On Thursday, after an existential crisis and a hiatus of close to two years, Chicago’s famous Lookingglass Theatre Company officially returns to public performances in its Michigan Avenue theater in the city-owned Water Tower Pumping Station. Aptly for a company known for its physically oriented performances, the new production is “Circus Quixote,” as devised and developed by longtime ensemble member David Catlin and his wife, Kerry Catlin, with a circus-based assist from Sylvia Hernandez-DiStasi. Prior to that, on Monday morning, Lookingglass also cuts the ribbon on a new lobby, cafe and bar space, funded by a grant from the State of Illinois and with an entrance at 163 E. Pearson St.
Founded in 1988 by former classmates at Northwestern University, Lookingglass has many illustrious long-time ensemble members, including Joy Gregory, Laura Eason, Mary Zimmerman and J. Nicole Brooks, many of whom now work mostly in film and TV. But the most famous of all is David Schwimmer, who shot to global fame with “Friends,” one of the most popular TV sitcoms of all time. Schwimmer is expected Monday at the ribbon cutting and spoke to us from his home in New York. The following conversation has been edited for clarity and length.
Q: You grew up in Los Angeles. How is your family doing?
A: Everyone is OK but going through a lot. We know so many people who have had to evacuate their homes.
Q: It’s been a while since you were back in Chicago and also a while since Lookingglass performed.
A: It has. But I am really glad to come back. I am hoping the return of our company will be as exciting to the city as it is to me. Listen, I think what transpired over the last four years with the pandemic and our having to shut our doors and lay off some 70% of our staff was just incredibly difficult for us. First, we weren’t able to produce, then we came back with an original show only for us to have to close it up again. And the Magnificent Mile has had difficulties too, as have so many other theaters and arts groups.
Q: I, like many, was worried Lookingglass was gone for good.
A: I’m not going to lie. Over the last few years, there has been significant burnout and things became a bit demoralizing, especially when it comes to finding new sources of contributed income at a time when people are not giving much to the arts. There were times when we all asked each other whether we should just fold up shop, be glad for the 30-plus years we’ve been doing this, all the work we’d done and all the jobs we’d created. Or do we dig in, put on our big-boy pants and ask, can we figure out a new way forward in this climate while still sticking to our mission of original work? I thought we just do it, try for a return and give it everything we’ve got.
Q: You are a very famous and a very busy person beyond Lookingglass and Chicago. So what does this comeback mean for you?
A: I decided I’m going to lean in and double down on Lookingglass. I’ve joined our board of directors for the first time. I am donating myself, of course, but I am also trying to meet new people in Chicago and get more investment in us from the business community. We want to revitalize this whole corridor on Michigan Avenue and make Lookingglass a fun destination for parties, speakers, classes, even stand-up comedy. This has to be a vibrant space, even when we don’t have a show running, and that is our goal now. We’re talking to Hubbard Street Dance, Broadway in Chicago, the Museum of Contemporary Art. We want to transform our space into a shared arts hub and also work ourselves in other, bigger spaces. That is the dialogue we have been having.
Q: Admirably ambitious.
A: We have to start slow and ramp up over the next three to five years as we figure out our new producing model. We have some incredibly new shows in the pipeline but one show I’d love us to bring back is Mary Zimmerman’s “The Odyssey,” a wonderful story about returning home. But that’s a big show and we cannot do that in our space and hope to break even, so we need to find new producing partners.
Q: The ensemble has changed some over the years.
A: Yes. Some have wanted to pull back. But we want our return to be all about the new guard and the best of the old guard. We have new leadership and they are fantastic and we really hope we can get people to come back downtown. That’s the key.
Q: Are you going to direct or act in a show?
A: I definitely am. I can’t wait to get back on the stage at Lookingglass, where I have not performed since I did “Our Town” (in 2009). We might fall flat on our faces but we really need the whole community to help us rise to this challenge. We need the governor, the mayor, this whole neighborhood, too.
Q: I know there long has been a struggle to get signage on Michigan Avenue, where so many people once walked by.
A: We have to get that foot traffic back to where it once was. And we need the city’s help in letting people know there is a theater here.
“Circus Quixote” runs Jan. 30 to March 30 at Lookingglass Theatre in Water Tower Water Works, 821 N. Michigan Ave.; 312-337-0665 and www.lookingglasstheatre.org
Chris Jones is a Tribune critic.
cjones5@chicagotribune.com
