led by Arts Alliance Illinois, which will be submitting the idea to Mayor Lori Lightfoot later this summer. Lest we get too excited about that, note that AAI executive director Claire Rice says this bill of rights would be a guide for policy and programming, not a legally binding amendment to anything.
June 26-28, Theater on the Lake, 2401 N. Lake Shore Drive, 312-742-7994, chicagoparkdistrict.com. F
