Ovation Academy Expands to New Studio in Forest Park

Oak Park, IL –  Ovation Academy for the Performing Arts in Oak Park, IL is expanding into a new studio space at 7419 Madison St in Forest Park. Founded in 2014 by Tina Reynolds, Ovation provides musical theater training to performers of all ages. The fast-growing company is in long-term residence at Madison Street Theater, and utilizes additional space on a short-term basis throughout the Oak Park area for its ever-expanding programming. 

The new location, dubbed Ovation Studio, will house musical theater classes, rehearsals, private lessons, and summer camps. Locals may recognize the space as the former Centuries and Sleuths antique bookstore location, which had already been vacant for more than 6 months when Ovation set its sights on the storefront.

The spot is ideal for its proximity to Madison Street Theater and the open layout to allow for large casts to rehearse together. A new dance floor is being installed, and the bathroom is being renovated for ADA compliance, among other improvements to the space.

Ovation Academy has been a fixture in Oak Park for the past 10 years, and its physical space has grown and improved over time. Originally housed in a small basement under Oberweiss at 126 Oak Park Ave, the company became a permanent resident of Madison Street Theater in 2019 and its anchor tenant and educational program. While the pandemic hampered activities significantly in 2020-21, Ovation continued to offer remote learning and zoom-based musical theater activities throughout the shutdown. As soon as covid subsided and life began to return to normal, Ovation was packed, with long waitlists for many programs and an ever-expanding roster of students. With Madison Street Theater producing its own Art Season as a standalone nonprofit, as well as renting space to other arts groups, a long-term search for additional space has been ongoing since 2022.  The discovery of the vacant space at 7419 Madison St was a welcome addition to the Ovation footprint, and will provide the growing company much-needed long-term rental space for its well-regarded activities. 

Ovation’s touring companies, which attend the Junior Theater Festival each year in Sacramento and Atlanta, routinely bring home top awards and accolades and perform for fellow theater groups from around the world. The company prides itself on welcoming performers of all experience levels and abilities, and inspiring them to excellence through training, commitment, and practice. 

Ovation offers programming for all ages including musical theater classes, private lessons, audition coaching, summer camps, full productions and a sought after adult musical theater class called Page to Stage that meets every Monday night. In Spring 2025 Ovation will present Legally Blonde the Musical JR, followed by its teen Encore company performing Sweeney Todd, School Edition. To learn more about the magic and programming at Ovation or get tickets, visit www.ovationacademy.org.