The Oak Park Festival Theatre, Oak Park’s premiere Equity theatre and the oldest professional classical theatre in the Midwest, was honored with a Special Equity Award at the 57th Anniversary Joseph Jefferson Awards for Equity Theatre on Monday, September 29, at the Harris Theatre in Chicago. The recognition marks Oak Park Festival Theatre’s 50th anniversary season and celebrates its artistic contributions to the Chicagoland area.
“Fifty years of summer nights under the trees at Austin Gardens has taught us that classical theatre belongs to everyone,” said Peter Andersen, Oak Park Festival Theatre Artistic Director. “This award is really for our community, from the Park District of Oak Park, to our artists, apprentices, and audiences who have fueled our momentum. Since 2022, attendance has doubled, we’re attracting top Chicago talent, and our apprenticeship program is drawing exceptional young artists from across the country.”
Oak Park Festival Theatre’s nearly half-century partnership with the Park District of Oak Park is essential to the company’s mission. A recent $100,000 grant from the Park District of Oak Park, the largest single gift in the company’s history, underscores the strength of this unique partnership and positions the company for sustainable growth.
“We’re putting the theatre on firm financial footing,” added Andersen. “Between strengthened public partnership, diversified revenue, infrastructure upgrades, and expanded programming, we’re building the next fifty years on solid ground.”
The dream of Oak Park-based actor Marion Karczmar to perform Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream on a flatbed truck in downtown Oak Park became a reality with a group of young local actors, including William H. Macy and David Mamet, in 1975. The initial popularity of their productions led to an invitation by the Park District of Oak Park to use nearby Austin Gardens to give their performances among stately trees and twinkling stars under the early artistic direction of Chicago theater legends like James O’Reilly, David Darlow, Henry Godinez, B.J. Jones, Patrick O’Gara, and Tom Mula. By 2010, a second summer production was added, including modern classics to complement the works of Shakespeare and his contemporaries. The indoor productions were added at local venues, attracting thousands of patrons annually. Today, Oak Park Festival Theatre continues to flourish under new artistic leadership, led by Peter Andersen, with his 50th anniversary remount of Twelfth Night.
To learn more about this program and the Jeff Awards, visit www.jeffawards.org.
ABOUT OAK PARK FESTIVAL THEATRE
Oak Park Festival Theatre, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, is Oak Park’s premiere Equity theatre and the oldest professional outdoor classical theatre in the Midwest. Since 1975, Oak Park Festival Theatre has produced over 100 plays for thousands of theatre-lovers, and are best known for summer outdoor shows performed under a canopy of stars in the idyllic Austin Gardens park. It is the mission of OPFT to perform timeless plays in distinctive spaces and create empowering educational programming, both of which foster dialogue, strengthen relationships, and explore the depth of the human experience. For more information: www.oakparkfestival.com
ABOUT THE JEFF AWARDS
The Jeff Awards is one of the most active and engaged theater awards organizations in the country evaluating hundreds of theatrical productions annually and holding two awards ceremonies highlighting work over the past Equity and Non-Equity seasons. Through our recommendations, awards, and honors we help foster the growth of companies, encourage artists, bring new appreciation for diverse storytelling, and cultivate civic pride in the achievements of the Chicago theater community. Originally chartered in 1968 to recognize Equity productions, the Jeff Awards Non-Equity Wing was established in 1973 to celebrate outstanding achievement in non-union theatre.
For more information, visit www.jeffawards.org.