A Red Orchid Theatre Hosts 2020 Gala, ROOT BALL in March

A Red Orchid Theatre's (AROT) Ensemble, Board of Directors, and Staff proudly announce the 2020 Root Ball: Revisiting 1967 Old Town. The Root Ball will celebrate more than 25 years of fearless theatre-making while flashing back into 1960s. The 2020 Root Ball: Revisiting 1967 Old Town will be held on Thursday, March 5 from 6:00pm to 10:00pm at Galleria Marchetti, 825 W. Erie in Chicago.

The 2020 Root Ball: Revisiting 1967 Old Town will feature a silent and live auctions, dinner, drinks and reflections by ensemble members. The evening's program will honor Sharon Perazzoli and Giulia Sindler, owners of Kamehachi, an Old Town destination since 1967, and dedicated A Red Orchid supporters. Elenna Sindler, granddaughter and daughter, respectively, of the honorees will speak to the importance of family and how A Red Orchid has played a part in all their lives - Elenna was part of the theatre's youth ensemble and provided musical direction and composition on A Red Orchid production of The Killing Game, as well as sound design for the current production, Do You Feel Anger?.

A Red Orchid Managing Director Abigail Madden comments, "Being able to involve three generations of the Perazzoli and Sindler family as well as Old Town merchants, some of whom have been around since 1967, in this year's Root Ball is really meaningful to all of us here at A Red Orchid Theatre. We are thrilled to honor two successful women with whom AROT has incredibly strong ties and we can't wait to acknowledge Old Town's bohemian past while highlighting how the neighborhood and A Red Orchid has evolved over the years."

Each year A Red Orchid's critically-acclaimed theatrical productions attract diverse audiences from across the country. With the funds raised through the event, AROT will advance its commitment to creating exceptional Ensemble-based theatre and fostering new theatrical works, both at home in Chicago and on the national stage.

Single Tickets for Root Ball: Revisiting 1967 Old Town are priced at $200 and Tables for 10 are $1,750. Space is limited, so order tickets now for this exclusive event by calling A Red Orchid Theatre at (312) 943-8722 or online at www.aredorchidtheatre.org. Patrons are encouraged to dress creatively - from Mad Men to Woodstock - to compliment the Gala's theme.

Corporate Sponsors include: Schneider Dental Associates, Tito's Vodka, Southern Glazer Wine & Spirits

A Red Orchid Ensemble includes Karen Aldridge, Lance Baker, Kamal Angelo Bolden, Dado, Mike Durst, Myron Elliott-Cisneros, Jennifer Engstrom, Kirsten Fitzgerald, Joseph Fosco, Mierka Girten, Mierka Girten, Lawrence Grimm, Steve Haggard, Levi Holloway, Karen Kawa, Karen Kessler, Travis A. Knight, Danny McCarthy, Jess McLeod, Shade Murray, Brett Neveu, Sadieh Rifai, Grant Sabin, Steve Schine, Michael Shannon, Guy Van Swearingen, Doug Vickers and Natalie West.

A Red Orchid Board includes Rebecca Mills (Chair), Mollie Stromberg (Vice Chair), Hugh Breslin (Treasurer), Robin Breslin, Georgia Casciato, Kirsten Fitzgerald, Marla Forbes, Lawrence Grimm, Pam Harrington, Abigail Madden, Jane Madden, Maureen O'Rourke, Steve Schine, Michael Shannon, Karen Stephenson, Guy Van Swearingen, Chadd Taylor, Doug Vickers and Robert Weil

About the Honorees

"Kamehachi means eight turtles. The turtle signifies longevity and the number eight is an infinity symbol, so together they represent long life and good luck."

Marion Konishi opened Chicago's first sushi restaurant, Kamehachi in 1967. Located on Wells Street, in a neighborhood populated by hippies and folksy-type people, Kamehachi was an anomaly: a traditional Japanese restaurant serving items not yet popular nor familiar to Americans. As the years passed, Chicagoans interest in sushi began to increase and Kamehachi became one of the city's most popular restaurants. Across the street from the renowned Second City comedy theatre, Kamehachi introduced a new trend in dining and became a favorite spot amongst chic, sushi-eating Chicago personalities, including prominent businessmen, politicians, artists and celebrities.

Konishi's daughter, Sharon Perazzoli, was born in a Japanese internment camp in Rivers, Arizona, and moved to Chicago with her family after the war. Sharon grew up to become a professional dancer, performing in the Flower Drum Song with a national touring company and also dancing with Bob Ito. After a three-year career she married an Italian musician, had two children and concentrated on being a mother, raising daughter Giulia Sindler and her brother, Paul, in the DC area. She returned to Chicago to assist her mother with Kamehachi, and after her mother's death in 1990 joined with her daughter Giulia to grow and expand the Kamehachi business. Sharon works hard to maintain the Japanese traditions and standards that represent the family culture and establish Kamehachi as one of the remaining Japanese-owned sushi restaurants in Chicago.

Giulia Sindler represents the third-generation in a woman-owned, family-run business. Giulia came to Chicago when she became a college student at Northwestern. After graduating from Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism in 1987, Sindler worked as a technical writer, an advertising copywriter, and eventually as an assistant to a local businessman who was opening an art gallery in Old Town. It was here that she learned many of the necessary business skills she used later to run the restaurants. From her grandmother's mom and pop storefront to multiple Chicagoland locations, Giulia works alongside her mother to maintain family standards, while expanding the Kamehachi name through relationships with well-known hotels, catering companies, and high-profile chefs and clients. Born of Italian-Japanese heritage, Giulia works to bridge the Japanese tradition of Kamehachi with the ever-growing trends and Westernization of the cuisine in America. Giulia lives with her husband, Brian, and in Northbrook, Illinois and is the mother of two children, Adam and Elenna. She is an active member and past president of the Old Town Merchants & Residents Association. She is also an avid supporter of the arts, and served as past president of the board of A Red Orchid Theatre, where she is now an Emeritus Board member.

Working side by side, Sharon and Giulia are a mother-daughter team who have continued to honor their family's tradition. Through their passion they developed Kamehachi into a multi-unit "mini" chain. Sharon & Giulia have grown the family-owned business with locations in Northbrook, Streeterville, the Loop (Chicago) and River North (Chicago). Kamehachi has continued to build on its reputation of being Chicago's original sushi bar and the premier Japanese restaurant in the Chicagoland area.

For more information call (312) 943-8722 or visit www.aredorchidtheatre.org.

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