The Ravinia Festival has announced a $38 million gift from The Negaunee Foundation to upgrade the historic Martin Theatre.

This gift is the largest in Ravinia’s history and will provide for significant enhancements to the theater, the only remaining original building at Ravinia from 1904, located just inside the park’s main gate.

In a statement, Jeffrey P. Haydon, President and CEO of Ravinia Festival said, “Ravinia is a premier summer destination for music. To best position Ravinia to thrive for future generations and an ever-expanding range of artists and audiences, we announced an ambitious plan two years ago to renovate our stages leading up to our 125th anniversary in 2029. We just completed two of our six stages: converting the Sandra K. Crown Theater in 2025 for live music performances and unveiling the $70 million state-of-the-art Hunter Pavilion renovation to critical acclaim this summer.”

He added, “Today, we are thrilled to announce that Ravinia will fully renovate and upgrade the beloved Martin Theatre by July 2028 thanks to a generous gift from The Negaunee Foundation. Architect Michael Barnes, who led the renovation of the Hunter Pavilion and designed The Audrey and other iconic elements of Ravinia’s modern-day park setting, will regroup the key design and construction teams to thoughtfully preserve the many historic elements and original charm of this 1904 Arts and Crafts-style theater while also modernizing its production capabilities, backstage amenities, and accessibility for guests. We can’t wait to share it with our audiences in our 2028 season.”

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