Porchlight Names Felicia P. Fields and Kenny Ingram as Honorary Co-Chairs for PORCHLIGHT ICONS: CELEBRATING BEN VEREEN

Award-winning Porchlight Music Theatre has revealed the star and director/choreographer of its Jeff Award-winning production of Blues in the Night are reunited as co-chairs for Porchlight ICONS: Celebrating Ben Vereen, Friday, Sept. 8 at 5:30 p.m. at the Athenaeum Center, 2936 N. Southport Ave. Felicia P. Fields and Kenny Ingram are the honorary co-chairs for this new fundraising event that replaces the previously announced 2023 ICONS Gala. Porchlight ICONS: Celebrating Ben Vereen is a new special event featuring the presentation of the 2023 ICONS Award to the legendary Ben Vereen and the 2023 Luminary Award to WGN’s Paul M. Lisnek with live performances directed by Artistic Director Michael Weber, music directed by Linda Madonia and musical staging by Isaiah SilviaChandley highlighting Mr. Vereen’s incredible career including Sweet Charity, Hair, Jesus Christ Superstar, Pippin, Funny Lady, All that Jazz, Chicago, Wicked and more along with an intimate, on stage interview between our award recipients. Single tickets are $500 (which includes a cocktail reception with Mr. Vereen and priority reserved seating on the main floor), $250 for main floor seating and $100 for seating in the front balcony. Tickets are on sale now at PorchlightMusicTheatre.org or 773.777.9884. Sponsorship opportunities are available now. Please contact Development Director Evin Rayford* at evin@porchlightmusictheatre.org for more information.

In addition to Ms. Fields and Mr. Ingram performing at this special fundraising performance, Porchlight also announces the names of its company celebrating Mr. Vereen’s career. The cast of Porchlight veteran performers currently includes Adrian Aguilar (Broadway in your Backyard, Double Trouble, tick, tick … Boom!, Porchlight Revisits Chess, Pal Joey); Kayla Boye (Billy Elliott, Porchlight Revisits Can Can and Little Me, New Faces Sing Broadway 1969); Donterrio (Ain't Misbehavin', Sophisticated Ladies, Porchlight Revisits Golden Boy); Kelly Felthous (2022 ICONS Gala with Donna McKechnie); David Robbins (Chicago Sings Rock & Roll Broadway) and Ciarra Stroud (Broadway in your Backyard, Porchlight Revisits The Apple Tree, New Faces Sing Broadway 1947). Music director/keyboardist Linda Madonia will conduct the on-stage band including Greg Strauss (trumpet), Chuck Webb (bass) and Robert Reddrick (drums). 

In 2020, the ICON Award was established at Porchlight Music Theatre to celebrate a notable artist who has made an indelible contribution to American entertainment and has since been presented to living legends Hal Prince, Joel Grey, Chita Rivera and in 2022, Donna McKechnie* as well as historic music theatre greats Fred Astaire, Ethel Merman, Bob Fosse, Elaine Stritch, Frank Loesser, Michael Bennett and others. Porchlight will welcome the 2023 recipient of the ICON Award, Ben Vereen, to accept this award. 

The Luminary Award is bestowed annually 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.

ABOUT Ben Vereen, 2023 ICON 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 Felicia P. Fields, HONORARY CO-CHAIR

Felicia P. Fields was recently seen at Porchlight in Blues in the Night for which she won the 2022 Jeff Award for Performer in a Revue. At Writers Theater she starred in Pearl's Rollin' With the Blues: A Night with Felicia P. Fields, and in Intimate Apparel at Northlight Theatre. She earned a Tony Award nomination for her portrayal of Sofia in The Color Purple on Broadway and a 2006 Theatre World Award, two Broadway.com awards, an NAACP nomination and the award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance in Sophisticated Ladies. Other theatre credits include productions at Northlight Theatre including, with E. Faye Butler, Let the Good Times Roll, Writers Theatre, Marriott Theatre, Court Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Drury Lane Oakbrook Terrace, Theatre at the Center, Milwaukee Rep, The Broadway Playhouse and The Goodman Theatre. She has performed throughout the country in the musical Nothin' but the Blues. Television/film credits include “Slice with Chance the Rapper,” “Save the Last Dance,” “Who Gets the Dog,” “Chicago PD,” “Chicago Fire,” “Bad Judge” (NBC), “Sense8” (Netflix), “Early Edition” (CBS), “The Knights of Prosperity” (ABC) and many commercials/voice-overs to date. She is the recipient of a Clarence Dewitt Award, many Joseph Jefferson nominations and won the Jeff award for her performances in Sophisticated Ladies and Blues in the Night. Governor Quinn declared July 24 Felicia P. Fields Day. 

ABOUT Kenny Ingram, HONORARY CO-CHAIR

Kenny Ingram recently directed and choreographed Triple Threat Off-Broadway at Theatre Row and at the American Dream Theater. Ingram recently won a Diploma from the White Nights Film Festival for directing a Zoom musical, The Moment! Ingram choreographed The New York Times Critics’ Pick, Emojiland, Off Broadway at The Duke on 42nd St. Other choreography credits include Till, The Musical, based on Emmett Till at NYMF,  Ain’t Misbehavin at Portland Stage, Kinky Boots at Fulton Theatre and The Wizard of Oz at Chicago Shakespeare. He won a Jeff Award for directing Porchlight Music Theatre’s Blues in the Night and also won a Jeff for 42nd Street, a Black Theatre Alliance Award for Dreamgirls and Outstanding Choreography Award for Emojiland at NYMF 2018. He also appeared in the Broadway and national tour companies of The Lion King and in the Broadway national tours of Ragtime and 42nd Street.  

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 16 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 192 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 popular, annual summer series in 2021, Broadway in your Backyard, performing at parks and venues throughout the city.