The Auditorium Theatre has long been a cornerstone of Chicago’s cultural landscape, showcasing an array of international entertainment. From the dynamic energy of Step Afrika to the iconic Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, its programming reflects a commitment to diversity and artistic excellence.
On January 18, the Theatre welcomed nearly 4,000 guests for a one-night-only performance. After a sold-out night in 2022, the Chicago Philharmonic brought back the Black Panther in Concert event, uniting Marvel fans and music lovers for an immersive, multimedia experience.
The evening began with a panel discussion featuring Professor and Marvel comic writer Eve Ewing, Senegalese drum master Massamba Diop, and the executive directors of Chicago Philharmonic and South Shore’s Muntu Dance Theatre, followed by a Q&A. By the time I got there, we’d moved on to a live dance and drumming performance by members of Muntu Dance Theatre, one of the Auditorium Theatre’s many collaborators. While I was coming for the movie alone, to see a theater full of people already seated showed there was collective interest in the entire experience.
The grand setting of the Auditorium Theatre provided a timeless touch to the chilly evening. Beautiful ornate chandeliers and plush, layered seating brought a slice of Hollywood to Chicago.
Over the next 135 minutes, the Chicago Philharmonic, under the direction of the soundtrack’s composer, Ludwig Göransson, brought Wakanda to life. The symphony guided the audience through the film’s high-stakes action scenes and emotional arcs, landing cheers and applause after each crescendo.
While the orchestra didn’t play continuously, each musical segment emphasized the dramatic depth of the movie, often swelling in intensity during important transitions, such as when we first see Wakanda on screen or when T’Challa kills Killmonger. An intermission halfway through made the show feel a bit like a play, adding to the sense that we were combining movie, concert, theater, and dance.
Black Panther in Concert is part of a series the Theatre is hosting in collaboration with the Chicago Philharmonic, with The Terminator and Naruto up next. It’s also part of a broader trend of collaborations with other theater and dance groups and attempts to innovate the theater experience.
Since its inception in 1889, The Auditorium Theatre’s vision has been to “serve all and promote unity across class and cultures.” Businessman and philanthropist Ferdinand Peck, the Theatre’s founder, saw the arts as a solution to “rebalance and uplift citizens of Chicago from the turbulent years they faced” after the Chicago fires in 1871 and 1874.
The Theatre’s design, developed by famed architects Dankmar Adler and Louis Sullivan, was intended to “create an inclusive space.” This vision is reflected in the seating arrangement and layout of the theater. According to its website, “box seats occupied the best space in theaters around the world. Instead, the Auditorium adopted a seating model that would be less class divided and thus the theatre was originally designed without box seats to remove the privileged seats that were normally reserved for the wealthy.”
Despite efficient upkeep of the Theatre, which boasts 55,000,000 mosaic tiles and iridescent lights surrounding the stage, it’s faced numerous challenges across its history. It closed entirely throughout the 1940s, 1950s, and some of the 1960s. Thanks to restoration efforts organized by Mrs. Beatrice T. Spachner and a group of dedicated civic leaders, the Auditorium reopened in 1967 with a performance from the New York City Ballet.
Over the years, programming has evolved and shifted. Since the 1980s, the Auditorium has remained a cultural staple venue, offering diverse events such as operas, broadway, concerts, and even political rallies. In 1998 it became home to the Joffrey Ballet company. This relationship would last for the next twenty-two years until the company relocated to the Civic Opera House in 2020.
I had a chance to chat with the Auditorium’s CEO, Rich Regan, who discussed the Auditorium Theatre’s vision and inspiration for crafting cultural experiences.
What was the creative vision and process behind hosting an event like Black Panther in Concert?
It was a collaboration between the Auditorium and the Chicago Philharmonic. Between me and Terrell Johnson, we’re like-minded in that we want to get creative, to find new ways to entertain Chicagoans. And what we do is we look for titles that really nobody else is doing, and really try to do them in a new way. You know, last fall we did Bram Stoker’s Dracula. It was really the first time that title was done with the original score in the United States. So, we were excited about presenting that to Chicago. It was very well attended, and it was embraced.
How does the Auditorium Theatre approach its role in creating experiences like Black Panther in Concert? What are the challenges that come with curating such an experience?
We just try and get creative around each one. So when we’re approaching Black Panther, we knew we talked about doing a pre-show talk with some of the artists to give the audience that was interested in participating a more enriching experience, to be able to hear what was really behind the creative process in creating that piece. And then we give the audience a chance to ask questions. The challenge is trying to put together a more holistic and immersive event, not just a concert. You know, pre– and post–performance elements that really bring that added level of engagement that some of our patrons are craving for.
How does the auditorium view its role in hosting events that celebrate cultural phenomenons like Black Panther? Do you all have any other events outside of the concert series that kind of hold that idea of an immersive experience?
Well, it’s core to our beliefs and our mission. We exist to present the arts and the finest in international entertainment to all communities of Chicago. And then the second part of our mission is to restore the National Historic Landmark Auditorium building. It’s truly the core to our mission to find programming that speaks to and caters to as many communities of Chicagoans as possible. So in addition to our auditorium film series, we also do a dance series. Our first installment of this current season of the dance series was Step Afrika, which is a New York-based dance company that explores the traditional step dancing that’s done in HBCU colleges and universities. And then we brought in deeply rooted Dance Theater, which is a Chicago-based African American dance company, in the fall. And then our next addition to that is Complexions Dance, which is in three weeks, but it’s another New York-based dance company that does choreography dance to more popular music. Then we have Ballet Folklórico de México de Amalia Hernández coming in March, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater coming in March, Parsons Dance coming in April, and we tie up our dance season with South Chicago Dance Theatre, Kia Smith’s dance company based in Chicago. And she just does amazing, fantastic work.
Can you share an example of how audience feedback has influenced the Auditorium Theatre’s programming or approach to live events?
We do have a recent example of that. We produce a show we call Too Hot to Handel, a jazz gospel version of Handel’s traditional Messiah. And this year, we took a new approach to it. We featured more Chicago-based artists, almost exclusively Chicago-based artists and more gospel artists. And it was a little bit of a risk because it was a departure from how we presented it in previous years, but it was incredibly well received and we got more positive feedback from patrons right after the show and during intermission, patrons coming up to me saying, ‘We love this version, Rich. Keep going with this. We hope you do it again.’ And that’s an example of, you know, we did something for years and years and years that was well received. But we decided, ‘Hey, let’s take a new approach to it and see how the audience reacts and see if we can grow the audience.’ So that was really exciting.
Kristian Parker is a creative writer and visual storyteller whose work is rooted in intentionality and excitement for sharing keen observations about the world around her. Inspiration is often sourced from lived, everyday experiences—from the unique to the mundane.