On June 8, 2015 the Chicago Shakespeare Theater celebrated its 2015 Gala at Navy Pier, raising $1.2 million for Chicago Shakespeare in Urban Communities initiatives. Three hundred and fifty of Chicago’s civic, corporate and cultural leaders attended the event benefitting CST’s award-winning engagement programs including Team Shakespeare education initiatives and Chicago Shakespeare in the Parks. The fifth annual Spirit of Shakespeare Awards were presented to Civic Honoree Illinois Tool Works (ITW) and ITW’s Chairman David Parry and wife Ros Parry, and to Artistic Honorees Simon Callow and Phylicia Rashād.
The GALA 2015 Host Committee included: Allstate Insurance Company – Jess and Amanda Merten; Bartlit Beck Herman Palenchar & Scott LLP – Mark Ouweleen and Sarah Harding; BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois – Maurice Smith, Nazneen Razi; BMO Harris Bank; Bulley & Andrews; Mr. and Mrs. Lester Crown; Dover Foundation; Exelon – Robin and Steve Solomon; Harve A. Ferrill and Karla Scherer; GCM Grosvenor; JLL; Betsy and Jack Karp; Kirkland & Ellis LLP – Richard Porter and Lydia Marti; KPMG – Charlene and Bill Tomazin; Raymond and Judy McCaskey; Northern Trust; Burton X. and Sheli Z. Rosenberg; John W. and Jeanne M. Rowe; Patrick and Shirley Ryan; Carole and Gordon Segal; Skadden, Arps, Slate Meagher & Flom LLP – Brian and Yasmina Duwe; The Sun-Times Foundation/The Chicago Community Trust – Michael and Jacky Ferro and The Donna Van Eekeren Foundation.
