Theo Ubique Theatre Company
Theo Ubique Theatre Company, before 2016, was located in The No Exit Café 6970 N. Glenwood Avenue. Part of the Glenwood Avenue Arts District.
2016 and later: 6970 N. Glenwood Avenue
www:theo-u.com
Source: Rogers Park 2016, pages 8, 39.
Their Name
Their name is a combination of two great cultures that are the cornerstones of Western society. Theo (pronounced thee-oh) is an ancient Greek word meaning god (as in a universal force), and Ubique (pronounced oo-bah-kway) is Latin for “everywhere.” For both the Greeks and Romans, the theater was a sanctuary for the communal telling of stories that represent the dynamic, life-giving energy of the universe. This energy is most tangibly felt when minimalism and intimacy—as in the cabaret-style of theater—helps focus on a story’s honesty, simplicity and awe, thus bringing the cast and audience closer to the story’s deeper meaning.
What is Cabaret Theater?
Cabaret Theater represents a theatrical format where audience and performers connect in an intimate, interactive experience. Elements of cabaret theater include music, dance, comedy, drama and storytelling as well as food and drink (including the actors as servers in a cabaret-style setting). The moment the audience enters the door, they are immediately part of the cabaret theater environment where the “fourth wall” is frequently broken. Performers engage the audience in conversation with the theatrical presentation, and audience members discover they are a crucial part of an environment, which is itself the show.
Quality, affordable, full-scale musicals and revues are produced in a limited seating venue and offer a less expensive, entertaining alternative in a diverse Chicago neighborhood from the downtown productions.
Background
Theo Ubique Theatre Company was founded in 1997 by Fred Anzevino, Artistic Director, Matt Yde and Farell Wilson; then, incorporated in 2004. Productions were held mostly in the 30-seat Heartland Studio in Rogers Park and periodically at the Athenaeum Theatre in Lakeview. Company productions initially were an array of theater forms, including drama, one-acts, comedy and musicals.
In 2004, Anzevino’s experience with the DC Cabaret Company in Washington, D.C. in the 1980s led to a new artistic vision for Theo Ubique. The company took a bold step and reinvented itself as cabaret theater, which started a new trend in Chicago with European-style cabaret but with a definite Chicago flavor. Since then, Theo Ubique has made the 60-seat No Exit Café in Rogers Park by the Morse "L" stop its home. The same year, Performink, Chicago’s foremost theater publication, named Anzevino as one of the leading creative artists changing the face of Chicago theater.
This new direction for the company led to a series of highly successful and critically acclaimed productions, starting with garnering many Jeff Citations and Non-Equity Jeff Awards with the 2008-09 season and continuing today. In fact, Fred Anzevino received the Non-Equity Jeff Award for Direction three consecutive years in 2008, 2009 and 2010. His eye for new, young talent introduces our patrons to stars of the future as they go on to other theaters and awards.
