The Aurora Women’s Empowerment Foundation (AWEF) has generously committed a transformative $1 million gift for downtown Aurora’s Paramount Theatre to support two of its cornerstone programs: Paramount’s New Works department and the Paramount School of the Arts (PSA)
“This incredible investment will empower us to continue nurturing creativity and innovation through the development of new plays and musicals, while also expanding opportunities for young artists to thrive at Paramount School of the Arts and within our community,” said Jonathan Jensen, Chief Development Officer, Paramount Theatre. “AWEF’s generous support is a powerful affirmation of the vital role Paramount Theatre plays in fostering artistic expression and education in our community.”
“We’ve seen Paramount's exemplary work and the undeniably positive impact they continue to have on Aurora,” responded Amy Baudouin, Board Chair, Aurora Women’s Empowerment Foundation (AWEF). “With this grant, we’re excited to see how Paramount will elevate and empower the Aurora area and Aurora-area women in particular.”
Part of the gift will support Paramount’s New Works Department and its new play development program, the Spark Lab Series. Through Spark Lab, Paramount plans to further develop three or four diverse new works-in-progress in 2025, with a goal of contributing to the national catalog of new theatrical works.
The first Spark Lab event, Saturday, February 8, was a staged reading of Blood of My Mother’s, a new play focused on two Filipino-American sisters, written by Karissa Murrell Myers, directed by Denise Yvette Serna, and produced by Kara Davidson, Paramount’s Director of New Works. To learn more, visit ParamontAurora.com/NewWorks.
(From left) Marie Tredway played Lillian, Aarvin A. Jalandoon played Lolo, and Carolyn Hu Bradbury played Marina in Blood of My Mother’s by Karissa Murrell Myers, Paramount Theatre’s first Spark Lab developmental new play reading, Saturday, February 8 at Copley Theatre. Credit: Amy Nelson
Kara Davidson, Director of New Works, Paramount Theatre (seated on the lip of the stage) defers to the cast of Blood of My Mother’s during Paramount’s first Spark Lab post-show talkback on Saturday, February 8 at Copley Theatre. Credit: Thomas J. King
The balance of AWEF’s gift also will support the Paramount School of the Arts (PSA), located in the John C. Dunham Aurora Arts Center around the corner from Paramount Theatre. With its deep roster of performing arts classes, PSA is now a bustling destination in downtown Aurora, boasting over 20 private studios, 10 large classroom spaces, a dance studio and the beautiful McKee Studio Theatre, where students of all ages and abilities gather to study both privately and in group settings.
In addition to learning skills like singing, acting, dancing and technical production, performing arts training instills key life skills like teamwork, confidence and leadership, traits equally important on the theatrical stage, or in the corporate boardroom. Visit ParamountAurora.com/School to learn more and to register for classes or camps.
The Paramount School of the Arts is located at 20 S. Stolp Ave., right around the corner from Paramount Theatre in downtown Aurora.
Paramount School of the Arts is home to kids who feel differently, dream differently and express themselves differently. Paramount School of the Arts is for the teens who are a bit braver, a bit bolder and a bit more determined. It is also for the adults and seniors that are still dreaming, still growing and still taking risks.
About the Aurora Women’s Empowerment Foundation
The Aurora Women’s Empowerment Foundation mission is to elevate and empower Aurora-area women and future women by making grants to tax-exempt nonprofits engaged in meaningful, measurable work that helps women overcome the hurdles of inequity and exclusion, propelling them forward with life-changing programs and services. For more information about grants made by AWEF, including its grant guidelines and online application, visit awe-foundation.org.
About Paramount Theatre
Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd., is the center for performing arts in Aurora, the second largest city in Illinois. The beautiful, 1,843-seat theater, graced with a strong 1930s Art Deco influence and original Venetian décor, nationally known for its high-quality productions, superb acoustics and historic grandeur, has been downtown Aurora’s anchor attraction since 1931.
Since launching its own Broadway Series in 2011, Paramount has amassed more than 35,000 subscribers, making it the largest subscription house in the U.S.
Paramount Theatre is one of five live performance venues overseen by the Aurora Civic Center Authority (ACCA) in downtown Aurora. ACCA also programs and manages the 165-seat Copley Theatre, home to Paramount’s BOLD Series, at 8 E. Galena in the North Island Center; Stolp Island Theatre, now open at 5 E. Downer Place, Suite G, with a wildly acclaimed immersive production of Million Dollar Quartet, extended through June 2025; RiverEdge Park, downtown Aurora’s outdoor summer concert venue at 360 N. Broadway; and the Paramount School of the Arts.
For the latest updates, visit ParamountAurora.com or follow @paramountaurora on Facebook and Instagram, and Paramount Theatre on LinkedIn.