John Hughes' widow endows North Shore theater

The late filmmaker John Hughes

Nancy Hughes, the widow of the late filmmaker John Hughes — whose film legacy include the “Home Alone” films and “The Breakfast Club” — is endowing the transformation of the auditorium at the non-profit Gorton Community Center in Lake Forest. The remodeled venue will be renamed the John and Nancy Hughes Theater.

In a statement released by the center, Nancy Hughes said, “I am elated to give my blessings to this Theater named in memory of my late husband, John. He spent many of his best years, as a filmmaker and father, in the city of Lake Forest. Our family found it a fitting tribute to his film legacy, which often was set in Chicago’s North Shore.”

Among the new theater’s features will be new interior and exterior entrances, a modern sound and speaker system— including sound absorption panels, a digital lighting system and a movie-theater quality screen for large format films.