- Credibility:
LAKEVIEW — The Mercury Theater Chicago will soon reopen along Southport Corridor after previously announcing it was closed for good due to the pandemic.
Theater leaders announced in June 2020 it was permanently closing because of financial losses, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. But the theater will now reopen under new leadership, the theater’s executive producer Walter Stearns announced Wednesday.
“When we closed, we shut down every expense with the hope that someday we would be able to reopen in better times,” Stearns said in a statement. “By conserving resources, along with federal support and refinancing, we have been given the opportunity to remake the theater into something better for the future.”
Christopher Chase Carter, who previously worked with the theater on productions like “Little Shop of Horrors” and “Hair,” was appointed the theater’s new artistic director. He said he hopes to foster a “platform for artists of all backgrounds to tell stories unapologetically.”
“We will create art that represents the world in which we live,” Carter said. “I am determined to create a safe and fair environment while focused on equality and inclusivity.”
Jake Wittich is a Report for America corps member covering Lakeview, Lincoln Park and LGBTQ communities across the city for Block Club Chicago.
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