Wonderland-inspired gala raises $3M for community initiatives
Vicki Crain, Better
“Oh, I’ve had such a curious dream,” said Alice — and so did the 950 guests who stepped through a magical keyhole entrance on Saturday, May 31, for The Joffrey Ballet’s annual spring fundraiser.
Held on a sprawling soundstage at Chicago’s Cinespace Film Studios, the “Joffrey Celebration” honored Board Chair Anne L. Kaplan and Life Director Fred Eychaner while raising $3 million in support of the Joffrey for All initiative and educational programming. The evening was hosted by The Mary B. Galvin Artistic Director, Ashley Wheater MBE, President and CEO, Greg Cameron, along with Kaplan and Eychaner.
Sabina Szyller, Lauren Harper, Sandra Caspariello, Melanie Deromedi, and Natalie LaRocca.
A Whimsical Evening Through the Looking Glass
The gala’s imaginative theme drew inspiration from Christopher Wheeldon’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, now running through June 22 at the Lyric Opera House. Guests embraced the call for “creative couture,” channeling their inner Mad Hatters and Queens of Hearts in celebration of the surreal.
Cari Sacks, Michael Sacks, Eric Lefkofsky and Liz Lefkofsky.
Lawrence DelPilar and Penelope Steiner.
A Wonderland Brought to Life
Produced by HMR Designs, the evening was nothing short of hallucinatory — in the most artful sense. Whimsical vignettes and live character performers from Stage Factor set the tone: picture living picture frames, a French caterpillar, human-sized swinging tulips, and cheeky lampshade gals roaming the venue.
The experiential design blurred the line between performance and party, a fitting parallel to the season-closing production that inspired it.
Instead of traditional banquet fare, guests sampled offerings from themed pop-up restaurants by Food for Thought catering: Anne and Fred’s All-American Diner, the chic Left Bank French Bistro, and the exuberant Dionysus Greek tavern.
Music flowed through the evening courtesy of New Moon, Beatmix, and DJ Megan Taylor of Fig Media. In a crowd-pleasing surprise, Kaplan took a spin on the turntables herself, cueing up Lady Gaga’s “Abracadabra” as Joffrey dancers made a dramatic entrance.
Looking Ahead to a Season of Milestones
As the curtain closes on the Joffrey’s 69th season, the company sets the stage for a landmark year. The 2025–2026 season will mark the Joffrey Ballet’s 70th anniversary, its 30th season based in Chicago, and the 10th anniversary of Wheeldon’s The Nutcracker, reimagined around the 1893 World’s Fair.
The new season opens with Liam Scarlett’s Carmen, followed by American Icons — a tribute to co-founders Robert Joffrey and Gerald Arpino alongside other choreographic legends. It concludes with a highly anticipated world premiere: Eugene Onegin, a co-production choreographed by Joffrey favorite Yuri Possokhov.
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