Arts in Romeoville
The house lights dim. Sounds of props moving across the floor emanate from a dark abyss. Spotlights highlighting the actors brighten the stage, and the audience sits captivated with anticipation of the tale that is about to unfold.
A unique story lies behind the walls of the Philip Lynch Theatre at Lewis University, which has provided a premier venue of the performing arts for over thirty years - it is housed inside an old aviation hangar on campus.
A dream to build the Philip Lynch Theatre began long before the onset of construction. Sir Tyrone Guthrie, an internationally recognized theatre designer and director, visited Lewis University in 1969. After seeing the hangar he knew it would be an ideal spot for a theatre similar in design to those often seen in Shakespearean days. A perfect space for this type of stage that thrusts into the audience, it pushes spectators right into the action, making them feel as though they are a part of the performance.
Opening its doors on February 19, 1976, this 242-seat theater was named after beloved speech and theater professor Brother Philip Lynch. Brother Philip passed away before the completion of the theatre, and because of his integral role in the vision and carrying out of this project, naming the theater after him proved to be a fitting tribute.
Five mainstage productions comprise the season’s lineup. Each summer promises a musical, and two performances are planned for each school semester. Ranging from contemporary to classic, from comedy to tragedy, each season’s productions are determined by the Lewis Theatre faculty. To provide pre-professional training for theater major students, the productions chosen are geared towards this purpose. This gives students ample opportunity to take on different characters and genres while preparing them for the theatre world outside of the educational arena.
These are coveted roles! Not only offered to Lewis theatre majors, summer musical auditions are open to the general public. While Lewis students primarily make up each production’s cast, parts are also open to non-majors, faculty and staff.
The current season brought “Beauty and the Beast,” a Tony Award-winning musical; “All the Great Books,” a comedy poking fun at those famous literary classics all high school students seem to be required to read; “The Diary of Anne Frank,” telling the story of a young Jewish girl’s experiences during the Nazi regime in Germany; a tale of a mother and the women she met on a quest for closure after her son’s death in “The Women of Lockerbie;” and the popular love story, murder mystery “Red Herring” set in 1952.
With a subscriber base of more than 700, these mainstage performances prove what an asset the Philip Lynch Theater is to Romeoville and surrounding communities. According to Jo Slowik, Philip Lynch Theater Manager, subscribers consist of theatergoers who frequent the likes of the Goodman Theatre, Drury Lane and other professional venues, attesting to the caliber of performances to be found at the Philip Lynch. “Our production standards are very high,” commented Slowik. Besides guaranteed greatness, the location is ideal. For those who want to avoid the hassle of downtown Chicago traffic and parking, this suburban locale is a great alternative. The Philip Lynch Theatre is “a little diamond in the rough,” according to Slowik.
Upon graduation, alumni are eligible to join the Heritage Theatre Company. Celebrating its 10-year anniversary, the company formed as an outlet for alumni who wish to continue performing. The group puts on a variety of shows each year. Away from academia the Heritage members have more freedom to produce contemporary material that the Lewis University program does not always allow.
According to Slowik the three functions of theatre are to entertain, educate and engage. Theatre explores unfamiliar subjects and compels the audience “to use their imagination.” While the apparent purpose of performance art is to entertain, beneath the surface lies the deeper function of enlightenment.
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