The Harris Theater makes the experience of enjoying performance art more accessible and efficient with its recently completed construction. Get ready for some new user-friendly "art-chitecture."
The Harris Theater—a state-of-the-art performance venue located in Millennium Park—opened in November 2003. Since its opening, the theater has served as a place where philanthropy and performing arts meet. The theater values diversity as it features the talents of local, national and internationally renowned artists and ensembles.
Performance-art lovers can enjoy various performances, including those of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Music of the Baroque, Chicago Opera Theater and Chicago Symphony Orchestra's MusicNow, among others.
Its mission, according to its website, is "to partner with an array of Chicago's music and dance performing arts organizations to help them build the resources and infrastructure necessary to achieve artistic growth and long-term organizational sustainability."
Michael Tiknis, president/CEO of the Harris Theater, said the construction was geared toward making the theater more user-friendly. He said it came from considering a typical visitor's experience, more specifically how they were entering and exiting the building. Tiknis explained, years ago the perfect theater experience was to drive to the theater and go in and out through the parking garage, never having to walk outside. This is how access to the Harris Theater was originally developed, he added.
Tiknis described that over the years and with the re-development of Millennium Park, people have come to enjoy having dinner in the neighborhood and/or reside in the high-rise buildings downtown. These things influenced the idea that entering and exiting from upper Randolph Street is more convenient for many visitors. The solution to this was adding elevators, so visitors can get in and out at their own convenience through the garage or street. That also gave way to other new features.
"It's really a usage change reflecting patterns because of the tremendous success of Millennium Park," said Tiknis of the construction.
The completed construction includes two high-speed, high-capacity elevators, an expanded lower lobby, reconfigured staircases and additional hand railings throughout the entire house of the theater.
"When we do talk about our commitment to diversity, we also talk about the building's commitment to accessibility as well," said Tiknis. "It [the construction] really was not about aesthetic; it was really about accessibility and about making the experience of coming, as enjoyable, hopefully, as the work that you love that's taking place on the stage."
Tiknis said keeping the Harris Theater's distinctive, post-industrial, modern look was key.
"We wanted to make it so that when you came in after the renovation, you would sort of scratch your head and say 'there's something different here. What's different? Why does it feel different?'" Tiknis said. "But, you won't notice a huge visual change."
Tiknis added he thinks people will embrace the theater's "stark, industrial nature" and think it is different than the other embellished, older theaters in Chicago.
"The construction was very challenging because we did it without closing the theater," said Tiknis. "I feel great about the construction. I think what most people will see, or hope they feel, is that we haven't changed the architectural character of the theater. You will either love or hate it. I don't think there's a middle of the road reaction to the Harris. It was designed to focus you and your eyes and your ears specifically on the work on stage and not necessarily the building itself."
"Imagine: The Campaign for Harris Theater" is the effort that funded this construction. The campaign began about two years ago and is a $38.8-million comprehensive fundraising effort supporting the theater's mission, concentrating on the Harris Theater's continued growth and artistic development over the next 10 years. The Imagine campaign has raised close to $30 million, according to Tiknis, and has more donations continually coming in.
"We started the Imagine campaign, to do the renovation, but also to provide money to support the Harris' continuing and developing mission of bringing great things to Chicago and helping some of the great things in Chicago get even greater like Hubbard Street [Dance Chicago] and Music of the Baroque and the Chicago Opera Theater and just a number of other companies that were using the Harris, which it was designed to do," said Tiknis. "It's been delayed [because of the economic recession], but I think it's really given us a chance to think as creatively as we could about solving the problems."
The Imagine campaign's first phase made the renovation and expansion of the public space possible. The completion of this phase and the facility's new improvements will be celebrated at the Imagine the Celebration Gala on April 5. The gala is a fundraising event to raise $1 million to support the mission of the theater. Guests can expect an evening full of entertainment, dining, music and dance.
Harris Theater for Music and Dance and Gala Chairs Jay Franke and David Herro will host the event. The internationally renowned Mark Morris Dance Group and Music Ensemble will be the evening's headliner, performing "Dido and Aeneas."
"They're philanthropic dollars, but in effect they are a cultural investment in the future of Chicago by making the Harris comfortable and to be here forever," said Tiknis about the sizeable gifts donated to the Harris Theater and described the donations as transformational.
To learn more about the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, visit www.harristheaterchicago.org .
