David Mamet & St. Nicholas

The Collected Works of Billy the Kid

Like the Chicago Little Theatre, The Playwrights Theatre Club, and The Compass Players before it, the St. Nicholas Theatre Company's influence on Chicago theatre would survive long after its premature demise.

While Stuart Gordon's approach to theatre was based more on story telling, David Mamet and the St. Nicholas were into plays with more of a gritty reality feel. If the former embraced the world of make-believe, then the latter was firmly rooted in everyday life. Yet each exhibited its own special brand of theatre magic.

The St. Nicholas Theatre Company was founded in 1974 by Patty Cox, Rocco Jans, Linda Kimbrough, William H. Macy, David Mamet and Steve Schacter. The gropu had talent but no license to perform in Chicago, and so no home of their own. Their first season was spent perfroming in many different kinds of spaces, and staging early Mamet plays like "Squirrels", "The Poet" and "The Rent". The Youngsters were praised by critics and audiences for these shows, and with this intial success they went legit and looked for a home for their unique brand of theatre. They kicked off their second season with a new play by Mamet called "American Buffalo", which established a national reputation for St. Nicholas, and a career for Mamet. When "American Buffalo" went to New York it became the first play to come out of Chicago since "Grease". It went on to win and Obie award for best off-Broadway play.

American Buffalo

Over the next three years, the company expanded its programming to include classes and workshops on grant writing, acting, voice training, movement and theatre for children. They hired experts to speak on such subjects as how to build an audience, controlling cash flow and developing a command structure.

The Water Engine

Whether you belonged in the Organic camp or the St. Nicholas camp, what is most impressive about the Off-Loop theatre movement was the "can do" spirit that existed at the time. It was the idea that a company of actors and theatre artist's could get together to make something wonderful happen. It is this sentiment which continues to drive the theatre scene today.

Revenge of The Space Pandas