This July, ICA will welcome students from across the region for IMPACT 2025, a pair of intensive summer programs in musical theater and dance designed for passionate young performers ages 12–18.
Students will train with Broadway and industry professionals in small group settings that emphasize individual growth, industry readiness, and community. Programs include:
IMPACT: Musical Theater
Voice, acting, and audition coaching with faculty from Wicked, Newsies, and SIX
Personalized feedback sessions and professional headshots
Agent/parent Q&A and mock auditions with real casting professionals
IMPACT: Dance (NEW for 2025)
Training in ballet, jazz, modern, hip-hop, and musical theatre dance
Mock auditions with cruise line casting directors and dance company reps
Faculty from companies like Hubbard Street Dance, The Joffrey Ballet, and Deeply Rooted Dance Theater
“It’s not just about talent—it’s about growth, professionalism, and confidence. This program launched me.” – Isabella, past IMPACT student
Behind every thriving nonprofit is a circle of believers. At ICA, one of our first and most faithful was the Alesia Alpert Foundation, led by philanthropist and arts advocate Eden Alpert, daughter of legendary musician Herb Alpert.
Since 2021, the Foundation has provided annual support to ICA—helping us offer scholarships, expand programming, and reach more young artists across Chicagoland. Eden’s commitment to youth empowerment and the transformative power of the arts is deeply personal, and her support has made a profound difference.
“The arts shape our courage, our confidence, our voice,” Eden said in an interview with Voyage LA. “They help us become more of who we are.”
Eden’s leadership extends beyond ICA. Through the Eden Alpert Therapeutic Music Program and other projects, she has helped bring music and healing to children around the world.
We are proud to honor Eden Alpert and the Alesia Alpert Foundation as true champions of ICA’s mission—and invite others to follow in their footsteps.
ICA’s Spotlight Forward campaign is raising $50,000 by June 30 to provide scholarships, fund summer programs like IMPACT, and help us launch the new school year with strength. A gift of any size helps fuel the kind of transformative training that changed Emmy Chan’s life—and so many others.
On February 22, 2025, more than 250 supporters gathered at The Matrix Club in Naperville for A Night of Broadway—a sold-out celebration of artistry, access, and the power of community.
The evening featured showstopping performances by Broadway stars including Samantha Pauly (SIX, The Great Gatsby) and Aisha Jackson (The Notebook, Frozen), a 20-piece live orchestra, and a moving short film spotlighting ICA students and alumni.
Thanks to the incredible generosity of our community, A Night of Broadway 2025 raised over $65,000—funds that have already supported scholarships, artist residencies, and expanded training opportunities through ICA’s flagship programs like IMPACT: Musical Theater and IMPACT: Dance.
“I was moved to tears hearing the students speak. What you are doing at ICA is truly life-changing.” – Gala guest and first-time donor
Save the Date: A Night of Broadway 2026
The magic continues next year! Mark your calendar for Saturday, February 21, 2026, as A Night of Broadway returns to The Matrix Club. We’re already dreaming up another unforgettable evening—and we’d love for you to be part of it.
What if a future Broadway star lives right next door?
The western suburbs could the training ground for the next generation of musicians, artists, and performers. That’s the dream Dylan Ladd, cofounder of the Illinois Conservatory for the Arts, has been working toward. To help with the creating such an academy, he’s bringing some of Broadway’s top names to Naperville for a benefit concert that will give students a taste of just what’s possible. “Our mission is all about bringing a high level of arts training to the community,” he says. “We figured that for this event, we want to showcase who we are as an organization and try to bring the biggest and best to perform for us. It’s really a testament to the musical theater community that they travel here to support children and their passion to do the same thing they’ve done as a career.”
The third annual A Night of Broadway gala will take place February 21 at Wentz Concert Hall in Naperville, bringing together several Tony winners and a 20-piece orchestra to perform selections from musical theater. Those in the all-star lineup include: J. Harrison Ghee, winner of the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for Some Like it Hot; Miles Frost, winner of the 2022 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his role as Michael Jackson in MJ the Musical; Amber Iman, a 2024 Tony nominee for Lempicka; Aisha Jackson, who’s played Anna in Frozen and is currently starring in The Notebook on Broadway: and Karen Mason, a native of Arlington Heights who originated the role of Tanya in Mamma Mia! The orchestra will be led by Valerie Gebert, a veteran musical director who has a long list of Broadway credits, most recently The Who’s Tommy.
