Our Mission
Madison Street Theatre is a performing arts center that produces, supports, and hosts exceptional arts programming through maintaining a quality and affordable space to create, teach, collaborate, and perform.
Staff
Tina Reynolds, Artistic Director
Lisa Green, Managing Director
Board of Directors
John Dalton – President
Tina Reynolds – Vice President
Juan Gonzalez – Treasurer
Maureen Spain – Secretary
Kevin Bry
JaneAnne Campbell
Ned Crowley
Lisa Green
Michael Jones
Stephanie Thomas
David Zapata
Our Vision
We strive to:
Inspire Creativity
Nurture Diversity
Promote Equity
Encourage Inclusivity
Enlighten our Community
We Believe:
In the importance of producing exceptional programming which celebrates all types of arts: including theater, music, dance, and spoken word.
In supporting and featuring artists of all types: renowned performers, local talent, performing arts students, and up-and-coming artists.
In the power of collaborating with producers, renters, and performers and offering quality, affordable space for fine arts education and community gatherings.
In the strength of partnering with other NFP organizations which support the performing arts.
In celebrating the uniqueness of every person who comes through the doors of our theater.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Madison Street Theater is committed to building a creative and diverse space to create art that celebrates the uniqueness of every person who through the doors of our theater – patrons, artists, employees, volunteers, and vendors. We will work to ensure everyone feels valued and respected, regardless of gender, age, race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, education, or ability.
To achieve this goal, Madison Street Theater will focus its attention on the following priorities over the next 24 months:
- Focus on anti-racism in our organization to include, but not limited to, the development of a board led committee and annual training on this specific topic,
- Ensure productions, educational programs, and digital content consider diverse voices in content, partnerships, staff, cast, artists, and renters,
- Engage audience and community through deliberately focused events and partnerships,
- Provide pricing structures to make theater accessible to all people at any income level
History of Madison Street Theater
Designed by local architect Errol Kirsch in the early 1980s, the former 1920s-era tile warehouse and storefront was fully repurposed by mostly volunteer labor into an intimate, state-of-the-art performing arts space.
Today, the building is still owned by the same not-for-profit, Oak Park River Forest Civic Theater, founded in 1961. Over the past 25 years, the space has been home to such groups as The Village Players, Circle Theatre and Saltbox Theatre Company. Since 2017, due to leadership turnover and a lack of consistent fundraising, this community treasure had fallen into a state of disrepair. In June of 2019, a new Board of Directors stepped in and with the assistance of Forest Park Bank, refinanced the property and set about creating a new vision for this wonderful space.