Column: Nominations for Jeff Awards bittersweet as Paramount in Aurora faces financial challenges

Chicago Tribune

5 hours ago

There's something to be said about the timing of the news coming out of the Paramount this week.
A total of 26 nominations for Chicago's prestigious Equity Joseph Jefferson Awards went to Aurora's downtown theater, besting any venue in Chicago, including the Goodman and Court theaters, which came in with 21 each.
Paramount venues picked up those two-dozen-plus nominations for six shows, with 'Cats' earning 10, followed by the holiday regional premiere of 'Frozen' garnering eight.
The announcement came as a much-needed shot in the arm for the Paramount, which laid off 17 of its staff and cancelled the highly acclaimed BOLD Series because of possible reductions in discussed financial support from the city of Aurora.
The mood was dark last week. Understandably.
No one was jumping up and down, including the mayor, who is convinced the city's debt must be addressed aggressively, and that too much money was going to the Aurora Civic Center Authority, which oversees the downtown theater and its other performance venues, including Stolp Island and Copley theaters.
'Surreal' and 'devastating' were a couple of the words used by staff who were impacted most by the staff cuts and cancellation of the BOLD Series. And residents reacted, as well. At Tuesday's City Council meeting, multiple aldermen made it a point of letting the mayor know many constituents were not happy.
'Upset is an understatement,' said Jonathan Nunez, who represents the 4th Ward.
And, as is always the case, particularly when social media is involved, there's lots of information and misinformation flying around. Suddenly, headlines and online chatter about Aurora, which has enjoyed plenty of positive news over the years, thanks in large part to the success of the Paramount, were not so sunny.
But Laesch did what he could to offset the negative by putting out a YouTube video of him strolling along the riverwalk in Aurora, stopping at the box office and letting viewers know he was purchasing tickets to the Broadway Series at the Paramount.
The mayor also focused on the 'growing relationship' between the city and Paramount, and offered suggestions on ways to raise revenue for ACCA, such as adjusting ticket prices, cross promotions with restaurants and more corporate sponsorships and outings.
He repeated that need for a strong working relationship at Tuesday's City Council meeting, where multiple council members expressed concerns about the city possibly drastically reducing discussed financial support to the Paramount.
Why not provide 'a soft landing to assist them,' asked 6th Ward Ald. Mike Saville.
If Aurora doesn't offer the quantity and quality of shows as in the past, warned Patty Smith, who represents the 8th Ward, 'the cuts are going to come back at us.'
But Laesch remained adamant, noting the unpopular but tough position he stepped into as mayor, declaring 'we don't have the money to hand out,' and that the only solution is to 'work together to move forward.'
Later, Ald. Ted Mesiacos, 3rd Ward, who sits on the City Council Finance Committee, expressed frustration that he and other aldermen were not brought into discussions between the mayor and the Paramount that led to the drastic announcement that the BOLD Series was being cancelled.
No one on the council has seen the city's projected budget numbers — the City Council will receive a financial update on Aug. 26 – nor has anyone from ACCA talked to the council about the challenges the Paramount is facing and what it needs to get through them, he said.
Calling for discernment and patience, Mesiacos insisted 'we need numbers from both sides' so that conversations can continue.
'Once we get concrete data, we will look at it,' he said. 'I only wish we would have had it before the decision was made to cut the BOLD Series. I would have loved to figure out how to save it.'
Referring to the Paramount's impact in Aurora, Mesiacos continued, 'We have a V-8 engine. If you take out a piston, it's not going to work as well.'
The fact two shows from the Copley Theatre's BOLD series – 'Peter and the Starcatcher' and 'The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee' – received Jeff nods had to have been bittersweet for many. But the good news is that the Broadway Series, which has made the Paramount the number one subscription theater in the country, will continue, although it only stands to reason there will be changes in the way some of the shows will be presented.
Two of its shows which brought in the most nominations were certainly grand spectacles that came with a higher price tag. But as one Paramount fan from Normal, Illinois, noted in an email I received this week, the quality of these downtown Aurora shows, including Stolp Island Theatre's 'Million Dollar Quartet,' which got three Jeff nominations, rival anything he and his family have seen on New York or London stages.
Which is why they are willing to drive more than two hours to this city, where, as he pointed out, they spend money staying in Aurora hotels and eating at Aurora restaurants.
That Aurora did so well against the best theaters in Chicago can't help but add at least a little fuel to the fiery emotions swirling around the Paramount right now. More than anything, however, these nominations have helped with morale at a time when it was very much needed, said Paramount CEO Tim Rater.
'It gives recognition to the creative artists for all the efforts' they put toward their craft, he added. 'We really are lucky to work with people who are so talented.'