Photo Flash: Kate Baldwin and Kate Shindle Honored as 'Actors of the Year' by Sarah Siddons Society of Chicago

The Sarah Siddons Society of Chicago honored its 2017 recipients of the prestigious Actor of the Year Award in a lavish event this week at the Hilton Orrington Hotel in Evanston. Kate Baldwin, this year's HELLO DOLLY! Tony nominee for Best Supporting Actress, and Kate Shindle, 1998 Miss America, and current star of the national tour of FUN HOME, received their award at a Gala Awards event on Monday, September 18th, at the Hilton Orrington Hotel in Evanston. Both Baldwin and Shindle are alumnae of the Northwestern University Theatre Program. BroadwayWorld has photos from the event below!

Baldwin has had a distinguished career on and off Broadway, having also received a Tony nomination for her appearance as "Sharon" in the 2009 Revival of FINIAN'S RAINBOW. She began her career on Broadway in THE FULL MONTY and also appeared in THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE. She starred in Andrew Lippa's BIG FISH at Chicago's Oriental Theatre and on Broadway. Baldwin received critical acclaim for her NY Public Theatre performance of John Michael La Chiusa's GIANT, appearing opposite last year's Sarah Siddons winner, Brian D'Arcy James. Baldwin scored a major success in Chicago with her performance of Anna Leonowans in the Lyric Opera's THE KING AND I. She will return to the Lyric in March 2018 to sing in a concert celebrating the music of Leonard Bernstein.

Kate Shindle was an unusual Miss America candidate, opting to wear running shorts instead of the traditional bathing suit and championing a brave platform advocating AIDS awareness and education. She appeared as Lucy in Broadway's JEKYLL AND HYDE and as Sally Bowles in the Broadway production of CABARET, as well as the National Tour. She was later featured in the popular musical LEGALLY BLONDE and as the "White Rabbit" in an Alice in Wonderland inspired WONDERLAND. She is currently President of Actor's Equity Association, the distinguished union for all American actors.

The awards ceremony featured a number of appearances by Chicago musical theatre artists and this year's college scholarship winners. Baldwin and Shindle also performed.

"We are delighted to honor these two talented actresses," said Siddons president, Marty Balogh. "We have often honored artists at the end of their careers, but we are particularly happy to recognize these remarkable actresses in mid-career-looking forward to their many accomplishments in the future."

The Sarah Siddons Society was begun in 1952, with Helen Hayes as the first recipient of this prestigious award. Inspired by the Oscar-winning film ALL ABOUT EVE, which began with a famous awards ceremony in a prestigious club called The Sarah Siddons Society, the organization has given the award to some of America's most brilliant actors of stage and screen. Among the many recipients are Bette Davis, Lauren Bacall, Angela Lansbury, Julie Andrews, Bernadette Peters, Patti LuPone, Chita Rivera, Audra Mc Donald and many more luminaries from the theatre. For more information, visit sarahsiddonssociety.org.

Kate Baldwin

Kate Baldwin and Kate Shindle with Chicagoland musical theatre college students

Kate Baldwin and Kate Shindle with members of Chicago's Actors Equity Association

Kate Baldwin and Rick Boynton

Kate Shindle

Kate Shindle and Kate Baldwin with members of the Sarah Siddons Society

Marty Balogh, Dominic Missimi, Kate Baldwin and Kate Shindle

Marty Balogh, Kate Baldwin and Kate Shindle