03/16/2023
After 15 years and more than 30 productions, the ensemble and board of directors of Sideshow Theatre Company has voted to dissolve the company and draw our chapter in Chicago theatre to a close.
Following the turnover of our artistic and administrative staff, a core governing ensemble has spent the past six months considering various structures that would allow Sideshow to continue sustainably. Ultimately, the cancellations of our 2022 Gala and planned production of Pro-Am, the necessary departure from the venue where we have performed for a decade, and the diverging lives and careers of the artists in the company all made this the only responsible decision.
Before voting to dissolve, Sideshow ensured that all artists who had been contracted for Pro-Am were paid their full stipends as though the show had moved forward, and we will be donating our remaining funds evenly amongst seven other non-profits in whose work we believe deeply. Those organizations are listed below, and we encourage anyone reading to support them as well.
A storefront company closing its doors is a regrettably common occurrence in 2023, but though Sideshow will not continue as an entity, we know that our community of artists will continue to be a part of the necessary reimagining and rebuilding of the American theatre currently underway. We thank and celebrate all of the collaborators, audience members, funders, and supporters who made our work possible since 2007. Stay curious, and here’s to a bold new future for theatre everywhere.
First Floor Theater
Longacre Lea
Arts of Life
Midwest Action
Chicago Women's Health Center
Congo Square Theatre Company
Chicspeare Production Company
