Shortly after the pandemic shut down the theaters, Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre artistic director Timothy Edward Rhoze joined a Zoom meeting of more than 40 artists, all leaders of Evanston’s many arts organizations.
“As artists, we have a pulpit to spread love to this community. I felt like it was time for us to stop operating out of a vacuum and start pooling our intellect, our ambitions, our talents,” he said.
“I was sort of crying after the meeting, I was so moved by what Tim said. I knew I needed to e-mail immediately,” Ferguson said. “Through the Collective, we want to marshal the artistic forces we have in Evanston and try to find a way of really reaching out and trying to bring us together as a community,” he added.
Theo Ubique came on board after Evanston 8th Ward alderman Ann Rainey urged them to meet with Fleetwood-Jourdain and The Musical Offering. Rainey, long a habitue of TU productions in their former Rogers Park home, was instrumental in getting the theater over the border into Evanston. “We were willing to put $1 million into the theater building. I really wanted it to be something. We had five theaters interested in that. Theo Ubique was the ideal choice,” Rainey said of the city’s ante. In addition to providing funding for the build-out, Evanston made the 721 Howard address part of a tax increment financing District (TIF), which comes with significant local tax breaks.
“I believe that Evanston could be this mega hub for the arts. We’ve got the talent here. We’ve got the accessibility to public transportation. We’ve been able to thrive on the ambitions of all those who are like-minded, who say, ‘I want to be part of that movement that moves us forward,’ even knowing these are some of the darkest days this country has ever seen.” v
