Ovation Academy for the Performing Arts is expanding into a new studio space at 7419 Madison St. in Forest Park.
Founded in 2014 by Tina Reynolds, the Oak Park-based academy offers musical theater training for all ages. While Ovation Academy remains the anchor tenant at Madison Street Theater, the new space will provide additional room for classes, rehearsals, private lessons and summer camps. The storefront, formerly home to Centuries and Sleuths bookstore, had been vacant for over six months before Ovation secured the space.
A growing demand for musical theater programs post-COVID has driven Ovation Academy to seek a new, permanent space.
After years of searching, which began in 2022, they found a location in Forest Park, aligning with their goal of expanding within the community and providing greater access to the arts for local children, while fostering connections with neighboring organizations.
“We found a really good place. It’s a storefront, so we’re excited to be right on Madison Street,” Reynolds said. “We’re also excited to welcome new people to Ovation and to expand, giving us a little more room than we currently have at the Madison Street Theater, where we are the anchor tenant.”
Madison Street Theater, a nonprofit performing arts venue, houses Ovation Academy, its educational program. As the theater expands and launches a new arts season, Ovation Academy has outgrown its current space.
To accommodate its growth, the academy’s new location will allow for additional rehearsals, classes and private lessons. The new space will support a wider range of musical theater programs, including Broadway Academy productions. This expansion aims to enhance arts education and provide more opportunities for aspiring performers in the community.
“We produce around 11 to 14 musicals per year,” she said. “During that time, we also run a program called the Junior Theater Festival Company Members Experience, which is a more intimate and intensive group for performers ages 8 to 18. They participate in a musical theater festival, allowing us to expand and hold additional rehearsals. This gives us greater flexibility, and we’re really excited to be in Forest Park.”
When asked about the impact Ovation Academy will have on the art scene in Forest Park and the surrounding Oak Park area, Reynolds responded that she sees Ovation as contributing to community building and prioritizing a safe inclusive environment that gives students a sense of belonging and empowers them beyond their after-school activities.
“It’s a place for everyone, a place for people to find their voice. Within that community, we offer classes for kids and adults as well. We have a very popular adult musical theater class that takes place on Mondays, which is essentially musical theater for grownups. We’re excited to bring quality arts experiences to Forest Park and create a little bit of magic,” Reynolds said.
The new studio space, with its full dance studio and two smaller rooms, provides versatile opportunities for music classes and solo rehearsals.
“With productions like Legally Blonde, the Musical Junior and Sweeney Todd coming up, the new space will help tremendously in preparing students for these shows,” Reynolds said. “We’re so excited for this expansion, especially since our Sweeney Todd cast has 50 high school students and Legally Blonde has 55 middle school students. Fitting that many students together at Madison Street Theater can be a real puzzle, so the new space will make planning much easier,” Reynolds said.
This summer, the academy is expanding its offerings at Forest Park, including camps for younger and less experienced students. The new space allows Ovation to provide its full range of programs to younger and newer families, something that was previously impossible due to limited capacity at the Madison Street location.
“We’re super-excited to engage with the Forest Park community and I hope everyone comes to Madison Street Theater to see Legally Blonde at the end of April. Then, of course, there’s Sweeney Todd, which is especially exciting because it’s an all-high school cast. I know there are great programs at neighboring high schools, but these kids are truly the best of the best, and it’s going to be outstanding,” Reynolds said.
