Chicago, IL — On February 15 2016, the Chicago Regal Foundation launched a Kickstarter campaign to help save Chicago’s most endangered landmark, The Avalon Regal Theater. The Foundation plans to reopen the theater in 2016, bringing Chicago’s historic Avalon Regal Theater back to the future with holographic technology!
“From its opening in the 1920s through the early 2000s, the Regal Theater featured legendary performers such as Ray Charles, B.B. King, Nat King Cole, Stevie Wonder, Billie Holiday, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, James Brown, and Gladys Knight – among many others,” says the Chicago Regal Foundation, “As the largest theater on Chicago’s South Side, the Regal was a cornerstone of the community and drew audiences from across the country.”
The Avalon Theater opened in 1927. It was a mainstay on the vaudeville touring circuit and it was also used as a movie house until the late 1970s, but fell into disuse after brief service as a community church. In 1987, local entrepreneurs Edward and Bettiann Gardner saved the theater from demolition and reopened it after an extensive renovation.
The theater was designated a Chicago Landmark in 1992, but after being sold to another group it went into foreclosure, eventually falling into the hands of the FDIC in 2010. In 2014, a local investor created the Chicago Regal Foundation to promote community access to the performing arts through the building.
The Avalon Regal Theater will be the foundation of a community building effort, serving as a home base for neighborhood non-profits focused on music, dance and theater. Productions sponsored by the Chicago Regal Foundation in the performing arts and film, as well as regular collaborative presentations will round out the programming mix. The Avalon Regal Theater will serve as a community anchor by strengthening existing cultural institutions, creating economic development, and inspiring youth creativity.
“Through a partnership with Hologram USA, the Avalon Regal Theater will revolutionize the way people experience concerts,” the team explains, “With an ever-expanding catalog of performers, Hologram USA has projected famous artists to astonished fans around the world. This Kickstarter campaign goal of $150,000 will help cover costs associated with installing holographic projection technology in the theater.”
In exchange for pledging to the project backers can gain access to a variety of rewards including an Avalon Regal Theater t-shirt for $15, a tour of the theater for $25, and more. Backers can also pledge $50 for tickets to a concert for Kickstarter backers, $200 for a 2017 season pass and your name engraved on the arm of an auditorium seat, or $5,000 for use of the Avalon Regal Theater for a special event!
For more information, please visit the Kickstarter page here or contact the creator below.
Contact Information:
Michael LeFlem
Director of External Affairs
Email: info@regaltheater.org
Phone: 312-436-1810
