Picking Up the Pieces at Chicago String Ensemble
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Now both Heatherington and the Chicago String Ensemble appear to have landed on their feet. With former board member Rosalie Harris returning to the helm as president, the Chicago String Ensemble is embarking on its 20th anniversary season with a renewed sense of purpose and a new musical director, Allan Lewis, who’s also the musical director of the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago. A guest conductor last season in the wake of Heatherington’s departure, Lewis was reportedly the unanimous favorite among board members and players for the music director’s job.
The Chicago String Ensemble is counting on Lewis to add some spark, but the future of the group may rest on the shoulders of Harris, who was an important force within the organization from 1984 to 1994, which included a term as board president from 1989 to 1992. Heatherington says Harris was a positive influence. “She had a professional image and a strong concept of what the organization should be,” he says. Harris left the organization for health reasons, but she claims that the group had lost its sense of purpose. “When I came on the board in 1984 there was a lot of talk about musical vision, but I think all those possibilities had been lost by the time I decided to leave,” she says.
As of last week Actors’ Equity was ready to tangle with the current revival of Hair. The local chapter of the performers’ union was planning to distribute leaflets in front of the Athenaeum Theatre to inform audiences that the production, which opened August 2, was in essence a college show performed by nonunion actors. But now the union has decided to call off its protest, though Equity central regional director Kathryn Lamkey says it will still try to inform the public about the play, which producer Michael Butler imported from the west coast. The show was originally produced at California State University, Fullerton, and the troupe is composed entirely of Cal State students and recent graduates. The top ticket price for Hair is $37.50.
