DePaul's Historic Merle Reskin Theatre
Located at 60 East Balbo Drive, this Beaux-Arts style theatre was built as the Blackstone Theatre in 1910 and designed by Chicago architects Benjamin Howard Marshall and Charles Eli Fox. To learn more about the theatre, visit
this page.
Public Transportation
The theatre is easily accessible by public transportation. The Red, Blue, Brown, Pink, Green, Orange, and Purple lines have stops nearby, and multiple bus routes serve the theatre.
Parking
There are several parking lots near the theatre, including LAZ Public Parking at 1 E. 8th Street, and Multipark at 635 S. Wabash Avenue. For parking rates and additional information, visit our
Parking & Directions page.
The Cunningham Commission for Youth Theatre*
The Theatre School is pleased to announce that submissions are now being accepted for the Cunningham Commission for Youth Theatre. Playwrights from the Chicagoland area and alumni of The Theatre School are eligible to apply, and the winner will be announced in June 2025. The deadline for submissions is May 2, 2025.
The Cunningham Commission for Youth Theatre was created at The Theatre School to honor the memory of the Rev. Donald Cunningham, a Chicago priest, playwright, and lover of theatre. The Cunningham Commission was established by an endowment gift from the Cunningham family and is presented biannually. The purpose of the commission is to encourage the writing of dramatic works for young audiences that affirm the centrality of religion, broadly defined, and the human quest for meaning, truth, and community. The Theatre School intends to produce the plays created through this commission in its award-winning Chicago Playworks for Families and Young Audiences series.
Past recipients have included: Ike Holter, Isaac Gomez, Caro Macon, Gloria Bond Clunie, Ricardo Gamboa, Omer Abbas Salem, Jeremy Ohringer, and Lavina Jadhwani.
The commission timeline is as follows:
June 2025: Winner announcement and contract signing.
- December 1, 2025: First draft due (payment upon delivery)
- January 15, 2026: Notes from Theatre School committee delivered to playwright.
- April 1, 2026: Second draft due (payment upon delivery).
- May 15, 2026: Notes from Theatre School committee delivered to playwright.
- September 1, 2026: Third draft due (final payment upon delivery).
The play will then be considered for the following year's Chicago Playworks for Families and Young Audience series.
The fee for the Cunningham Commission is $6,000, with an additional fee provided if the play is produced as part of the Chicago Playworks series. The selection committee is chaired by
Dr. Ali-Reza Mirsajadi and is composed of members of the Cunningham Commission advisory committee and faculty of The Theatre School.
Candidates should submit:
- a resume
- one sample of their playwriting work (no more than 20 pages). The writing sample may be from a play of any genre for any audience.
- a brief statement about their interest in the commission.
- a paragraph-length description of a possible project.
Please send all entries to:
CunninghamCommission@depaul.edu.