A Survey of Chicago Soundstages

Looking for a stage? How big? Where do you want to shoot? To help you make that determination, ReelChicago scouted around to identify a surprisingly large list of 38 stages for rent.

You’ll find 24 within city limits, while Oak Park leads the suburbs with three stages. We also give you stage size and rental costs.

Six local stages offer at least 5,000 sq. ft.: Ch. 11’s Chicago Production Center, rental houses Essanay and RAH, and Blackhawk Studios, AGLS and the Studio on Ogden. 18 more stages were confirmed to have at least 1,000 square feet.

Facilities range from TV stations and other fully equipped shooting stages, to production companies’ insert stages, to photography studios, schools and theaters rented out for multiple uses.

Save the list and keep it handy for future use. Stage information starts with the largest, city list first.

CHICAGO

CHICAGO PRODUCTION CENTER, 5400 N. St. Louis
K. Mattes, 773/509-5555
Stage A: 60 x 90 ft. (5,400 sq. ft.)
Stage B: 40 x 60 ft. (2,400 sq. ft.)
Stage C: 30 x 40 ft. (1,200 sq. ft.)
Stage D: 105 x 85 ft. (9,000 sq. ft.)
kmattes@wttw.com
www.wttw.com/cpc

ESSANAY STUDIO & LIGHTING, 1346 N. North Branch
Wayne Kubacki, 312/664-4400
Stage 1: 100 x 70 ft. (7,000 sq. ft.) – $1,000/day prep, $1,500 shoot
Stage 2: 50 x 50 ft. (2,500 sq. ft.) – $600/day prep, $800/day shoot
www.essanay.com

RAH PRODUCERS CENTER, 750 S. DesPlaines
Robert Hudecek, 312/461-0445
85 x 75 ft. (6,375 sq. ft.) – $850/day prep, $950/day pre-light, $1,300/day shoot
www.rahchicago.com

STUDIO ON OGDEN, 350 N. Ogden, Suite 3000
Brian Warling, 312/733-5646
5,000 sq. ft. – $400/day prep, $500/day shoot
www.studioonogden.com

VIADUCT STUDIO/THEATER, 3111 N. Western
Robert Whitaker, Whitney Blakemore, 773/296- 6024
60 x 75 ft. (4,500 sq. ft.)
www.viaducttheater.com

WEST GRAND STUDIOS, 459 N. Wolcott
312/829-2120
68 x 58 ft. (3,944 sq. ft.)

SANGAMON ST. STUDIOS, 100 S. Sangamon
Dave Miller, 773/562-3731
Stage 1: 50 x 65 ft. (3,250 sq. ft.) – $1,500/day
Stage 2: 25 x 30 ft. (750 sq. ft.) – $1,000/day

FILM & TAPE WORKS, 237 E. Ontario
Adam Martin, 312/280-2210
Studio A: 3,150 sq. ft., $1,350/day
Studio B: 1,200 sq. ft., $950/day
www.filmandtapeworks.com

CH. 5, 454 N. Columbus Dr.
312/836-5800
2,800 sq. ft.
www.nbc5.com

DEL HALL VIDEO, 1240 W. Jackson
Alex Epstein, 312/733-6500
40 x 60 ft. (2,400 sq. ft.)
www.dhv.tv

LUMINAIR, 1376 W. Carroll
George Elder, 312/491-8380
50 x 48 ft. (2,400 sq. ft.)
www.luminair.com

SPACE STAGE STUDIOS, 2155 W. Hubbard
Janine Nubani (Product Productions), 312/733- 8017
35 x 55 ft. (1,925 sq. ft.)
35 x 20 ft. (700 sq. ft.)
www.spacestagestudios.com

LEE TRACY STUDIO, 855 W. Blackhawk
Lee Tracy, 312/266-4955
75 x 22 ft. (1,650 sq. ft.)
40 x 30 ft. (1,200 sq. ft.)
www.leetracy.com

X-RAY PRODUCTIONS, 2155 W. Hubbard
Gene Cosentino, 312/738-9729
45 x 30 ft. (1,350 sq. ft.)
18 x 25 ft. (450 sq. ft.)
www.xrayproductions.com

