Tickets
$500
Join us for the launch of Porchlight Music Theatre’s 31st season at the ICONS Gala! Every dollar raised supports Porchlight’s mission of celebrating the past, present and future of music theatre. At this very special event you’ll enjoy:
- Presentation of the ICON Award to the Multi-Award winning Broadway, Film, TV and Recording Star Leslie Uggams.
- Presentation of the Luminary Award for Exemplary Leadership and Support of Music Theatre to Chicago philanthropists Brenda and James Grusecki.
- Live performances celebrating Uggam’s notable Broadway musical career featuring Porchlight favorites Juwon Tyrel Perry, Ava Stovall, Bethany Thomas and special guest, Tony Award-nominee Felicia P. Fields, directed by Artistic Director Michael Weber and music directed by Linda Madonia.
- Songs from Hallelujah Baby!, Blues in the Night, Jerry’s Girls, Anything Goes and others.
- Intimate on-stage conversation between Ms. Uggams and WGN’s Paul Lisnek.
- Deluxe brunch buffet with mimosas and wine sponsored by Uvae Kitchen and Wine Bar.
To learn more about becoming an ICONS Gala sponsor, please see our Sponsorship Packet or contact Development Director Pam Klier at Pam@PorchlightMusicTheatre.org.
2025 ICON AWARD RECIPIENT: LESLIE UGGAMS
Leslie Uggams is a Tony and Emmy Award-winning actress and singer whose career has brought her from Harlem (The Apollo Theater) to Broadway (Hallelujah, Baby!), the big screen (Deadpool, American Fiction) to television (Empire, The Leslie Uggams Show). Perhaps best known for her stirring portrayal of Kizzy in the landmark TV mini-series Alex Haley’s Roots (Critics Choice Award, Emmy and Golden Globe nominations), Leslie has performed to critical and popular acclaim ever since her early professional appearances at the age of nine at the famed Apollo Theater in New York City. There she opened for such musical legends as Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, and Dinah Washington. Now, after seven decades on stage and screen, Leslie is a legend in her own right. She is a past member of the Board of Directors of the Apollo, and she holds Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degrees from the University of Connecticut and the University of Michigan. She has been honored with membership in the Theater Hall of Fame; the American Artist Award by Arena State; the Broadway League’s inaugural Juneteenth Legacy Award; the York Theatre’s Oscar Hammerstein Award; and Theatre World’s John Willis Lifetime Achievement Award.
2025 LUMINARY AWARD RECIPIENTS: BRENDA AND JAMES GRUSECKI
Brenda and James Grusecki enjoy, champion and support the many cultural opportunities that Chicago offers. Together they administer the James P. and Brenda S. Grusecki Family Foundation that funds education, the arts and housing and social services. Brenda Grusecki is a lifelong learner and advocate for the humanities. She chaired the English Division of Oak Park and River Forest High School, instructed and supervised student teachers at Northwestern University and Dominican University and taught the gifted program at Northwestern. Besides her passion for the teaching of English, three non-profit board positions of several have been especially close to her heart: the Thrive Counseling Center of Oak Park and River Forest, Remy Bumppo Theatre Company and the American Writers Museum. James Grusecki is Chairman Emeritus of one of the largest privately owned commercial and industrial real estate development and construction companies in the Midwest, Northern Builders, Inc. Currently, he is an advisory board member of Roosevelt University’s Marshall Bennett Institute of Real Estate, a director of the First National Bank of Brookfield, a governing member of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and a trustee of Theatre Aspen. Two quotations have guided the professional and philanthropic work of the Gruseckis, the first from E.M. Forester, “Only connect” and the second, as the pandemic descended, from Yo-Yo Ma, “How do we do everything possible to rebuild the world we really want to live in?”
ICONS GALA CAST, BAND AND CREATIVE TEAM
Top row L to R: Michael Weber (artistic director, ICONS Gala director and co-host), Linda Madonia (music director), Kenny Ingram (co-host), WGN’s Paul Lisnek (interviewer) and Felicia P. Fields (performer)
Bottom row L to R: Juwon Tyrel Perry (performer), Ava Stovall (performer) and Bethany Thomas (performer), Rafe Bradford (musician) and Justin Kono (musician)
THE ICONS GALA
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, Donna McKechnie, Ben Vereen and Raúl Esparza.
The Luminary Award is bestowed annually at the ICONS Gala and this year it is presented to longtime supporters Brenda and James Grusecki. This honor recognizes an outstanding individual, family or family foundation with a history of philanthropic and volunteer leadership on behalf of Porchlight and music theatre 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, Michelle and Steve Cucchiaro, Jim Jensen, Jean Klingenstein, Dan Ratner and the Ratner Family Foundation and Paul M. Lisnek.
THANK YOU TO OUR ICONS GALA SPONSORS
2025 Marquee Sponsors
Brenda and James Grusecki
Signature Table Sponsors
Anonymous
Michelle and Steve Cucchiaro
Limelight Sponsors
Kit Barbaro
William Gilmer and John Blackburn
Art Garwin
Wine Sponsor
Floral Sponsor
