Face-ing Farewell

This week will be my last as a volunteer/intern at About Face. I am so glad and proud that I have had the chance to work at such an amazing little non-profit. I’ve had several different jobs since I was 15 years old and have learned a lot about what it takes to make a company succeed, but I honestly think that volunteering in this office, working side by side with the key players of this company, have taught me much more than I have ever learned in my previous jobs.

 I realize that it takes passion, ingenuity and a lot of perseverance to make a non-profit theater company a success. The people at About Face work hard—and definitely do overtime as well. I can tell that the people I work with are passionate about the mission of AFT as well; which is to reach out to as many people as possible to promote dialogue about LGBTG issues.

When I go into the office tomorrow for the last time I will be working on thank you letters to send out to vendors from Wonka Ball and also to the wonderful people who attended the event. I am very thankful to About Face because it has given me a chance to work for a cause that I am passionate about and also experience the process of creating a truly exceptional, large-scale event.

For the rest of my life I know I will always carry with me a special place in my heart for the LGBTQ community. Yes, I’ve always supported it—but from working at About Face I have experienced a more in-depth and personal view into this world, making me feel closer to it than ever before. I look forward to keeping in touch with AFT and going to see some of its future performances. The Youth Theatre’s “WHAT’S THE T” is coming up and I know I will try to see that because I am so excited about everything the Youth have been working on for the past few months.

I will miss you, About Face!!!

Check out the upcoming 2012-2013 season for About Face Theatre!

Wonka Ball: A Night to Remember

 This past Friday, March 30^th, was Wonka Ball. The night was a truly fabulous affair and the guests really enjoyed themselves. At 7 pm sharp the VIPs swarmed in to get first dibs on silent auction bids. The open bar, in keeping with the prom theme served a delicious spiked punch while caterers walked around the room serving decadent hors devours. The lighting was perfect, the rainbow-colored balloons where floating in the air, and the night was overall very magical and a great success.

Rewind to before 7 pm though and you would know why. Tons of people were milling around the venue since 9 am prepping for the event. We all had our jobs and I must say everyone did beautifully. Teamwork had a big hand in preparing for Wonka, as it always does when it comes to things that are truly important.

The best part was around 6:45 when all of the employees and volunteers had to stop running around and change for the event. Everyone’s personalities shined when they unveiled their special prom outfits. Wonka Ball raised a lot of money for About Face, but it was also a fun and memorable night for all. Some of the highlights included:

Live and Silent Auctions

Actors who walked around and dressed up as straight and queer prom couples

Prom photo booth

Open bar!

Food and deserts from some of Chicago’s best restaurants

Appearance by DiDa Ritz!

Great music and dancing

DiDa Ritz on stage at Wonka Ball