Porchlight Music Theatre was incorporated in 1995 by founding Artistic Director Jill Moore and a close group of artists and friends who aimed to create a company that would feel like home to artists and audiences alike. Porchlight came to symbolize creativity, comfort and community and for nearly 25 years the company has kept that light shining brightly.
Under L. Walter Stearns’ artistic leadership from 1998-2011, the company took on more ambitious works and added its first Equity ... Read More
Porchlight Music Theatre was incorporated in 1995 by founding Artistic Director Jill Moore and a close group of artists and friends who aimed to create a company that would feel like home to artists and audiences alike. Porchlight came to symbolize creativity, comfort and community and for nearly 25 years the company has kept that light shining brightly.
Under L. Walter Stearns’ artistic leadership from 1998-2011, the company took on more ambitious works and added its first Equity contracts in 2004. Porchlight’s wildly successful production of Ragtime during the 2006-2007 season was a turning point for the theatre when it enjoyed an extended run at Chicago’s Apollo Theater.
In 2010, veteran actor/director/artistic director Michael Weber took the artistic helm at Porchlight and the company continues to wow audiences with first-class, sophisticated and engaging music theatre, performed by the finest veteran and emerging actors, dancers and singers, with inventive direction, and arresting design innovations.
The 2016-2017 season for Porchlight was yet another key turning point in the company’s evolution. In The Heights, the season opener, attracted record attendance, critical acclaim and four extensions for an all-time high of 78 performances. This hit musical changed the face of the company and provided the capacity and economic stability for Porchlight to make the big move to its new performance venue, The Ruth Page Center for the Arts, in Chicago’s Gold Coast in fall 2017.
Since moving to The Ruth Page Center, the audience base continues to grow as Porchlight creates ever-more ambitious and exciting work. Its 2017-2018 season production of Memphis and 2018-2019 season productions of Gypsy and A Chorus Line were lauded with numerous award nominations and continue to set new attendance records for the company.
Since the launch of its summer camp program in 2017, Porchlight has been expanding and enhancing its youth programming each year. Financial assistance enables youth from underserved communities to attend these programs. Annually, over 500 guests from divested communities attend Porchlight's mainstage productions and enjoy a personalized talk-back with actors following the show.
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