The North Shore Weekend, February 11th 2023

Will you pay too much for a home?

Depends on who your agent is.

10 in bloom

Chicago Botanic Garden’s “Orchid Show: Magnified,” opens this weekend

12 slam dunk

North Shore Country Day School students raise money for Alzheimer’s research

12 let your voice be heard Look for Wilmette Park District's community survey in your mailbox soon

NORTH SHORE MONEY

14 bank with a purpose The Federal Savings Bank brings a personal touch to its mortgage lending and retail banking business

LIFESTYLE & ARTS

16 curtains up

Chicago Theatre Week celebrates the best of local theater, from Chicago to the North Shore

18 #hashtag

Read more about Katie Taylor's inspirational story and see how she stays on trend

20 oscar worthy

Two coming-of-age movies that will be competing in the 95th Academy Awards’ foreign film category next month get rave reviews

22 north shore foodie

The Sweet Heart of a Tart is perfect for Valentine's Day

25 material pursuits

Clothes with a conscience and save the date for Gigi's Playhouse national fundraiser

LAST BUT NOT LEAST

26 sunday breakfast

Children's Theatre of Winnetka alumna Maddie McCormick continues to thrive as an adult actor, having landed the lead role in the Passionflix series The Secret Life of Amy Bensen

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BY LAURA LAYFER TREITMAN THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

The new Deeda Blair: Food, Flowers, & Fantasy (Rizzoli), is a page-turner, both for its presentation and its prose. In the book, Catherine Gerlach Blair, known as “Deeda,” reveals the inspirations behind her table settings, renowned for their menus and decor. Some selections were influenced by places she visited, such as the interiors of Gustav III’s Pavilion in Stockholm’s Haga Park or the grounds of the French chateau once belonging to her friend, couturier Hubert de Givenchy. She also shares tips learned over a lifetime of entertaining including where to buy fine caviar at a reasonable price and treasured family recipes.

It was Eunice Kennedy Shriver, living in Chicago in the 1950s with her husband, Sargent Shriver, who initially introduced Mrs. Blair to her late husband William McCormick Blair Jr. His father was a founder of the investment banking firm, William Blair & Company. Mr. Blair, a lawyer by training, chose a different career direction. He worked with Illinois Governor Adlai Stevenson, before becoming the U.S. Ambassador to Denmark and the Philippines during the Kennedy and Johnson administrations. In 1971, at the invitation of Senator Robert F. Kennedy, Ambassador Blair was named General Director of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.

While the Ambassador was lauded for his devotion to public service, Mrs. Blair devoted her considerable talents to the arts and philanthropic efforts toward scientific and medical advances. Her signature coiffed hair and exquisite sense of style have always made her a sought-after subject of fashion bibles like Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar and photography greats Cecil Beaton and Andy Warhol.

Now, her own artistry and talented vision will captivate her readers and admirers. In our interview below she graciously answers questions about the publication and her past and present pursuits.

What made you decide this was the right time to write?

At the beginning of COVID, I was watching all the political news on television. I would always have art books and magazine pictures in my hands during the interminably long commercials, and I would make files for the next scrapbooks. A friend and editor Deborah Needleman saw them and suggested that I create a book. So, when quarantine began, I started to select pictures and think about ways it could be as different as possible. It was all about looking back in my engagement books and doing a great deal of reading.

What was the research process like?

Both my husband and I were keepers of scrapbooks, his date from childhood and continued until the end of his life. There are more than 50 very large books at the Chicago History Museum. In my home, eight books of highlights remain from all of our family and friend-related events. Then, I have 22 more parchment-bound scrapbooks that are totally different. They are

filled with pictures of places, travels, and works of art that I find beautiful, interesting, unexpected, and often surprising. These contain pictures cut from magazines, auction catalogs, books, and snapshots dating back to the ‘60s.

You grew up in Chicago, can you talk about your upbringing and memories of the Midwest?

My first recollection is from when I was about 3 or 4 and picking a lily from a Lincoln Park flower bed. Then a very angry policeman took me and the nanny home to my mother to make sure it would never happen again. To this day white lilies are among my favorite flowers.

I lived, if I remember correctly, at 3500 Lake Shore Drive, and also at 2440 Lake View Avenue. I attended the Convent of the Sacred Heart for 12 years. Among the special memories:

Were your parents influential in your affinity for aesthetics?

My parents loved traveling and took me on two great trips around the world. I left both early and went to Paris; I think nowhere in the world is there more imagination and attention paid to detail. Also, everything is made to order. I remember a pastry shop where whatever leaf you wanted could be made in the best chocolate. My parents adored restaurants and were very interested in food—which would be an important part of the trips.

You’ve donated many of your couture pieces to museums over the years, but is it true that in retrospect

large event. We changed the dining room into a library, and the living room has a table for six in the window looking out on the East River of Manhattan. The colors remain similar except in the living room, which is very pale blue-grey Venetian plaster. Many of the floors are painted white as they were in our home in Washington.

What I love about the book is the balance of sophistication and simplicity—and your creativity with flowers—almost like accessorizing an outfit!

I do like simplicity in both clothes and rooms. In clothes, I like very easy tailored coats, dresses, and suits that are classic and that I will want to wear for many, many years. I adore flowers and plants, and they are usually in unadorned baskets.

the Saddle and Cycle Club and lots of tennis, Fortnightly club for dances, Racquet Club for debut party, reading to children at Children’s Memorial Hospital, and campaigning for JFK with Eunice Shriver and Rose Kennedy. The Shrivers lived next door, and I was great friends with their children going kite flying and horse riding in the park. There were frequent visits to the Art Institute of Chicago, and the huge pleasure of seeing the David Adler houses along the North Shore.

you wish that you had kept many of them to wear today?

I was lucky, very lucky to shop for clothes in Paris, and I would rather have a few couture pieces to wear for years than many things.

Yes, I have given many to museums, and so many of the Balenciaga and Chanel I do wish I had back as the very colorful and complicated fashion of the moment is not for me. I had beautiful evening dresses in the past, but today’s life is very different.

How did your “look” for interiors and dress evolve with each of your residences?

Our homes in Washington, D.C. and New York were very different. In Washington, we had a rather large house. There was a dining room that could seat 24 and on the basement floor, there was a large office for Bill and an adjoining playroom for our son, William, that when the furniture was removed could seat as many as 90—which is what we did for the opening of the Kennedy Center. When we moved to New York, we were ready to give up anything resembling a

To me, your footprint is so distinctive and diverse, particularly in your contributions to the medical science field. Please talk about how the Deeda Blair Research Initiative for Disorders of the Brain at the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health began. This occurred after meeting Mary Lasker. She was considered among the greatest advocates for all aspects of biomedical research and made a unique effort in the growth of the National Institutes of Health. I began to learn about cancer research when we left the Philippines and moved to Washington where I spent a great deal of time at the National Cancer Institute—where much of the early work in molecular biology was focused. Then, in the early 1980s, I began work at the Harvard School of Public Health and subsequently became deeply involved in their AIDS Research Programs for more than 20 years.