“It’s a tremendous opportunity to see these performers with a 20-piece orchestra,” Ladd says. “We’re putting together a show with the stylings of musical theater, all under a Broadway conductor leading the orchestra. It really ties a lot of what we believe in together in a really unique way.”
It’s rewarding for the gala’s headliners as well.
“This is an exciting thing that Dylan has put together,” says Mason, who has spent a career performing on stages in New York and all over the world. “Who doesn’t want to help kids find their way in the arts? I’m very proud to be asked to be a part of something like this.”
Such support from Broadway veterans is critical for those looking to make a living in the arts, which often doesn’t follow a typical career path.
“A career in any of the arts can be scary for some, especially when they don’t understand what that career can look like,” Ladd says. “What we try to do, at the very least, is showcase people who are successful in this industry. Yes, it is possible to make a living, and we can learn from their stories and their experiences on how they’ve done it, and they will be there as mentors for students as they continue to grow.”
Ladd cofounded the Illinois Conservancy for the Arts in 2020 as a nonprofit educational institution to provide instruction for adolescents and teens. It currently offers year-round classes in music, dance, and theater in addition to weeklong intensive seminars. This fall it aims to start a pilot program for a grade-6-to-12 day school that combines academics with arts training.
“That’s the ultimate goal, to create an arts-focused school curriculum at our own facility in the area,” Ladd says. While the current focus is primarily on musical theater education, Ladd hopes to continue to expand that into additional artistic areas as well as classes for adults.
“It’s an exciting time for us, that’s for sure,” Ladd says. “A career in the arts isn’t necessarily easy, but it’s incredibly rewarding. This is an event that shows our students and the community just what can be achieved.”
Five Broadway stars will perform in concert with a 20-piece orchestra as part of a Feb. 21 fundraiser for the Illinois Conservatory for the Arts in Naperville.
The gala scheduled for 5 p.m. at Wentz Concert Hall in downtown Naperville will include the live concert, an open bar, plated dinner, free valet parking, silent and live auctions, and an afterparty, a news release said. It is black-tie optional.
Tickets for the dinner and concert are $250. Concert-only tickets range from $50 to $100.
The show will feature Myles Frost, the 2022 Tony Award winner for “MJ the Musical” and the youngest male solo Tony Award winner in history, event organizers said.
Other performers are J. Harrison Ghee, the 2023 Tony Award winner for “Some Like it Hot,” Amber Iman, the 2024 Tony nominee for “Lempicka,” Karen Mason, a longtime Broadway performer and Arlington Heights native, and Aisha Jackson, the first Black actress to portray Anna in “Frozen.”
Among the items available in the silent auction are vacations, wine tastings, sports packages and jewelry.
At the Illinois Conservatory for the Arts (ICA), we believe that every young person deserves access to high-quality arts education—regardless of income, background, or zip code. Yet too many students in our region still face barriers that prevent them from exploring their creative potential.
This past winter, thanks to the generous support of the Molina Healthcare Charitable Foundation, we were able to break down some of those barriers in a powerful way.
Through MolinaCares’ investment, 14 students received full-tuition scholarships to attend our IMPACT: Musical Theatre program—a five-day, pre-professional training experience featuring Broadway-level instruction in acting, singing, and dance. These scholarships made it possible for students from across the Western Suburbs, Chicago, and Northwest Indiana to train alongside their peers, many for the first time in a setting built to support their growth.
Originally intended to support five students, the scholarship fund allowed us to serve nearly three times as many young artists—ensuring that half of our participants attended the program at no cost.
Student Voices
The impact was immediate, personal, and lasting.
