The New National Pastime Theater with Artistic Director Laurence Bryan, Managing Director Keely Haddad-Null and Technical Director Joe Loffing Photo by Warren Winter / PSG The New National Pastime Theater, 941 W. Lawrence Ave. Chicago, IL 60640. In the heart of Uptown's Neighborhood Entertainment District. Like Nothing You've Ever Seen.

The National Pastime Theater
Celebrating Twenty Years
2012 Season, January 1-December 31
NPT Unveils New Space for 20th
Anniversary Season

After nearly twenty years in the old speakeasy, The National Pastime Theater is closing its doors...and unveiling Chicago's newest theatrical venue in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood. With the support of the 46th Ward Alderman James Cappleman, NPT rediscovered the historic Masonic Hall on the forth floor of the Preston Bradley Center at 941 W. Lawrence Ave., Chicago. The New NPT is located in the center of Chicago's most historic, notorious neighborhood and the center of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel's deemed Neighborhood Entertainment District.

The New National Pastime Theater space includes a lobby and office suites. NPT's total space is over 6,500 square feet. NPT's performance space is located in the Masonic Hall that Preston Bradley commissioned when he built the elevator building in 1925. The Masonic Hall turned theater alone is well over 3,000 square feet and can seat up to 300 patrons. The room contains twenty-four foot ceilings, period murals, the original maple floors and Neoclassical architecture typical of the period. (Please see a link for the high resolution photographs at the bottom of the page.)

Although Bradley intended the room as a meeting space for the Masons, it was destined to be a theater. Used by the Chicago theater troop The Uptown Players from 1929 through the '30s, the room was then closed until 1991 when the Chicago Actors Ensemble took over the space for their brief tenure until 1996. In addition to the theatrical hall, the floor contains rooms purposed for a multi-use arts center which will include a gallery, studio space and, in the evening, will be used as a small theatrical space. The Preston Bradley Center is on the Federal Register of Historic Places.

Celebrating its 20th anniversary, The National Pastime Theater announces company members Keely Haddad-Null and Joe Loffing stepping into the position of Managing Director and Technical Director respectively. Both are committed to building a the space into a center for theatrical entertainment and arts in Uptown for the next twenty years.

The new theatrical venue opens to the public this Valentine's Day for The Beginning of the Big Time, a speakeasy-style Jazz Benefit, featuring the Fred Barr's Organ.iganization. All proceeds from this benefit go to the restoration of this historic theatrical space.

The inaugural production reunites NPT's Founder and Artistic Director Laurence Bryan and NPT resident playwright Michael Sokoloff in the world premier of A Bend in the Road, a brilliantly skewed take on American western expansion.

2012 marks the fourth anniversary of The National Pastime Theater's annual summer festival Naked July: Art Stripped Down. NPT's Keely Haddad-Null directs the headliner of this year's festival, Jose Rivera's References to Salvador Dali Make Me Hot. The Living Canvas joins the festival along with a multitude of other acts which will be unveiled.

To close out NPT's 2012 season, the second annual holiday production of Grammy Award winner Terry Abrahamson's Hannukatz The Musical will fill the National Pastime stage with subversive musical delight.

The National Pastime Theater rings in the new year, 2013 with a masquerade ball at The Exact Center of the Universe.

Beginning of the Big Time shows one night only. Valentine's Day, February 14th, 2012 from 7pm-10pm. Formal vintage dress encouraged. BYOB. Tickets are $50 per couple ($25 single) in advance and $60 per couple ($30 single) at the door.

A Bend in the Road opens Friday May 4th and runs Thursdays through Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 6pm until Saturday June 9th. Ticket are $25, Seniors $20. Thursday industry and students $15.

The fourth annual Naked July: Art Stripped Down festival runs throughout the month of July, with the main stage NPT production of References to Salvador Dali Make Me Hot playing Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm followed by The Living Canvas at 10pm. Tickets $20 each show.

Hannukatz the Musical opens Friday November 23rd through Saturday December 29th. Shows are Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, Saturdays and Sundays at 3pm. Tickets are $25.  Kids 12 and under are $10.

The National Pastime Theater hosts its Masquerade Ball at the Exact Center of the Universe December 31st 2012. Doors open 8pm and close when the last mask drops. Tickets are $100 per couple ($50 single) in advance and $150 per couple ($75 single) after December 25th.
All tickets can be purchased at nationalpastimetheater.com or the box office at 773-327-7077.  Call for group sales.

The New National Pastime Theater is located at 941 W Lawrence Ave., Chicago. The curious and bold can discover The National Pastime Theater via the Red Line, Lawrence train stop and bus routes 36, 81, 145 and 151 are all within 3 blocks.

Go to http://archive.psgwire.com/gallery/NPT-New-Space/G0000qakcFNg0lBo and use the following password.

PASSWORD: npt2012space

Once in this folder you will see all of the images currently available.  There are both very high resolution images for print and lower resolution images for online or small print use (less than two columns wide).  You will be able to identify the low resolution images two ways.  First, the file name for each low res photo will end with a "_LR.jpg".  If there is no such "_LR.jpg" designation then the file is high resolution.  Second, you can see the size of each file in the window beneath each photo.

If you click on any given thumbnail it will enlarge to a larger view.  Once in this larger view there is a set of options including "download" on the upper left side of the page.  Once you click the "download" link you will see a dialog box.  Make sure to click "Embed Updated Metadata".

Each photo has caption and copyright info embedded in the metadata.  Mandatory photo credit to read "Warren Winter / PSG" must accompany any published image.

If you have any problems downloading the images please contact Warren Winter directly at 646.325.3221.