As the new managing director of Oak Park Festival Theatre, Tom Arvetis will face the challenge of leading the popular, well-established theater company after a November fire wiped out many of its physical assets.
Arvetis, an Oak Park resident, was previously producing artistic director of Adventure Stage Chicago, an award-winning theater for young people which was based at Northwestern Settlement, a social services agency on Chicago’s near northwest side.
“I came from an organization that was rooted in community,” Arvetis noted. “After working there for nearly 20 years, it made a huge impression on me. The evolution of my career there helped me understand the critical value of the arts to community engagement, community building, civic engagement. All of these things are things that I care about. I saw an opportunity right here in Oak Park—the community where I live—to continue to grow those values.”
The board of directors of Oak Park Festival Theatre selected Arvetis for the position because, “He has extensive experience in working with theater both in front of and behind the scenes. His management experience is what led us to choose him,” said Barbara Cimaglio, president of the board of directors. “As a nonprofit coming out of the past two COVID years and the fire that destroyed much of our equipment, we need a director who is excited for and capable to take on this opportunity.”
Arvetis is looking forward to leading this Oak Park stalwart, which will celebrate its 50th anniversary in three years, and helping it grow.
“It has been operating at a relatively steady but small scale,” he reported. “I think the board is interested in exploring ways to make it more stable and potentially grow.”
One of the big challenges Arvetis will face is helping the theater company recover from a Nov. 23 fire in the downtown Oak Park building that housed its administrative offices and storage area. Its offices were right above Delia’s Kitchen restaurant, which burned badly. Almost everything housed in the theater company’s space there was destroyed.
That included lighting and sound equipment, costumes, props, computers and the theater’s records.
“We have equipment that we have to replace,” he said. “We have historical records that leave holes in our institutional memory. We don’t have a permanent home. The office was an important anchor for the company. It was somewhere where work could be done and meetings could be held and equipment could be stored.”
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It also served as a dressing room during the theater’s season.
They are currently working with the Park District of Oak Park to address some of those needs.
“Moving forward, we will need to find a more permanent solution,” Arvetis said.
Arvetis reported that he isn’t currently planning to alter the programming. He just announced the 2022 season, which will include “The Winter’s Tale” by William Shakespeare, opening on July 14, and “Dracula by Bram Stoker,” opening on Oct. 14.
“Later this month, we’re going to begin a strategic planning process that will give us an opportunity to begin to think more long-term,” Arvetis said.
He is hoping that will include having a permanent staff, because currently everybody who works for the theater is part-time.
Arvetis is hoping to eventually expand the reach of the theater.
“Everything comes down to financials,” he explained. “Getting us financially healthy requires a more narrow focus but we would love to be producing at a larger level.”
That would include staging more shows and doing educational performances.
To increase funding, Arvetis noted, you must have “a great vision that can get your stakeholders excited, whether you’re talking about foundations or individual donors or corporate sponsors. They want to know that you are doing something worthwhile for the community.”
In terms of programming, Arvetis said that he will support Artistic Director Barbara Zahora.
“I’m here to make sure that there is an artistic vision and to make sure that I’m doing everything I can to realize that vision,” he said. “We have to make sure that we are choosing plays that are relevant to our community; that are relevant to this moment.”
Cimaglio concluded, “I feel that Tom is a gift to our theater at this crucial time. He is an Oak Park resident with a family that is already connected to the community. We are confident that Tom will be a strong leader in our next chapter.”
Myrna Petlicki is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.