Academy of the Arts, the west-suburban, non-profit academic- and art-focused school projected to open in fall 2025, will be host to its annual fundraising concert and gala Saturday, Feb. 24, at North Central College’s Wentz Concert Hall in Naperville. The theme will be “A Night On Broadway,” and special guest performers from Broadway productions will be entertaining attendees.
Returning to the Wentz Hall stage is Meecah, who performed at the Academy’s first gala in 2022 and recently in the roles of Eliza, Angelica, and Peggy Schuyler in Hamilton. She will be joined by Kayla Davion who played the title role in TINA: The Tina Turner Musical on Broadway, along with Samantha Pauly who played Katherine Howard in the original Broadway cast of Six, Erika Henningsen who played Cady Heron in the original Broadway cast of Mean Girls.
“This year we’re taking a somewhat different approach, offering concert-only tickets so there is opportunity to enjoy the event and engage in support the Academy at prices starting at just $50,” said Dylan Ladd, executive director and co-founder.
Ladd’s mission is to build and open the school for grades 6 through 12, offering the core academic areas of math, reading, language arts, social studies and science, along with a range of visual arts and performing arts programs, by the 2025-26 academic year.
“We have a lot of work ahead before we have our state-of-the-art facility and our first class of full-time students,” Ladd said. “And that work moving forward is funding the project.”
The facility is a planned world-class arts center: A 1,200-seat auditorium with a proscenium stage, fly loft and orchestra pit, an outdoor amphitheater, a modular black box theater and dance studios, and academic classrooms.
The non-profit Academy’s year-one fundraising goal is $1 million from which it anticipates building momentum toward the $80 million needed to break ground and build the new facility.
The gala dinner and concert package is priced at $250 per person and includes a three-course dinner, open bar, VIP concert seating and an after party. Tables of 10 guests are $2,000. Concert-only tickets are $100 for orchestra seating and $50 for balcony seating.
Doors will open for the event on Saturday, Feb. 24 at 5 p.m.; dinner will commence at 6 p.m. with the A Night on Broadway concert starting at 7 p.m..
A silent auction will be held to support the Academy’s commitment to making available high-level arts programing within a comprehensive academic education to engage emerging artists in Chicago’s western suburbs.
Learn more about the Academy, its gala and other opportunities to support its mission at www.illinoisartsacademy.org.
— ELLE Services