Mayor Richard C. Irvin and Paramount Theatre announce that the new Stolp Island Theatre has broken ground and construction has begun.
The new, 98-seat theater will be downtown Aurora’s next live performance venue thanks to a multi-year funding commitment from Verano, a leading multi-state cannabis company that operates Zen Leaf Aurora, located at 740 Illinois Route 59, and nine additional Zen Leaf dispensaries across Chicagoland.
The riverwalk-adjacent location, 5 W. Downer Place, on the banks of the Fox River in downtown Aurora, will open for performances for guests in summer 2024.
(from left) Stolp Island Theatre Project Manager Creg Sclavi shows Aurora Mayor Richard C. Irvin and Tim Rater, President and CEO, Paramount Theatre, plans for the new Stolp Island Theatre, now under construction at 5 W. Downer Place in downtown Aurora. Credit: Thomas J. King
“The Stolp Island Theatre will be another live theater destination in the heart of downtown Aurora bringing jobs, patrons, and additional opportunities for exciting and engaging entertainment into our community,” said Mayor Irvin. “For years, the Stolp Island Theatre was just an idea, but through the generosity of Verano and Zen Leaf, the vision has become reality. The team at Paramount is hard at work to create a unique new performing arts space and a first-class show that will be an experience unlike any other in the area.”
Paramount intends for the 9,000 square foot development that includes a 4,600 square-foot theater to offer an up close, intimate experience for patrons. At Stolp Island Theatre, the audience will feel they are part of the show.
Paramount plans to announce the theater’s first production later this month. Paramount officials expect to present more than 400 performances annually, adding $3.3 million to Aurora’s annual economy by inducing spending by guests and attracting out-of-town guests to the downtown area.
(from left) Jonathan Jensen, Chief Development Officer, Paramount Theatre, Chris Fotopoulos, Executive Vice President, Verano, Tim Rater, President and CEO, Paramount Theatre, Steve Mazeika, Vice President of Communications, Verano, and Meghan Konrad, Vice President of Marketing and Communications, Paramount Theatre, at a site visit November 2, 2023 at the new Stolp Island Theatre, now under construction at 5 W. Downer Place in downtown Aurora. Credit: Amy Nelson
“Since our foundation, supporting local communities where our patients, customers and team members live and work has always been a core tenet of our business and point of pride for our entire Verano team across the nation,” said George Archos, Verano Founder and Chief Executive Officer. “Along with providing health, wellness and happiness for millions of individuals every day, cannabis also has a strong and historic intersection with cultural elements including music, art and theatre, and we’re so excited to contribute to Aurora’s thriving live entertainment scene with the addition of the uniquely immersive Stolp Island Theatre."
“The last few years have been a challenging time for the performing arts industry, but our strong return from the shutdown reinforces how important cultural amenities like the Paramount, Copley, and RiverEdge Park are to improving the quality of life for the community,” said Tim Rater, President and CEO of Paramount Theatre. “We are thrilled that through a partnership with the City and the philanthropy of Verano, we will add another first-class performing arts experience. Aurora already has the best riverfront downtown in Illinois, and the Stolp Island Theatre will be another defining destination in the years ahead.”
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Chris Fotopoulos, Executive Vice President, Verano (center) on a site visit November 2, 2023 with Paramount Theatre Chief Development Officer Jonathan Jensen (left), Tim Rater, Paramount Theatre President and CEO (back to camera) and Steve Mazeika, Verano Vice President of Communications (right), inside the new Stolp Island Theatre. Credit: Amy Nelson
(from left) Stolp Island Theatre Project Manager Creg Sclavi shows Aurora Mayor Richard C. Irvin and Tim Rater, President and CEO, Paramount Theatre, plans for the new Stolp Island Theatre. Credit: Thomas J. King
Contacts:
Verano:
Grace Bondy, Grace.Bondy@Verano.com
Steve Mazeika, Steve.Mazeika@Verano.com
City of Aurora:
Tony Martinez, martinezt@aurora.il.us, (630) 256-3591 (office)
Paramount Theatre:
Jay Kelly, jaykellypr@gmail.com, (312) 315-3935 (cell)
About the City of Aurora
The City of Aurora is the second-largest city in the state of Illinois. Founded in 1847, Aurora is one of the first cities in the country to use electric street lights, earning the moniker ‘City of Lights.’ In addition to our storied history, beautiful architectural and cultural diversity, under the leadership of Mayor Richard C. Irvin and the Aurora City Council, Aurora is powering up investment in infrastructure and technology at unprecedented rates, making it now the ‘City of Light Speed.” Right now is an amazing time to live, work and be entertained in the City of Aurora. Learn more at aurora-il.org.
About Paramount Theatre
Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd., is the center for performing arts and education in downtown Aurora, the second largest city in Illinois. Since 1931, the beautiful, 1,843-seat theater, graced with a strong 1930s Art Deco influence and original Venetian décor, has been downtown Aurora’s anchor attraction. Since launching its own Broadway Series in 2011, Paramount has amassed more than 37,000 subscribers, making it the largest subscription house in the U.S. Today, Paramount Theatre is nationally known for its high-quality productions, superb acoustics and historic grandeur.
Paramount Theatre is one of four live performance venues programmed and managed by the Aurora Civic Center Authority. ACCA also oversees downtown Aurora’s newly renovated 165-seat Copley Theatre, RiverEdge Park, the city’s outdoor summer concert venue, the Stolp Island Theatre, opening in summer 2024, as well as the Paramount School of the Arts. For more information, please visit paramountaurora.com.
About Verano
Verano Holdings Corp. (NEO: VRNO) (OTCQX: VRNOF), one of the U.S. cannabis industry’s leading companies based on historical revenue, geographic scope and brand performance, is a vertically integrated, multi-state operator embracing a mission of saying Yes to plant progress and the bold exploration of cannabis. Verano offers a superior cannabis shopping experience in medical and adult use markets under the Zen Leaf™ and MÜV™ dispensary banners and produces a comprehensive suite of high-quality, regulated cannabis products sold under its diverse portfolio of trusted consumer brands including Verano™, MÜV™, Savvy™, BITS™, Encore™, and Avexia™. Verano’s active operations span 13 U.S. states, comprised of 14 production facilities with over 1,000,000 square feet of cultivation capacity. Learn more at verano.com.