25-Aug-20 – It is Standing Room Only at Lyric Opera of Chicago, as all of the seats have been removed. The opera company says an upgrade of audience seating is “one of the most ambitious improvement projects” in its history.

All 3,563 of the old seats were removed over the summer from the main floor and balconies of Ardis Krainik Theatre. New seats were delivered last week and will soon be installed by stagehands. Gilded end panels were removed from each aisle seat and will be electrostatically powder coated and modified to fit the new seats.

In addition to the new seats – described by Lyric Opera as “lush” and “state-of-the-art” – a new seating configuration will be more staggered to give audience members better views of the stage. Aisles will be wider, and the theatre will be more wheelchair-accessible.

The project was announced last November and is being paid for by an anonymous donor. (Left) Diagram on Lyric Opera’s website of the new-and-improved seating.

Performances through the end of the year have been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic but Lyric Opera says it expects to welcome audiences back in January.

A free virtual concert next month will feature world-renowned soprano Renée Fleming and performances from the stage of the Lyric Opera House. For the Love of Lyric will be available for free streaming starting on September 13 at 6:00 p.m.

 More info: For the Love of Lyric Concert