CALENDAR LISTING
Press contacts:
Jay Kelly, LCWA
jkelly@lcwa.com or 312.565.4623
Samantha Frost, LCWA
sfrost@lcwa.com or 312.565.4624
Jim Jarvis, Paramount Theatre
jimj@paramountarts.com or 630.723.2474
LIVE THEATER
IN SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2012
@
The Paramount Theatre
23 E. Galena Blvd.
Aurora, Illinois
Ticket information:
Call (630) 896-6666
Purchase online at ParamountAurora.com
Or in person at the box office: Mon. – Sat.: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and 2 hours prior to evening performances
GREASE
Book, Music and Lyrics by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey
Directed by Michael Unger
Sept. 12-Oct. 7, 2012
Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; Thursday at 7:30 p.m.; Friday at 8 p.m.; Saturday at 4 p.m. and
8 p.m.; Sunday at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.
(Exceptions: No performances Wednesday and Thursday, Oct. 3 and 4.)
Press opening: Friday, Sept. 14 8 p.m.
Tickets: $34.90/$39.90/$46.90
It’s the ultimate celebration of the teen years. Set on Chicago’s Northwest side in the hip 1950s,
everyone has reported to class: Danny, Sandy, Frenchy, Rizzo, Kenickie and the rest of the Rydell student
body. From the poodle skirts and slicked back hair, to the fast cars and faster life style, Grease isn’t just
the word, it’s the show that will have audiences dancing in their seats and singing in their cars for days.
Nominated for 11 Tony Awards and featuring hit-after-hit including “Summer Nights,” “Beauty School
Drop Out,” “Hand Jive,” “You’re the One that I Want,” and of course “Greased Lightnin’,” along with
those big, glorious, action-filled dance numbers. Be there – or be square. Rated PG.
About The Paramount Theatre
The Paramount Theatre is the center for performing arts, entertainment and arts education in Aurora,
the second largest city in Illinois. Named “One of Chicago's Top 10 Attended Theatres” by the League of
Chicago Theatres, the 1,888-seat Paramount Theatre, located in the heart of downtown Aurora at 23 E.
Galena Boulevard, is nationally renowned for the quality and caliber of its presentations, superb
acoustics and historic beauty.
Last spring, the Paramount Theatre turned heads by appointing Chicago stage veteran Jim Corti as the
company’s first artistic director in 80 years, then announcing it would self-produce its first-ever
Broadway Series at the Paramount in 2011-12, presenting three-week runs of the popular musicals My
Fair Lady, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor® Dreamcoat, A Chorus Line and Hair, each featuring
Chicago’s top professional directors, actors and designers. In less than a year, this new series attracted
nearly 13,000 subscribers, with each production playing to rave reviews and wildly enthusiastic
audiences. This season, the Broadway Series includes Grease (September 12 to October 7); Annie
(November 21 to December 30); The Music Man, (January 16 to February 3); and Fiddler on the Roof,
(March 6 to 24).
The Paramount Theatre opened on September 3, 1931. Designed by nationally renowned theater
architects C.W. and George L. Rapp, the theater captures a unique Venetian setting portrayed in the art
deco influence of the 1930s. The first air-conditioned building outside of Chicago, the Paramount
offered the public a variety of entertainment, including "talking pictures", vaudeville, concerts and circus
performances for more than 40 years.
In 1976, Aurora Civic Center Authority purchased the Paramount and closed the theater for restoration.
The $1.5 million project restored the Paramount to its original grandeur. On April 29, 1978, the
Paramount Arts Center opened, offering a variety of theatrical, musical, comedy, dance and family
programming. In 2006, a 12,000-square-foot, two-story Grand Gallery lobby was added, with a new,
state-of-the-art box office, cafe, gift-shop and art gallery.
Today, the Paramount Theatre continues to expand its artistic and institutional boundaries under the
guidance of Executive Director Tim Rater, Artistic Director Jim Corti, a dedicated Board of Trustees and a
devoted staff of live theater professionals.
The 2012-13 Paramount Theatre season is sponsored by American Airlines and The Beacon News/Sun
Publications. The 2012-13 Paramount Broadway Season is sponsored by BMO Harris. This season is
partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.
For more information, visit the Paramount Theatre online at ParamountAurora.com.
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