About Face Turns Ten

By Aaron Bailey in Arts & Entertainment on Jun 9, 2005 3:39PM

Break out the cake and light the candles! About Face Theatre is turning 10 this year and is celebrating tonight at their annual fundraiser gala, the Wonka Ball.

For the last decade, About Face has brought gay and lesbian theater to the Windy City. Most recently, they produced the Chicago premiere of Take Me Out and their youth theatre brought us InsideOUT, a play based on the true stories of local GLBTQ youth.

Tonight's gala features performances and video from About Face's remarkable last decade. The group will present their Leppen Leadership Award to State Representative Sara Feigenholtz and Lambda Legal Defense Fund for their work to pass legislation banning workplace discrimination in Illinois. Photos of last year's Ball are available on ChicagoPride.com.

The Wonka Ball starts at 6p.m. at Architectural Artifacts in Ravenswood. General admission is $150 and VIP tickets are available for $250 and can be purchased on-line. $150 seems like a high price to pay, but Chicagoist is told that the food, drink and entertainment at the event will be spectacular. And, your money will help the Theatre stick around for another 10 years.

While we're on the topic, Chicagoist is anxiously awaiting July 15th when Tim Burton's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory hits theaters. We heart Johnny Depp but let's face it, we're a bit unsure he can fill Gene Wilder's rather large shoes.