Rendering by Eckenhoff Saunders
Evanston, Illinois
Northlight Theatre Relocation, Market, and Impact Analysis
Northlight Theatre, a mainstay on the North Shore of Illinois, was considering its current leased space in Skokie and proposing a new location in Evanston, Illinois. The company wanted to increase the number of attendees and enhance their overall success, so they hired Hunden Partners for an analysis and assessment. Hunden’s studies focused on historical performance, relocation effects on attendance, and an economic, fiscal, and employment impact analysis, among other important evaluations.
Situation
Hunden Partners was approached by Northlight Theatre to conduct an economic, employment and fiscal impact analysis for the theater’s current Skokie location and a proposed new location in Evanston, Illinois. The company was exploring the option of moving to downtown Evanston in hopes of increasing the number of attendees and their overall success and expansion as a theatre.
Since 1997, Northlight Theatre has been situated in the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie. Annually, Northlight mounts more than 200 productions and has grown into one of the largest nonprofit theatres in the Chicago area, with nearly 6,000 subscribers. Northlight Theatre’s portion of performance space is a 318-seat theater with a three-quarter thrust stage.
Approach
Hunden analyzed the company’s historical performance and audience origins to assess how relocation would affect attendance, supported by interviews with comparable theater organizations nationwide. Given the proposed site’s reduced accessibility for current subscribers but improved access from Chicago and the North Shore, Hunden evaluated potential shifts in demand, projected future attendance and financial performance in Skokie and Evanston, and completed an economic, fiscal, and employment impact analysis including associated tax revenues.
Impact
In 2019, Hunden conducted an update to the original impact study as Northlight Theatre prepared to enter Phase One of its Evanston relocation development. The update reaffirmed the project’s feasibility and projected a positive economic and cultural impact for downtown Evanston, anticipating increased visitor spending, employment, and local business activity. In 2025,
Northlight staged a groundbreaking for its new facility at 1012 Church Street, marking a significant milestone in its return to the city where it was founded in 1974. Scheduled to open in fall 2026, the new theater is expected to serve as a cultural anchor in a revitalized downtown and generate renewed economic vitality for the community.
