Mission
Bailiwick Repertory produces diverse works, ranging from classics to cutting edge, and demonstrates fiscal responsibility while remaining affordable, accessible, and responsive to our community.

History
Since its founding in 1982, Bailiwick Repertory has consistently endeavored to achieve the vision of gifted directors in productions that have been as diverse as our audiences.  We have also worked hard to remain accessible, affordable, and responsive to our community.  With the director as fulcrum of our artistic process, Bailiwick has been recognized with more than 150 Citations, Nominations, and Recommendations from the Jeff Committee for all aspects of production.  We have also received more than three-dozen After Dark Awards, several Black Theater Alliance Awards, and the Pride Series has been inducted into the City of Chicago's Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame and been the recipient of the Torch Award from the Human Rights Campaign, the only theatre in the nation to be so honored.

Bailiwick as an Itinerant Company (1982-1987)
Bailiwick Repertory's early productions were rarely seen classics like Wycherley's The Country Wife, Shaw's Pygmalion, and Brecht's Threepenny Opera. Performed in church basements and fourth-floor auditoriums, these critically-acclaimed, award-winning early works began our tradition of superb scripts, performed with an eye towards ensuring their relevance to today's audience.

Bailiwick in the Jane Addams Hull House (1987-1992)
In 1987, the Bailiwick leased the theatre in the Jane Addams Hull House, 3212 N. Broadway.  This theatre was home to five full seasons of stellar productions, including new works like Execution of Justice, new adaptations like The Count of Monte Cristo, and new musicals like Animal Farm.  A financial analysis at this time, performed by the Kellogg Community Services Committee recommended diversifying artistic products to diversify our sources of revenue.  The development of our Auxiliary Programs - a direct response to this recommendation - led to the creation of the Director's Festival and Pride Series in 1988.

Bailiwick in The Theatre Building (1992-1995)
Spurred by a series of successful productions at Jane Addams Hull House that included The Lisbon Traviata, The Misanthrope, and very successful auxiliary events, Bailiwick moved to the South Theater of the Theater Building in January 1992.  In the subsequent 18 months, the subscriber base tripled and programming expanded. Late-night performance art was juxtaposed with classics like Shaw's St. Joan.  Bailiwick continued producing hits like Son of Fire, Jeffrey, and The Light Trilogy.  Soon it became clear that Bailiwick Repertory had also outgrown this home, and the Board of Directors began looking for a space flexible enough to fill the theatre's ever-expanding production schedule.

Bailiwick in the Bailiwick Arts Center
Since 1995, Bailiwick Repertory has made its home in the Bailiwick Arts Center, 1229 W. Belmont. The 150-seat Mainstage, 90-seat studio, and 40-seat loft contained in the Bailiwick building have allowed Bailiwick to further explore its art with staged readings, performance pieces, and workshops of new work.

The flexibility and control afforded by the building had an immediate impact on the company's fortunes.  In the Deep Heart's Core, a new musical based on the work of W.B. Yeats, ran for nearly eight months, and the exposing revue Naked Boys Singing set all time Bailiwick box office records. Bailiwick produced world premieres of the drama F-64 and the musicals Pope Joan, and Bonnie & Clyde.  All this new activity performed along side the classics we have produced since the first year.

In its own building, Bailiwick also examined the unique communities it serves and started new programs, Deaf Bailiwick Artists (1995), Lesbian Theatre Initiative (1999) and BailiwicKids (2001).