It may seem counterintuitive to start a new theatre company during a recession in an economically challenged area, but Madelyn Sergel thinks the time is right for Clockwise Theatre to settle in downtown Waukegan.

Sergel, an actor-turned-playwright who lives in Gurnee, has been thinking about starting her own company for a while. But with young kids and elderly parents, the idea of commuting to a storefront in Chicago—and competing with 200-plus other small companies—seemed out of the question. So she went shopping around for a town closer to home that might be amenable to having a small professional company in residence, and hit upon the Lake County harbor town that has struggled in recent years.

“Everyone says, ‘No one will go to Waukegan,’” says Sergel. “But I went there and it’s gorgeous. Some of the surrounding neighborhoods are rough, but this is a vibrant place. The only problem is that they don’t have any money. But they want artists.”

The town did spend a lot of money rehabbing the Genesee Theatre, an 1,800-seat edifice that first opened in 1927. After being vacant for a dozen years, the theatre got a $23 million makeover in 2001.

The space is too big, of course, for the kinds of shows that Sergel envisions doing with Clockwise, which will focus on new and contemporary work. But it will be the site for the company’s first benefit on Saturday, Sept. 19, beginning at 7 p.m. The lineup includes Gift Theatre regular Alexandra Main, scenes from Tanya Saracho’s Jeff-nominated Kita y Fernanda (which Berwyn’s 16^th Street Theater debuted last fall), and scenes from Sergel’s own sci-fi serial WALLS, which she also hopes to do as one of the company’s first offerings.

“This fundraiser is to get seed money,” says Sergel. In addition to herself, Clockwise’s leadership includes co-artistic director Less Boyd (a designer and director) and managing director Rebecca Adler, who is also an actor. The all-female leadership and currently all-female board might suggest that this is a woman-centered theatre, but though Sergel hopes to produce a lot of women playwrights (in addition to Saracho, she cites Lydia Diamond and Claudia Allen as writers whose work she’d like to produce), that is not her only focus.

“There is a large Latino population, a large African American population, and because of Baxter [Healthcare, in Buffalo Grove] and Abbott Labs [near North Chicago], there are also a lot of scientists and professionals from India and Pakistan.”

“We want to tell everybody’s stories,” she says. “I am a playwright. There are so few companies that are being driven by playwrights. It’s the director or the actor. I know how important a second production is.”

Sergel, whose play Another Piece of Cake was produced in May 2008 at Citadel Theatre in Lake Forest and who is a network playwright with Chicago Dramatists , promises that “if you ever see that we’re doing Annie or The Sound of Music, you’ll know that I’m out of the organization.”

The upside of Waukegan for Sergel and her cohorts, in addition to being close to home, is that there are affordable storefronts downtown and landlords who are willing to negotiate. Clockwise hasn’t settled on a space yet as they get their fundraising apparatus in order, but Sergel radiates confidence that they can make this happen. The company’s name “reflects that some of us are older,” but she is also hoping to tap into youthful energy.

WALLS, which Sergel describes as “an episodic television sci-fi series for the stage” (a la the old Organic Warp!) takes place 150 years in the future and features a tribe of teenage heroes.

“They are in the suburbs, but it’s the suburbs without services,” says Sergel. “Everyone gets around on skateboards and scooters—it’s the hero’s journey. I wrote it for a larger cast so we can feature guest artists and fight choreographers. But I also really want to bring in the extreme sports and skateboarding kids who don’t have a chance to show off their skills.”

By featuring an occasional local garage band, Sergel hopes WALLS could turn into a signature show for off-night runs or when the theatre is otherwise dark.

And though there isn’t a lot of financial support in the strapped city budget, Sergel says that Waukegan city government and agencies are stepping up in other areas. There are, according to Sergel, at least two organizations—Mosaic and the Waukegan Arts Collective—that are pushing for more artists to move to town.

“This is a very liveable area,” says Sergel. “You can get a condo on the lake for about an eighth of what you’d pay in Chicago. There is loft living available for artists. There are all these possibilities just sitting there. I was at one meeting and the mayor popped in to say hello. The lakefront development group has been working with us.”

One thing that Sergel is sure about is that whatever space they decide on will be a permanent home. “Suburban audiences aren’t as comfortable with a transient company. They want to know where you go, where you park, and that it doesn’t change.”

How long will Sergel give Clockwise to see if it can make it? “If a workable space doesn’t present itself in the next year to 18 months, we’ll have read the writing on the wall. But I’m cautiously optimistic. There have been some lovely overtures from people who really believe in the area.”

For information on Clockwise Theatre and the benefit, contact Madelyn Sergel at 847/856-0648 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .