Porchlight Music Theatre was joined by nearly 200 people to launch its 28th season, honor the 2022 ICON Award recipient, one of Broadway’s foremost singing and dancing leading ladies, Tony Award winner Donna McKechnie*, present The Luminary Award to Dan Ratner+ and The Genevieve and Daniel Ratner Foundation and raise funds for its artistic and educational programs, Friday, Sept. 23 at The Ritz-Carlton, Chicago, 160 E. Pearson St.
This year’s Porchlight’s ICONS Gala was the 28-year old organization’s first Friday night gala and was, as attendees said, “an unforgettable night.” The evening began with a cocktail reception where guests were able to meet the 2022 ICON Award recipient, Ms. McKechnie, and view displays of Porchlight’s history and current programming. The dinner began with a welcome from co-chairs Joe Higgins+ and Scott Hoesman+, where Higgins, a Porchlight Board member, said the evening would be a look back with gratitude and to an exciting future for Porchlight. The co-chairs then introduced the hosts for the evening Cortney Hall* and Matthew Rodrigues+ of NBC5’s “Chicago Today.”
Hall said that they were “proud to support Porchlight and its commitment to artistry, inclusion and innovation; the breadth of its programming; the excellence on the stage; and its impact on youth across the city.” Rodrigues spoke of the importance of supporting the arts and specifically Porchlight’s educational and artistic programming. They then introduced the first of several musical and dance tributes to Donna McKechnie, directed by Artistic Director Michael Weber+ with co-direction and choreography by Jenna Schoppe* and music directed by Linda Madonia*. The Chicago performers included in the salutes were Christopher Chase Carter+ (performer/additional choreography), Gilbert Domally+ (performer), Kelly Felthous* (performer/additional choreography), Reneisha J. Jenkins* (performer/additional choreography), Hanah Rose Nardone* (performer) and Will Skrip+ (performer). Joining Madonia on keyboard in the ICONS band are Marcel Reimão Bonfim+ (bass); Justin Akira Kono+ (drums) and Jonathan Golko+ (reeds).
Executive Director Jeannie Lukow* then presented The Luminary Award for Exemplary Leadership and Support of Music Theatre in Chicago to Dan Ratner and The Ratner Foundation saying, “Porchlight knows Dan because he has supported us via The Ratner Foundation, which Dan founded. For nearly 10 years that generosity has gone toward hiring young theatre artists, making our productions the best they can be and so much more. For that, we are very grateful.” Ratner accepted the award and thanked Porchlight for all they do for the city of Chicago and that he and his foundation are proud to support the organization.
After dinner, Artistic Director Michael Weber said Ms. McKechnie was truly a triple threat - excelling in acting, singing and dancing and told the story of her rise to Broadway legend. The evening then continued with performances from How to Succeed in Business…, A Funny Thing Happened…, Promises, Promises and Hullabaloo, productions that featured the 2022 ICON Award recipient.
Chicago chefs Rick Bayless+ and Gale Gand* were the hosts for the live auction of the ICONS Gala, which included a Porchlight Mainstage experience, an in-home “Chocolate 101” party with Gand, an ultimate Chicago experience with hotel and tickets to events in the city, a Porchlight wine cellar with two cases of premium wines and champagne and a chef’s tasting of dishes inspired by musicals with Bayless in his home.
After the excitement of the auction, Ms. McKechnie took to the stage for one of the highlights of the evening. She performed, with dance movements, one of the classics from A Chorus Line, “At the Ballet.” This song and the musical had much relevance because she won the Tony Award when she originated the role of “Cassie” on Broadway and naturally the special moment was met with a standing ovation.
Members of Porchlight Young Professionals Lanie Bayless* and Cody Czmyr+ led the paddle raising section of the program saying, “We are now at the moment, where you can all play a starring role in supporting the quality, artistry, generosity, diversity and vision of Chicago’s music theatre by making a direct contribution.” Up next in a night of special moments was the presentation of the ICON Award and a conversation with Ms. McKechnie and WGN’s Paul Lisnek+.
Ms. McKechnie said in her acceptance speech that she was honored to be in Chicago and was delighted to be able to meet so many nice people who share her love of theatre. Reflecting on the evening she told Porchlight “I had the best time meeting the people who make up the great support system for the Porchlight. The friends, the board members, the performers and the staff...I could go on and on, honestly, it was all so splendid.”
During the conversation, Lisnek and Ms. McKechnie spoke of her history and her long list of famous collaborators and performances. The audience was thrilled as she shared memories of lunching with Fred Astaire, how she turned down working with Bob Fosse for many years because she did not feel the roles being offered were right for her until Fosse offered her the role of “Sweet Charity” in the 25th anniversary tour. She also gave more behind the scenes insight when she said she spoke to Hal Prince about the importance of keeping the song “Tick Tock” in Company.
The 2022 ICONS Gala concluded with Hall and Rodrigues returning to thank Ms. McKechnie for being part of the special event and to all of those who made the ICONS Gala a success.
The ICONS Gala was launched in 2012 and has honored Hal Prince+, Elaine Stritch*, Bob Fosse+, Ethel Merman* and Fred Astaire+ among others. In 2020, The ICON Award, celebrating a notable artist who has made an indelible contribution to American entertainment through our art form of music theatre, was established and presented to living legends Joel Grey+ and, most recently, Chita Rivera*.
The Luminary Award, presented this year to Dan Ratner and The Ratner Foundation, recognizes an outstanding individual, family or family foundation with a history of philanthropic and volunteer leadership on behalf of Porchlight and music theatre in Chicago. Past honorees include Rick+ and Deann* Bayless and The Bayless Family Foundation, Elaine Cohen* and Arlen D. Rubin+, Jim Jensen+ and Jean Klingenstein*.
ABOUT DONNA McKECHNIE, 2022 ICON Award Recipient
Donna McKechnie, who received a Tony Award for her performance as “Cassie”in the original company of A Chorus Line, is regarded internationally as one of Broadway’s foremost singing and dancing leading ladies. Ms. McKechnie has starred in and choreographed productions in London’s West End, along with theatrical productions in Tokyo and Paris.
Some of Ms. McKechnie’s Broadway credits include the original Broadway productions of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, The Education of Hyman Kaplan, Promises, Promises, Company, State Fair, (Fred Astaire Award) and The Visit as well as On the Town, Sweet Charity, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and Sondheim: A Musical Tribute (which she also choreographed).
Ms. McKechnie has starred and/or choreographed numerous regional plays and musicals, including Follies, Mack and Mabel, Gypsy, The Glass Menagerie, Sweet Charity, Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks, Guys and Dolls and can be seen in concert and with Symphony Orchestras as well as television specials and dramatic series including “Fame,” “Cheers” and “Dark Shadows.” She was featured in the film “Every Little Step” and played “Rose” in the film “The Little Prince.”
She will be opening and performing her one woman show, “Take Me to The World - The Songs of Stephen Sondheim” this year.
Ms. McKechnie’s memoir, “Time Steps: My Musical Comedy Life,” was published by Simon and Schuster. She was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame in 2019. For information go to DonnaMcKechnie.com.
ABOUT DAN RATNER, LUMINARY AWARD RECIPIENT
Dan Ratner is an entrepreneur, technologist and writer. He’s co-founder and CEO of Public Good, the leader in connecting the news with actions people can take to make a difference in the world. Ratner loves explaining technical topics to nontechnical audiences and is the co-author of two bestselling books on nanotechnology, a white paper on the importance of social causes to brands, two peer-reviewed academic papers on artificial intelligence and is flying solo on an upcoming novel about Marco Polo. His writing has been published globally in six languages in outlets ranging from USA Today to The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. He is also a board member of Cure Violence Global, America’s #1 anti-violence NGO. Previously, he was the director of technology at Obama for America 2012 and CTO of Sittercity, America’s first and largest service dedicated to finding quality care online. He personally extends his generosity through The Ratner Foundation. He is passionate about using technology to make the world a better place by empowering everyone to make a difference.
ABOUT CORTNEY HALL, HOST
Cortney Hall is the Emmy-nominated host of NBC Chicago’s lifestyle show "Chicago Today." She and her co-host, Matthew Rodrigues, enjoy taking viewers on a journey through the vibrant neighborhoods and suburbs of Chicago. They explore the latest hotspots, chat with celebrities and dig into trends in beauty, fashion, food and entertainment. Born and raised in Chicago, Hall previously worked as an anchor for nearly a decade at WGN Morning News and CLTV. Before making her way back home, Cortney was a news anchor and a feature reporter in Orlando, Florida. She’s worked as a producer at Bloomberg News in New York City and she started her reporting career at WCIA news in Champaign, Illinois. She has also served as the in-arena host for the Chicago Bulls for four seasons, entertaining an audience of 21,000 basketball fans at the United Center. Hall earned her Bachelor of Science degree from Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business in 2003, but she learned the art of storytelling from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University where she earned her Masters degree.
ABOUT MATTHEW RODRIGUES, HOST
Matthew Rodrigues is the Emmy-nominated host of “Chicago Today” with Cortney Hall, now in its fourth season, which airs on NBC5. This vibrant show highlights the very best Chicago has to offer in food, fashion, entertainment, adventure, parenting and more. In addition, he has traveled the world discovering, hosting and producing engaging video content for HotelTonight, Airbnb and Tastemade Travel. Whether sipping on the newest top-selling wine produced in Valle de Guadalupe, paddling in a 2000 lbs pumpkin turned boat in Portland, OR or searching for the origin of the hamburger in Germany, Rodrigues‘s energy and expertise has helped millions of viewers uncover the fun in all adventures. For five years, he was known as the lead anchor and producer at the top independent media company for women, POPSUGAR. While there, he jetted to over 36 locations for the Hilton travel series “Find Your Happy” and served as anchor of the celebrity and lifestyle TV program, “POPSUGAR Now.” During that time he interviewed A-List Hollywood stars and hosted live broadcasts from the Academy Awards red carpet. He’s worked with leading names in the industry such as NBC, Tastemade Travel, HotelTonight, Hilton, Cirque du Soleil, CBS’s The Talk, Wanderlust, ABC’s “The View'' and FOX.
ABOUT PAUL LISNEK, GUEST INTERVIEWER
Paul Lisnek is a multi Emmy, Beacon, Telly, Cablefax and Communicator award-winning television personality. He anchors WGN-TV Political Report and is the political analyst for WGN-TV appearing on all of WGN’s # 1 rated newscasts. He hosts the WGN Podcast “Paul Lisnek Behind the Curtain,” featuring interviews with entertainment figures like Joel Grey, Lucie Arnaz, Anthony Michael Hall, Richard Thomas and Beth Leavel. He anchors “Newsmakers” and “Broadway in Chicago Backstage” for the Comcast Network where he sits with the casts of leading Broadway shows like Hamilton, Wicked, Paradise Square, Moulin Rouge and, most recently, The Devil Wears Prada. The Museum of Broadcast Communications is home to The Paul M. Lisnek Gallery, a permanent tribute to Paul’s work in television and radio. He has written 15 books, including two works of fiction, Assume Guilt and Assume Treason, which was named an Indie Award Best Mystery of the Year finalist.
ABOUT PORCHLIGHT MUSIC THEATRE
Porchlight Music Theatre is the award-winning center for music theatre in Chicago. Through live performance, youth education and community outreach, we impact thousands of lives each season, bringing the magic of musicals to our theatre home at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts in the Gold Coast and to neighborhoods across the city. Porchlight has built a national reputation for boldly reimagining classic musicals, supporting new works and young performers, and showcasing Chicago’s most notable music theatre artists, all through the intimate and powerful theatrical lens of the “Chicago Style.”
Porchlight's history over the last 27 years includes more than 70 mainstage works with 15 Chicago premieres and five world premieres. Porchlight’s commitment to the past, present and future of music theatre led the company to develop the Porchlight Revisits and New Faces Sing Broadway program series, both quickly becoming audience favorites.
Porchlight's education and outreach programs serve schools, youth of all ages and skill levels and community organizations, most notably the ongoing collaboration with Chicago Youth Centers. Porchlight annually awards dozens of full scholarships and hundreds of free tickets to ensure accessibility and real engagement with this uniquely American art form.
The company’s many honors include 178 Joseph Jefferson Award (Jeff) nominations and 45 Jeff awards, as well as 44 Black Theatre Alliance (BTA) nominations and 15 BTA awards. In 2019, Porchlight graduated to the Large Theatre tier of the Equity Jeff Awards and was honored with eight nominations in both technical and artistic categories and won three awards in its inaugural year in this tier, most notably Best Ensemble for Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Ladies.
