Junior Theatre staged "Suzette Who Set to Sea" last season, its 72nd. The second oldest children's theatre in the nation was launched in 1951.
Davenport Junior Theatre, the nation’s second oldest children’s theatre, is abandoning plans to move its operations to the former Younkers store at NorthPark Mall in Davenport.
While its previously announced timeline expected an interim lease to be signed and construction to begin this fall, with a move-in date in June of 2025, the site selection for an interim space is back to square one.
“The short-term option of NorthPark Mall ended up being a much larger capital investment than anticipated and was not conducive for a short-term rental,” Becca Niles, senior administrative services manager for Davenport Parks and Recreation, said recently.
City staff have several alternatives being evaluated and have been touring potential sites for both short-term and long-term options.
“The City of Davenport is taking a lead role in finding a new location as the Davenport Junior Theatre is part of the Recreation Division in the City of Davenport, Parks and Recreation department,” Niles said.
The status of both the short-term and long-range plans will be discussed with City Council at the October 1 work session.
Davenport is seeking to fully convey the Annie Wittenmyer Complex (at the 2800 block of Eastern Avenue) to developer Chris Ales to convert the property into workplace and senior housing that will total over 100 units. With an abundance of deferred maintenance, the city lacks the capital to maintain the campus, according to an FAQ on the Junior Theatre Web site (last updated on June 17).
The transition to the developer will provide an opportunity to properly maintain this piece of Davenport history while serving a tremendous housing need. However, the development of the complex is dislodging Davenport Junior Theatre and a new facility must be found and prepared.
The 32-acre Wittenmyer site first opened in November of 1865 as the Iowa Soldiers’ Orphans’ Home, housing orphans of fallen Civil War veterans. The cottage buildings date from 1876 to 1894. The former 1905 chapel was first renovated for the DJT theater in 1981.
With a need to find an interim space to house the largest youth performing arts program within 200 miles and be operational by June of 2025, a task force was created consisting of Davenport Parks & Recreation leadership, DJT staff, and Junior Theatre Incorporated board members. This team is tasked with making sure DJT programs are uninterrupted and are setup to successfully continue serving kids.
At the Annie Wittenmyer complex since 1977, DJT operates out of 10 cottages, as well as the Mary Fluhrer Nighswander Theater (which will not be developed as part of the housing plan), and the former Younkers store is 103,000 square feet. Nighswander Theater also is home to the monthly Bucktown Americana Music Show.
The prior timeline for the DJT transition included:
July to September 2024: Put construction project out to bid, award bid, and begin project preparation for space.
October to December 2024: Enter lease for existing space and start construction.
January to March 2025: Construction continues, programming continues at Annie Wittenmyer.
April to June 2025: Begin draw down from current facility, finish final mainstage production, recitals, farewell celebration on May 18, 2025, finish final move out of cottages, summer programming begins at interim location.
With the mall location put on hold, the transition for DJT is up in the air, and a longtime leader for the program is also leaving the position.
Sheridan Moving to United Way
Daniel Sheridan, performing arts supervisor for the city, who’s worked with Junior Theatre since 2008, has accepted the position of Senior Vice President of Community Impact with United Way of the Quad Cities. His final day leading Davenport Junior Theatre will be October 1.
“For the past 16 years, I have had the utter joy, challenge, and privilege to lead this little theatre that could,” Sheridan posted recently on Facebook. “The people along this journey (students, parents, staff, community partners) have been outstanding. Getting to lead and collaborate with people who believe that every child deserves to engage and express their full self with clarity, confidence, and creativity no matter where life takes them has driven me forward. DJT has done this for 73 years as America’s second oldest children’s theatre.”
His DJT journey began as a kid in the '90s (the program serves children ages three to 18 throughout the QC region), as a student then volunteer then teen staffer then camp counselor then a mainstage director. And in 2008, after Sheridan earned an MFA in Acting from the University of Connecticut, “I angered so many of my professors by deciding to take a part-time, 20-hours-a-week job at in Davenport, Iowa, at the children’s theatre I grew up in,” he posted.
“But here is the deal … DJT was deteriorating due to a series of circumstances that had led to five leadership changes in three years. And honestly, the world did not and does not compute to me without this program in it, in the Quad Cities, serving kids. So I applied, said I would stay for three years, and found a 16-year journey riding on this seat of the bus,” he wrote.
“My personal DJT adventure is not over, it is just evolving. DJT was a part of my life before this position and will be after,” Sheridan said. “I will always be a champion of theatre 'For Kids, By Kids.' I suspect in time I will have the honor to direct or teach or get back to that contact time with kids. I count myself lucky to have built so many professional and personal relationships. And it is a particular delight watching former students grow into adults and see where life takes them."
“I would be lying if I did not say the way forward will be challenging,” he added. “But as I shared with my students last night, it is not me who carries DJT forward. It is all of us. And I truly believe that. So please, if you support this program in your heart, continue to donate, advocate, educate, and speak up about it being deserving of a future home that not only moves the program, but sets it up for an even brighter future.”
In 2023, DJT drew more than 2,000 enrollments from 40-plus cities and towns across the region (plus California and Wisconsin). DJT is the largest performing arts program between Chicago, Minneapolis, St. Louis, and Omaha, including classes in theatre, dance, tumbling, and more.
Cory Johnson, a former St. Ambrose theatre professor who taught Sheridan in school, posted on Facebook in reply:
“Your selfless and relentless dedication to DJT had nothing to do with putting yourself in a spotlight, but rather giving back to the generations that YOU KNEW needed the DJT experience. I met you sometime during your senior year in high school. Already, at that young age, it was clear that you were and are a person who makes an impact on everyone you meet and everything you touch. To the most genuine, hard working, talented, and caring person I know – thank you and congratulations on your next adventure!”
For information on DJT facility plans, visit DavenportJuniorTheatre.org.
