FEBRUARY 10 IS ANDY ROBINSON DAY IN CHICAGO!

Each Showcase, The Academy recognizes a long-serving faculty member for their enormous contribution to our community and culture with the “Faculty Legacy Award.” This year, we are delighted to announce that Musical Theatre Chair Andy Robinson will accept our fifth annual award. Andy has been a fixture in the Academy community since 2007 and has led the Musical Theatre Department since 2011. We hope that you will join our community in the celebration of "Andy Robinson Day" at our All-School Showcase on February 10. 

Follow the link below to purchase tickets! It is important to us that everyone can attend Showcase. If you are in a position to sponsor tickets to help a family, friend, or alum attend the event, we encourage you to do so. You can sponsor tickets by selecting "Donate a ticket" on the checkout page. 

2023 All-School Showcase
​Honoring Andy Robinson
​Proudly presented by Dominique Leonardi
​Friday, February 10 • 7:30
​The Athenaeum Center for Thought and Culture

TICKETS

Andy Robinson graduated cum laude from Rhodes College with an Interdisciplinary Bachelor of Arts in English and Religious Studies in 1989, where he received awards for outstanding religious studies student and the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award for service to the college. He received his Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary at Columbia University in 1996, winning the Travelers’ Fellowship for outstanding future educator. He received his Master of Science in Educational Theatre from New York University in 2006.
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​While in New York City he taught at the Cornelia Connelly Center for Education and the Village Community School—in both cases teaching humanities and theatre.
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​While at NYU, he was a founding member of the company Shakespeare-to-Go, which brought free Shakespeare to school children all over the five boroughs, with the company traveling on subways with two trunks of props and costumes to get to gigs. In 2006 he moved to Chicago, where his professional credits have included work with Porchlight Music Theatre, Timeline Theatre, the House Theatre, Red Tape Theatre, and the Chicago Humanities Festival. For nearly twenty years he’s been an artistic associate at the Wagon Wheel Center for the Arts, one of the country’s longest-running summer stock theatres, where he has acted in dozens of shows, created youth programs, and directed productions.
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​In 2007 Andy joined the Academy to collaborate with Pat Rusk on the expansion of the Musical Theatre Department’s curriculum. Andy brought a commitment to producing Sondheim with the Department’s students, including Company, Into the Woods, Merrily We Roll Along, A Little Night Music, and Sunday in the Park with George. Other shows he helmed include City of Angels, Urinetown, Anything Goes, Grease, The Pirates of Penzance, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, and most recently Spring Awakening. In 2012, Ben Dicke and he started the Academy Shakespeare Festival which has now brought 27 productions of Shakespeare’s works to the Academy over its decade in existence. ​
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​As part of the Humanities Department, Andy has taught 9th Grade English, American Literature, Shakespeare as Literature and Drama, and World Religions. In addition to directing and acting, Andy moonlights as a designer, prop-builder, and scenic artist.

Save the Date! Inspire: The Red Carpet Gala

Walk down the red carpet at The Chicago Academy for the Arts Gala! Join us in celebrating our students, staff, and supporters who have continued to make a transformative impact on the school for over four decades. ​
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​This year, we awarded more than $1.5 million in need-based financial aid — the most in our history — to families who wouldn’t otherwise have access to this life-changing education. The Academy would not be the place it is without you. This year, we need our community’s support like never before! ​
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​Sponsors that commit by February 17 will be included in our Gala invitation. Your support makes our work possible and ensures the success of our students for years to come.