Athenaeum Theatre

The Athenaeum Theatre promotes the arts, arts education by offering performing, rehearsal & office spaces to arts & educational organizations at affordable rates. We serve as a cultural resource and a forum for new and established arts groups and audiences both in the Lakeview neighborhood and the greater Chicago area. A unique performance complex, the Athenaeum Theatre opened in 1911 as part of the campus of St. Alphonsus Catholic Church. Conceived as a "neighborhood playhouse," by the original German-American parish, the Athenaeum Theatre is a historic building and the oldest continuously operating off-Loop theater in Chicago. The Athenaeum Theatre features a 950 seat main stage theatre and three studio theaters seating 67, 75 and 89 people. The Curtain Call Club serves as a reception room for 49 people for cabaret, comedy improv, lectures and other intimate events. We are also home to more than 12 different not-for-profit performing arts companies. All public spaces are available for rent.