Auditorium Theatre 2018-19 Issue 4 Point of No Return

April 11 - May 19, 2019 | AUDITORIUM THEATRE 2018-19 | 7 After the war, Roosevelt University moved into the Auditorium Building, but the theatre remained closed to the public. In the 1960s, Beatrice Spachner, the wife of a Roosevelt University trustee, led a successful fundraising campaign that raised the necessary money to renovate and restore the theatre. Re-opening night on October 31, 1967 featured a performance of George Balanchine's A Midsummer Night's Dream by the New York City Ballet . Beginning in the late 1960s, a host of rock and pop performers took to the stage, including Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Janis Joplin, Bruce Springsteen, Prince, Aretha Franklin, and James Taylor , among others. The Auditorium earned a reputation as Chicago’s home for the musical superstars of the day. Elton John was quoted as saying he knew that he “truly made it” when he stepped onto the Auditorium’s stage. The theatre is still a stop for many of today’s high-profile music acts — within the last few years, David Gilmour , Jack White , David Byrne , and Mavis Staples have all played the Auditorium. In 1975, the US Department of the Interior declared the Auditorium Theatre a National Historic Landmark . The theatre has also hosted some of the world’s premier dance companies — many of which continue to perform here today — including The Jo£rey Ballet, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Bolshoi Ballet, and American Ballet Theatre . Broadway musicals have also found appreciative audiences at the Auditorium, with engagements of The Phantom of the Opera , Les Misérables , Miss Saigon , Show Boat , Hello Dolly!, The Color Purple, Sister Act , and many more taking place at the theatre. In the spring of 2015 and 2016, the theatre hosted the first three rounds of the NFL Draft , marking the first time the draft was held outside of New York in over 50 years. Over 7 million home viewers had the chance to see inside the beautiful theatre during the televised event. To this day, the staff and Board of the Auditorium Theatre continue to preserve and restore the National Historic Landmark. Typically, more than 250 performances and events attract over a quarter of a million people every year to Chicago’s landmark theatre, making it a true staple in Chicago and the rest of the world. The Auditorium Theatre on the night of the 1967 re-opening. PAUL NATKIN 2015 NFL Draft Prince at the Auditorium in 1982 RICHARD NICKEL