Pictured: the cast of 2018’s JEEVES IN BLOOM. (left to right) Allison Selby Cook, Gary Alexander, Christian Gray, Doug MacKechnie, Mary Michell, Matt Penn. Seated is Jack Hickey.
by Jason Epperson
The Board of Directors of ShawChicago Theater Company has decided to close the company at the conclusion of this season, its 25th.
Declining ticket sales, subscriptions, and individual contributions over the past few years coupled with the death of 24-year Artistic Director Robert Scogin last October and the retirement of Managing Director Tony Courier last
ShawChicago was created as a program of the Chicago Cultural Center in 1994, and since has presented over 100 reading-style productions of the works of George Bernard Shaw and his contemporaries. Robert (Bob) Scogin passed away in on October 22, 2018 at the age of 80. He directed more than 60 productions in his 23 years with the company. He was an actor, teacher and director of classical theater for more than fifty years, appearing both on and off-Broadway and in regional theaters throughout the United States.
Luther Goins has been serving as Managing Director with Barbara Zahora as Consulting Artistic Director for the last several months. The board thanked them for their efforts and invited the public to attend the final two shows of their 25th season—”Arms and the Man,” directed by Mary Michell, through February 25, and fittingly, a new production of the first show the company produced, “The Doctor’s Dilemma,” directed by Gary Alexander, March 23 to April 15.
Jason is a producer, manager, and designer with 17 years of experience in Chicago, New York, and in the touring market. In 2015, he founded Lotus Theatricals - the publisher of Performink, and an independent commercial producing company - with Abigail Trabue.
