TimeLine Theatre Company is thrilled to share that it has surpassed the halfway mark on construction of its new home, located in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood at 5035 N. Broadway, just steps away from the new CTA Red Line Argyle stop that opened recently.
Key progress benchmarks include:
- The concrete pre-cast panels that form much of the walls, floors, and other framing for the company’s new home are fully in place, and the roof has been completed to “cap” the building.
- Steel framing has been installed throughout the exterior to accept the glass curtain wall that will provide a dramatic window to activities within the building.
- The steel catwalk has been installed inside the theater space, ready to provide safe access for placing the lights, rigging, and other equipment critical to creating live stagecraft.
- Framing of interior spaces—theater, lobby, bar/cafe, rehearsal room, education space, dressing rooms, green room, costume storage, bathrooms, backstage, offices, and more—is nearly complete.
- MEP (mechanical, electrical and plumbing) installation is on schedule.
A view inside TimeLine Theatre’s new theater space at 5035 N. Broadway, as the catwalk above the playing area is installed, ready to provide safe access for placing the lights, rigging, and other equipment critical to creating live stagecraft. Credit: Lara Goetsch.
Press play to screen and download this timelapse video of the catwalks being installed inside TimeLine Theatre's new home in Uptown.
(top) Exterior view of TimeLine Theatre Company’s new home at 5035 N. Broadway in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood as construction reaches more than halfway complete. Credit: Lara Goetsch. (bottom) Exterior architectural rendering of TimeLine Theatre's new home. Credit: HGA View and download these and more construction photos.
“The structure—constructed entirely from precast elements, including architectural precast, hollow core plank, precast double tees, and precast beams and columns—allowed us to complete structural work in just five weeks following foundations,” said Brendan Keane, division leader at Bulley & Andrews. “That speed and efficiency were made possible by close coordination among all project partners.”
At the top of construction punch list in the coming weeks is painting the exterior concrete facing Broadway a purple-hued sheen (a color inspired by the brick façade of the former Reebie Bros. warehouse on the site); installation of the exterior curtain wall for the street-facing façade; continuing with installation of interior mechanical, electric and plumbing on all five stories of the building; placing concrete sprung floors in the theater and rehearsal spaces; building interior stairwells; installing two elevators; putting up interior drywall; grinding and polishing exposed concrete flooring; soundproofing; installing a fire protection system; building out the bar and café space, and more.
Press play to screen and download this timelapse video of the exterior, pre-cast cement panels being installed at TimeLine Theatre's new home in Uptown.
“This is a moment we’ve dreamed about, talked about, and planned toward for years. And it’s happening,” said TimeLine Theatre Artistic Director PJ Powers. “It’s thrilling beyond words to see the construction progress on our new home and to stand inside the walls of our new theater, seeing it take shape. We reached this milestone thanks to an incredibly passionate group of supporters, and we cannot wait to welcome everyone to Uptown.”
"It’s a thrilling moment for all of us helping shape a new home for TimeLine Theatre—walking the spaces as the form begins to emerge and feeling their potential. As the structure rises, the design comes to life, revealing beautifully proportioned volumes, abundant natural light, and gracious spaces that will serve artists, audiences, and staff for years to come,” said Jim Moore, principal at HGA.
“We’re excited to see the catwalks going up into the theatre space,” said Christopher Sprague, ASTC, Principal, Schuler Shook. “This is the moment when the empty box takes on the sense that there’s a theatre in this volume and not just a big open space. It is a huge milestone among so many other huge milestones for TimeLine’s new home!”
Schuler Shook specializes in lighting design, theater design, and audio/video design, and has helped plan and design state-of-the-art theatre spaces for venues around the world. The firm’s Chicago office has consulted with
TimeLine on the company’s new home search, planning, and build project for more than 15 years, since 2010.
“With construction halfway completed, we’re less than 10 months away from opening An Enemy of the People in that space, directed by TimeLine Company Member Ron OJ Parson,” added Powers. “It will be an incredible, inaugural production, featuring the type of provocative, mission-driven story that’s distinguished TimeLine’s first 29 years, while elevating the overall TimeLine experience both on stage and off.”
