Our Civic Role in the City
Posted by Sylvia Ewing on 6/12/2008The Traffic season is done, we’re well into the run of Dead Man’s Cell Phone, and we’re gearing up for Superior Donuts and First Look . Hmmm, this seems like the perfect moment to hop on the train (that’s how we roll) and head down to the beautiful Chicago Cultural Center to hear the Mayor and others talk about the importance of theater in Chicago. The official purpose of the occasion on Monday, June 9, 2008 was a salute to Chicago’s award-winning theater community and the Tony nods for Chicago Shakespeare Theatre and Steppenwolf. However, Cultural Programming Deputy Commissioner Janet Carl Smith played host to a line up of beloved icons including Commissioner of Cultural Affairs Lois Weisberg, CST Artistic Director Barbara Gaines, and our own Artistic Director Martha Lavey; the event turned into a love fest for everyone in the artistic and cultural community.
We take our civic role in the city seriously and Martha and Steppenwolf Executive David Hawkanson were quick to thank the many people and institutions that help make Steppenwolf and this creative community what it is. Mayor Daley said, “Artists define the city,” and added that “while the country may not value art in education we here in Chicago see it as a priority.”
Whatever happens in New York with the Tony awards, we already have the best of all honors to live and work in a city full of people who are inspired by making and receiving theater. To quote Patañjali, “when we are inspired…dormant forces, facilities and talents become alive and you discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be.” Thanks for the inspiration.