Friends & Partners
Season of Concern is grateful for the support of many generous Chicago companies and organizations that make direct contributions and in-kind donations.
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Grantees
Season of Concern has proudly supported these local direct care AIDS organizations.
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Supporting Organizations
Thank you to these amazing individuals and organizations who donate their time, talents, and resources to help Season of Concern be the best it can be!
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Supporting Theaters
Season of Concern Chicago raises the majority of its funds through direct audience appeals at theater events during the holidays. Each season, hundreds of actors, designers and crew members ask for donations and pass the bucket through the audience after every performance.
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Friends of Season of Concern
Season of Concern gratefully acknowledges the long-time leadership, service, and advocacy of these devoted friends.
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ABOUT
The Entertainment Community Fund
Social service assessment and case management for the Biscotto-Miller Fund are provided by the Central Region office of The Entertainment Community Fund. The Entertainment Community Fund is a nationwide nonprofit, human services organization providing programs that support the unique, essential needs of all who work in entertainment and the performing arts—on stage or camera and behind the scenes. The Entertainment Community Fund assists those working in theater, film, television, radio, music, dance, opera and circus.
The Entertainment Community Fund offers a broad spectrum of programs including comprehensive social services, health care services, employment and training and housing. These programs are administered through The Entertainment Community Fund offices in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, where Season of Concern shares office space.
All Entertainment Community Fund social service assessments in regard to the Biscotto-Miller Fund are completely confidential. Eligibility varies by program.
In-Kind Partners
The Beautiful City Project is committed to using musical theatre as a tool to give back to the Chicago community, intent on building a promising tomorrow for a beautiful city. Cabaret performances highlight a different organization every month, while the mainstage programming of musicals in concert take a community issue head-on, raising awareness and funds to be given directly to an organization in need, making an immediate impact. A city-wide campaign of beautification and positivity will be the hallmark of a project intent on taking real action in our beautiful city.
Joseph Bowen is thrilled to be connected with Season of Concern. He is currently based in New York City, having been in Chicago for 19 years. He is an actor (member of Actors’ Equity), director, and writer. He is also an IT Consultant and Web Designer. He is a partner in Renegade Websites and president of Borealis Systems. His acting credits include work in Off-Broadway and regional theaters, including Playmakers Repertory, New Harmony Theater, and Meadow Brook Theaters. His Chicago acting credits include Leaving Iowa at the Royal George Theater, and Sunday in the Park With George at the Ravinia Festival. From 2000 to 2006 he was the Theater Editor for Centerstage Chicago and a contributing writer for PerformInk.
The Fine Arts Building – Built in 1885, the Fine Arts Building was originally designed to house the carriage assembly and showroom for the Studebaker Carriage Company. Within a year, Studebaker outgrew the space, paving the way for the building to become Chicago’s first fine arts colony in 1898, housing acclaimed artists with national and international cultural impact including Lorado Taft, William W. Denslow, Harriet Monroe, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Margaret Anderson. Today the Fine Arts Building remains a major cultural landmark, with prominent tenants such as the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras, Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival, Chicago Opera Theater, and the Jazz Institute of Chicago, as well as painters, instrument makers, designers, architects, musicians, and other arts organizations. The Fine Arts Building is also home to the Studebaker Theater, a jewel box performance venue fully restored in 2022, which now hosts new musicals, podcast tapings, puppetry, opera, classical music, and more.
As a home to some of Chicago’s most prominent artists, the Fine Arts Building believes that art is for everyone and must be accessible to all. While the Studebaker Theater is not a producing organization, the venues are committed to building an inclusive, accessible, diverse, equitable and anti-racist environment for artists to thrive. These core values are driving the decision-making shaping this new version of the organization. Fine Arts Building acknowledges its place on the traditional unceded homelands of the Council of the Three Fires: the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi Nations. Many other tribes such as the Miami, Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Sac, and Fox also historically called this area home. For more information, visit fineartsbuilding.com
Cory Goodrich is a singer-songwriter, musician, author, painter, and Jeff Award-winning best actress for her roles as Mother in Ragtime, and as June Carter Cash in Ring of Fire. She has appeared at the Marriott Theatre in Music Man, Les Miserables, and Houdini, among others, guest starred on Chicago Fire, Chicago Justice, Chicago Med, and Shining Girls. Cory is also a recording artist with two award-winning children’s albums, two original folk albums. Her latest electro-folk album, Long Way Around, features music from her memoir, Folksong: A Ballad of Death, Discovery, and DNA. Artwork, music and other info can be found at corygoodrich.com
Gerber/Hart Library and Archives is a LGBTQ+ library and archives located in the Rogers Park neighborhood in Chicago. Founded in 1981, Gerber/Hart is one of the largest repositories of LGBTQ+ content in the world. Gerber/Hart focuses on collecting, preserving, and making accessible the LGBTQ history and culture of Chicago and the Midwest. Learn more at gerberhart.org or by following @gerberhart on Instagram and Facebook. And for a deep dive into some of the amazing collections at Gerber/Hart, listen in to their 2022 podcast Unboxing Queer History!
