Market Mondays: Chopin Theatre

 

(Zygmunt Dyrkacz and Lela Headd pour a cup of joe in the bistro area of their theatre.)

Located in Wicker Park, the Chopin Theatre is an independent arts center established by Zygmunt Dyrkacz in 1990.  As the theatre approaches its twentieth birthday, Zygmunt reminisces about his community and theatre.

“Our vision was to create a neighborhood based on people knowing and helping each other,” he said.

The Chopin Theatre, along with the Wicker Park area, has indeed made major progress since its beginning.  The theatre has attracted stars like Jeremy Piven and John Cusack and international media such as the U.K.-based Guardian and the New York Times, which called Chopin "enchantingly funky."

“One of the reasons people come to Chicago is the theatre, it’s art,” Zygmunt said.

Recently, Chopin was awarded a Challenge Grant from CCV to help with the expenses that come along with being an independent theatre in the heart of a now-trendy Chicago neighborhood.

Grab a friend and go to see “All the Fame of Lofty Deeds,” one of the shows playing now, described as “a phantasmic journey into the mind of a fictional country music legend.”

Past shows have done so well that they’ve gone on to Broadway in New York City.  David Cromer directed and starred in “Our Town” in the basement of Chopin Theater in April 2008.  It was so well received that it opened at the Barrow Street Theatre in New York in February 2009.

Despite his many successes, Zygmunt and the Chopin Theatre remain focused on small business in Chicago.  “It’s what keeps the country alive right now, small business," he said.     

Chopin also offers affordable and highly artistic holiday events for Chicago's business community at what the Chicago Tribune calls "one of the cooler, atmospherically attractive spaces in Chicago."  Call 773.278.1500 for details.

The Chopin Theatre is located at 1543 West Division Street.