The Side Project Chicago

After an unexpected permit process put the January move into their new home on hold, the side project has announced that it has completed the gamut of reviews and inspections needed to finally open at their new location, The Side Project Theatre, at 1439 W Jarvis Ave. Lucky for them, since Sean Graney has been rehearsing his latest play, Porno, for the past four weeks, and load-in is scheduled for May 6. The side project will present the world premiere play as its first at the new locale, running through June 11, 2006.

side project Artistic Director Adam Webster said that the space will simply be called ‘The Side Project Theatre’ so as to not run into the same type of confusion as the company’s old space, The Side Studio, brought forth. “We have had all sorts of incarnations in the press and on actors’ resumes, from The Side Studio Project to The Side Project Studio to any other 2-, 3- or 4-word combination in between,” Webster said. “We hope this will solve that confusion.”

Webster hopes that moving from the old home – which Chris Jones from the Chicago Tribune called “a very exciting place to see a show” calling attention to its “whiff of that fearless kind of theatrical energy” and the Chicago Reader has repeatedly called “the smallest performance space in the city” and a “shotgun space” – won’t take away the crown of being the tiniest. He maintains that it certainly won’t ruin the vibe, since the stage/audience dimensions are virtually identical (to the old space), but that there is now that amount of space, twice over, for the lobby as well. Additionally, there are three bathrooms, only one of which is shared with the performers. However, the expansion will allow for an additional 11 seats, with the new venue accommodating 43, up from 32. The company has purchased new seats, which Webster says are sets of padded folding chairs grouped together, for the move – another addition he is excited about.

 “We were so excited when we saw the raw space, since it was already so well-suited to our needs,” Webster said, listing the full basement as providing much-needed storage, and lobby, which will allow for patron accommodation and artwork installations. “As our art expanded and started getting more critically noticed, the audience base grew, and we did not have a lobby in which they could congregate before or after the show or during intermission. We also have not had a backstage area in which the audience didn’t also have to use the restroom,” Webster said. Because the space was formerly Don’s Coffee Club, and subsequently a couple of other cafés, the theatre retained the food prep functionality (three-bowl sink, handsink, electrical capabilities) both for potential future use (should they be emboldened to go through the licensing process again) and nostalgia. “The backstage area in the old space was also a kitchen, so, past performers will feel right at home,” Webster said.

The Side Project Theatre marks one of five new food and entertainment entries into the corner of Greenview and Jarvis. The Side Project Theatre will join the already functioning (as of September 2005) Poitin Stil (an Irish bar in the former Charmer’s locale), and the soon-to-be-opening Charmer’s Café (a coffeeshop furnished in the aforementioned bar’s former art deco panelling and columns), Dagel and Beli (steamed sandwiches and deli meats and cheeses) and Grupo d Amici (a wood-burning pizza kitchen). All of the businesses are expected to be in full gear by mid-May. Also in the same strip are: Under the Table Books, Lumbar Lounge massage and Rogers Bark pet grooming. Developer Dan Sullivan, who has courted all of the businesses, refers to the area as Jarvis Square.

the side project is dedicated to examining and portraying the human condition at the peak of adversity. At its core, the troupe celebrates the individual and its relation to society, striving for the betterment of both through the portrayal of life’s extremes. Since being founded in 2000, the ensemble has presented over 50 world and Midwest premieres, including 25 one acts in four annual “Evenings of One Acts.”

They will conclude the season with the world premiere of Stephen Cone’s Henry Hettinger, postponed from February, and next season will mount the other productions slated for this year: the Chicago premiere of Lee Blessing’s Thief River and the world premiere of resident playwright Jesse Weaver’s Sweet Pretty Love Jam.