Through the global pandemic, Porchlight emerged as one of Chicago’s leaders in virtual programming, quickly launching a host of free offerings like Sondheim @ 90 Roundtables, Movie Musical Mondays, Porchlight by Request: Command Performances and WPMT: Classic Musicals from the Golden Age of Radio. In 2021, Porchlight launched its annual summer series, Broadway in your Backyard, performing at parks and venues throughout the city.
Porchlight Music Theatre is partially supported by generous contributions from Allstate; Michael Best & Friedrich LLP; Byline Bank; Abe and Ida Cooper Foundation; Gen Ops Plus; Elegant Event Lighting; Glimpse Vision; James P. and Brenda S. Grusecki Family Foundation; Hearty Boys; A.L. and Jennie L. Luria Foundation; The MacArthur Fund for Culture, Equity and the Arts at Prince; the Pritzker Traubert Foundation; Ryan and Spaeth, Inc.; Daniel and Genevieve Ratner Foundation; The Saints and Dr. Scholl Foundation.
The season program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency, a state agency, and by a CityArts Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events.
Porchlight Music Theatre wishes to thank members of the Matching Gift Corporate Program including Abbvie; Allstate; Lloyd A. Fry Foundation; Peoples Gas; Pepsico; Polk Bros Foundation and The Saints.
(L to R) Artistic Director Michael Weber, the 2022 ICONS Award recipient Tony-Award winner Donna McKechnie and Executive Director Jeannie Lukow at the 2022 ICONS Gala supporting Porchlight Music Theatre, Friday, Sept. 23 at The Ritz-Carlton, Chicago. Photo by Chollette
ICON Award recipient, Tony-Award winner Donna McKechnie, flanked by 2022 ICONS Gala Chairs Joe Higgins (left) and Scott Hoesman at the 2022 ICONS Gala supporting Porchlight Music Theatre, Friday, Sept. 23 at The Ritz-Carlton, Chicago. Photo by Chollette
Artistic Director Michael Weber, the 2022 Luminary Award recipient Dan Ratner of The Ratner Foundation and Executive Director Jeannie Lukow at the 2022 ICONS Gala supporting Porchlight Music Theatre, Friday, Sept. 23 at The Ritz-Carlton, Chicago. Photo by Chollette
(L to R) WGN’s Paul Lisnek who interviewed Ms. McKechnie and the 2022 ICONS Gala Hosts Cortney Hall and Matthew Rodrigues of NBC5’s “Chicago Today at the 2022 ICONS Gala supporting Porchlight Music Theatre, Friday, Sept. 23 at The Ritz-Carlton, Chicago. Photo by Chollette
The cocktail reception at the 2022 ICONS Gala supporting Porchlight Music Theatre, Friday, Sept. 23 at The Ritz-Carlton, Chicago. Photo by Chollette
(L to R) Hanah Rose Nardone, Gilbert Domally, Kelly Felthous, Reneisha J. Jenkins and Will Skrip perform at the 2022 ICONS Gala supporting Porchlight Music Theatre, Friday, Sept. 23 at The Ritz-Carlton, Chicago. Photo by Chollette
(L to R) Celebrity Chefs Gale Gand and Rick Bayless lead the live auction at the 2022 ICONS Gala supporting Porchlight Music Theatre, Friday, Sept. 23 at The Ritz-Carlton, Chicago. Photo by Chollette
The 2022 ICON Award recipient Donna McKechnie performs at the 2022 ICONS Gala supporting Porchlight Music Theatre, Friday, Sept. 23 at The Ritz-Carlton, Chicago. Photo by Chollette
(L to R) Will Skrip, Kelly Felthous, Hanah Rose Nardone, Reneisha J. Jenkins and Christopher Chase Carter perform at the 2022 ICONS Gala supporting Porchlight Music Theatre, Friday, Sept. 23 at The Ritz-Carlton, Chicago. Photo by Chollette
(L to R) WGN’s Paul Lisnek interviewing the 2022 ICON Award recipient Tony-Award winner Donna McKechnie at the 2022 ICONS Gala supporting Porchlight Music Theatre, Friday, Sept. 23 at The Ritz-Carlton, Chicago. Photo by Chollette