POST EFFECTS, 400 W. Erie
Evie Silvers, 312/944-1690
30 x 40 ft. (1,200 sq. ft.)
20 x 20 ft. (400 sq. ft.)
www.posteffects.com

FIRE FORCE FILMS, 913 W. Van Buren, Suite 6D
312/243-9130
20 x 50 ft. (1,000 sq. ft.)
redstar@speedsite.com
www.picturewheel.com

GOLAN PRODUCTIONS, 1501 N. Magnolia St.
312/642-4500
25 x 40 ft. (1,000 sq. ft.) – $500/day prep, $700/day shoot
www.golan.tv

MOTHLIGHT PICTURES, 1317 W. Grand
Marc Wellin, Snehal Patel, 773-549-1616
25 x 40 ft. (1,000 sq. ft.)
www.mothlight.com

CHAPMAN STUDIO, 1146 W. Grand
Cam Chapman, 312/733-0405
20 x 40 ft. (800 sq. ft.)
www.camchapman.com

ZACUTO FILMS, 401 W. Ontario, Suite 250
Steve Weiss, 312/863-3456
28 x 25 ft. (700 sq. ft.) – $350/day
www.zacuto-rentals.com

BROADVIEW MEDIA, 142 E. Ontario
Bonnie Hawksworth, 312/337-6000
25 x 25 ft. (625 sq. ft.)
www.broadviewmedia.com

NETWORK CENTURY, 211 E. Grand
312/644-1650
625 sq. ft.
www.networkcentury.com

SUPERIOR STREET, 2744 West Superior Street
Karen Woodbury, 312/227-5550
Approx. 250 sq. ft. stage (1,400 sq. ft. showcase room)
www.superiorst.com

PARK WEST, 322 W. Armitage
Matt McGinn, 312/440-9191
approx. 200 sq. ft. stage (11,000 sq. ft. facility)
www.parkwestchicago.com

ACT ONE STUDIO, 640 N. LaSalle, Suite 535
312/787-9384
www.actone.com

ACTORS CENTER OF CHICAGO, 3047 N. Lincoln
773/549-3303
www.actorscenterchicago.com

PRAIRIE PRODUCTION, 1314 W. Randolph
Kristin, 312/829-7499
www.prairieproduction.net

RAVENSWOOD STUDIO, 5645 N. Ravenswood
Michael Shapiro, 773-769-4100
www.ravenswoodstudio.com

SCENIC VIEW, 2120 S. Peoria
Dean Olsen, 312/942-1159
www.scenicview-inc.com

SUBURBS

AGLS, 222 Lake St., Oak Park
Brad Barrett, 708/763-0541
5,000 sq. ft.

ACADEMY OF MOVEMENT AND MUSIC, 605 Lake St., Oak Park
Stephanie Clemens, 708/848-2329
50 x 80 ft. (4,000 sq. ft.)
stephanieclemens@hotmail.com

MINDSIGHT, 1420 N. Meacham Rd., Schaumburg
Brian McCourt, 847/969-2140
50 x 50 ft. (2,500 sq. ft.)
www.mindsight.com

ARTISAN STAGE AND LIGHTING, 3208 W. Lake, Glenview
Zet Smith, 847/832-1200
47 x 40 ft. (1,880 sq. ft.) – $600/day prep, $875/day shoot
www.artisanstageandlighting.com

INTELLIGENT LIGHTING CREATIONS, 3714 W. Touhy, Skokie
Ryan Bundy, 847/933-9792
60 x 30 ft. (1,800 sq. ft.)
www.intelligentlighting.com

FIRM PRODUCTION SERVICES, 1321 Louis Ave., Elk Grove Village
Glen Erickson, 847/593-0753
25 x 35 ft. (875 sq. ft.)
www.firmproduction.com

B -TV AT SQUARE D, 1415 S. Roselle, Palatine
Mark Klocksin, 847/925-3630

DB, 501 Midway, Mount Prospect
Barry Dane, 847/299-0357
www.dbsound.com

? by Ed M. Koziarski, edk@homesickblues.com