Award-winning Porchlight Music Theatre announced last night at Chicago Sings Broadway Pop that the 2023 ICONS Gala, Porchlight’s signature fundraising event, will be held Friday, Sept. 8 at 5:30 p.m. at The Ritz-Carlton Chicago at Water Tower Place, 160 E. Pearson St. The ICONS Gala features the presentation of the 2023 ICONS Award to the legendary Ben Vereen+ and the 2023 Luminary Award to WGN’s Paul M. Lisnek+ and also includes a cocktail reception, dinner and song and dance numbers, directed by Artistic Director Michael Weber+, highlighting Mr. Vereen’s incredible career. Single tickets are $500 and table reservations go on sale today at 12 p.m. at PorchlightMusicTheatre.org. Sponsorship opportunities are available now. Please contact Development Director Evin Rayford* at evin@porchlightmusictheatre.org for more information.
The ICONS Gala was launched in 2012 and many icons have been honored throughout its history including Hal Prince, Elaine Stritch, Bob Fosse, Ethel Merman and Fred Astaire among others. In 2020, the ICON Award was established to celebrate a notable artist who has made an indelible contribution to American entertainment and has since been presented to living legends Joel Grey+, Chita Rivera* and in 2022, Donna McKechnie*. Porchlight will welcome, in-person, the 2023 recipient of the ICON Award, Ben Vereen, to accept this award.
The Luminary Award is bestowed annually at the ICONS Gala and this year it is presented to Paul M. Lisnek. This honor recognizes an outstanding individual, family or family foundation with a history of philanthropic and volunteer leadership on behalf of Porchlight and music theater in Chicago, and whose generosity inspires others to philanthropic action. Past honorees include Rick+ and Deann* Bayless and the Bayless Family Foundation, Elaine Cohen* and Arlen D. Rubin+, Jim Jensen+, Jean Klingenstein*, Dan Ratner+ and the Ratner Family Foundation.
“Porchlight is looking forward to welcoming Ben Vereen to Chicago to receive the ICON Award which he personifies on so many levels. Mr. Vereen is a living legend who has performed in almost every medium and is a true example of an icon,” said Executive Director Jeannie Lukow*. “And, Paul Lisnek is someone who has supported Porchlight’s productions and performers for years with his interviews, reviews, philanthropic efforts and his presence in the front row at our openings. We are thrilled to present these awards to two people who are so supportive of music theatre.”
ABOUT BEN VEREEN, 2023 ICONS AWARD RECIPIENT
Over his nearly 60-year career, few entertainers today are as accomplished or versatile as Ben Vereen. As an actor, dancer, singer, instructor, spokesperson and more, Mr. Vereen has graced stages on Broadway and around the world as well as television, most notably as 'Chicken' George Moore in Alex Haley's landmark TV miniseries “Roots,” for which he received an Emmy nomination in 1977, and film. On Broadway, Mr. Vereen has starred in Wicked, Fosse, I’m Not Rappaport, Hair, Jesus Christ Superstar, Pippin, Grind, Jelly’s Last Jam and A Christmas Carol. His role in Pippin garnered him both the prestigious Tony Award and the Drama Desk Award for “Best Actor in a Musical”. In addition to those accolades, he has received a number of awards for his humanitarian contributions including The Community Mental Health Council’s “Lifeline Celebration Achievement Award”, Israel's Cultural and Humanitarian Award,; three NAACP Image Awards, an Eleanor Roosevelt Humanitarian Award and a Victory Award. He has received honorary doctorates from the University of Arizona, Emerson College, St. Francis College and Columbia College in Chicago. In 2001, Medgar Evers College created the Ben Vereen Scholarship for the Performing Arts, and in 2004, he received an Achievement in Excellence Award from his alma mater, the High School of the Performing Arts. Mr. Vereen was the first simultaneous winner of the "Entertainer of the Year," “Rising Star" and "Song and Dance Star" awards from the American Guild of Variety Artists. He also has garnered a coveted spot in the Casino Legends Hall of Fame.
Mr. Vereen has also worked tirelessly to raise awareness for multiple causes including UNICEF and Abundance International’s Ukraine efforts, diabetes prevention, drug rehabilitation, educational programs and inner city community-based projects, houseless support, arts advocacy and has served on the boards of Ballet Florida, the American Red Cross and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Association. As a lecturer, he has become one of the nation’s most requested speakers among audiences of all ages.
ABOUT PAUL M. LISNEK, 2023 LUMINARY AWARD RECIPIENT
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 others. The Museum of Broadcast Communications is home to The Paul M. Lisnek Gallery, a permanent tribute to Lisnek’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 184 Joseph Jefferson Award (Jeff) nominations and 45 Jeff awards, as well as 44 Black Theatre Alliance (BTA) nominations and 12 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. Porchlight launched its annual summer series in 2021, Broadway in your Backyard, performing at parks and venues throughout the city.
Award-winning Porchlight Music Theatre announced last night at Chicago Sings Broadway Pop that the 2023 ICONS Gala, Porchlight’s signature fundraising event, will be held Friday, Sept. 8 at 5:30 p.m. at The Ritz-Carlton Chicago at Water Tower Place, 160 E. Pearson St. The ICONS Gala features the presentation of the 2023 ICONS Award to the legendary Ben Vereen+ and the 2023 Luminary Award to WGN’s Paul M. Lisnek+ and also includes a cocktail reception, dinner and song and dance numbers, directed by Artistic Director Michael Weber+, highlighting Mr. Vereen’s incredible career. Single tickets are $500 and table reservations go on sale today at 12 p.m. at PorchlightMusicTheatre.org. Sponsorship opportunities are available now. Please contact Development Director Evin Rayford at evin@porchlightmusictheatre.org for more information.
Porchlight Music Theatre is partially supported by generous contributions from: Allstate, Abe and Ida Cooper Foundation, Glimpse Vision, James P. and Brenda S. Grusecki Family Foundation, Hearty Boys, The League of Chicago Theatres PAV Grant Fund, The MacArthur Fund for Culture, Equity and the Arts at Prince, Pritzker Traubert Foundation, Ryan and Spaeth, Inc., Daniel and Genevieve Ratner Foundation, The Saints, The Dr. Scholl Foundation and Uvae Kitchen & Wine Bar.
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: Allstate, Crowdstrike, Google, Lloyd A. Fry Foundation, Peoples Gas, Pepsico, Polk Bros Foundation, State Farm, The Saints and U.S. Cellular.
The 2023 ICON Award recipient Ben Vereen. Photo by Jai Lennard
The 2023 Luminary Award recipient Paul M. Lisnek
