The Schiller: Art, Labor, and Assimilation

Join us November 30^th for a virtual program on the politics of labor, class and culture in Chicago at the turn of the 20^th century, which greatly influenced the design of the Garrick Theatre. Kirk Nickel, scholar-in-residence at the Newberry Library and contributor to Reconstructing the Garrick, presents short remarks followed by a moderated discussion on the Garrick Theatre, originally named The Schiller in reference to the famous German poet and playwright Friedrich Schiller, as a structural embodiment of social and cultural ideals. Two academics will join the conversation– Tom Goyens, Associate Professor of History at Salisbury University, and Andrei Pop, Professor, Committee on Social Thought, Art History at the University of Chicago.  Erected shortly after the Haymarket Riot which resulted in the conviction of five German immigrants, the theater was designed as an emblem of heritage dedicated to the most innovative writers, composers, and artists across the Atlantic.