Columbia College Chicago president Kwang-Wu Kim dedicates The Sheldon Patinkin Theatre at the Columbia College Chicago Theatre Center on September 28, 2015.
Sheldon Patinkin (August 27, 1935-September 21, 2014)
The Columbia College Chicago Theatre Department hosted a reception on Monday, September 28, to celebrate the legacy of the late Sheldon Patinkin–teacher, director, friend, and mentor to thousands of theatre artists around the world, and longtime chair of the Theatre Department. Columbia College Chicago‘s president, Dr. Kwang-Wu Kim, formally dedicated the department’s lower-level studio performance space (formerly the New Studio Theatre) as The Sheldon Patinkin Theatre.
John Green, the Allen and Lynn Turner Chair of the Columbia College Chicago Theatre Department, welcomes attendees to the dedication of The Sheldon Patinkin Theatre
Lynn Patinkin
Stephanie Shaw
Other speakers at the dedication ceremony included Dr. John Green, Sheldon’s successor as chair of the Theatre Department; Lynn Patinkin, Sheldon’s niece; and Stephanie Shaw, an alumna of the Columbia College Theatre Department and now a faculty member there.
Dayle Matchett, chief of staff to Columbia College president Kwang-Wu Kim, and Theatre Department faculty member Susan Padveen, chair of the dedication organizing committee
Columbia College Theatre Department faculty members Heather Gilbert (left) and Dr. Caroline Latta (right) with Columbia College Chicago Provost Dr. Stanley Wearden
Columbia College Chicago Executive Director of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving Miriam Smith and Columbia College alumnus and Theatre Department teacher Albert Williams
Robert Shook and Elbrey Harrell
Columbia College Chicago Theatre Department associate chair Paul Amandes, Columbia College alumnus Curtis Jackson, Oliver Finbarr Harten
Stuart Patinkin, Kathy Patinkin, Columbia College Theatre Department teacher Kathleen Perkins
Columbia College Theatre Department faculty member Wendi Weber, Steppenwolf Theatre ensemble member Robert Breuler, American Blues Theater ensemble member Suzanne Petri
Columbia College Theatre Department alumni and teachers Brian Shaw and Stephanie Shaw with Columbia College alumna and Chicago Tribune theatre critic Kerry Reid
Bruce Sagan and Jane Nicholl Sahlins
More than 80 friends, Patinkin family members, and Columbia College Chicago alumni, faculty, staff, and students gathered for the event, which also raised funds for the Sheldon Patinkin Endowed Award at Columbia College Chicago.
Harmony France sings “Goodbye My Love” at the dedication of The Sheldon Patinkin Theatre
Lauren Griffith, Courtney Mack, David Stobbe, and Cole McMillan perform “No One Is Alone” at the dedication of The Sheldon Patinkin Theatre
The program opened and closed with musical numbers from two shows Sheldon directed at Columbia: alumna Harmony France sang “Goodbye My Love,” from Ragtime, and alumni Lauren Griffith and Courtney Mack and students David Stobbe and Cole McMillan wrapped up the performance with “No One Is Alone,” from Into the Woods–the show Sheldon was directing when he passed away. The singers were accompanied by Theatre Department musical director and faculty member Andra Velis Simon.
Columbia College Theatre Department faculty members Jeff Ginsberg, Caroline Latta, and David Puszkiewicz lead the auction of letters of the signage for the newly dedicated Sheldon Patinkin Theatre.
Perhaps the highlight of the evening was a special auction, in which Theatre Department teachers Jeff Ginsberg, David Puszkiewicz, and Dr. Caroline Latta auctioned off the letters of the signage for the newly dedicated theatre.
Front row: Columbia College Chicago Vice President of Development and Alumni Relations Jonathan Stern; Jane Nicholl Sahlins; Jackie Patinkin; Lynn Patinkin; Columbia College Theatre Department faculty members Frances Maggio and Wendi Weber; Karen Patinkin; Mary Dietrick; Columbia College Theatre alumnus Matt O’Brien. Back row: Columbia College Music Department instructor Sharon Carlson; Stuart Patinkin; Columbia College Theatre alumna Jackie Katzman; Colleen Crimmins; and Columbia College alumni Kerry Reid and David Babbitt.
The auction raised more than $1,000, with all proceeds benefiting the Sheldon Patinkin Endowed Award. This fund, established by Sheldon before his passing, will give outstanding Theatre students cash stipends in their senior year at Columbia to aid in their journeys toward a professional career.
Columbia College Theatre Department faculty member Jacqueline Penrod
The lobby of The Sheldon Patinkin Theatre was redecorated for the occasion under the direction of set designer and Theatre Department faculty member Jacqueline Penrod. The theatre will host the Columbia College Chicago Theatre Department’s mainstage production of Blues for an Alabama Sky December 2-11.
For more information, and to contribute to the Sheldon Patinkin Endowed Award, please call 312-369-7519 or visit https://giving-colum.nationbuilder.com/sheldon_patinkin_endowed_award. This site hosts a short biographical video of Sheldon talking about his life and career, as well as a feature-length video of the memorial celebration held in Sheldon’s honor in January 2015.
All Photos: Philip Edward Dembinski — courtesy Columbia College Chicago Office of Development and Alumni Relations
