Rialto Needs New Director: Val Devine Retiring In April

JOLIET, IL — One week after the Rialto Square Theatre held a news conference to announce a $5 million capital improvement grant secured by Elwood state lawmaker Larry Walsh Jr., Val Devine is leaving the Rialto.

The Rialto issued a news release late Friday afternoon indicating Devine is retiring from the entertainment industry. She has been the Rialto's executive director since April 2017. She came to Joliet from the Paramount Theatre in Aurora.

She is employed by Ames, Iowa-based VenuWorks.

"Val will be missed by the Board, staff, patrons, and friends of the Rialto Square Theater," Rialto board chairman Bob Filotto remarked in Friday's news release. "Valerie took over management of the theater during troubled times and through her hard work and leadership, the Rialto is now on solid ground hosting record-breaking shows and events."

Devine plans to stay in the Joliet area and continue with her passion of serving the community, the Rialto announced.

During a phone interview, Filotto told Joliet Patch it was Devine's decision entirely to retire from the entertainment industry. He said he hates to lose her and that he had conversations with trying to convince her to remain on the job with the Rialto.

Filotto said Devine does not just run the theater, she puts in 110 percent every day.

"She just needs some time to herself," he said.

"It was a quality of life issue for her, nothing more," Filotto explained. "It's hard to put into words how significant her work contributions have been. It's nothing short of a miracle."

April 21 will be her last day on the job.

When Devine came to Joliet in April 2017, "We were definitely at a low point five years ago," Filotto recalled. "Val and VenuWorks and our new (Rialto) board of directors turned things around. Then COVID hit, and then we came out of COVID with guns blazing. I hate to see Val go. We had a tremendous, tremendous fall."

Filotto said he expects VenuWorks will have a replacement named in about a month. It may be a temporary replacement, but Filotto said he is fully confident the person selected as the new executive director at the Rialto will be someone with substantial experience in the entertainment industry.

For many years, the city of Joliet has provided the Rialto with several hundred thousand dollars per year as a subsidy to help fund the Rialto's operations.

On Friday, Joliet Mayor Bob O'Dekirk said that Devine certainly deserves credit for improving the quality of the programming at the Rialto. Several years ago, the Rialto struggled to have regular shows on weekends, and the shows were mainly geared for senior citizens.

"When I became mayor, the bottom fell out for the Rialto around 2015 and 2016," O'Dekirk said. "Her becoming the new general manager, along with the new board, I think they've come along ways."

Patch asked O'Dekirk what he wants to see from Devine's successor.

His answer: more shows and more shows geared for different audiences. O'Dekirk said he wants to see the Rialto regularly drawing large crowds of people in their 20s.

After all, the Rialto plays a huge role in the overall success of Joliet's downtown, the mayor said.

"I think we're always pushing for more shows, and not just for senior citizens," O'Dekirk said.