Fast Facts: 2008 Regional Tony Winner Chicago Shakespeare Theater

Each year an outstanding regional theater receives a special Tony Award, together with a $25,000 check from Visa. The 2008 winner, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, has established itself as one of the world's best and most innovative companies specializing in the works of the Bard. "We're delighted to get this national recognition," says artistic director Barbara Gaines, who started her theater 22 years ago by staging Henry V on the rooftop of a neighborhood pub. "We've had a lot of international recognition, but the Tony came out of left field. It says a lot for the city of Chicago and the talent here."

Here, in Q&A form, are a few details about the newest Tony winner and its work in the Windy City.

Where is the Chicago Shakespeare Theater?
Since 1999, the company has occupied a $24 million facility on Navy Pier, described as Chicago's "lakefront playground." Though some pundits doubted the ability of a classical theater to co-exist with shops, restaurants and tourist attractions such as a 150-foot-high Ferris wheel and a miniature golf course, the Shakespeare Theater has thrived at its state-of-the-art home. "I had wanted to be closer to Steppenwolf and the Goodman," Gaines admits, "to be part of a Theater Row, but the city made us an offer we couldn't refuse—and it's been an explosion of success. When Peter Brook saw our theater, he couldn't believe that a city would give its citizens such a wonderful gift."

Does the theater have more than one performance space?
The main Courtyard Theater is a 500-seat thrust stage inspired by the Royal Shakespeare Company's Swan Theatre, which allows the audience to sit around three sides of the lakefront performance space. There is also a versatile 200-seat black box theater.

How big is Chicago Shakespeare Theater's audience?
The company boasts 20,500 subscribers and attracts more than 250,000 audience members a year, including nearly 50,000 students and teachers. With an annual budget of about $14 million, the theater presents a 50-week season of more than 600 performances.

Does the theater present Shakespeare productions only?
Shakespeare's plays form the core of the programming, but the company also presents other classical and contemporary classic works such as associate artistic director Gary Griffin's upcoming production of Amadeus, as well as international productions. Young audiences flock to "Short Shakespeare" productions running less than 90 minutes, including a recent abridged version of Romeo and Juliet.

What are some of the theater's most notable achievements?
The company's productions of the two parts of Henry IV transferred to the Royal Shakespeare Company's Complete Works Festival at Stratford-on-Avon in 2006. It produced Edward Hall's Rose Rage, based on the Henry VI plays, which later enjoyed an acclaimed run in New York. In recommending the company for a Tony, the American Theater Critics Association cited its commitment to Chicago artists and said that its text-based approach to Shakespeare "reinvigorates both familiar works and problem plays with freshness and clarity." Explains Gaines, "Our productions are very theatrical and very accessible."

Who runs the Chicago Shakespeare Theater?
Founder Barbara Gaines serves as the company's artistic director and has personally directed more than 30 of Shakespeare's plays. Executive director Criss Henderson has produced the company's past 17 seasons and serves as president of the Producers' Association of Chicago-area theaters.

What's playing at the theater right now?
The Comedy of Errors runs through June 29. Set during the golden age of film, Gaines' production presents an eccentric group of actors gathered on a fictional movie set in the midst of the London blitz to film Shakespeare's comedy of mistaken identity. From June 25 to August 3, the world premiere of Funk It Up About Nothin', described as an "ad-rap-tation" of Much Ado About Nothing, will be presented in the black box theater.