Aurora’s Paramount Theater will present The Million Dollar Quartet, through October 29

Aurora’s Paramount Theatre has been awarded its largest grant ever—a $2.5 million donation from the Dunham Fund.

The fund’s lead grant toward the $4.5 million goal of the Act 2 Capital Campaign was announced this week.

It will support three major areas of expansion and improvement:

• Creation of the new Paramount School of Performing Arts in downtown Aurora in the new John C. Dunham Aurora Arts Center, currently under construction at the intersection of Galena Boulevard and Stolp Ave., directly adjacent to the Paramount.
• The replacement of every Paramount Theatre seat through a dollar-for-dollar matching grant. All 1,888 original seats have served more than eight million visitors since the Paramount Theatre opened in 1931.
• Modernization of the Paramount’s 173-seat sister stage, the Copley Theatre, located in North Island Center directly across the street from the Paramount.

Former Aurora Mayor Thomas J. Weisner, an original advocate of the Paramount’s move in 2010 to transform itself from a touring house to a producer of its own award-winning Broadway musical series, is chair of the Paramount’s Act 2 Capital Campaign.

“Dunham’s incredible support has been a key to the revitalization of the Paramount Theater, helping spur its growth in just six years to capture the third largest subscriber base in the entire nation,” Weisner said. ”Adding a school of performing arts to our community will have an incredibly positive impact on Aurora area children and families for generations to come.”

Appearing at a press conference, Weisner announced that Bruce Goldsmith and Ed Schmitt, Jr. will serve as honorary co-chairs for the Act 2 Capital Campaign.

“In appointing Bruce and Ed as honorary co-chairs – each of them deserving in his own right – we wish to honor the memory of their respective parents, Anne Goldsmith and Ed Schmitt, Sr., both of whom were unmatched in their love and support of the Paramount,” Weisner said.

Slated to open in January 2019, the Paramount School of Performing Arts will encourage and train young actors, dancers and musicians for a culture-filled life, nurture the arts in Chicago’s western suburbs and add to the cultural and economic activity in Aurora’s downtown business district.

Arts center construction is already underway inside the historic former Waubonsee Community College building, next door to the Paramount.

The performing arts school will anchor the John C. Dunham Aurora Arts Center, revealed as the official name of the new $35 million, 80,000-square foot mixed-use development that will also bring a higher end restaurant to downtown Aurora, along with 38 affordable, loft-style apartments for working artists.

When complete, Aurora’s downtown will boast of a live performing arts and education complex that fills a full city block, serving as a destination for arts and culture and powers the continued economic revitalization of Aurora’s downtown business district.

The apartments and restaurant will debut in the fall, meaning Paramount patrons can look forward to a convenient, upscale new location for pre- or post-show fine dining by the launch of the 2018-19 theater season.

Bids are now being considered from top Chicago restaurant groups interested in managing the new restaurant space. Expect further details about the restaurant by summer.

The school’s crown jewel – a 1,200-square-foot flexible studio theater – will double as downtown Aurora’s newest live performance space.

The new theater will be outfitted with retractable seating, with additional balcony seating above to accommodate up to 165 audience members for student performed plays, musicals, dance and live music events.

In addition, Paramount will have a new, 8,000-square-foot rehearsal space that replicates the actual size of the Paramount Theatre stage, a first for the company since it began producing its own Broadway musicals in 2011. Finally, Paramount will receive four guest apartments in the building to house out-of-town actors, directors and designers working on its productions.

The additional 38 apartments on the second and third floors are likewise designed to attract and support working artists in downtown Aurora. A street-level gallery will display residents’ works of art for students, residents and the community at large.

Paramount patrons have already donated some funds for the replacement of more than 400 seats.

Installation of new seats will begin this summer, and audiences can look forward to all new, larger and more comfortable seats thanks to the Dunham Fund’s matching grant.

Modernization of the 173-seat Copley Theatre will include replacement of carpeting and seats, updating technical equipment, expanded restrooms, new heating and air conditioning systems and remodeled backstage and dressing areas.

“Every project we support is worthy and deserving,” responded Wendy Hirsch, Chairperson of the Dunham Fund. “However, there is no other organization that has impacted more people in Aurora than the Paramount Theatre. The Dunham Fund is extremely proud to support the Paramount’s capital campaign with this ‘lead gift.’”

For information on how to contribute, contact Kathleen M. Arko, Vice President of Development, Paramount Theatre, katiea@paramountarts.com or (630) 723-2484.