Tuesday, November 15, 2011

First A New B.E.T., Next A New Block?




There's a great article in the Sun-Times about Jackie Taylor and how sheer determination got the new Black Ensemble Theater complex built at Sunnyside and Clark.
“There was never a question of not going ahead with this project,” said Morris. “The economy may be a powerful force, but then there is Jackie."
And apparently Ms. Taylor is looking beyond the new building and has cast her eye on the block surrounding the theater.
"But as Taylor looks out the window of her new office, she explains that the theater [A] is only the first element in what she sees as a much grander master plan for the immediate area.  Securing the lease on an outdoor parking lot [B] at the northeast corner of Sunnyside and Clark is close to a done deal.  She hopes to see the existing building across the street [C], whose owners she has been talking to for years, help her create Jackie’s Soul Food Restaurant — a place where “theater patrons can eat and meet and extend the cultural experience.”  And just south of that restaurant, she hopes to transform a large building now housing a social services agency [D] into a degree-granting performing arts college whose graduates can go on to work in her theater."




Opening night for the new Black Ensemble Theater is Friday, with a redo of The Jackie Wilson Story.

5 comments:

  1. Good luck B.E.T.! Wish I could afford some tix to opening night!

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  2. Would be great for that stretch of nothing right now. The new theatre looks amazing on the outside. Would love for the rest of her plans to happen.

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  3. I had no idea the JASC building was for sale. I just went to their holiday fest, which I really enjoy attending every year.

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  4. I love idea and watching A come to fruition!

    Idea B would mean no more Samboon, which is a great mechanic at reasonable prices so :(

    Love idea C!

    Don't love idea D- JASC are great neighbors and do so many wonderful social services.

    Hope the opening goes well tonight!

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  5. I emailed JASC and they said it was a mistake that they were named in this article. They are not moving. Yay!

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