Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University Concert Venue / Theater

The Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University has been around longer than the university itself. The partially finished auditorium hosted the Republican National Convention in 1888, when Benjamin Harrison was nominated. For the next forty years, the ornate Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University was the home of opera companies, symphony orchestras, and speeches from visiting U.S. presidents. By the Great Depression, the upscale clientele and performers had abandoned ship, and the venue deteriorated. Shortly after its founding in 1945, Roosevelt University took over the South Loop palace and renovated it, eventually earning landmark status.

With six levels of seating, the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University can hold an audience of 3,929. The theater is a non-profit organization that is devoted to cultural programming. The world-renowned Joffrey Ballet company is the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University’s most notable resident. Christmastime performances of The Nutcracker are a huge city tradition. When the Joffrey Ballet is not performing, jazz, classical, and dance performances fill the schedule. The theater may have been a rock venue in the 1960s (Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin were among its performers), but most of the performances at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University these days are highbrow.

The theater has two lobby bars. Cameras are completely forbidden.