The design and construction team for TimeLine’s new home includes HGA, Schuler Shook, Threshold Acoustics, Bulley & Andrews, and Cullen Construction Management. Further information about TimeLine’s new home project, including design renderings along with photos and timelapse videos documenting construction benchmarks, is available at timelinetheatre.com/its-time.
Since launching its capital campaign, “IT'S TIME: The Campaign for TimeLine’s New Home,” the company has successfully raised more than $41.5 million toward the approximately $46 million project cost, including $12.9 million in public support ($2.9 million from the State of Illinois, $10 million from the City of Chicago), and funds from more than 200 generous individual donors.
Back on stage: TimeLine’s three-play, 2025-26 season to launch this October
An Enemy of the People, the new, award-winning version of Henrik Ibsen’s historic masterwork about citizens standing up to power by Amy Herzog, directed by TimeLine Company Member Ron OJ Parson, doubles as the inaugural production in TimeLine’s new home, and the grand finale of the company’s milestone 29th season in May - June 2026. Before then, TimeLine will present two more exciting productions at other venues:
- Hundreds and Hundreds of Stars, a world premiere written by and featuring Chicago playwright and actor Sandra Delgado, directed by Kimberly Senior. Motherhood, marijuana, and the multiverse collide in this Chicago-set story of family, immigration, and American identity, hosted by Lookingglass Theatre in the historic Water Tower Water Works, 163 E. Pearson St. at Michigan Avenue, Chicago, October 8 - November 9, 2025.
- The Chicago premiere of Eureka Day by Jonathan Spector—winner of the 2025 Tony Award® for Best Revival of a Play—directed by Lili-Anne Brown, January 13 – February 22, 2026. Herzog's sharply funny new satire of progressivism, parenting, and public health—the talk of Broadway last season—will be performed at Broadway In Chicago’s Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place, 175 E. Chestnut St., on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile.
TimeLine is offering four FlexPass subscription options valid for all three productions in its milestone 29th season, on sale now from $134 to $278, that save 25 percent off regular tickets, assure the best seats and enjoy impressive flexibility. For more information and to purchase, call the TimeLine Box Office at (773) 281-8463 x6 or visit timelinetheatre.com.
About TimeLine Theatre Company
TimeLine Theatre Company, recipient of the prestigious 2016 MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions, was founded in April 1997 with a mission to present stories inspired by history that connect with today's social and political issues. Over 28 seasons, TimeLine has presented 95 productions, including 15 world premieres and 43 Chicago premieres, and launched the Living History Education Program and TimeLine South summer arts program, which bring the company's mission to life for students in Chicago Public Schools and beyond. Recipient of the Alford- Axelson Award for Nonprofit Managerial Excellence and the Richard Goodman Strategic Planning Award from the Association for Strategic Planning, TimeLine has received 62 Jeff Awards, including an award for Outstanding Production 11 times.
The company departed its longtime home on Wellington Avenue in August 2024 and moved into new administrative offices at 5539 N. Broadway, Ste. B, a few blocks north of the site of its future new home, located at 5035 N. Broadway in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood. Construction is ongoing on that site, where plans feature an intimate black box theater seating up to 250 audience members, expanded area for the immersive lobby experiences that are a TimeLine hallmark, new opportunities for education and engagement, room to allow audience members to arrive early and stay late for theatergoing experiences that extend far beyond the stage, and more.
TimeLine is led by Artistic Director PJ Powers, Executive Director Mica Cole, and Board President Thaddeus J. Malik. TimeLine Company members are Tyla Abercrumbie, Will Allan, Nick Bowling, Janet Ulrich Brooks, Behzad Dabu, Charles Andrew Gardner, Lara Goetsch, Juliet Hart, Anish Jethmalani, Mildred Marie Langford, Mechelle Moe, David Parkes, Ron OJ Parson, PJ Powers, Maren Robinson, and Helen Young.
For more information, visit timelinetheatre.com, or Facebook or Instagram (@TimeLineTheatre on both platforms).