Thanks to a referral from photographer Greg Inda, Distant Era had the incredible opportunity to photograph the Northlight Theatre Gala 2023, held at the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe, IL. Greg and I have been shooting together since our first digital photography class in 2007, and he’s photographed Northlight’s gala in the past.
Northlight Theatre
Northlight is one of the largest nonprofit theaters in the Chicago area and one of the theaters I first visited in my early years in Chicago in the late ’90s and early ’00s. In 2018, I accompanied Greg Inda as an assistant on his preproduction/promotional shoot for Northlight’s Nina Simone: Four Women. As a narrative photographer I’d always hoped to shoot for Northlight one day, so I’m exceedingly grateful to Greg for the referral. I’m also grateful to the Northlight staff for their exceptional communication, organization, and kindness, all of which were simply above and beyond. Abundant thanks to Athena, Mara, Annabelle, and artistic director BJ Jones for their time and attention to detail.
Chicago Botanic Garden
There are some things you never get around to when you live in a place. In spite of having landed here in 1997, I finally saw a Chicago Architecture Boat Tour in 2012; visited the top of the Hancock Tower in 2014; and, thanks to the gala, at last made it to the Chicago Botanic Garden in 2023.
Serendipitously, I’d planned to go to the Chicago Botanic Garden as research for a prose project I’d worked on since August but hadn’t had time. Thanks to the Northlight Gala, I was able to accomplish two objectives at once. Seeing the gardens was not only helpful for the project, but now they’re within my compass. Not to mention extraordinarily beautiful. I look forward to visiting them intentionally and regularly from now on.
The Event
I began photography with the Northlight company photo before roving the cocktail hour held in the beautiful bonsai garden. After that, dinner was hosted by Karen Jordan and her husband Christian Farr, broadcast journalists for ABC and NBC respectively, as well as dining editor Julie Chernoff, with music by Matt and Andrew Mueller. After presentations, an auction, and digital frames in the thousands, the hour had grown late, and it was time to pack up.
Meaningful Work
Having begun my career as an actor in Chicago, theatre still remains closest to my heart. It’s one of the pillars of the work that Distant Era creates. Thanks once more to Northlight and to Greg for the opportunity. It was a wonderful evening, and I was honored to take part in it.
Check out Northlight’s photo selections for the event on their gala 2023 page!
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