HMS Media is a 23-time Emmy Award-winning production team acclaimed for producing performing arts broadcast and streaming specials, documentaries and commercials, as well as virtual galas, development projects and marketing and press videos for Broadway shows, national tours, regional theater dance & music companies, service organizations and not-for-profit institutions in Chicago and across the US.
Broadcast and streaming projects include Chicago Voices with Renée Fleming, Adrian Dunn: Emancipation, First You Dream: The Music of Kander & Ebb, Dance For Life, Celtic Woman: Emerald and specials featuring Steppenwolf Theatre, The Second City, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, The Joffrey Ballet, Lyric Opera, River North Chicago Dance Company, Jump Rhythm Jazz Project, Chicago Children’s Choir, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre and Under The Streetlamp. Broadway clients include Hamilton, Dear Evan Hanson, Waitress, Wicked, Jersey Boys, Beautiful, The Book of Mormon, Fun Home, Kinky Boots, Mamma Mia!, Hairspray, Dreamgirls, The Producers, Les Misérables, Phantom of the Opera and more. Regional performing arts clients include Lyric Opera, Lookingglass, Hubbard Street, Steppenwolf, Writers, The Guthrie, Second City, Goodspeed, Giordano Dance Chicago, Chicago Shakespeare, Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire, Drury Lane and Court Theatre.
Ronald Keaton has distinguished himself as a dependable, versatile performer on the Chicago stage – Goodman Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Marriott Theatre, Drury Lane Theatre in Oakbrook Terrace, Theater Wit, Oak Park Festival Theatre, First Folio Theatre and several others throughout the Midwest. His regional credits include roles at the Indiana Repertory Theatre, Coconut Grove Playhouse in Miami, Houston’s Alley Theatre and New York’s New World Stages off-Broadway. With Artistic Director Kurt Johns, Mr. Keaton is the Founder/Artistic Producer of SoloChicago Theatre, which is singularly devoted to the creation and development of solo theatrical narrative and performance. His solo play CHURCHILL had a highly successful six-month run off-Broadway in 2015 and received the Joseph Jefferson Award in Chicago for outstanding solo performance. In addition, he has a new piece, ECHO HOLLER, directed by Season of Concern Chairman Luther Goins, ready for production. Mr. Keaton is the host of the history podcast THE FRONT PORCH.
Michael Mahler is the Richard Rodgers Award-winning songwriter of musicals “An American Tail,” “Diary of a Wimpy Kid,” “The Secret of my Success,” “October Sky,” “Hero,” “Miracle,” “The Man Who Murdered Sherlock Holmes,” “Wonderland: Alice’s Rock & Roll Adventure,” and others. His work has been represented on Broadway (add’l lyrics for “Miss Saigon”) on Netflix (songs for “My Little Pony: A New Generation”) and on stages around the world. Projects in development include “Night at the Museum,” for which he is co-writing lyrics with Alan Schmuckler, music by Alan Menken, book by Bob Martin and Shawn Levy. Michael is published by MTI, Broadway Licensing, Dramatic Publishing, and GIA publications.
Mercury Theater Chicago is located in the Southport Corridor; a sophisticated neighborhood of restaurants and boutiques close to Wrigley Field. A delightful destination, Mercury Theater Chicago is a live-theater seating 280 people, adjoining Venus Cabaret Theater (seating 80) and a new restaurant partner, Soli.
The building that houses the Mercury opened in 1912 as a silent film nickelodeon, named The Blaine Theatre after actor and former Senator and Secretary of State James G. Blaine. The Blaine became obsolete when talking pictures became popular nationwide in 1928. The much larger Music Box Theatre was then built, which is still in operation today. Though little of the original Blaine is left, some remnants still exist including the decorative plaster busts flanking the House. The intimate theater now boasts warm exposed brick walls and seats that were recovered and refurbished from a 1933 era Boston movie house.
