Streeterville was commissioned by Lookingglass Theatre. When they passed on their option to premier the play, it was produced by Timeline Theatre in 2001, and was awarded that year's Joseph Jefferson Citation (AKA, Jeff Award) for Best Original Drama. This was Gary and Ralph's second Jeff Award, as they also won for their earlier drama Sawdust & Spangles. The play was recently produced in the summers of 2012 and 2013 by Theater Hikes, a theater company which specializes in outdoor installations of plays. 2013's production was especially exciting, as it took place in the Streeterville neighborhood, where much of the real life action took place over one hundred years ago.
The play is a historical drama following events in the life of George Wellington "Cap" Streeter, a Civil War veteran and itinerant sea captain who shipwrecked off the shore of Chicago's Gold Coast in 1886. As land silted in around his grounded boat, the Reutan, he initially began operating a tavern on the premises, which he could do because it was outside of the Chicago city limits. Eventually, 186 acres of land was created around the site. Cap Streeter declared it the "Independent District Of Lake Michigan," and began selling plots of land. This did not go over well with his rich neighbors in the Gold Coast and the city government, and ultimately led to conflict, including armed invasions between the parties. The story is a colorful and timeless illustration of the struggle between the "haves" and the "have nots."
The play is a historical drama following events in the life of George Wellington "Cap" Streeter, a Civil War veteran and itinerant sea captain who shipwrecked off the shore of Chicago's Gold Coast in 1886. As land silted in around his grounded boat, the Reutan, he initially began operating a tavern on the premises, which he could do because it was outside of the Chicago city limits. Eventually, 186 acres of land was created around the site. Cap Streeter declared it the "Independent District Of Lake Michigan," and began selling plots of land. This did not go over well with his rich neighbors in the Gold Coast and the city government, and ultimately led to conflict, including armed invasions between the parties. The story is a colorful and timeless illustration of the struggle between the "haves" and the "have nots."
