OAK BROOK, Ill. (WBBM NEWRADIO) -- The curtain is going down permanently at the First Folio Theatre in Oak Brook.
After 27 years, the theater is holding its final performance Sunday.
Executive Artistic Director David Rice is feeling proud after at least 80 productions at First Folio since he and his late wife started the company.
"The average life expectancy of a small not-for- profit theater is five years," he said. "This one has lasted 27, so we beat the odds he odds big time."
There’s also some relief to no longer be running an artistic organization in these challenging times.
"Most theaters came out of COVID looking okay last year, and then this year every theater I know has seen another drop. Their ticket sales are lower this season for everybody that I know that they were last season," Rice said.
"None of us could quite figure out why."
Rice attributes the theater’s longevity to the talent they were able to attract as well as the setting. The theater had an outdoor stage in the Mayslake Forest Preserve and performed inside the Peabody Estate.
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