Led by Executive Director L. Walter Stearns, a veteran theater director and former Artistic Director of Porchlight Music Theatre, it re-opened May 1, 2011 with the critically acclaimed production of A Twist of Water. The Mercury is thrilled to be part of the city’s vibrant theatre community, boasting multiple extensions of the critically acclaimed production Avenue Q in 2014, Jeff Award wins for Spamalot, The Addams Family and The Man Who Murdered Sherlock Holmes, and establishing a new annual holiday tradition with the heartwarming holiday musical The Christmas Schooner.
Venus Cabaret Theater (located next to Mercury Theater Chicago) celebrated its grand opening in April 2018 with an intimate and immersive inaugural production of Stephen Sondheim’s Company, and in fall of 2018, opened the Fosse’ hit Pippin. This versatile, state-of-the-art performance space offers unique dining and intimate theatrical experiences, seating 90 people in a flexible theater/dining space.
In the midst of the worldwide pandemic of COVID-19, the stewardship of Mercury Theater Chicago have persevered to keep this cultural destination open. Executive Producers L. Walter Stearns and Eugene Dizon have recruited new leadership, Christopher Chase Carter (Artistic Director) and Kristi J. Martens (Managing Director), who are charged with reopening the theater, strengthening the ongoing commitment to excellence on stage and off.
“Let’s Help Regional Theatre” Podcast interviews various Chicago theatre professionals and arts advocates asking them questions about the Chicago theatre, and how we can help regional theatre! Make sure to follow so you don’t miss out on any of our episodes! Follow us on Instagram!
The League of Chicago Theatres is an alliance of theatres, which leverages its collective strength to support, promote and advocate for Chicago’s theatre industry. Through our work, we ensure that theatre continues to thrive in our city. The League of Chicago Theatres is a non-profit organization proud to serve a membership of more than 240 theatres, a rich and varied theatre community ranging from storefront, non-union theatres with budgets under $10,000 to major cultural centers with multi-million dollar shows. Theatre is essential to the life of a great city and to its citizens.
Peterson Design Associates Founder and principal, Paul Peterson received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Rochester Institute of Technology in New York. After working in New York City for a number of well-respected studios, he moved back to the Midwest and formed Peterson Design Associates. Since being established in 1991, Peterson Design Associates has evolved into a multi-disciplinary studio with expertise in graphic design, logo/identity development, brand collateral, studio and event photography. A partial client list includes Actors Equity, Ameritech, Chicago Theatre Company, IGA, John G. Shedd Aquarium, Kilo Kai Brand, Lance Armstrong Foundation, Northlight Theatre, OnStar, Sears, Roebuck and Co., SPP Pumps, Inc., SyncroFlo, The Field Museum, Tony Stone Images.
Erica Stephan is honored to be an In-Kind partner of Season of Concern. Chicago theater credits include Cabaret at Porchlight Music Theatre, Damn Yankees at the Marriott Theatre, Clue at Mercury Theater Chicago, Holiday Inn, Beauty and the Beast, South Pacific, Saturday Night Fever, Crazy for You, and White Christmas at Drury Lane Theatre. Emma, Madagascar, The Little Mermaid at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre. Wonderful Town at the Goodman Theatre. Nice Work If You Can Get It, White Christmas at Theatre at the Center. Les Miserables, Tommy at the Paramount Theatre. Other regional credits include Rent at The Muny, I Do, I Do at Totem Pole Playhouse, The Drowsy Chaperone, Living on Love at Peninsula Players Theatre, Mary Poppins, The Little Mermaid with Variety Children’s Theatre. She is a proud graduate of The Sargent Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Webster University, a member of Actors Equity Association, and represented by Stewart Talent.
The Understudy Coffee and books is a one-of-a-kind hybrid theatre bookstore and specialty coffee shop in Andersonville. Named in honor of all the hidden work it takes to make a play happen, The Understudy is dedicated to celebrating, fostering, and uplifting artistry in our community in all its forms. At the center of The Understudy’s operations is a commitment to Collaboration, Community, and Discovery. The bookshop features over 3,500 plays, technique books, and other titles to get your creative juices flowing. The cafe offers high quality third wave standards with a focus on direct trade sourcing and supporting local artisans.
