The Victory Gardens Theater was founded in 1974, since then it has produced more world premiers and Chicago premiers, worked with more living playwrights, and exported more new plays for production elsewhere than any other theater in the region.
Our Mission
Victory Gardens Theater nurtures and produces relevant, new theater work that reflects the diverse stories of our world and contributes to the vitality of the American Theater. Our work inspires dialogue toward meaningful civic change and creates an inclusive theater experience that belongs to everyone.
Our Vision
Victory Gardens Theater strives to be a national leader in bringing stories to the stage that ignite social change and strengthen community, creating a more just and compassionate world.
Our Values
Integrity, Diversity, Innovation, and Excellence.
History
In recognition of this leadership, Victory Gardens was awarded the 2001 Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre, cementing its reputation as one of America’s premier incubators for bold, contemporary theater.
To accommodate its growing ambitions, Victory Gardens purchased and renovated the historic Biograph Theater in 2004, reopening it in 2006 as a state-of-the-art facility with a 299-seat mainstage and, later, a 109-seat studio space named the Richard Christiansen Theater. This move not only expanded artistic capacity but also reinforced Victory Gardens’ role as a cornerstone in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood.
Throughout its history, Victory Gardens has been shaped by visionary leaders, from Dennis Začek to Chay Yew, who steered the theater through a transformative period of artistic innovation and community engagement. Even amid the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, the theater continued to experiment with digital platforms and new forms of audience connection, proving its resilience and commitment to access.
Now, under new leadership beginning in 2025, Victory Gardens Theater is charting a bold path forward, building transformative partnerships, shaping a visionary strategic plan, and weaving deeper connections with communities and educational institutions, while reinvigorating the theater as a vital civic and cultural home for Chicago. This next chapter is rooted in the belief that theater has the power not only to entertain but also to convene, to challenge, and to inspire collective action.