History

Founded in 1982 by five Northwestern University graduates - Meryl Friedman, Suzanne Plunkett, Kathee Sills, Sandy Snyder and Steve Totland - Lifeline moved into our permanent home in Rogers Park, a converted Commonwealth Edison substation, in 1986. The facility includes a 99-seat theatre, rehearsal and office space, a scene shop, and costume, prop, and scenery storage.

Lifeline has received numerous awards and nominations for both our children's and adult programming:

Chicago/Illinois awards
Lifeline has received close to 100 Joseph Jefferson awards, citations, nominations and After Dark awards. Honoring our children's programming, New City named us the Best Children's Theatre Company in Chicago in 2000, and Chicago Magazine named us Best Kids' Company in 2002. In 1991 Lifeline received an award from the Illinois Theatre Alliance for Outstanding Contribution to Children's Theatre.

National awards
Ensemble member Meryl Friedman won the 1999 Distinguished Play Award in the Elementary Category from the American Alliance of Theatre and Education for her adaptation of Journey of the Sparrows, produced at Lifeline in 1996. The American Alliance for Theater and Education awarded Lifeline the 2003 Sara Spencer Artistic Achievement Award for sustained and successful achievement in the field of theater for young audiences.

Lifeline's history of extraordinary work includes MainStage productions of Pride and Prejudice, The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, The Return of the Ring, The Overcoat, The Talisman Ring, Jane Eyre, Cat's Cradle, Far From the Madding Crowd and The Left Hand of Darkness. Family MainStage productions include A Wrinkle in Time, Lizard Music, The Snarkout Boys and the Avacado of Death, The Phantom Tollbooth, Journey of the Sparrows, The Silver Chair and Around the World in 80 Days. In 1986 Lifeline inaugurated our KidSeries program. Productions include Mr. Popper's Penguins, Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, Bunnicula, James and the Giant Peach, The Story of Ferdinand, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle and Click Clack Moo: Cows That Type.

Click here for a complete list of past productions.

Lifeline serves 25,000 people each season running from September through August with a 3-play MainStage Season and a 3-play KidSeries season.

Lifeline's Student Matinee Program serves 5,000 students each year through special weekday performances and extensive study guides.

Lifeline's Residency Program places working artists into the classrooms of Chicago Public Schools for 8-week residencies using creative dramatics to enhance curriculum. Lifeline serves over 400 students and teachers at Kilmer, New Field and Gladstone Elementary Schools.

Lifeline's Arts For All and Community Engagement Initiatives are aimed at providing financially accessible cultural experiences for everyone, particularly residents of Rogers Park, a low-income, culturally diverse neighborhood. 10,000 people take advantage of this program annually.