Darion “Doc” Wheeler is a seasoned Graphic Design and Digital Product Strategist with an impeccable track record of tailoring and delivering innovative digital solutions that cater to both consumer and enterprise needs. As the founder and principal of Mediacovenant LLC, Doc champions creative technology, offering unparalleled digital design solutions that empower small businesses to realize their ambitions and thrive. A proud native of Detroit, MI, and an esteemed alumnus of the Illinois Institute of Design, Doc’s illustrious career has seen him collaborate with some of Chicago’s premier advertising agencies. His designs have not only adorned Chicago’s most prestigious theaters but have also set benchmarks for excellence in the creative realm. Grounded by his deep-seated commitment to honing his craft and a genuine passion for mentoring and uplifting others in the creative sector, Doc ensures that Mediacovenant remains a beacon of innovation, excellence, and community engagement in the digital landscape.
Grantees
Alexian Brothers Bonventure House in Chicago serves approximately 55 residents each year through its two-year Transitional Living Program for homeless adults with HIV/AIDS, many living with substance use and mental health issues.
The Boulevard of Chicago provides high quality, cost-effective medical respite care, holistic support and housing services to help ill and injured homeless adults break the cycle of homelessness, restore their health and rebuild their lives.
CALOR For the past 35 years, CALOR has provided comprehensive HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment services, with programs focused on substance misuse, HIV prevention, screening and testing for HIV and viral hepatitis, navigation services, and public awareness campaigns. Founded in 1990 through a grassroots initiative led by Latinos affected by HIV/AIDS in the Humboldt Park, Logan Square, and West Town neighborhoods. These communities sought bilingual, culturally appropriate HIV services that were lacking in the city at the time. CALOR’s mission is to empower communities to improve their quality of life through education and coordinated services that help prevent disease and disability.
The Care2Prevent program at The University of Chicago works to radically reduce HIV transmission events through comprehensive HIV treatment and prevention services for HIV positive, LGBTQ and underserved youth communities on the South Side of Chicago.
Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago is one of the largest private, not-for-profit social service agencies in the Midwest. The Catholic Charities HIV/AIDS program provides comprehensive case management, supportive and clinical counseling and nutritional services to those living with HIV/AIDS.
Center on Halsted is the Midwest’s most comprehensive community center dedicated to advancing community and securing the health and well being of the Chicagoland LGBTQ community.
Chicago House and Social Service Agency provides housing, employment services, medical linkage and retention services, HIV prevention services, legal services and other supportive programs for those who are disenfranchised by HIV/AIDS, LGBTQ marginalization, poverty, homelessness, and/or gender nonconformity.
The Chicago Women’s AIDS Project (CWAP) initiated the first support group for women living with HIV in Chicago in 1988 and has been providing crucial peer support, therapy, treatment education and advocacy ever since.
Children’s Place Association helps Chicago’s most vulnerable children and families – those overwhelmed by illness, poverty, homelessness and abandonment – face a wide range of health issues including cancer, epilepsy, autism and HIV. It also provides critical assistance focused on health, education, family, stability and financial stability.
Corazón Community Services’s mission is to improve the quality of life for children, youth and families through holistic social services offered in a culturally sensitive environment.
Erie Family Health Centers provides high quality medical, dental, and behavioral healthcare to all in need, regardless of ability to pay. Motivated by the belief that healthcare is a human right, we provide high quality affordable care to support healthier people, families, and communities. Erie delivers holistic care to help every member of the family stay healthy and active from infancy through adulthood.
Heartland Alliance, one of the world’s leading anti-poverty organizations, works in communities in the U.S. and abroad to serve those who are homeless, living in poverty, or seeking safety. Its subsidiary Heartland Health Outreach works to transform healthcare for people experiencing homelessness, mental illness or addictions, living with HIV/AIDS, or struggling with multiple chronic illnesses.
Howard Brown Health delivers high-quality, affordable health services to a patient population and geographic area disproportionately affected by health inequities, with an emphasis on LGBTQ people, uninsured and under-insured individuals, and people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA).
Life Is Work is a trans-led organization that educates, empowers, and organizes TLGBQ+ people from diverse backgrounds to secure safety, wellness, and justice for all. Life Is Work envisions a world where all TLGBQ+ people from diverse backgrounds have the resources and support to thrive authentically in safe and stable environments.
Legal Council for Health Justice uses the power of the law to secure dignity, opportunity, and wellbeing for people facing illness or disability. The Council provides free, immediate legal assistance for low-income people across the region, and its AIDS Legal Council program – founded in 1987 – focuses on critical issues for people with HIV and their families.
The Night Ministry compassionately provides housing, health care, outreach, spiritual care, and social services to adults and youth who struggle with homelessness, poverty, and loneliness. We accept individuals as they are and offer support as they seek to improve their lives. We invite others to join this hope-filled work.
