Chicago Street Theatre Celebrates 60 Years of Theatre Excellence

A 60th anniversary is a tremendous occasion, and a Diamond Jubilee is a perfect way to celebrate it. On Friday night, Chicago Street Theatre celebrated their 60th anniversary with Encores: Diamond Jubilee which was hosted at Valparaiso University’s Center for the Arts. The event gathered Chicago Street’s fans, performers from the past and present, and many more of the theater’s dedicated participants.

Click here to see more photos from the Jubilee!

The evening was an all-out celebration of the theater’s incredible milestone. For its six decade anniversary they weren’t afraid to pull out all of the stops. The theater gathered their attendees together for delicious appetizers and cocktails, garnered together a wide arrange of items up for their auction - including a beautiful diamond necklace and a trip to Disneyworld - and hosted a show chock full of plays and songs. For a show that celebrates 60 years of performances, there was a lot to fit in a couple of hours. Eric Brant, the Marketing Director forChicago Street Theatre, explained that the night was certainly full of Chicago Street’s rich history.

“It’s representative of over 60 shows, so it’s a big production. We have snippets, we have songs, we even have a PowerPoint that will be going on throughout the show that shows the audience what all of the plays or musicals are with stills from those shows,” Brant stated. “It’s really great being able to get everyone together from across the country to make this celebration happen.”

Though the night was a celebration of its anniversary, the show was also categorized as a part of their Encores series - a fundraiser put on by the theater each year - it was also their chance to make this the biggest Encores ever.

Stephanie Naumoff, actress and Musical Director for the Jubilee, said that the opportunity to showcase its diverse catalog of plays and musicals was hard to slim down into a select few, but it still combined together to make it their biggest event yet.

“Encores has been going on for many years and there have been so many things that have been going on through Encores itself, but this evening is almost a little bit of everything. We’re performing the classics that everyone loves, but we also have some of the more risky stuff that we’re known for taking a chance on. We’re also are dedicating the last part of the night to JoBeth Madsen Cruz with her favorite numbers,” Naumoff explained. “It is definitely the biggest Encores we’ve ever had, with the fabulous auction and the show itself is the largest we’ve ever done. It is really the Big Mama of CST Encores.”

The event gathered up 30 different actors all on stage together to partake in the plays they had performed in the past on Chicago Street’s stage. The night gave the opportunity for the actors to give a short rousing performance of their former parts, and the ability to be a part of a show that was a landmark event for their community theater. Matthew Byerly, who was one of the performers that was a part of the Jubilee, said that the Jubilee really represented the reason for Chicago Street’s longevity - the backing of its community.

“I think what makes Chicago Street stand out is the sole fact that they’ve been around for 60 years now. They truly have come to represent the community. The people who are lucky enough to devote their time to their theater really see that the theater isn’t just for them - it’s for the community.” Byerly stated. “For an arts organization to welcome in the community and get their support for now 60 years is a tremendous feat.”

Kathleen Erny, one of the many people who are a proud part of CST’s community, said that the night was a great example of why Chicago Street’s such an exciting asset to Northwest Indiana.

“It’s an incredible night. They have really marched ahead with all kinds of obstacles in their way throughout the years, but that’s what makes them great,” Erny said. “They always put on a great show - they never showcase any junk and they keep it fresh. Tonight’s show is great example of that.”

Overall Chicago Street’s Diamond Jubilee was a shining example of what the theater does best, and that’s to have a great time. Whether it was watching the theater’s extraordinarily talented actors, or bidding for dozens of unique and fabulous auction items, Chicago Street couldn’t have pulled off a better night to honor an incredible occasion. Here’s to another 60 incredible years,Chicago Street Theatre! May the next decades be as marvelous as the last.