The School of Performing Arts in Naperville closed abruptly Wednesday, one day before its owners filed for bankruptcy protection from their debts, including $2.45 million owed to their landlord.
The closure came as a surprise to parents, some of whom had signed up their children for summer classes.
Barbara Yokom, the school’s founder and executive director, sent a letter to parents early Wednesday morning saying that it was “with an extremely heavy heart” that she was announcing the school’s closure effective June 12. Yokom had run the school for 30 years.
“You may be aware that we have been in financial negotiations with our landlord since our initial build-out and continued construction over the past four years,” Yokom said in the letter.
She also said she’d been considering retiring and had been actively seeking someone to succeed her.
“Ultimately, while we had found the path to the successful future for the school and were prepared to continue this negotiation, it has become clear that the building ownership was no longer willing to negotiate and has left us with only one option,” Yokom said in the letter.
The school's landlord, Cedar Street Capital IV, filed a lawsuit on Jan. 24 in DuPage County Circuit Court seeking more than $4 million the owners owed after the school stopped paying rent in November 2018. In the suit, Cedar Street said more than $1 million in improvements had been made to the 1112 S. Washington St. building on behalf of the school, which had signed a 15-year lease.
In response to the suit, the school said the landlord had not made the improvements in timely fashion, which hampered the school's ability to operate. The case was to go to trial May 23 but the two sides reached an out-of-court settlement, with the school agreeing to pay Cedar Street $2.45 million, according to court records.
Andrew Yokom had been ordered to appear in court Thursday to answer questions about why the school had not yet made that payment but the hearing was canceled because the school had filed for federal bankruptcy protection.
Naperville resident Ann Wallin’s 12-year-old daughter took dance classes at the school for almost four years and began show choir this past year. She and other parents were not expecting the school to close, Wallin said.
“It came as a complete shock,” she said.
There was a recital last weekend and at a show choir event Tuesday night — the day before Yokom announced the school was closing — parents were still being told about programs planned for summer, Wallin said
“They were encouraging people to sign up for summer classes. There was no communication, there was no heads up,” she said.
While there had been rumors that the school might be getting evicted, nothing seemed imminent, Wallin said.
At a banquet Tuesday night, everything was “extremely positive and everyone had high energy,” she said.
But after seeing court documents dated over the past several months, Wallin said the owners and managers knew what was going on yet continued to sign up people for classes.
“To learn it was in the extreme detriment of $2 million plus in debt is shocking for us,” Wallin said.
Wallin said she feels lucky she didn’t enroll her daughter for summer classes, preferring to wait to see what the Paramount School of the Arts in Aurora was offering.
Other than the letter from Yokom, there has been no communication from the school, she said. Because the phones are shut off and the company’s website and social media accounts closed, there is no way to get a hold of anyone with the school.
The School of Performing Arts offered all levels of dance classes with ensemble groups including jazz, tap, ballet and contemporary for children up to high school age. The school also had classes in piano, voice, show choir and theater.
In Yokom’s letter, she said, running the school “has been fulfilling beyond measure, and I had always hoped to leave the school in good health and good hands; but I truly believe the legacy of the school is in the confidence, joy and capability of our students, and the faith you have placed in us over these many years.”
Yokom could not be reached for additional comment.
In response to the Naperville school’s closure, Paramount School of the Arts in Aurora is offering a free summer camp to students who had signed up for a camp at The School of Performing Arts.
“As a fellow arts organization, we have friends and colleagues that know people directly affected by the closing of SPA,” a letter from Paramount says. “We feel for those students and parents that lost out on summer camp plans and the hard-earned money that they invested in growing their love for the arts. … We know it’s not much and won’t fix what’s been done, but it’s something we can do in your time of need.”
A receipt showing registration for a summer camp with The School of Performing Arts is required for the free Paramount camp.
The School of Performing Arts moved in 2016 from a space at 5th Avenue Station, just north of downtown, to its Washington Street location. At the time, more than 1,200 students studied at the school.
Artful Impact, a separate nonprofit organization associated with The School of Performing Arts, is not affected by the school’s closure, according to Yokom. Plans are in the works to find a new home for Artful Impact so it can continue its art programs for children and adults with autism and special needs.
Freelance reporter Clifford Ward contributed.