Open Door offers comprehensive care including early intervention, primary medical care, behavioral health and substance use, and case management for over 500 people living with HIV/AIDS within the five collar counties of Cook.
Proactive Community Services (PCS) is a 501(C) (3) community-based organization founded in 2005 serving disadvantaged, under resourced communities. The organization provides services in the south suburbs of Cook County. Our overarching goals are to: 1) Promote chronic disease prevention and healthy lifestyles through programs that provide access to education, information, prevention, early intervention, treatment, and support; 2) Provide HIV/AIDS awareness/prevention programs; 3) Provide access to programs that assist with maintaining economic self-sufficiency to prevent, reduce, or eliminate dependency; and 4) Provide programs that build assets and strengthen an individual’s ability to reduce risky behaviors and improve life outcomes.
Sinai Health System is composed of Mount Sinai, Holy Cross, and Schwab Rehabilitation Hospitals, the Sinai Medical Group, Sinai Community Institute, and the Sinai Urban Health Institute. Sinai’s comprehensive infectious diseases program provides HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis C, and STI screening, testing, therapies, PrEP, navigation, and linkage to/retention in care.
Test Positive Aware Network (TPAN) provides a wide range of services to those who are HIV-positive and those who are vulnerable to HIV. Current programs include mobile testing, HIV testing/counseling, needle exchange, Hepatitis C/STI screening, care coordination, early intervention services and more.
Vital Bridges—In 1988, community volunteers mobilized to respond to the AIDS epidemic and help their friends, family members and colleagues who were battling the disease in a world without compassion. Their efforts expanded overtime, ultimately becoming Vital Bridges. For twenty-two years, the organization has provided comprehensive services to low-income men, women and children living with HIV and AIDS throughout metropolitan Chicago
Supporting Theaters
A Red Orchid Theatre is an edgy theatre company located in an intimate space which seats 75 in the Old Town neighborhood.
About Face Theatre
About Face Theatre creates exceptional, innovative, and adventurous plays to advance the national dialogue on gender and sexual identity, and to challenge and entertain audiences in Chicago, across the country, and around the world.
American Blues Theater
Winner of American Theatre Wing’s prestigious National Theatre Company Award, American Blues Theater is a premier arts organization with an intimate environment that patrons, artists, and all Chicagoans call home.
Annoyance Theater
The Annoyance, founded in 1987, has created over 100 shows spanning improvisation, sketch, one-act and full-length plays, cabaret and burlesque reviews and original musicals. Hundreds of people have been a part of The Annoyance, many of whom can currently be seen on local and national stages, television and in feature films.
Chicago Shakespeare Theater
Chicago Shakespeare Theater is one of the fastest-growing producing and presenting theater institutions in America today. In addition to its acclaimed productions of William Shakespeare’s canon, CST presents work of the highest quality by some of the most distinguished American and international playwrights and directors.
Court Theater
Court Theatre is the professional theater of the University of Chicago, dedicated to innovation, inquiry, intellectual engagement and community service. Functioning as the University’s Center for Classic Theatre, Court mounts theatrical productions and audience enrichment programs in collaboration with faculty that pose the enduring and provocative questions that define the human experience.
Drury Lane Theatre
For over 30 years, Drury Lane Theatre has been a major force on the Chicagoland theater scene. The company’s reputation for high quality productions and award winning theater is what makes Drury Lane one of Chicago’s premiere theaters.
First Folio Shakespeare Festival
As the premier non-profit professional theater in the western suburbs, First Folio’s mission is to present intimate productions of classic and contemporary works. By making our home in residence at Mayslake Peabody Estate, we create a unique theatrical experience that enriches the community.
Goodman Theatre
Chicago’s oldest and largest not-for-profit theater, The Goodman has won international renown for the quality of productions, depth and diversity of artistic leadership, and the excellence of its many community and educational programs. The Goodman is committed to producing both classic and contemporary works, giving full voice to a wide range of artists and visions.
Greenhouse Theatre
The Greenhouse Theater began its producing life in 2014 with the smash hit Churchill, after which came 2016’s much-lauded Solo Celebration!, an eight-month, 16-event series highlighting the breadth and depth of the solo play form. Recently, the Greenhouse announced a full subscription season, with a mix of multi-character and solo plays.
Hell in a Handbag Productions
HIAH is dedicated to the preservation, exploration, and celebration of works ingrained in the realm of popular culture via theatrical productions through parody, music and homage.