I had paid a great deal of attention to brain research for many years. After the death of our son, my husband and I began thinking about what we wanted our estate to support and concluded that what was most missing and needed were projects in the field of mental health.

The Deeda Blair Research Initiatives for Disorders of the Brain was conceived by me after being a member of the Board of Directors at the Foundation for the National Institute of Health. The mission of our research awards program is to identify and support the work of the next generation of researchers in neuroscience and psychiatry. Our program supports the taking of risks and developing creative, even disruptive, ideas to accelerate research in the causes, diagnosis, and treatment of severe mental illness.

We are giving awards to M.D.s and Ph.D.s who have already shown imagination, passion, focus, and vision in their residency programs. The past decades have seen unimaginable progress in basic research that remains highly dependent upon creative and committed individuals to implement. We gave three awards in 2021 and we are planning on four or five in 2022.

Deeda Blair: Food, Flowers, & Fantasy was written by Deeda Blair, edited by Deborah Needleman, with an introduction by Andrew Solomon and principal photography by Ngoc Minh Ngo. Copies are available at The Book Stall in Winnetka.

DINING WITH DEEDA BLAIR From PG 1

Sightseeing along the Dalmatian coast, 1960s. Photo courtesy of Cecil Beaton

IN BLOOM

BY MITCH HURST THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

The 2023 installment of the Chicago Botanic Garden’s Orchid Show—opening this weekend in Glencoe—will illustrate what makes an orchid an orchid with exaggerated elements that feature more than 10,000 orchid blooms.

Attendees can expect the unexpected as they step into an oversized bloom and wander through huge hanging columns of color. “The Orchid Show: Magnified” runs through March 26.

The garden’s indoor galleries will be filled with larger-than-life installations and saturated with the vibrant colors and scent of tropical plants. The show will also feature a 25-foot-long orchid.

“We are excited to showcase the beauty of orchids through immersive experiences this year,” says Jodi Zombolo, associate vice president of Visitor Events and Programs at Chicago Botanic Garden. “This show provides a playful opportunity to connect with and admire each orchid part, leaving visitors inspired and wowed.”

Zombolo says the show will feature more than 10,000 orchid blooms, and attendees can expect to be in awe as they step into an oversized bloom and wander through huge hanging columns of color. The focus on exaggerated elements will demonstrate the bilateral symmetry of the orchid design.

A special feature this year is Orchids After Hours, a way for visitors to experience a nighttime viewing of the show. Cocktails and light bites, including goat cheese croquette with orchid truffle honey and café con leche, will be available for purchase. A special Orchids After Hours will be held on Tuesday, February 14 (Valentine’s Day), and will feature heart-shaped desserts for two and prosecco splits for purchase.

A number of other special events will also be part of this year’s Orchid Show, including:

• A Library Exhibition, titled “Moth Orchids Illustrated,” will be held the duration of the show on Wednesdays through Sundays from noon to 4 p.m. The rare book exhibition in the Garden’s Lenhardt Library will feature ten volumes with beautiful illustrations of moth orchids or Phalaenopsis, published between 1750 and 1900. Free library talks will be held on Saturday, February 25, and Sunday, March 12, at 2 p.m.

• Photographers’ hours will be available on Tuesdays, from February 14 through March 21, at 8:15 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. This special time is offered for photographers who would like to capture orchids using tripods and monopods before the show opens on Tuesday mornings. Regular ticket fees apply, but only a limited number of tickets will be available each day.

• The Illinois Orchid Society Spring Show and Sale will take place on Saturday, March 11 and

Sunday, March 12, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. During these times, displays of orchids from the rarest of species to cultivated hybrids will be artistically arranged. Families can take part in orchid-based activities for children. Vendors will also be on-site to sell orchid plants and related products and Illinois Orchid Society members will offer repotting services.

• A Post-Orchid Show Sale will be held on Thursday, March 30, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The sale is an opportunity to take home favorite orchids from the show. Early access from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. is based on member level. All members and public are welcome from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.,

while supplies last. Please check the garden’s website and social media for updates; the event tends to sell out quickly.

Regular hours for “The Orchid Show: Magnified” run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. On Thursdays and on Tuesday, February 14, the show is open in the evening from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. for Orchids After Hours. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at chicagobotanic.org. For more information, call 847-835-6801.

The Chicago Botanic Garden’s “Orchid Show: Magnified,” opens this weekend and features more than 10,000 orchid blooms and a sea of color.

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SLAM DUNK

North Shore Country Day School students raise more than $10,000 for Alzheimer’s research.

Back in the Mac Gym for the first time since 2020, North Shore Country Day’s Annual Dunk Alzheimer’s Basketball Bash on Jan. 21 brought in more than $10,000 to support Alzheimer’s research.

This year marks the 11th year NSCD has partnered with the Alzheimer’s Association to raise money and spread awareness for this important cause.

“Being back in the Mac this year was super exciting because the student body’s energy and the atmosphere around the basketball games are a large part of what Dunk Alz is and how it was started,” explains Emma Greer of Evanston, one of five NSCD seniors on the Dunk Alz student planning committee. “My favorite part was the varsity boys basketball game because the spirit of the student body was so high!”

Although it’s her third year on the committee, which includes sophomores, juniors, and seniors, it was her first time helping to organize a Dunk Alz Basketball Bash that actually included basketball or took place in

the school’s gym.

Because of the pandemic, the fundraiser took a different shape over the past two years as it shifted to an outdoor, springtime event. But this year, Dunk Alz returned to its roots with a full slate of upper school basketball games— with free-throw fundraisers during each halftime. The day capped off with an upper school dance. Leading up to the event, students also sold Dunk Alz t-shirts and sweatpants.

“The Dunk Alz Committee would like to thank everyone who donated and supported the event,” Greer says. “We’re already excited for next year!”

Greer is one of the many people in the NSCD community who has a personal connection to Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, and says she got involved because she wanted to be part of something that was making a real difference. Since 2013, the

NSCD community has raised close to $90,000 for Alzheimer’s research.

Alzheimer’s affects more than 6 million Americans and was the seventh leading cause of death in the United States in 2020, killing more people than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined. At this time, there is no treatment to cure or stop the progression of Alzheimer's disease, and federal funding for research is at risk of being cut, so fundraisers like this one are needed now more than ever.

