BY JUDY CARMACK BROSS
Parlaying its performances into perfect parties, TimeLine Theatre’s Step into Time annual benefit focuses on the magic of a different era each year.
TimeLine’s Step into Time Band.
Aligning with its mission to produce plays with historic significance and contemporary relevance, the 20th Anniversary Gala captured the big band era circa 1946 with the music of Brian Patti. Guests sped to the Drake Hotel’s glorious dance floor and swung into the sounds that made Dorsey famous.
Lorenzo Rush, Jr. and TimeLine’s Step into Time Band.
Emmy Award-winning trumpeter Obert Davis made a special guest appearance. Director of the Chicago Jazz Philharmonic, Davis composed original music for TimeLine’s upcoming Midwest premiere of Paradise Blue by playwright and actress Dominique Morisseau. Performances start April 26.
TimeLine Managing Director, Elizabeth K. Auman, and TimeLine Board Member and Step Into Time Chair, Eileen LaCario.
TimeLine Associate Artistic Director, Nick Bowling, and TimeLine Board Member Renee L. Zipprich.
TimeLine board member Eileen LaCario chaired the evening with board member Renee Zipprich and board alumna Anne Stockton as Auction Prize Chairs. Honorary Chairs included Bessie and Joseph Feinberg, Sondra and Denis Healy, Elaine and Don Levinson, and Penny and Bill Obenshain.
TimeLine Associate Artist and Step Into Time Master of Ceremonies, Tyla Abercrumbie; TimeLine Company Member Ron OJ Parson; and Amina Dickerson.
More than 300 guests viewed a new video “Where We Go Next,” inspired by its past 20 seasons, produced and edited by TimeLine Associate Artist Mike Tutaj.
TimeLine Board President, John Sirek; TimeLine Board Member Elizabeth Richter; Tobin Richter; and Gary Johnson (Evanston).
Board member and great TimeLine booster Libbet Richter said:
“I was delighted to discover TimeLine in 2003 when I was captivated by the unusual and creative staging of Lion in Winter. Terry Teachout of the Wall Street Journal has called TimeLine one of the best regional theaters in the country and it has won numerous Jeff Awards.
“It has an impressive program of working with Chicago Public Schools, coordinating with faculty to introduce students to plays relevant to curriculum and inviting students to every production.
“As a member of the theater group Barnswallows at Wellesley, I worked on sets and costumes. Now, many years later, I have a special interest in production details. As a board member, I have the privilege of attending each first rehearsal where the costumes, set, and sound designs are shared with the cast and company, before the cast does its first complete run-through.”
Thanks to TimeLine Theatre for letting Chicagoans step—or rather, swing—back in time!
TIMELINE FOUNDING COMPANY MEMBERS: Artistic Director, PJ Powers (Evanston); Director of Education, Juliet Hart (Evanston); and Associate Artistic Director, Nick Bowling.
TimeLine Associate Artist Wardell Julius Clark and TimeLine Company Member Janet Ulrich Brooks (Oak Park).
TimeLine’s Step into Time Gala.
Susan Stein (Winnetka) and TimeLine Board Member Susan Payne.
Michael Otte; Step Into Time Honorary Chair, Janice Feinberg; Nia Tavoularis; and Maxine Brown.
Sandra Guthman, Gillian Darlow, and Mary Kay Sullivan.
TimeLine Board Member and Step Into Time Honorary Chair, William A. Obenshain; Jo Ann Seagren; and Scott Lang.
TIMELINE COMPANY MEMBERS: Janet Ulrich Brooks (Oak Park), Juliet Hart (Evanston), Maren Robinson, Lara Goetsch, Ben Thiem, Mechelle Moe, Ron OJ Parson, PJ Powers (Evanston), and Nick Bowling.
Kay Bucksbaum and TimeLine Associate Artist Alex Weisman.
Photo credit: Ingrid Bonne Photography
