A brand new theater-themed bookstore and cafe called The Understudy is making its way to Andersonville, located at 5531 N. Clark St.
Owners Adam Todd Crawford and Danny Fender tell What Now Chicago they hope to open the new cafe in late summer/ early fall. The theatre bookstore and specialty coffee shop, designed by Chicago firm Siren Betty alongside architect Keefer Dunn, will serve as a meeting place for theatre artists, creatives, and art lovers. Guests can expect coffee from the West Loop-based coffee shop Metric Coffee, tea from Lakeview staple The Coffee and Tea Exchange, and a selection of locally sourced pastries.
The duo of owners, both alumni of The Theatre School at DePaul University, hope the new cafe will serve as a place for people looking to get lost in a good book, enjoy a passionate conversation, or cozy up with a delicious cup of coffee. As voracious play readers themselves, they developed The Understudy to create the kind of community resource they felt was missing within Chicago’s theatre scene
“We’re lifelong theatre people ourselves,” says Crawford. “So we know firsthand the amount of passion and tenacity that goes into putting up a play or even showing up for an audition. The theatre industry can be really rough, so we want to be a place to honor that curiosity and playfulness that drew you to theatre in the first place.”
The owners plan to develop a robust events calendar that may involve panel discussions with designers and technicians, in-process play readings, networking nights, and book signings. The Understudy will also feature an ongoing guest curation series. Local theatre artists will be invited to select books and plays to curate a table with recommendation cards in their own words and from their own experiences. When these events aren’t happening, guests can pick up one of the 3,000 books on theater, including scripts, manuals, biographies, and novels.
“Working on creating The Understudy has been an absolute dream for us. Not only are we business partners, but we are also partners in life,” the owners tell What Now Chicago. “Our skill sets complement each other quite well, with Danny being very detail-oriented, outgoing, and organized, which balances Adam’s more cerebral sensibilities with big picture creative thinking and vision. We are both enamored with Chicago theatre and are excited to support and amplify this city’s unparalleled theatremakers.”