Dunk Alzheimer’s was started by NSCD alumnus Jonathan Segal, Class of 2015, in honor of his grandmother who was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s at age 60. It was carried on by his younger sister Caroline Segal, who graduated in 2020. And while there are no longer any members of the Segal family enrolled at NSCD, upper school students have stepped up to continue the work they began.

Let Your Voice Be Heard

Wilmette Park District has launched a community survey to shape its future Comprehensive and Strategic Plan.

All Wilmette residents are invited to complete a survey as part of the Wilmette Park District’s Comprehensive and Strategic Planning initiative. The survey, delivered to mailboxes in the last week of January, can be completed on paper, online, or via phone, and will be available for approximately one month.

“The survey is an in-depth and statistically valid effort to gather community feedback as part of the Project Parks and Play initiative,” says Wilmette Park District Executive Director Steve Wilson. "We are committed

to serving the needs of our community and want to hear viewpoints from all our residents—regardless of age, gender, ability, and whether or not they use Park District parks, facilities, or programs. This is an important opportunity for community members to share their thoughts and help shape how the District serves the community over the next decade.”

“So far the feedback we have received has been tremendous,” adds Mike Murdock, President of the Wilmette Park District Board of Park Commissioners. “The Board is

so grateful for the time and thoughtful input folks have shared with us.”

During November and December, residents provided feedback on all aspects of the Park District and shared ideas for future improvements through open houses, focus groups, and the project’s website. Through two open houses, three community pop-up sessions, six focus groups, four feedback stations, and the website feedback, the community response has been significant. On the Project Parks and Play website alone, there were more than 2,280 unique visitors and 413

comments provided. More than 200 of those ideas were for future Park District offerings.

Project Parks and Play is expected to be a 12 to 18-month process, and includes community surveys, resident focus groups, meetings with the public and community organizations, and professional assessments of parks, facilities, and programs for all residents.

For more information, visit the Project Parks and Play website at berrydunn.mysocialpinpoint. com/wilmetteparkdistrict.

Photography courtesy of Joel Lerner

How to Make Your Home Stand Out to Buyers

When you make the decision to sell, it is important to ensure your home is ready, so it captures buyers’ attention. Here are some ways that make your home stand out from the competition.

1. Fix the little things - If things are broken, take the time to fix them so it doesn’t distract buyers from your home’s other features.

2. Declutter your home - This means getting rid of things on surfaces, putting away family pictures and making the house look show ready.

3. Clean your house and keep it that way! - You never know when you might have a showing, so always make sure the beds are made, dishes are put away and clutter is hidden.

4. Paint - If your advisor suggests painting, make sure to use neutral colors. At a minimum touchup spots that may be chipped, so everything looks fresh.

5. Light fixtures - Do you have older light fixtures? Consider changing them to give a quick boost to your home.

One of the services I provide when selling a home is a walk through to give you ideas on what you should do to get your home ready. Together we will work on a plan to make your home stand out to buyers!

BANK WITH A PURPOSE

BY MITCH HURST THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

John Calk considers himself a corporate brat. The Chairman and CEO of The Federal Savings bank grew up all over the world, but in 8th grade his family settled in Lincolnshire, where Calk attended Stevenson High School. The experience living in distant countries would leave a deep imprint on his life.

“Because of living abroad a big chunk of my life as a young man, I had a super high level of patriotism. I was very, very proud to be an American,” Calk says. “Unusually for people in the Lake Forest/ Lincolnshire area, I made the decision to apply to join the Army to pay for college. I didn’t apply to West Point. I wasn’t interested in that, but I did apply and receive a congressional scholarship which is a full ride to any college you can get in to.”

Calk attended the Indiana University Kelly School of Business, which was a somewhat unusual move for an undergrad headed into the Army. He says that in those days the military wanted engineers, but he nabbed one of the few scholarships available for business majors.

“I was an armor officer and tank platoon leader and went on active duty for a short amount of time, but then the Berlin Wall fell, and the last thing the government wanted in those days was a bunch of 2nd Lieutenants driving tanks around West Germany,” he says. “I was switched to pay back my scholarship as a reserve officer, so I spent the remainder of my time in the United States Army Reserves. That was something that was very special and has been very impactful in my life.”

After his time in the military, Calk attended the legendary General Electric two-year management program and landed a spot in management at GE Capital. That lasted six or seven years until the late ‘90s when his older brother introduced him to the home lending business.

“He talked me into coming to work with him, so I moved my family back to Chicago and I became a partner in a small mortgage banking company called Chicago Bancorp in Chicago,” he says. “I began raising my family here, married my wife Kathleen—she and

I both met at GE—and we’ve raised six kids here in the Lake Forest area. We’ve been in Lake Forest for about 20 years now.”

Calk stayed with Chicago Bancorp through the mid-2000s when the real estate market fell into freefall. While Chicago Bancorp could weather the storm, new regulations requiring state-bystate licensing for mortgage companies and their bankers created a very challenging environment in which to do business.

“In 2007, I was 40 years old, and I had six children under the age of 12 and I was wondering if this business would even exist in the future,” he says. “We did something very unique in that we went out and tried to find a federally chartered bank that we could buy.”

The federal charter would allow Calk and his business partners to operate in any state without the onerous state licensing requirements. They found a small bank in Overland Park, Kansas, in 2010 and closed on the purchase in 2011. They quickly renamed it The Federal Savings Bank and shortly thereafter moved the charter to Chicago, where the bank is headquartered today.

“We’ve been singularly focused on building the business since 2011. Any small bank needs to have its niche, and our niche is helping people buy homes,” Calk says. “Helping people find a place called home is our tagline, and we’ve been very successful in doing that.

In just the last two to three years, The Federal Savings Bank has done more than 40,000 lending transactions, home loans totaling over $30 billion. As a federally chartered bank, the bank can get involved in any business as other chartered banks such as Chase and Wells Fargo, but it chooses to stay focused on a business that it knows very well. Mortgage lending to veterans is a priority.

“We do a lot of veteran home loans because the owners of the bank are veterans and we have a lot of commonalities and we believe that’s a good use of our purpose,” says Calk. “About 30 percent of our lending is to veterans.”

The Federal Savings Bank operates two branches in the Chicago area—one in Lake Forest and one in Logan Square—and has 45 offices serving every single state in the country.

“There’s two ways that we differentiate ourselves. Big banks make a lot of their money from investment banking and trading and wealth management,” he says. “The individual mom and pop home loan doesn’t really have the attractiveness of senior manage-

ment that it would have in a family-owned bank, so that’s kind of our bread and butter.”

