About a dozen sidewalk decals now line the blocks of Church Street leading to Northlight Theatre's new home, each one spotlighting the company's history and actors with Evanston connections. The installation, branded as the "Evanston Entertainment District," is the city's street-level welcome mat for a theater returning after 29 years in Skokie.

The Walk of Fame is a project of the city's economic development office, carried out in partnership with Downtown Evanston, the area's business marketing group. Andy Vick, Downtown Evanston's executive director, told Evanston Now the effort is "happening under a collaborative effort to celebrate the opening of Northlight Theater and leverage its economic impact … downtown."

The economic stakes are real. Northlight projects that within its first five years, theater patrons will generate $56 million in new spending in Evanston and more than $450,000 in new tax revenue, according to figures shared at the theater's ribbon-cutting on July 28.

More is coming. City Economic Development Manager Paul Zalmezak said a sidewalk mural and a painted electric utility box, both with entertainment themes, will go in near the theater soon. Directional wayfinding signs are also being installed along nearby streets to guide drivers to the theater and to the closest parking garage at 1800 Maple Ave. Pedestrian signs will tell garage visitors it's a three-minute walk to the theater entrance, and additional signs for walkers are going up near the Davis Street Metra station steps.

The signage push has a practical reason. Because Northlight spent nearly three decades in Skokie, some new audience members "might not be familiar with downtown Evanston," Zalmezak told Evanston Now.

Northlight's new two-story building at 1012 Church St. seats 287, with the audience surrounding the stage on three sides inside a 33-foot-high auditorium. A bar and café, lounge, and rehearsal spaces fill out the 24,000-square-foot facility. The $32.2 million project is more than 98% funded, with $31.6 million raised from 625 donors as of the July 28 ribbon-cutting. Seventy percent of those donors live or work in Evanston.

The theatre's first public performance, a world-premiere adaptation of The Front Page by Jeffrey Hatcher, is set for Wednesday, September 9. A grand opening gala is scheduled for Saturday, August 15, at $500 per ticket.