Our Future Home

Our new theater, community center, & business incubator in Woodlawn

With a $1.6 million seed grant from the City of Chicago’s Neighborhood Opportunity Fund, we will build our theater and community center at 6400 South Cottage Grove in Woodlawn. Definition is committed to the Woodlawn community and our vision of providing an arts experience for each and every eager community member.

Definition will be a safe environment in the community for theater-making, provide professional career development opportunities for the next generation of theater artists, and serve as a business incubator for BIPOC entrepreneurs. We will work as activists and advocates in our community to develop programming that enhances each story we tell.

Help Us #BuildInIt

We invite you to join us in creating Definition’s new theater and community center in Woodlawn. Together we can invest in an equitable society that uplifts underrepresented voices while bringing cultural and economic opportunities to Chicago’s South Side.

Finding your artistic voice, no matter the age, requires vulnerable reflection of past experiences adding to the sum total of who you are. Founded in 2012 by graduates from the University of Illinois, Definition Theatre serves as a platform for early to mid career artists. At Definition, we create space for artists who not only want to find their voice but share their experiences with Chicago audiences. On our journey, we acknowledge the path paved for us by BIPOC artists of the past as we connect with present industry leaders to embark on a new path for first time theatergoers and returning theater enthusiasts. 


For more information, contact neel@definitiontheatre.org

  • “I celebrate the gift of co-laboring in this Sankofa moment as a Woodlawn resident, a parent, and a theatermaker who has long dreamed of transforming spaces to shine light on the past, present, and future of art in this part of our city.”

    — Dr. Tiffany Trent, Board President

  • “Our new theater will allow us to practice what we preach every day. Many of us first generation artists know well the obstacles to feeling you have a place in the theater. This is us creating a space of inclusion.”

    — Tyrone Phillips, Artistic Director