The bank can also write loans that big mortgage lenders might shy away from because they generally take their cues from Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. For example, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae have shied away from buying mortgages for second homes and investment properties. The Federal Savings Bank is well-positioned to make those loans because they can keep them in the bank’s portfolio. The bank is also in the retail banking business and Calk says their community-oriented approach fits right in with the bank’s overall operating philosophy.

“We have a beautiful bank branch in downtown Lake Forest, and we also have a branch in Logan Square. We’re a bank that needs to raise deposits and that’s how we fund transactions,” Calk says. “Having those relationships with individual customers, you can still operate that way, and people still want to come in and talk to the teller and the bank reps locally.”

Back before Calk and his partners purchased the bank that would become The Federal Savings Bank, he followed another of his passions that was close to his heart and home. In 2001, right around the 9/11 attacks, he and his wife, Kathleen, founded East Lake Academy, a private Pre-K through 8th Grade Catholic school in west Lake Forest.

“I’m very attracted to my Roman Catholic faith, and we were inspired to found East Lake Academy in 2001. Kathleen has been the 2nd Grade teacher there and now is the head of accounting and bookkeeping,” he says. “I’ve served as President since its founding, and each year we educate more than 150 kids on the west side of Lake Forest.”

The bank is committed to the school as well, and funds scholarships for 30 qualifying children of active-duty military families from Great Lakes Naval Station. The bank runs an annual golf outing at Deerpath Golf Course that raises between $200,000 to $300,000 dollars a year to fund the scholarships.

“We’re super passionate about Catholic education and private education and what it can provide,” Calk says.

The Federal Savings Bank is located at 664 N. Western Ave. in Lake Forest; 847-234-8484; thefederalsavingsbank.com

The Federal Savings Bank, with branches in Chicago and Lake Forest and loan service offices throughout the country, brings a personal touch to its mortgage lending and retail banking business.

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North

North

CURTAINS UP

The 11th annual Chicago Theatre Week celebrates the best of our world-renowned theater scene, with value-priced tickets at stages throughout Chicago and the North Shore.

EDITED BY SHERRY THOMAS THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

What’s your Chicago story? We all have one. And starting February 16, some of the best stories on our area stages will be featured in the 11th annual Chicago Theatre Week—a celebration of the fearless artists that make our local theater scene second to none.

From the heart of the loop to the North Shore, discounted tickets to more than 100 performances and theaters open the doors to an extraordinary range of performances. For as little as $15 or $30, you can experience the best of Chicago theater, from musicals and improv to dramas, ballets, comedy, and beyond.

Sponsored by the League of Chicago

Theatres in partnership with Choose Chicago, Chicago Theatre Week continues through February 26. And don’t miss out on special dining offers for Chicago Theatre Week patrons at a long list of participating restaurants.

While we can’t highlight every performance or theater on this incredible lineup (read to the end of the story for the full list of participating venues and restaurants), here are 10 Chicago and North Shore productions (in alphabetical order) you won’t want to miss.

Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Chicago

Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s WorldStage Series returns after a two-year hiatus with groundbreaking theatermaker Emma Rice’s exuberant reimagining of Emily Brontë’s gothic masterpiece, Wuthering Heights. The wild moors of Yorkshire are the setting for an epic story of love, revenge, and redemption. An orphaned Heathcliff is adopted by the Earnshaws and taken to live at Wuthering Heights—where he finds a kindred spirit in Catherine. As they grow up together, a fierce love ignites between them—and when forced apart, a brutal chain of events is unleashed. The production combines live music, dance, puppetry, and a dash of impish irreverence to create an intoxicating revenge tragedy for our time. Hailed a Critic’s Pick by The New York Times, this wildly imaginative theatrical event from the UK is a co-production with the National Theatre, Wise Children, Bristol Old Vic, and York Theatre Royal in association with Berkeley Repertory Theatre. Wuthering Heights runs as a special limited engagement in The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare.

Chicago Shakespeare Theater is at 800 E. Grand Avenue in Chicago. Use promo code: CTW23.

Citadel Theatre, Lake Forest Citadel Theatre presents The Christians, written by Lucas Hnath and directed by Scott

Westerman. Twenty years ago, Pastor Paul’s church was nothing more than a modest storefront. Now he presides over a congregation of thousands, with classrooms for Sunday School, a coffee shop in the lobby, and a baptismal font as big as a swimming pool. Today should be a day of celebration. But Paul is about to preach a sermon that will shake the foundations of his church’s belief. A big-little play about faith in America—and the trouble with changing your mind—The Christians tackles a theological battle and the mystery of faith. Described by Hnath "a debate over a particular point of theology rather than a play about believers vs non believers,” he says the goal is to show a series of arguments and try to create an understanding of what’s at stake in those arguments. “By showing what's at stake in a particular belief or argument,” he says, “there's a kind of pathway to empathy.

Citadel Theatre is located at 300 S. Waukegan Road in Lake Forest. Use promo code: CTW23.

Court Theater, Chicago

Jeff Award-winning director Vanessa Stalling returns to Court Theatre to bring Fen, her striking clarity and fresh perspective to the path-breaking text that won Caryl Churchill the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize and cemented her reputation as one of our greatest living playwrights. On the marshy fens of eastern England in the 1980s, ghosts of the past haunt the women who labor as tenant farmers in the potato fields and who lead lives essentially unchanged from their 19th-century forebears. When Val seizes on a new relationship as a path to escape the crushing bonds of work, poverty, and family,

she is confronted with the explosive repercussions of her decision. Employing astonishing theatrical imagery, Churchill’s Fen shows with grace and sly humor how the intricate pressures of gender and class both shape and distort the characters of women.

Court Theatre is located at 5535 S. Ellis Avenue in Chicago. Use promo code: CTW23.

Goodman Theater, Chicago

The sensational true story of the first woman to play professional baseball knocks it out of the park as a can’t-miss theatrical event. Toni Stone is an encyclopedia of baseball stats. She’s got a

great arm. And she doesn’t understand why she can't play with the boys. Rejected by the AllAmerican Girls Professional Baseball League because of her race, Toni sets out to become the first woman to play in baseball’s Negro Leagues. Challenges on and off the field—from hostile crowds to players who slide spikes-first—only steel her resolve to shatter racist and sexist barriers in the sport she’s loved since childhood. An original play inspired by the book Curveball, The Remarkable Story of Toni Stone by Martha Ackmann, this New York Times Critic’s Pick will have you cheering along.

Goodman Theatre is located at 170 N. Dearborn Street in Chicago. Use promo code: CTW23.

