Steppenwolf Presents 'Red or Whit Ball' Benefit 5/30

More than 600 of Chicagoland's young professionals will gather for a spectacular evening of cocktails, food, entertainment, a silent auction and raffle prizes at the Steppenwolf Auxiliary Council's sixth annual Red or White Ball on Friday, May 30, 2008 at 8:00 p.m.  The premier event for Chicago's most influential young philanthropists will be held at the ultra-chic Chicago Illuminating Company, 19 E. 21st Street.  Individual tickets, currently available to the public, start at $135 and can be purchased online at www.steppenwolf.org or by calling (312) 654-5672.

 
A limited number of $500 VIP packages are also available: each includes two event tickets, access for two to a private cocktail reception at 7:00 p.m. with Steppenwolf ensemble members, enhanced goody bags and a one-year membership in the Auxiliary Council.  New this year, all VIP ticket holders will also receive all-night access to the Infinity VIP Lounge featuring a private bar.

 
Throughout the evening, guests will be treated to signature Red or White cocktails by Grey Goose, paired with delectable samplings from Blue Plate Catering. DJ Jonathan Hood will be spinning tracks courtesy of Fig Media, Inc., along with live video mixing of the party for all to see.  Guests can dance into the wee hours of the morning at the Red or White Ball's official After Party, set to begin at 1:00 a.m. (location to be disclosed).

 
"The Red or White Ball has been a sell-out event the past two years and we anticipate another great response again in 2008," comments Co-Chair Nancy Collins.  "We have moved to a larger venue, allowed for additional bars and food stations, and shifted the format from a wine tasting to an expanded cocktail party to create more networking opportunities for Chicago's young professional set," adds Collins.

The Red or White Ball serves as the primary fundraiser for the Steppenwolf Auxiliary Council – a community of dynamic young professionals who develop new financial resources and audiences for the creation and presentation of new work.  In just eight years of operation, the Auxiliary Council has raised over $600,000 in contributions, enabling Steppenwolf to continue to advance artistic experimentation and collaboration.  Last year's event successfully attracted more than 550 attendees and raised over $110,000 for the theater's nationally recognized arts education program, Steppenwolf for Young Adults, which annually serves over 15,000 individuals through productions and programs specifically geared towards teachers, families and young adults.

Steppenwolf for Young Adults includes:

The Young Adults Council

A small group of high school students from around Chicago devoted to exploring the collaborative possibilities between the theater and young adults.  Council members work with their peers, Steppenwolf staff and artists to create programs that speak to their interests, ideas and creative goals.  The Council participates in various workshops and discussions, sees productions and creates their own programming for young adults at Steppenwolf.

 
Productions for Students and Families
Professional productions of established plays, original adaptations of novels and new works are presented for young adults through weekday student matinees and weekend family performances.  The Subscriber School Program provides in-school residencies for each production, including scripts, study guides and tours of the theater.

 
Educator Workshops
The Teacher Theater Immersion Course is designed to help teachers integrate theater arts into their core curriculum.  Our advanced Immersion 2 Course uses arts integration methods to approach a range of non-fiction works related to themes of our two productions.  The Master Teacher Workshops help teachers improve student comprehension of literature through drama, using texts related to our Steppenwolf for Young Adults productions.  All offer the opportunity to earn CPDU credits.

The Red or White Ball Co-Chairs are Nancy Collins, Aileen Furlong and Kevin Haight.

 
Committed to the principle of ensemble performance through the collaboration of a company of actors, directors and playwrights, Steppenwolf Theatre Company's mission is to advance the vitality and diversity of American theater by nurturing artists, encouraging repeatable creative relationships and contributing new works to the national canon.  The company, formed in 1976 by a collective of actors, is dedicated to perpetuating an ethic of mutual respect and the development of artists through on-going group work.  Steppenwolf has grown into an internationally renowned company of forty-one artists whose talents include acting, directing, playwriting, filmmaking and textual adaptation.

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