Matching Grant Allows Shows To Go On For Northbrook Community Theater

NORTHBROOK, IL — As local theater lovers look to keep producing high-quality shows for Northbrook audiences, a sizeable grant will allow the show to go on in the near future, local officials announced on Thursday.

The Illinois Arts Council Agency has provided the Northbrook Park District with a $9,600 matching grant that will help to ensure that high-quality theater productions will continue for local participants and audiences.

Park District officials said the grant will be used to fund performance arts programming for all age groups, including through Northbrook Theatre Youth Company and Northbrook Community Theatre.

“We are thrilled to be recognized by the IACA and awarded this grant to continue assisting us in providing quality theatre programming for the community of Northbrook and beyond,” Northbrook Park District Superintendent of Arts and Recreation Erin Sweet said in a statement issued on Thursday.

The park district has received IACA grants every year since 2019. To qualify for the grant, organizations must show their programs and activities have artistic, educational, and cultural value for the areas they serve.

The 2023 schedule of Northbrook Community Theater performances still includes:

● SpongeBob the Musical: Youth Edition, an all-singing, all-dancing dynamic stage show that puts the spotlight on the power of optimism, from Oct. 24-26.

● A Christmas Carol: A Live Radio Play, in which the Charles Dickens classic comes alive as a live 1940s broadcast complete with vintage commercials, on Dec. 16.

● A series of one-day workshops that will give a behind-the-scenes look at the magic of makeup for theater.

For more information on performing arts opportunities and productions offered at Northbrook Theatre, visit nbparks.org.

Established in 1927, the mission of the Northbrook Park District is to enhance the community by providing outstanding services, parks and facilities through environmental, social and financial stewardship.