Joffrey Ballet, Chicago

The Joffrey Ballet remounts Yuri Possokhov’s blockbuster Anna Karenina at the historic Lyric Opera House for the first time since its crowdpleasing world premiere in 2019. Based on the novel by Leo Tolstoy, Possokhov’s immersive adaptation—winner of the 2019 “Oscars of Dance” Benois de la Danse International Prize for Best Choreography—features an original composition by award-winning composer Ilya Demutsky, costumes and sets by Emmy Awardwinning designer Tom Pye, and lighting by famed designer David Finn.

Love is all-consuming for the beautiful but married Anna, who finds herself caught in a life-changing affair with the dashing Count Vronsky. Set in the late 19th century of Imperial Russia, Tolstoy’s classic shows the triumph of romance, family, and faith against a backdrop of fraught political and social transformation. With countless adaptations across ballet,

Wuthering Heights

Curveball, The Remarkable Story of Toni Stone

theatre, opera, and film, Anna Karenina is often considered the earliest example of modernist literature and one of the greatest works of literature in history.

Lyric Opera House is located at 20 N. Wacker Drive in Chicago. Use promo code: CTW23.

Lookingglass Theater, Chicago

Charlotte Brontë’s undiscovered gem, Villette, offers a hero unlike any you’ve encountered before. Suddenly without family, friends, or funds, young Lucy Snowe journeys unaccompanied to an unfamiliar land armed only with determination, a fiercely dry sense of humor, and her prodigious brain. She soon finds herself entangled in romance and intrigue, as a vain debutante, quarrelsome teacher, and mysterious ghost draw her into a complicated maze. Will tenacious Lucy, and her wry wit, emerge intact? An eclectic carousel of characters soon draws Lucy into a complicated maze of multiple doorways leading towards fulfillment or peril— which door should she choose? From the author of the captivating classic Jane Eyre, Brontë’s Villette finds brash, honest life in this adaptation by Lookingglass Artistic Associate Sara Gmitter (In the Garden) and directed by Lookingglass Ensemble Member Tracy Walsh (The Old Curiosity Shop).

Lookingglass Theatre Company is located at 821 N. Michigan Avenue in Chicago. Use promo code: CTW23.

Northlight Theater, Skokie

Northlight Theatre, under the direction of Artistic Director BJ Jones and Executive Director Timothy J. Evans, presents Andy Warhol in Iran by Brent Askari. In 1976, the artist Andy Warhol, having re-invented himself as the portrait painter of the rich and famous, travels to Tehran to take Polaroids of the Shah of Iran’s wife. Amidst taking in the Crown Jewels and ordering room service caviar, Warhol encounters a young revolutionary who throws his plans into turmoil, and opens the pop icon’s eyes to a world beyond himself. This riveting new drama features Chicago favorite Rob Lindley as Andy Warhol. “When I first read Andy Warhol in Iran, it had not yet been produced,” says Jones, who is both producing and directing the show. “Since Andy’s time, the revolutionary events in Iran have changed the balance of the events in the play in an important and intriguing way. It has become a fascinating look at the history of political unrest in Iran and how it informs the current upheaval, led by women. It also reaffirms our own view of the dangers of theocracy to a democratic state. Andy Warhol and Farhad are both revolutionaries: Andy a disrupter as an artist, and Farhad, seeking to overthrow the Shah. These two revolutionaries meet and realize their deeper connections rather than their obvious differences.”

Northlight Theatre is located inside the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts at 9501 Skokie Boulevard in Skokie. Use promo code: NLCTW23.

Steppenwolf Theater, Chicago

Steppenwolf for Young Adults presents the world premiere adaptation of Mahogany L.

Browne’s popular young adult novel, Chlorine Sky—an intimate coming-of-age story told in verse about two girls who are best friends, until they aren’t. “Ok, so boom. / We ain’t friends anymore.” Sky and Lay Li were always in sync. But now their rhythms are changing; Sky likes swimming, and Lay Li is all about beauty. Sky, basketball; Lay Li, boys. Things just make more sense underwater and on the court. Sometimes, growing up means growing apart.

Steppenwolf Theatre Company is located at 1650 N. Halsted Street in Chicago. Use promo code: CTW23.

The Second City, Chicago

It’s love at first laugh with The Second City! Bring your partner, lover, significant other, spouse, platonic BFF, or your spectacularly single self to The Second City Swipes Right: An Incomplete Guide to The Ultimate Date Night, the brand-new experience you’ve been longing for. Spend a naughty 90 minutes with our caliente cast of comedians as they (consensually) annihilate everything that turns us on—and off— about love, dating, relationships, and everything else in-between the sheets!

This show is at the UP Comedy Club at The Second City, located at 230 W. North Avenue in Chicago. Use promo code: CTW23.

Writers Theater, Glencoe

Writers Theater’s Once is a soft-spoken, deeply felt musical about the forces that compel us to reach out to one another and hold on for dear life. Guy is a young Irish musician ready to give up his career because his songs, written about his ex-girlfriend, are too heartbreaking to perform any more. When he encounters Girl, an inquisitive young Czech woman who believes he could win his ex back by playing to her in New York City, he resumes writing and performing—now with Girl. As the two form their band and write new songs together, a love grows between them—one that inspires and challenges them. This 2012 Tony Award-winner for Best Musical is based on the 2007 Irish

musical film and features gorgeous songs like the Oscar-winning “Falling Slowly.” Performed by an accomplished cast of actors playing their own instruments on the intimate Nichols Theatre stage, this will be a Once like you’ve never seen it before.

Writers Theatre is located at 325 Tudor Court in Glencoe. Use promo code: CTW23.

Dining Deals and More

Some of Chicago’s finest restaurants are doing their part to support Chicago theaters and Chicago Theatre Week patrons with a variety of special deals, including discounts (10 to 20 percent), happy hour specials, pris fixe specials, complimentary appetizers, and other promotions. Your Chicago Theatre Week ticket gets you access to one of these deals at the following Chicago restaurants: Port and Part Bistro; Fig & Olive; Porter Kitchen & Deck; Bistronomic; Forte at Symphony Center; Tortoise Supper

Club; Mercat la Planxa; Robert’s Pizza; Formento’s; Saigon Sisters; Tao Chicago; Barcocina; Jaleo by Jose Andres; Lirica Restaurant; Lil' Ba-Ba-Reeba!; Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeb; Sociale Chicago; Atwood Chicago; Carlucci; Gene & Georgetti Restaurant; Harry Caray’s Italian Steakhouse; Harry Caray’s; Harry Caray’s 7th Inning Stretch; and Napolita at Millennium Hall.

