A Changing Court

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Court has accomplished more in 23 years than many other medium-sized companies: it carries no debt and has one of the city’s newest and best-equipped theater spaces. The chance to put a fresh stamp on a stable theatrical organization is a rare one these days. But Newell does have challenges to confront. As evidenced by recent marketing initiatives aimed at younger audiences, Court is trying to revamp its stuffy image, the result no doubt of its classics-oriented mission. In 1990 it brought in Second City founder turned consultant Bernie Sahlins to try to give the organization a hipper edge–it was under his influence that the company staged The Mystery Cycle in U. of C.’s Rockefeller Chapel–but without much success. (Sahlins has since moved on to the Organic.) Court’s location is also a problem; far removed geographically from both most other theatrical activity and a large, affluent yuppie audience, Court has been forced to work hard to attract non-Hyde Parkers.

A new temporary management team will guide the Joseph Holmes Chicago Dance Theatre through its May engagement at the Shubert Theatre, part of the Spring Festival of Dance, following the departure of low-profile, former part-time executive director Mary Webster last month. Fred Solari, former managing director of the defunct Civic Stages Chicago, and John Schmitz, former general manager of Ballet Chicago, are handling all the administrative details leading up to the company’s May performances. Explains Solari: “We’re providing a service and will be there to put out any fires at least through May.” Solari, who has become a sort of free-lance arts management troubleshooter since Civic Stages Chicago shut down (with a surplus of more than $200,000), maintains that Joseph Holmes is in pretty good shape given the lack of visibility and minimal funding hindering local dance companies. “Joseph Holmes has very little debt, about $10,000,” he notes. Schmitz, whose expertise is fund-raising, will be working to retire the existing deficit. Still to be resolved, however, is who will guide the company artistically: artistic director Randy Duncan and associate artistic director Harriet Ross both left last summer.

Art accompanying story in printed newspaper (not available in this archive): photo/Matthew Gilson.