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On January 28th, 2008, PanAmerica Performance Works- under the name Latino Chicago Theater Company- and The City of Chicago closed on a purchase agreement giving PPW ownership of a parcel of land on West Ogden Avenue, historic Route 66, in the Douglas Park Neighborhood. Acquiring these four lots- the first of eight- was the company's “Green Light” for moving forward with it's Phase I construction schedule for The Mother Road Arts Center. The official groundbreaking took place on June 4th, 2008. A closing date for the remaining lots will be set upon completion of Phase I.

PPW’s new cultural center, includes performance space for theater, music and dance; a cinema; and a children's theater. Besides providing a venue for artistic expression, the Mother Road Arts Center will also serve as a focal point for the needs and concerns of a great many Chicagoans; bring much needed programming to area schools; and act as a tool for community development both socially and economically. Recent studies have demonstrated that for every dollar invested in arts related programs, events and activities the neighboring communities reap six dollars. Projects such as this, create jobs, promote business and improve the quality of life for area residents.

If history repeats itself, PanAmerica Performance Works' Mother Road Arts Center will help stimulate the development of The Douglas Park/North Lawndale community, as was the case when Latino Chicago’s Firehouse Theater landed in Wicker Park/Bucktown, some twenty years ago.

January 2008- January 2010
Phase I :
New administrative office space and the first of three theaters
An experimental “Black Box” that can be configured in a variety of ways.

January 2010- January 2012
Phase II (a) :
A second theater
A performance/film/media space permanently configured and able to accommodate a larger audience.

January 2012
Phase II (b) : A third theater
An outdoor “Greek” theater for children, with “on the lawn” seating and a retractable canopy for shade and shelter.

The Mother Road Arts Center is a historic achievement, on a historic way, in a historic Chicago neighborhood. PanAmerica Performance Works invites you to become part of this history by contributing in whatever way and on whatever level you, your business, or your organization is able to.

Please call or write for information on how you might join PanAmerica Performance Works as it makes it's way along "The Mother Road".

PanAmerica Performance Works (PPW) is a non-profit arts organization committed to bringing the diverse realities of life in the Americas to both stage and screen." PPW's artistic leadership and board, which includes members of what was the Latino Chicago Theater Company at The Firehouse, have extensive theater and film experience, as well as, a unique understanding of the socio-political conditions and connections- historic and current- that exist within and beyond the contiguous 48 states. This "Continental Perspective" is the driving force behind PPW's need to provide a focal point for "The American Experience".