In addition to the theaters listed in this feature, other participating Chicago Theatre Week venues include: A Theater in the Dark; Actor’s Gymnasium; Aguijon Theater; Beverly Theatre Guild; Bienen School of Music (Northwestern); Blue Man Group; Broadway in Bronzeville; Broadway In Chicago; Buffalo Theatre Ensemble; Cabaret ZaZou; Chicago Symphony Orchestra; City Lit Theatre; Collaboraction Theatre Co; Columbia College Chicago; Defintion Theatre; DePaul School of Music; Dominican University Performing Arts; Drunk Shakespeare; Drury Lane Theatre; First Folio Theatre; Greenhouse Theatre Center; Harris Theater for Music and Dance; Invictus Theatre Company; iO Theatre; Lifeline Theatre; Loyola University Fine Arts; MadKap Productions; Marriott Theatre; McAninch Arts Center; Mercury Theater Chicago; Metropolis Performing Arts Center; Nuns4Fun Entertainment; Oil Lamp Theater; Paramount Theatre; Porchlight Music Theatre; PrideArts; Raven Theatre; Redtwist Theatre; Remy Bumppo Theatre Company; Saint Sebastian Players; Shattered Globe Theatre; The Drama Group; The Factory Theater; The Neo-Futurists; Theatre School at DePaul; Three Brothers Theatre; TimeLine Theatre Company; Trap Door Theatre; Wirtz Center (Northwestern); and Young People’s Theatre of Chicago.

For more information about Chicago Theatre Week, visit chicagotheatreweek.com. You can also follow @chicagoplays on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook for updates and announcements.

Anna Karenina

Andy Warhol in Iran

EDITED BY DUSTIN O'REGAN ILLUSTRATION BY TOM BACHTELL

For KATIE TAYLOR, protecting kids and empowering families to lift themselves out of generational poverty is personal. The mother of three fled to the United States as a political refugee with her parents when she was 6 years old, with nothing but one small suitcase. Inspired by the Chicago skyline and professionals hustling by with a sense of purpose, Taylor determined that she would change her family’s story. Through a combination of fierce will, endless grace, and positive relationships within the community, she helped her family achieve the American Dream and has dedicated her life to paying it forward. She is a constant in her community through volunteer work and is passionate about teaching her children the power of philanthropy, positive relationships, and giving back full circle. Taylor recently played an instrumental role in strategy at Northwestern Settlement, where she oversaw all fundraising and communications for the organization. We can’t wait to see what is in store as she brings that knowledge, personal experience, and passion to her very own nonprofit consulting business, Propel Social Good, partnering with nonprofits to create positive transformational change. Here is how this graceful advocate stays on-trend.

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#IN MY EARBUDS

“I wish I could say it’s a beautiful Chopin piece, but it’s actually murder-mystery podcasts. The problem-solver in me can’t get enough stories of how detectives are able to piece together evidence and solve a crime. One of my all-time favorites is The Thing About Pam.”

#ON MY NIGHTSTAND

“Finding Me, Viola Davis’ memoir. Reading about her journey of self-discovery hit home harder than I expected, and I’ve found so much inspiration not only for my own life but to bring with me into the communities I serve. One of my favorite quotes is: ‘Do not live someone else’s life and someone else’s idea of what womanhood is. Womanhood is you. Womanhood is everything that’s inside of you.’”

OSCAR WORTHY

Close and The Quiet Girl, two exquisite coming-of-age stories that will be competing in the 95th Academy Awards’ foreign film category next month, each get a 4-star review.

BY REX REED THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND CLOSE

RUNNING TIME: 1 hour, 45 minutes

RATING: 4 stars

THE QUIET GIRL

RUNNING TIME: 1 hour, 34 minutes

RATING: 4 stars

With so many bad American movies cluttering the market this week, I find it more interesting and rewarding to take a look at some of the foreign films that will be competing in the forthcoming Academy Awards on March 12. Two of the best that I recommend with 4 stars and no reservations are in the same coming-of-age genre, with equally exquisite results.

From Belgium, Close is a fresh, moving and unforgettable chronicle of masculine trust and devotion between two 13-year-old boys from neighboring farms who experience a blush of first love they don’t understand because it happens to be not with outsiders, but with each other. Sharp and talented and sensitive, Leo and Remi have grown up together, bicycled to school every day together, spent almost every night together, and bonded. Leo is athletic and outgoing, while Remi is a musical prodigy who naively dreams of fame and fortune in concerts with a classical orchestra.

As they mature, their feelings grow, slowly but intensely. At school, the other kids innocently tease them, jokingly calling them a married couple. As their interests become more divisive, Leo pulls away and devotes his energy to sports, leaving less time for Remi. They grow apart, as teenagers do when they outgrow each other. So why do they feel sadness, loss, resentment, and then anger?

Clearly they are experiencing the complex emotions of first love without the knowledge or sophistication to define their feelings. Eventually they resort to violence. They don’t understand their feelings or comprehend why they even have them. When Remi dies unexpectedly (illness, suicide, a broken heart?) all of Leo’s conflicting emotions collide, leaving him lost and unable to cope.

It’s important to point out that this relationship is not sexual, and there is not a single hint of homosexuality, but the movie is heartbreaking precisely because it proves that even teenagers are capable of intense emotional feelings even if they don’t know what those feelings are. In a scene similar to the one in Brokeback Mountain when Heath Ledger pays a posthumous visit to Jake Gyllenhaal’s old room and caresses a shirt still hanging in the closet, Leo rekindles a friendship with Remi’s mom and feels a wave of emotion running through his body like a disturbing chill when he remembers what it was like when his best friend still lived there.

The ages are decades apart but the feelings are the same. Belgian writer-director Lukas Dhont sustains the balance of mood and physical beauty with a thrilling eloquence and Eden Dambrine as Leo and Gustav DeWaele as Remi are stunning young discoveries who will not easily be forgotten.

Meanwhile, from Ireland, The Quiet Girl, made with sensitivity and care by first-time writer-director Colm Bairead, combines serene editing, quiet reserves of strength, and subdued performances that allow you to think and feel instead of just watch.

It mercifully uses words sparingly, without the padded pointlessness injected by most commercially driven American filmmakers to give viewers more time to waste more money at the concession stand. Movies rarely attempt to show the power in what is understated and restrained; this one is truly about what happens between the lines to fill in the spaces.

Set in 1981, the narrative explores the tortured world of a 9-yearold girl named Cait (superbly played by enchanting newcomer Catherine Clinch), one of four children born to a father who gambled away the family’s resources and a downtrodden mother pregnant with her fifth baby.

