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Zygmunt Dyrkacz Highlight
We didn't know much about how to do it, but if you have a passion, you slowly find a way.
About Zygmunt
- He originally came to the U.S. from Poland on a foreign exchange program, and expected to stay for one year.
- But instability in the communist Polish economy caused him to extend his stay, even though his study of killer bees had become irrelevant.
- Decided to switch his focus to business, and made a good amount of money in a short amount of time.
- While he'd become financially successful, his personal relationships suffered, and ultimately, his wife divorced him.
- He realized he'd become completely "fake," and he knew he needed a passion project to help him rediscover himself.
- When he saw a nearby theater was going to be demolished, he decided to buy it and renovate it.
- Since its reopening in 1999, it's put on over 1,400 events, including 110 of its own productions, and featuring actors like John Cusack.
- In February 2010, the Chicago Tribune rated Chopin Theatre as one of the best Chicago venues.
