Thomas Besore

We stopped here recently during the Lincoln Square/Ravenswood Wine Stroll. This is a nice little boutique across the street from Perfect Cup Coffee. It's a great place to visit and check out the local oriented items. My favorites were a couple of hand painted Chicago themed wine glasses.

This theater is just a short walk away from the Jefferson Park blue line stop and also close to the Gale Street Inn. This makes for a convenient "theater package" by public transportation. The theater itself is what you might expect of a "storefront theater". It's tiny, cramped, grungy. You'd have to practically cross the front of the stage if you needed to use the restroom during a show. Maybe the actors would not mind. The seats are just a few feet off the stage..... and there are fifty seats or less..... maybe only thirty. I don't recall. At the show I attended, the patrons in the front row of chairs were kindly asked to move back a few inches to allow a bit more room for one of the acts.

I say all this not so much in a negative fashion, but to accurately describe the ambiance of this theater which is a really cool experience. I saw the show Royal Society of Antartica here and was quite impressed with how much you can do with so little. I'd certainly come back here .... and maybe even bring friends for a grass-roots theater experience which is completely different from what you might find at a more sophisticated venue. Give it a try and check your expectations at the door.