Neglected at home, bullied at school, and falling behind on her reading, Cait is one more problem her parents don’t want to deal with, so they send her away to live with some unknown older relatives for the summer on a dairy farm in the middle of nowhere. It is there that dirty, confused, ragged, underprivileged Cait finds the warmth, attention, and clean clothes she has been denied at home without the harsh indifference and cruelty she used to get from something as simple as wetting the bed.

Over time, Cait experiences a transformation that changes her life, brought on by total strangers. It’s amazing how life-affirming something as simple as leaving an extra cookie on the table beside an empty plate can be.

It’s all accomplished through trial and error, but mainly through a colorful palette of emotional grace and intensity in director Bairead’s clean, orderly script, and the sweet, reserved, emotional directness of Catherine Clinch’s blue eyes. Spoken in undecipherable Gaelic with merciful English subtitles, you feel what she’s feeling through nuance instead of dialogue. What a triumph for a debut director. I can’t wait to see what he does next.

Close and The Quiet Girl may not be the kind of movies that lure record-breaking crowds, but they are a pair of films for which adjectives like gentle, lyrical, and heartbreaking were invented.

Illustration by Tom Bachtell

Famed film critic Rex Reed weighs in on Close and The Quiet Girl.

Close The Quiet Girl

Coldwell Banker and the Coldwell Banker logos are trademarks of Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. The Coldwell Banker System and Dawn McKenna Group fully support the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. *Source: #1 Team in Illinois among all brokerages ranked by Wall Street Journal RealTrends The Thousand 2022.

Sweet Heart of a Tart

Vegan Fresh Fruit and Custard Tart (gluten, dairy, and egg free).

BY MONICA KASS ROGERS THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

Whenever I hear the words, “Valentine’s Day,” this rhyme always comes to mind:

The Queen of Hearts, She made some tarts, All on a summer’s day; The Knave of Hearts, He stole those tarts, And took them clean away.

These lines, written in the 1700s by an anonymous poet, were part of a poem inspired by a deck of playing cards with each suit represented by rather scandalous stanzas. From spades to diamonds to clubs, there’s drubbing, clubbing, seduction, and shenanigans, and a knave in each verse. Set to music in 1785, I can’t help but wonder if the song was popular at rowdier pubs of the era.

All that aside, this beautiful tart shares none of the poem’s wickedness. It is both worthy of a queen and healthy for your heart. Featuring a gluten and dairy-free crust, it’s filled with a delicate coconut-almond milk custard (dairy and egg free) and topped with fresh strawberries and raspberries. You can glaze the tart with a little melted jelly if you like, but it’s freshly sweet without it.

Serves 8

INGREDIENTS

For the crust:

• 2 cups almond flour

• 1 cup gluten-free flour

• 1 stick (1/2 cup) cold vegan butter (use solid sticks, not whipped), plus more to coat tart pan

• 2 tablespoons sugar

• Finely grated zest of one lemon

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 2 tablespoons very cold almond milk

For the custard:

• 1, 13.5 fl. oz. can coconut milk

• 2/3 cup almond milk

• 1/4 cup pure cane sugar

• 1/4 cup corn starch

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla paste or 1/8 teaspoon seeds scraped from a vanilla bean (optional)

For fresh fruit topping:

• 1 cup fresh raspberries

• 1 pound container fresh strawberries, hulled and cut into thin slices to make heart shapes

METHOD

Make crust:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously coat the sides and bottom of a removable-bottom 11-inch tart pan with vegan butter. Set aside. In a wide, shallow bowl, stir dry crust ingredients together with a fork. Cut vegan butter in small pieces over the dry ingredients. Using a fork or fingertips, break butter into small pieces and work into the flour until mixture resembles wet sand. Add 2 tablespoons almond milk and work into the dough. Gather dough into a ball. Spread work surface with two overlapping pieces of plastic wrap to make a 13-inch x 13-inch square. Flatten dough into a disc in the center of the wrap. Cover with two more overlapping pieces of plastic wrap to make a 13-inch x 13-inch square over the top. Roll dough out to a 12-inch circle. Remove and discard top sheets of plastic wrap. Lift and flip dough circle over into prepared tart pan. Press dough into pan, using the trim to patch any cracks. Prick bottom with tines of a fork. Cut parchment paper to fit bottom of tart; place into crust-lined tart pan. Fill with dry beans or pie weights. Bake for 15 minutes at 350. Remove parchment and beans; bake for 15 more minutes until crust is golden. Remove tart crust from oven. Cool on a rack.

Make custard:

Combine all ingredients in a heavy-bottomed saucepot, over medium heat. Break up the coconut solids. Whisk just until mixture begins to boil. Reduce heat to low and continue whisking until thickened. Remove from heat. Scoop custard into a wide bowl to cool to room temperature.

Assemble tart:

Once custard has cooled to room temperature, smooth custard into cooled tart crust. Push up on the removable tart pan bottom to carefully press tart out of tart pan; place on serving platter. Place tart in refrigerator for 30 minutes or a bit more until custard has set. Remove from refrigerator. Decoratively arrange raspberries and spiral fresh strawberry slices on top of the custard. Serve immediately.

Photography by Monica Kass Rogers

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Working with Ms. Pepoon was an absolute stress-less pleasure. While it’s always beneficial to have a wonderful, attractive, and well-built home to sell, it still takes a certain modicum of professional expertise to stage, market, attract potential buyers, and close a sale. Jackie excels on every level, and made me, the seller, feel as though I was her only client (which I knew I was not!). The Pepoon business model includes the more senior Barbara Pepoon, and they together provide a real estate team that can appeal to buyers and sellers of all ages and stations in life. They communicate well and provide path-forward guidance in an engaging and professionally friendly way. I’d use them again without even a 2nd thought!

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EARLY BIRD

Before 6:00pm • Weeknights only

Available Lunch & Dinner • Tuesday thru Friday

Soup Du Jour or House Salad

Choice of Grilled Whitefish Provencale or Lemon Caper or Almondine or Coq Au Vin or Braised Chicken Basquaise

$22.95

House Choice Glass of Wine

$7

Offer Not Available on Valentine’s Day

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On Saturday, March 11, at the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center Hotel a gala co-hosted by former Chicago Bear Wendell Davis and actress/model Amanda Booth, will be a tribute to Gigi’s Playhouse founders and innovations in the Down syndrome community. You can expect athletes from the Retired Professional Football Players of Chicago, musical guest 7th Heaven, an incredible auction of one-of-a-kind items, and more. GiGi’s Playhouse opened its first playhouse 20 years ago. Fast forward to today and there are 61 locations and startups across the U.S. and Mexico. Their 99 percent volunteer-run model serves families in 83 countries with purposeful, progressive, and free programs. For more information and to purchase your table or tickets, visit gigisplayhouse.org/gala.

