Young Vic the entire faculty resigned from the Old Vic, but in 1969 Frank Dunlop became founder-director of The Young Vic theatre with his free adaptation of Molière's "The Cheats of Scapin", presented at the new venue as a National Theatre production, opening on 11 September 1970 and starring Jim Dale in the title role with designs by Carl Toms (decor) and Maria Bjornson (costumes). Initially part of the National Theatre, the Young Vic Theatre became an independent body in 1974. In the words of Laurence Olivier, then director of the National Theatre: "Here we think to develop plays for young audiences,
Theatre at the Center educational and accessible to the entire community. Theatre at the Center’s main stage season offers five productions annually. Many of Theatre at the Center’s productions have been recommended by the Jeff Awards, celebrating excellence in Chicago theatre. Theatre at the Center additionally offers Theatre for Young Audiences programming, presenting four productions annually. William Pullinsi was the founder and artistic director of Candlelight Playhouse, America’s first dinner theater which opened in Washington, D.C. in 1959 and Summit, Illinois in 1961. He is widely credited with introducing theater to hundreds of thousands of patrons who might not have otherwise attended live theatrical