BECOME A MEMBER TODAY

Go a step further and get a peek behind the curtain with Porchlight’s brand new membership program: Porchlight Encore! It’s never been easier to deepen your commitment to Porchlight’s mission of preserving the past, present and future of music theatre.

Each year, Porchlight impacts the lives of more than 30,000 patrons, students, performers, donors and creative professionals through our artistic and educational programs. We are proud to produce high-quality, accessible music theatre for every Chicagoan – all ages, experiences and socioeconomic backgrounds. Now you can be an integral part of making the magic happen each and every day, from the first rehearsal to the final bows.

This dedicated donor community supports:

  • Porchlight’s award-winning Mainstage series
  • Youth arts education programs, including on-site weekend classes, summer camps and in-school residencies in partnership with Chicago Public Schools
  • Up-and-coming performers via the New Faces Sing Broadway series, which introduces audiences, agents and casting directors to the best and brightest young talent in Chicago
  • Community-focused programs like our free summer concert series, Broadway in your Backyard, and subsidized tickets for schools and community groups

As a member, you can gain access to exclusive benefits such as:

  • Access to member-only events like post-show discussions with Artistic Director Michael Weber, an “Inside Broadway” event with PMT Board Member and Broadway actor/choreographer Kenny Ingram and more!
  • A stylish enamel pin that lets people know you’re an integral part of our Porchlight community.
  • 50% off Porchlight Education adult hobbyist programs, including the upcoming Broadway Choir Popup and Movie Musical Dance Popup.
  • 20% off concessions and merchandise at select Porchlight shows (beginning in the 2025/2026 season).
  • A quarterly newsletter where you can see the impact of your gift and get insider details about Porchlight shows.
  • A special invitation to the latest edition of Porchlight’s new work development series, “Off the Porch,” featuring an open rehearsal of Shake It Away: The Ann Miller Story on Sunday, June 1 just before it heads to Hollywood, Off-Broadway AND the Edinburgh Fringe Festival!

For only $25 per month, or $300 per year, you can make an immediate impact by deepening your commitment to Porchlight’s mission of preserving the past, present and future of music theatre. All funds raised support Porchlight’s award-winning Mainstage series, youth arts education programs and free community engagement initiatives.

If you have any questions or would like to learn more about the program, please contact Senior Development Associate Kellie Buffington at kellie@porchlightmusictheatre.org.

Shake It Away: The Ann Miller Story

Shake It Away is a solo performance piece about the life and career of Ann Miller. Set during the 1970 MGM studio auction, the musical play features selections from the Great American Songbook as Miller revisits the Golden Age of Hollywood and discovers her second act as a Broadway star. Learn more HERE.

On a soundstage at the 1970 MGM studio auction, dancer Ann Miller revisits the Golden Age of Hollywood and discovers her second act as a Broadway star. Featuring selections from the Great American Songbook, this love letter to entertainment is written by and stars Kayla Boye, who has appeared at Porchlight Music Theatre in Can-Can, Little Me, Billy Elliot and New Faces Sing Broadway 1969. The creative team includes Michael Weber (director), Tammy Mader (choreographer) and Linda Madonia (music director). This invited rehearsal will kick off the production’s world premiere tour, which includes the Hollywood Fringe in Los Angeles (Hudson Theatres, June 10-15), East to Edinburgh in New York (59E59 Theaters, July 15-19), and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe (theSpace at Surgeons’ Hall, August 1-9). More at ShakeItAwayPlay.com

Solo Artist Roundtable with Three Leading Artists

“Off the Porch” Shake It Away: The Ann Miller Story playwright and performer Kayla Boye (Call Me Elizabeth – “Elizabeth Taylor”), Porchlight Artistic Director and Shake It Away Director Michael Weber, Klea Blackhurst (Everything The Traffic Will Allow – “Ethel Merman”) and Frank Ferrante (An Evening With Groucho – “Groucho Marx”).

Meet the Artists

Kayla Boye is a Chicago-based artist and the creator of Call Me Elizabeth, a one-woman show about the life of Elizabeth Taylor. The show premiered as a film during the pandemic via Broadway On Demand, later premiering live in the 2022 Hollywood Fringe Festival. The play continues to tour internationally following its sold-out Off-Broadway engagement at 59E59 Theaters and critically acclaimed, sold-out runs at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and San Miguel Solo Theatre Festival. Kayla’s performance credits include productions at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Drury Lane Theatre, Porchlight Music Theatre, Mercury Theater Chicago, Music Theater Works and City Lit Theater (“Winnie” in Samuel Beckett’s solo piece, Happy Days.)

Klea Blackhurst is an actress, singer and comedienne known for her award-winning tribute to Ethel Merman, Everything The Traffic Will Allow. Most recently she appeared Off-Broadway with Hayley Mills in the comedy, Party Face, at City Center Stage 2. She starred in Hazel during its world premiere production at Drury Lane in Chicago, as “Dolly Levi” in the highly acclaimed Fiftieth Anniversary production of Hello, Dolly! at The Goodspeed Opera House and as “Miss Lemon” in The Nutty Professor, which premiered in Nashville, directed by legendary comedian, Jerry Lewis and featuring a score by Marvin Hamlisch and Rupert Holmes. Klea also played “Rose” in Drury Lane Chicago’s production of Gypsy, garnishing rave reviews in 2012. 

Frank Ferrante was discovered by Groucho Marx’s son playwright Arthur Marx as a 22 year old drama student at USC performing An Evening With Groucho for a 1985 senior project. Arthur subsequently cast Frank to portray Groucho Marx for the heralded 1986-87 production of Arthur’s Groucho: A Life in Revue that played Off-Broadway at the Lucille Lortel Theatre for 254 performances. Ferrante, who was 23 at the time, portrayed legendary Groucho from age 15 to 85. Morrie Ryskind who co-wrote the Marx Brothers classic films Animal Crackers and A Night at the Opera and attended Ferrante‘s USC show said, “Frank is the only actor aside from Groucho who delivered my lines as they were intended.” Meet Frank Ferrante on June 11 at Teatro ZinZanni. Get tickets HERE.