Porchlight Music Theatre is proud to announce the rotating company and production team for its free summer concert series Broadway in your Backyard, June 6 - August 6. Now in its fourth year, Broadway in your Backyard is part of Chicago Park District’s Night Out in the Parks series, supported by the Mayor’s Office and Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events and Free for All, Comcast and Xfinity. Broadway in your Backyard is directed by Frankie Leo Bennett and music directed by Linda Madonia. The rotating company includes performers Lydia Burke, Tafadzwa Diener, Michael Earvin Martin, Luke Nowakowski, Juwon Tyrel Perry, Bethany Thomas and, on keyboards, Justin Akira Kono and Kevin Disch. This 60-minute concert includes Chicago performers singing favorite songs and hidden gems from the Broadway canon. Broadway in your Backyard is suitable for all ages and audiences are encouraged to bring chairs or blankets to enjoy the outdoor concerts. For more information go to PorchlightMusicTheatre.org.
BROADWAY IN YOUR BACKYARD's rotating cast includes:
Top row: (L to R) Lydia Burke, Tafadzwa Diener and Michael Earvin Martin
Bottom row: (L to R) Luke Nowakowski, Juwon Tyrel Perry and Bethany Thomas
Broadway in your Backyard 2024, as part of Night Out in the Parks, is FREE and open to the public. This summer’s schedule includes:
Unity Playlot Park, 2636 N. Kimball Ave.
Thursday, June 6 at 6 p.m.
Welles Park, 2333 W. Sunnyside Ave.
Tuesday, June 11 at 6:30 p.m.
Porchlight also hosts a “Kids Day” at Welles Park with activities and treats for children, while supplies last
Washington Park, 5531 S. King Dr.
Thursday, June 13 at 6 p.m.
Portage Park, 4100 N. Long Ave.
Tuesday, June 18 at 6 p.m.
Skinner Park, 1331 W. Adams St.
Thursday, June 20 at 6 p.m.
Munroe Park, 2617 W. 105th St.
Tuesday, June 25 at 6 p.m.
Seneca Playlot Park, 220 E. Chicago Ave.
Thursday, June 27 at 6 p.m.
Sherman Park, 1301 W. 52nd St.
Tuesday, July 2 at 6 p.m.
Dvorak Park, 1119 W. Cullerton St.
Tuesday, July 9 at 6 p.m.
Hale Park, 6258 W. 62nd St.
Thursday, July 11 at 6 p.m.
Schreiber Playground Park, 1552 W. Schreiber Ave.
Tuesday, July 16 at 6 p.m.
Washington Square Park, 901 N. Clark St.
Tuesday, Aug. 6 at 6 p.m.
Note: Performances, performers and dates subject to change.
The rotating cast includes Lydia Burke (she/her), Tafadzwa Diener (she/her), Michael Earvin Martin (he/him), Luke Nowakowski (any with respect), Juwon Tyrel Perry (any with respect), Bethany Thomas (she/her) and musicians Justin Akira Kono (he/him)and Kevin Disch (he/him).
The production team of Broadway in your Backyard includes Frankie Leo Bennett (he/him, director); Linda Madonia (she/her, music-director); Heather Lynn Gervasi (she/her, production manager); John McTaggart (he/him, technical director); Kayne Bowling (he/him, technical supervisor); Morgan Dudaryk (she/they, sound supervisor); Miranda Hernandez (she/her, assistant production manager); Majel Cuza (she/her, director of production) and Michael Weber (he/him, artistic director).
ABOUT NIGHT OUT IN THE PARKS
Porchlight Music Theatre’s Broadway in your Backyard is presented as part of the Chicago Park District’s Night Out in the Parks series, supported by the Mayor’s Office and Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. For more than 10 years, the Night Out in the Parks program has presented cultural events year-round in neighborhood parks throughout the city. The Chicago Park District in partnership with over 100 local artists and organizations, present engaging events and performances that enhance quality of life across Chicago and amplify the artistic and cultural vibrancy in every neighborhood. Through multiple disciplines, which include theater, music, movies, dance, site-specific work, nature programs, and community festivals, the series aims to support Chicago-based artists, facilitate community-based partnerships and programs, cultivate civic engagement and ensure equity in access to the arts for all Chicagoans. For a complete list of Night Out in the Parks and other Chicago Park District events, please visit NightOutintheParks.com.
ABOUT PORCHLIGHT MUSIC THEATRE
Porchlight Music Theatre, now in its 29th season, 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 nearly three decades includes more than 70 mainstage works with 15 Chicago premieres and five world premieres.
Porchlight's education and outreach programs serve schools, youth of all ages and skill levels and community organizations. 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 49 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 has been honored with seven awards in this tier to date including Best Ensemble for Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Ladies (2019) and Best Production-Revue for Blues in the Night (2022).
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 proud to announce the rotating company and production team for its free summer concert series Broadway in your Backyard, June 6 - August 6. Now in its fourth year, Broadway in your Backyard is part of Chicago Park District’s Night Out in the Parks series, supported by the Mayor’s Office and Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events and Free for All, Comcast and Xfinity. Broadway in your Backyard is directed by Frankie Leo Bennett and music directed by Linda Madonia. The rotating company includes performers Lydia Burke, Tafadzwa Diener, Michael Earvin Martin, Luke Nowakowski, Juwon Tyrel Perry, Bethany Thomas and, on keyboards, Justin Akira Kono and Kevin Disch. This 60-minute concert includes Chicago performers singing favorite songs and hidden gems from the Broadway canon. Broadway in your Backyard is suitable for all ages and audiences are encouraged to bring chairs or blankets to enjoy the outdoor concerts. For more information go to PorchlightMusicTheatre.org.
Broadway in your Backyard is part of Chicago Park District’s Night Out in the Parks series, supported by the Mayor’s Office and Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events with lead sponsors Free For All, Comcast and Xfinity and, in part, by Unity Park Advisory Council and Trader Joe's.
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.
