Chicago Theaters Brace For The Worst, As Few Permanently Close

Two Chicago theaters recently announced they’re closing down for good: Mercury Theater Chicago and the famed iO Theater.

‘We Need Help’: Improv Theater Owner Struggling To Stay In Business Amid Coronavirus Closures
Exterior of the iO theater in Chicago, Ill., Feb. 26, 2019. (Danielle Scruggs for Here & Now)
‘We Need Help’: Improv Theater Owner Struggling To Stay In Business Amid Coronavirus Closures
Exterior of the iO theater in Chicago, Ill., Feb. 26, 2019. (Danielle Scruggs for Here & Now)

Chicago Theaters Brace For The Worst, As Few Permanently Close

Two Chicago theaters recently announced they’re closing down for good: Mercury Theater Chicago and the famed iO Theater.

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Reset discusses the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Chicago’s theater community, as the city and state move toward Phase 4 of its reopening plan. Plus, local response to the current reckoning with institutional racism in the theater and comedy world.

GUEST: Deb Clapp, executive director of the League of Chicago Theatres