Auditorium Theatre 2018-19 Issue 3 Alvin Ailey

20 | AUDITORIUM THEATRE 2018-19 - March 6 - March 30, 2019 T he Auditorium Theatre lost Frank Romeo, a very dear friend and one of the pillars of our community, in late 2018. For over 40 years, Frank was our Custodial Foreman, and he called the Auditorium his home away from home. Frank emigrated from Palermo, Sicily in 1961 and started working at the then-shuttered theatre in June of 1967. He worked with the late Beatrice Spachner as she raised funds to put the finishing touches on the theatre’s renovation and restoration before its grand re-opening (following a 26-year closure to the public) in October of that same year. Frank became indispensable to Mrs. Spachner. He arrived at the theatre at 4:45AM every day to take care of miscellaneous tasks — there was always something to do! He knew the plumbing and electrical systems inside and out and could solve any maintenance problem that might ašect the National Historic Landmark theatre. With the help of Frank’s dedication and endless know-how, the theatre successfully re-opened on October 31, 1967. After the grand re-opening, Frank continued to care for the theatre. He hung doors, fixed marble steps, patched floors, and cleaned up after countless performances. Brett Batterson, former Executive Director of the Auditorium Theatre, fondly remembers “the tubs of floor tiles [Frank] kept to repair the lobby floor and the original bricks he stacked neatly from the renovation so we would always have original bricks for repairs. He was one of a kind.” Over the years, Frank met countless performers, including Sammy Davis, Jr. and Luciano Pavarotti, as well as Chicago’s mayors and other important political figures. He was so proud to welcome everyone into the Auditorium — the theatre was a place of pride for Frank. “Of course I love the building,” he would always say. “That’s why I’m still here.” When Frank was preparing for his retirement in 2014, he talked about how the Auditorium Theatre would never die. “I’ve been in the theatre’s crawl spaces and all over the steel beams,” he said. “You cannot tear it down. And even if an earthquake hit it, the building would still remain standing,” he predicted. For those of us who were lucky enough to have worked with Frank before his retirement, we have fond memories of the delicious tomatoes he would bring in from his garden to share with the staš all summer long. You never tasted a tomato so good! Our dear friend and colleague passed away on December 27, 2018. Thank you, Frank, for “building our house, chopping our wood, and making our garden grow." We thank him for all he did for us, and say, “ Ci mancherai, caro amico (we will miss you, dear friend)!” Remembering Frank Romeo Frank Romeo “We'll build our house and chop our wood And make our garden grow. And make our garden grow!” — From Candide (Leonard Bernstein)