Chicago Shakespeare Theater director looks back as she prepares to step down
CHICAGO (CBS) – They say the best ideas find a way to fix a problem.
For Barbara Gaines, that problem was not enough Shakespeare being performed in Chicago. In the nearly 40 years that followed, she fixed that by creating one of the world's premiere Shakespeare theaters.
But soon, Gaines will step down. CBS 2's Marie Saavedra spoke with the founder about what she created and what's next.
On a stripped-down set, deep into rehearsals is where Gaines is at her best, with actors and the words of Shakespeare that transcend time.
The show is "The Comedy of Errors," Gaines' final production as artistic director of Chicago Shakespeare Theatre.
"I'm not sure what time is anymore, but I do know I'm having a good time," she said. "And I think that's what matters."
Gaines has had 37 years of time, in fact, that she's used to indelibly impact the arts in the City of Chicago. She didn't know that back in the 1980s, but she did see a lack of the Bard on stage.
"I kept saying to the artistic directors, 'So why aren't you doing Shakespeare?'" Gaines said. "They would say, 'What are you kidding? I want to make money.' But when you have passion, it keeps bubbling up. You can't suppress a passion."
That passion bubbled up to the roof of Lincoln Park's Red Lion Pub, where in 1986, she directed "Henry V," holding her breath.
"I was afraid that there would be rain on the roof of the pub," Gaines said. "We only could play for two or three weeks."
It was a short amount of time to prove to investors that audiences in Chicago wanted Shakespeare, and it did rain, but not on their performance.
"I knew that Shakespeare was holding an umbrella, 40 by 60 feet over the pub roof, and I knew we'd be fine," Gaines said.
A year later, Chicago Shakespeare Theater had a roof over its head to stage "Troilus and Cressida" at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts. But the Near North Side would not be home for long. Incredible growth in audiences and donors drew the attention of Navy Pier.
The move to the pier in 1999 gave Chicago Shakespeare Theater the room to stretch its legs with more productions, and gave Gaines and her team the chance to design a space built for the Bard.
"This is a moment of peace, and if you're lucky, excitement," she said. "You know? That's what we try for."
Gaines has been successful in that mission, leading what has become a first-class cultural institution and a crown jewel for one of the greatest theater cities in the world. Then in 2019, she had a thought.
"I just finished directing two shows that year and I went, 'I think that's all,'" she said.
Her first consideration of stepping back barely got off the ground before COVID hit. So the founder's had it on hold, until this past year. Gaines announced she'll make room for a new artistic director of Chicago Shakespeare Theater this summer, one she envisions as younger and smarter to carry the torch.
"It's their turn to start imagining for themselves and sharing it with a whole city," Gaines said.
But before she goes, she'll get a fitting curtain call, a show where Gaines gets to laugh, and create with actors who've come back to celebrate her.
The theater has had an impact that Gaines has made as timeless as the works of Shakespeare himself.
"It's a true love letter to the actors of Chicago, the designers I've worked with because this show is about the joy of performance on stage and off and the fun you can have with a life in the theater," Gaines said.
Don't think Gaines is hanging up her hat for good. She's working on a new musical.
"The Comedy of Errors" runs through April 23, which is Shakespeare's birthday.