Amanda Booth and Micah Quinones

Lexi Zambrzycki, Bella Gianni, GiGi Gianni, Demi Anastasiou

ON A ROLE

Winnetka native Maddie McCormick—an alumna of the Lake Forest Children’s Theatre Company and Children’s Theatre of Winnetka—lands breakthrough gig, starring as the lead in the Passionflix series The Secret Life of Amy Bensen

BY BILL MCLEAN ILLUSTRATION BY BARRY BLITT

The first word Maddie McCormick ever uttered at her home in Winnetka wasn’t “Mama” or “Dada.”

It was “beast.”

“I loved the movie Beauty and the Beast at a young age,” says McCormick, a graduate of New Trier High School and UCLA. “I’d shout, ‘Beast, beast, beast,’ at home whenever I wanted to watch it again.”

Later, shortly after her vocabulary reached double figures, McCormick declared, “I want to move to Los Angeles and become an actor,” to her parents, Catherine Grace O’Connell and Tony McCormick.

McCormick has lived in Los Angeles since 2009. Her profession?

Acting.

“The highs in acting are very high, and the lows in acting can get pretty low,” says McCormick, whose credits include appearing on a couple of episodes of Showtime’s Shameless and a role in the 2018 television movie Christmas at Pemberley Manor, which aired on the Hallmark Channel.

“There were times I asked myself, ‘Why am I doing this?’ But what kept me going, what will always keep me going, is knowing that I’ve never felt so alive as I do when I’m performing.”

McCormick’s career reached an Alps-high point in late December, with the airing of Episode One of the Passionflix series The Secret Life of Amy Bensen. Elon Musk’s younger sister, Tosca, created the Passionflix streaming platform and production company in 2017.

The suspense-thriller series—the sixth and final 30-minute episode of Season One streamed January 26—is based on author Lisa Renee Jones’ bestselling Amy Bensen book series. McCormick portrays Amy Bensen, a woman who has spent several years on the run from an unknown danger after losing her entire family in an accident.

“I was nervous and scared about taking on the role, because of the expectations of the book series’ fan base,” admits McCormick, normally fearless. “I’d wondered if I would have to carry the series. I called a friend, who told me, ‘If you’re scared, you have to do it.’”

An image of McCormick, no surprise, predominates the series’ poster. That happens when you’re No. 1 on a call sheet. And a photo of McCormick—trained by acting coaches and Highland Park natives Lesly Kahn and Susan “Sooze” Handelman—adorns the covers of the re-released Amy Bensen books.

“It’s a cool, strong character,” McCormick says, adding that Season Two of The Secret Life

of Amy Bensen was filmed ahead of the premiere on December 22. “The days on-set were long, 12-14 hours; I’m in practically every scene. But I loved the challenge and working with the actors and crew. There was a scene of me looking right at the camera, which, to the viewer, served as a mirror. I had to cry for the scene, because Amy’s parents and brother had died in a fire. I had no problem crying because I had empathy for Amy’s character from the start of the scene.”

Filming of the scene ended.

Cast and crew then applauded McCormick’s performance.

William H. Macy and his Shameless colleagues clapped for McCormick, too, after a table reading.

“I couldn’t believe that, seeing the William H. Macy do that,” McCormick says. “Emmy

Rossum (Fiona Gallagher, in Shameless) was so good to me. One day, she took me outside and said, ‘Anything you need, come to me. I’m here for you.’

“I would love, someday, to be on a gritty drama series, something like Ozark. To be on-set and learn from A-list co-stars, that would thrill me. Seeing other actors act inspires me. When I watched On the Waterfront, the performances by Eva Marie Saint and Marlon Brando moved me. Actors acting in my acting classes move me.”

McCormick landed her very first speaking role as a youngster in the production of Cinderella at the Lake Forest Children’s Theatre Company. She was a mouse, squeaking the line, “Don’t ask me; I just work here.”

But getting a nonspeaking part, in the fifth grade—as a cheerleader in the Children’s The-

atre of Winnetka’s musical Good News, alongside future best friend and professional actor Natalie Pelletier—nearly launched an elated McCormick to Neptune.

“I saw my name at the top of the cast list, after auditions, and immediately thought, ‘Yes, I made it to the big leagues,’ ” McCormick says. “I was on top of the world. It didn’t bother me in the least that I wouldn’t get to speak or sing. This was Children’s Theatre of Winnetka, a big deal.

“That was a moment of pure joy,” she adds.

McCormick portrayed Minnie Fay in the Children’s Theatre of Winnetka (CTW) production of Hello, Dolly as an eighth grader.

CTW is a nonprofit, volunteer organization dedicated to promoting theatrical performances for New Trier Township children, grades 4-8. It will stage its next show, Singin’ in the Rain, April 27-30.

“I loved that movie, loved the high-pitched, Hollywood starlet character (Lina Lamont),” says McCormick, who lives a nine-minute drive from Pelletier in Los Angeles. “I’m excited for everyone involved in Children’s Theatre of Winnetka, kids and adults. I will always be grateful for the opportunities I got to perform there and at New Trier.

“I’m so passionate about the arts, and I’m a big proponent of putting lots of money into it, especially to (nonprofits like CTW). Acting built my confidence, taught me a lot, gave me a skill set, allowed me to do what I wanted to do since I was little—tell stories. And I made lifelong friends through acting.”

She met her future husband, Michael Short, when they took classes together as film minors at UCLA. McCormick majored in psychology.

Short now works for a tech startup in California.

“He’d been my close friend for two years when he asked me out on a date,” McCormick recalls. “I told him, ‘No,’ because I didn’t want to risk losing him as a friend. I then called up Natalie (studying in North Carolina at the time) and asked her for advice.”

Pelletier told McCormick to go on the date.

“You want to hear something funny?” McCormick says. “Natalie said, while encouraging me to change my mind, ‘Hey, he didn’t ask you to marry him.’”

Maddie and Michael got married 10 years later.

“My husband and I have two mantras this year,” McCormick says. “One is, ‘Upward spiral.’ The other is, ‘What goes up, can go higher.’”

Children’s Theatre of Winnetka stages its productions at Community House Winnetka, 620 Lincoln Avenue, in Winnetka. Its next show, Singin’ in the Rain, runs April 27-30. Visit childrenstheatrewinnetka.com for more information.

But what kept me going, what will always keep me going, is knowing that I’ve never felt so alive as I do when I’m performing.

Maddie McCormick

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