Northlight Presents Vanessa Williams

Northlight Theatre is one of a select group of nonprofit arts organizations participating in a three-part virtual concert series, Live from the West Side: Women of Broadway. The final concert is critically acclaimed actress and singer Vanessa Williams on December 5 at 7:00 p.m. Central. Previously, Northlight presented two-time Tony Award winner Patti LuPone on October 24 and Tony Award winner Laura Benanti on November 14.

Tickets are currently on sale. Tickets, $30, are available at northlight.org/events/women-of-broadway and include access to each livestream performance, plus an additional 72 hours of on-demand viewing of a video recording of the livestream, available beginning one hour after each live broadcast ends. Proceeds from tickets purchased through Northlight's website will support Northlight Theatre.

Each show, transmitted live in HD with professional sound mixing, will feature a mix of Broadway showtunes, pop songs, and personal stories from the life of each headliner. Performances will take place at The Shubert Virtual Studios on Manhattan's West Side. At-home audience members will be invited to email in questions to be answered during the livestream.

Timothy J. Evans comments, "Northlight Theatre is thrilled to continue its partnership with Entertainment Benefits Group and other esteemed cultural organizations across the country, especially since the first project, with Hamilton's Christopher Jackson, exceeded our expectations and was a huge hit with our audiences. Northlight is the exclusive Chicago partner, enabling us to offer safe and entertaining events for musical theater fans of all ages. We hope Chicago audiences will enjoy these online events as we all wait for the day when we can gather together for in-person experiences."

The livestreams, which are a co-production of Dallas Summer Musicals and Entertainment Benefits Group, are being shared by more than 20 nonprofit arts presenters around the country.

Vanessa Williams is one of the most respected and multi-faceted performers in the entertainment industry today. Having sold millions of records worldwide, Vanessa has also achieved numerous #1 and Top 10 hits on various Billboard Album and Singles charts: Pop, Dance, R&B, Adult Contemporary, Holiday, Latin, Gospel and Jazz.

Her critically acclaimed work in film, television, recordings and the Broadway stage has been recognized by every major industry award affiliate including 4 Emmy nominations, 11 Grammy nominations, a Tony nomination, 3 SAG award nominations, 7 NAACP Image Awards and 3 Satellite Awards. Her platinum single "Colors of the Wind," from Disney's Pocahontas, won the Oscar, Grammy and Golden Globe for Best Original Song.

A graduate of Syracuse University, Vanessa is a strong advocate for equal rights, especially concerning the LGBTQ+ community and minorities. She was honored with the Human Rights Campaign "Ally for Equality" Award for her humanitarian contributions. Vanessa also achieved a career pinnacle with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2007.

Vanessa's autobiography You Have No Idea, co-written with her mother Helen Williams, was a New York Times Best Seller in 2012. Her recent Broadway credits include co-starring with Cicely Tyson in The Trip to Bountiful, (the #1 play of the 2013 season), After Midnight (2014), and a special limited engagement in Hey, Look Me Over at New York City Center in 2018. Vanessa was recently in previews for Josie Rourke's City of Angels in London's West End, when production was suddenly forced to pause due to COVID19.

Vanessa is the mother of four-Melanie, Jillian, Devin and Sasha. Her charitable endeavors are many and varied, embracing and supporting such organizations as Concerts for America, Special Olympics and several others as well as the Elizabeth Taylor Aids Foundation.

Vanessa is one of the world's most accomplished concert artists, appearing regularly with the most prestigious symphony orchestras in the world, most recently with the National Symphony Orchestra at The Kennedy Center.

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