THE BRAMBLE ARTS LOFT
OPENING APRIL 2024
OPENING SOON!
The Bramble Arts Loft is currently being built on the second floor of the historic Capital Garage building at 5545 N. Clark Street in Andersonville. The venue will feature a 101-seat thrust theatre, a modular 900+ square foot black box space, and a large lobby with cabaret stage and George’s Bar.
Grand Opening Events
Community Open House
Saturday, April 6 • 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Free to public
Community members are invited to join Bramble Theatre Company at the ribbon cutting ceremony happening at 10a.m. Tours of The Bramble Arts Loft will follow and continue throughout the day.
Theatre Industry Open House
Monday, April 8 • 4 – 8 p.m.
Free to public
Members of Chicago’s theatre industry are invited to tour the space and meet members of Bramble’s team in their new home. At 7p.m., there will be a panel with Bramble’s leadership to discuss creating art in this emerging era of American Theatre.
Q&A with Playwright Spencer Huffman
Thursday, April 18 • 7 p.m.
Free to public
Bramble Theatre Company will present Ensemble Member and Fulbright Scholar Spencer Huffman’s EVIL PERFECT this fall as the company’s first world premiere production in their new space. At this event, guests are invited to engage with the playwright in anticipation of EVIL PERFECT’s premiere and also learn about Huffman’s experience during his Fulbright Program in Budapest, Hungary last year.
CANCELINA Staged Reading featuring Bramble Ensemble
Monday, April 29 • 7:30 p.m.
Suggested Donation
Bramble Theatre Company will present a staged reading of Beth Hyland’s new play, CANCELINA, directed by Managing Director Dan Washelesky and featuring Bramble ensemble members and guest artists. The play is a fast-paced, off-the-wall comedy about fame, female friendship, and the lengths we’ll go to for redemption.
Watch our teaser video
Check out what the space looked like pre-construction!
Bramble in the News!
Check out the article in Broadway World about our grand opening events happening in April 2024!
OUR PERFORMANCE SPACES
THE BEATRICE
101 seat auditorium with 410sq ft raised stage
Lighting/sound grid with LED lighting instruments and speakers
Access to 4 AEA-compliant dressing rooms
Ideal for full theatrical productions, staged readings, lectures, and other 1-off performing arts events
THE BERRY
960sq ft modular black box space
Capable of accommodating 48+ seats
Light and Sound Grid with LED lighting instruments and speakers
Ideal for rehearsals, classes, workshops, and performances in an intimate black box setting
CABARET STAGE
100sq ft performance area with flexible seating and bar service
Ideal for open mic nights, concerts, poetry slams, stand-up comedy, and other small act performances
This venue will be home to Bramble Theatre Company and also a gathering space for the Chicago Theatre community, with the possibility of renting to itinerant theatre companies.
Bramble Co-Founder Matthew Lunt explains, “The pandemic has shuttered an untold amount of venues creating a crunch that has yet to be fully understood. Securing not only a space for us but also the arts community at large ensures that the Chicago Theatre world will continue to thrive. The time was not only right for us, but for the city.”
The Capital Garage property was constructed in 1926 as a parking garage and has since been renovated to house multiple businesses such as BEC Packaging, Metropolis Coffee, and current tenants Athletico Physical Therapy and Uptown Animal Hospital.
Bramble Theatre leadership first visited the Capital Garage space in early 2022 and very soon after expressed interest in signing a lease. Capital Garage’s current owner, Bill Stotis, is a long-time resident of Andersonville and was delighted to accept Bramble’s proposal to become the second-floor tenant.
“The Stotis family, our family, has been in the Andersonville neighborhood for over 50 years. The addition of the Bramble Theatre and other soon-to-open businesses will benefit the entire Andersonville community. It is with much excitement and exhilaration that we welcome the Bramble Theatre into our beloved Andersonville community,” remarks Stotis.
Bramble’s decision to secure a performance space in Andersonville was an easy choice due to the need for more performance spaces in a vibrant and deeply artistic neighborhood, and that choice was further solidified by the incredible support of former Alderman Osterman and the Andersonville Chamber of Commerce.
The Bramble Arts Loft is designed by local architect Avram “Avi” Lothan of Lothan Van Hook DeStefano Architecture. Lothan plans to highlight the extensive and unique features of the building. The restored European metal-work, the 40-foot skylight, and wall of windows overlooking Clark Street will be incorporated into the sustainably-minded build.
“Collaborating with mission-driven organizations has always been central to our work. The space Bramble has selected for their new home is terrific, and we are excited at the prospect of creating something special for both the Bramble Theatre Company and the Andersonville community with the new project,” reveals Lothan.
Funding for The Bramble Arts Loft is supported in part by the generosity of a private benefactor who believes in the need for more artistic spaces in the city of Chicago. Bramble Theatre Company is a fiscally sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a 501(c)(3) charity.
Bramble Theatre leadership is thrilled at the boundless possibilities internally and community-wide that come with opening a brand new performance space. Bramble Co-Founder Karissa Murrell Myers explains, “For an ensemble of theatremakers, having the foundation an artistic home offers is a key ingredient to growing and evolving as a collective. Putting down our roots in Andersonville will generate countless opportunities for our artists as well as the Chicago community at large, all while contributing to a thriving historic neighborhood on Chicago’s Northside.”
Lunt adds, “It is our most fervent wish to do right by our new neighbors. We plan to call this our home for years to come.”
Interested in renting a space at The Bramble Arts Loft?
See Calendar Below for Availability
Please provide your contact info for a rental inquiry form. Once the calendar is open, we will honor inquiries in the order they were submitted. Thanks for choosing the Arts Loft!