Performance, Theatre, and Event Space Rentals in Chicago
A cultural venue for our community since 1911.
Our unique and historic theater complex serves as a perfect home for the Chicago performing arts and non-profit community.
We rent out performance, event, and office spaces year-round at affordable rates in order to support the production of great art in Chicago.
All rentals are curated by the Athenaeum Center. Explore our venues below for more information and to inquire about bookings.
The Historic Main Stage is a 950 seat, proscenium style theater with seating on the main floor, lower balcony, and upper balcony. Thanks to a unique balcony design, the Main Stage offers an intimate setting that belies the grandeur of the theatre. With no barriers, columns, or pillars to obstruct the view of the stage, patrons in the Main Stage enjoy not only magnificent acoustics, but also clear sight lines from every seat.
Multiple Black Box Studio Theatre spaces are available at the Athenaeum Center. The spaces are highly flexible, fully equipped with state-of-the-art technical amenities, and perfect for intimate performances. Studio A can seat 87. Studio B can seat 81 patrons.
We are excited to offer a new state-of-the-art event space in the heart of Chicago for conferences, lectures, and other gatherings. The event space, designed by John Ronan Architects, has a clean, minimalist feel that blends into the historic building, and provides a canvas for whatever you can imagine.
With 4,000 square feet of open space, seating up to 300, our on-site event/production managers will work with you to configure the room according to your event needs. Not just for dinners, our event space was designed with performances in mind, and we have in-house audio-visual providers and lighting designers who will help create the perfect ambience and technical setup for your event.
Click here for more details about the space, see event layouts, and inquire to discover how your event can come to life in the Paradiso!
Office Space
Looking for a home for your arts non-profit? Need a short-term office space for use during production?
The Athenaeum Theatre is home to over 15 not-for-profit performing arts companies. We offer competitive below market rates for groups seeking everything from a full office to a desk and phone in a shared space. Companies who have booked the theater space are welcome to inquire about renting production office space as well.
For information about office rental for your arts organization or production company, please use the links below.
Rehearsal Space
There are a number of rehearsal spaces available for dance, theatre, music, performances. Rooms vary in size and amenities.
All of our rental spaces benefit
from the perks of our location in
Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood:
Great restaurants in the Southport Corridor
Convenient public transportation
Two parking lots with free parking — at the corner of Oakdale and Southport and on Oakdale behind the theater building.
Lots of street parking available
