‘We’ve Put Passion Into It’: The Skokie Theatre officially reopens with new plays, classes and shows

It’s officially showtime at The Skokie as the new owners of the revitalized downtown theater launch their first set of shows this week.

Chris and Monica Matsakis and José Pablo and Kristi Cantillo — the two couples who together purchased the more than 100-year-old theater at 7924 Lincoln Ave. — stood alongside local performers and officials under the marquee on Thursday to celebrate The Skokie grand reopening.

The one-man theater production “I’m Not A Comedian… I’m Lenny Bruce,” written and directed by Ronnie Marmo, will take the stage from Thursday-Saturday, Oct. 8-10.

Other programs — like a Chicago City Opera production of Heinrich Marschner’s Der Vampyr, storytelling and comedy workshops, live readings from a spirit medium, a blues music revue and dueling pianos performance — are already scheduled to follow. 

“I truly want to recognize the extraordinary hard work and investment that you’re making into Skokie. We are so grateful,” Mayor Ann Tennes said during the theater’s ribbon-cutting ceremony.

“Since I met you, all I’ve been saying to people is how excited and hopeful I am about the catalyst that your direction and leadership with The Skokie is going to mean to everybody today.”

The two couples purchased the 150-seat venue in June with the aim to renovate its lobby and host a variety of regular comedy nights, music performances, film screenings, art classes, magic shows, one-act plays and private events, The Record previously reported.

On Thursday afternoon, the welcoming crowd sipped champagne inside the theater’s newly painted and carpeted lobby, where a self-serve beer tap was in place but not yet functioning. 

José “Joe” Pablo Cantillo, a professional actor, said he and the other new owners are exercising a “continuity of care” in part by employing staff who have long helped run the historic theater; though he’s still getting up to speed with the technical aspects of refreshing the building. 

Likewise, Monica Matsakis said one show — “Hot Flashes & Fierce Tales,” an Oct. 14 storytelling event about “Menopause, Midlife and Beyond” — is already sold out, but they will have to learn how best to manage the movement of guests into and out of the lobby and theater.

“It feels the way I feel like show business has always been, which is not ready. And by not being ready, I feel like something exciting can happen that way,” Cantillo said. 

“There’ll be something spontaneous that comes from it and we built a life doing it this way, and so it feels on par with the way we’ve done things and we’ve put passion into it,” he continued. “How does it feel? It feels surreal but, like I said, you can be too ready.”

“It’ll either work or it’ll be free,” Chris Matsakis added in regard to fixing the lobby’s beer tap. “Either way it’ll be a good experience.”

Marmo said he was wrapping up a six-week tour of his one-man show when he got the call asking if he’d add one more stop by performing in The Skokie’s first weekend. He was “honored” and “humbled” to play a small part in reopening the local theater, he said. 

“I realize there’s a lot of choices and options and the fact that they chose me says a lot about what they’re going to do here, because it’s a pretty edgy, fun, controversial show and I love the fact that they’re opening it up with a real piece of theater,” Marmo said. 

Darcy Wood, a Skokie resident and member of The Lovettes, a vocal trio, said she appreciates being able to perform in a local venue. Since she also runs a small talent agency, Wood said it’s helpful, for a small business owner like herself, to be able to pitch shows to the theater. 

“It’s great to have the opportunity to create together and to collaborate on sort of like a level playing field, where we can just bebop and pingpong off of one another with ideas and just be creative,” Wood said of working with the new owners of the theater. 

“I’m excited,” Kristi Cantillo said. “To bring art to any space that is possible is, I think, really important in the world right now.”

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