Paramount's Jim Corti Accepts 2017 Award of Honor from Illinois Theatre Association

Paramount Theatre is proud to announce Artistic Director Jim Corti received the Illinois Theatre Association’s 2017 Award of Honor at the association’s annual Red Carpet Gala last Saturday, August 26, at Harper College’s Wojcik Conference Center in Palatine, Illinois.

“Paramount continues to provide world-class entertainment to an annual audience of over 300,000 patrons from more than 250 communities,” said Allan Kimball, President, Illinois Theatre Association. “Drawing primarily from the talent pool of Chicago actors, designers and technicians, Paramount’s Broadway productions feature full orchestras, and have been acclaimed by critics and audiences alike for their popularity, their artistic heft and their originality. It is my pleasure to present the ITA’s 2017 Award of Honor to Paramount Theatre Artistic Director Jim Corti.”

“It’s really a tremendous thing to meet this community, the Illinois Theatre Association, in this room,” Corti responded. “I will never forget tonight and what I have been witnessing. There is something special about how art brings people together, and there is nothing like an education in the arts. That’s what the ITA is all about. So here’s to new beginnings and I hope to see you all at the theater.” 

The ITA Award comes fast on the heels on another major honor, Corti’s nomination for a Jeff Award for Director, Musical-Large, for his production last season of  Sweeney Todd-The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Dual nominations for Best Musical-Large for Paramount’s Sweeney Todd  and Disney’s The Little Mermaid  were also among an impressive 15 Jeff nominations that Paramount garnered for its 2016-17 season.

Paramount only became Jeff eligible three seasons ago, and has since enjoyed record-breaking nominations each year, winning top honors the past two seasons in a row for Best Musical-Large for  Les Misérables and West Side Story, both directed by Corti.
Currently, Corti is in rehearsals of Paramount Theatre’s Broadway season opener, Million Dollar Quartet , September 13-October 29, 2017. Corti will also stage Paramount’s season finale, the first regional production of  Once , April 25-June 3, 2018.

In between, Paramount’s 2017-18 includes  Elf: The Musical (directed by Amber Mak,November 22, 2017-January 7, 2018) and  Cabaret (directed by Katie Spelman, February 7-March 18, 2018).

Corti was hired in 2011 as Paramount’s first artistic director, charged with launching and overseeing a self-produced, four-show Broadway musical series. Flash forward to only its sixth season in 2017-18, and Paramount already boasts more than 33,000 subscribers, making it the third largest subscription house in the country. The reasons are ample – four amazing, affordable, Broadway-quality musicals, at one of the most majestic theaters in the Midwest.  (See below for Jim Corti's full bio and headshot)

Four-play packages for Paramount’s 2017-18 Broadway Musical Series start as low as $72. The Paramount is located at 23 E. Galena Blvd. in the heart of downtown Aurora. For subscriptions and single tickets, visit  ParamountAurora.com, call
(630) 896-6666 , or stop by the Paramount box office Monday through Saturday,
10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and two hours prior to evening performances.


About the Illinois Theatre Association

It is the mission of the Illinois Theatre Association to advocate for the art of quality theatre in Illinois by:

• establishing an Illinois membership similar in purpose to and affiliated with national theatre organizations.

 

• encouraging a closer understanding and communication between community, educational and professional theatre.

 

• informing the general public of the diverse nature and extent of Illinois theatre (advocacy for the art of theatre throughout the state).

 

• cooperating with appropriate state and federal agencies and with regional and national theatre organizations in promoting increased recognition and program development for Illinois theatre at all levels.

 

• promoting and perpetuating the highest caliber of theatre production, teaching and research at all levels of theatre within the state of Illinois.

 

• affirming the important value of theatre in the lives of individuals.

The ITA provides numerous services throughout Illinois (festivals, conferences, focus groups, professional development workshops, publications). In doing so, the ITA strives to become “the representative association for all things theatre in Illinois.” The ITA is comprised of six divisions: College/University Theatre, Community Theatre, Creative Drama, Professional Theatre, Secondary School Theatre, and Theatre for Young Audiences.

The full list of 2017 ITA Award recipients follows:  

2017 Awards of Excellence

Creative Drama                                       Center for Creative Arts Therapy  
Theatre for Young Audiences                 Theater Unspeakable
Secondary School Theatre                       Patricia A. Cheney
College/University Theatre                     Cyndee Brown
Community Theatre                                Jessi Gangware-Hersman, Buffalo Grove Park District   
Professional Theatre                                Molly Hernandez
2017 Extraordinary Contributions to  the Illinois High School Theatre Festival Cyndee Brown
Anne Thurman Mentorship Award        Donna Stone
2017 Awards of Honor
Non-ITA Member                                      Paramount Theatre
Jim Corti, Artistic Director  
ITA Member                                              Stephen Leaver

For more information about the Illinois Theatre Association, visit  illinoistheatre.org or call  (312) 265-5922.
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