“Being at IMPACT changed my perspective on what I can achieve. Coming from a community with limited arts resources, I never imagined I’d have the chance to work with Broadway professionals.” — Leon, Scholarship Recipient
“This program gave me confidence in my abilities and showed me that my dreams are possible. It felt incredible to be part of something so inspiring.” — Ava, Scholarship Recipient
Why Access Matters
Their stories reflect what decades of research continues to show: that arts education builds confidence, resilience, academic engagement, and a lifelong love of learning.
A study by the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research found that participation in the arts supports growth in self-management, emotional regulation, and identity development—critical foundations for student success.
National research from the Brookings Institution links consistent arts involvement to better school attendance, improved grades, and higher aspirations for postsecondary education.
Yet despite these proven benefits, arts education remains out of reach for many. Nearly 30% of Illinois school districts report offering no after-school arts programs at all, and participation in high school arts courses is below 25% statewide. The need is clear—and urgent.
The Role of MolinaCares
Thanks to MolinaCares, 14 young artists received more than just instruction—they were welcomed into a community that believes in their creativity, their potential, and their right to pursue excellence.
They worked with top industry professionals, participated in mock auditions, attended a professional production in downtown Chicago, and performed in a culminating showcase for friends, family, and arts professionals.
These experiences do more than teach performance—they help shape futures.
The Illinois Conservatory for the Arts is proud to partner with the Molina Healthcare Charitable Foundation in the shared belief that access to the arts is not a privilege—it’s a right. Together, we are opening doors for the next generation of artists, thinkers, and leaders.
We thank MolinaCares for helping make that possible.
Ahead of an anticipated fall 2025 launch, Naperville’s Illinois Conservatory for the Arts has offered a glimpse into what its programming and amenities could entail in a year’s time.
Last week, the private performing and visual arts school previewed its vision for community members, potential students and possible donors at an intimate — and interactive — open house event.
An evening of singing, dancing and live performances, the open house served as an introduction to the long-anticipated school, which has been in the works for more than three years but is inching closer to becoming a reality, conservatory officials say.
“It’s about bringing people into our dream space,” Dylan Ladd, co-founder and executive director of Illinois Conservatory for the Arts, said at the event. “(We’re) showcasing what we really hope to build out when we … open the school.”
First broached in 2021, the conservatory was born out of a desire to make it more accessible for young artists to pursue an advanced arts education in Illinois outside of Chicago, according to Ladd. When complete, the idea is that it will offer both high-level arts training and a rigorous academic program to students all in one place.
Over the past few years, those behind the venture — a team of more than a dozen artists and educators — have been in the throes of planning and fundraising to bring the idea to fruition.
Singers show off their vocal chops during a karaoke session held as part of an open house for Naperville’s Illinois Conservatory for the Arts on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. (Tess Kenny/Naperville Sun)
To date, the school’s still a work in progress. It needs to secure more funding before it can set an official opening date. But while it figures out financing, the founders have their sights set on what exactly they want it to look like and where they want to operate once fully fledged.
The reception took place where the conservatory tentatively intends to open: a 20,000-square-foot facility just off Route 59 at 1323 Bond St. Though not officially leased, the Bond Street location is ICA’s hopeful home should the organization accrue adequate funds to make it happen, Ladd says.
“Where we are as an organization is that if we can raise enough money so it makes sense to move forward with a lease, this is where we want to be,” he said. “This is where we want to call home. I think we’re past the shopping phase now.”
To that end, attendees were brought into a blueprint version of the school.
Throughout the building, which used to house a call center, an outline of where various classrooms and amenities would go was laid out on the ground in blue painter’s tape. Renderings of the school were also scattered around the space, including designs for a dance studio, music rooms, a media lab and a black box theater.
To really drum up imagination, ICA’s open house supplied attendees the opportunity to try their hand at what students would be doing when doors open. There were three “classrooms” — essentially interactive stations — where open house goers could try painting a canvas, displaying their vocal chops in karaoke or learning a line dance.
In making the night interactive, they wanted to “really bring people down to the roots of being an artist” and reconnect them with “the joy of just singing (and dancing) and not caring what’s happening around you,” Ladd said.
Even before they passed through classrooms, attendees Joshua Sanchez and his mom Christina were all smiles as they took in the space.
From the Naperville area, the Sanchezes have been aware of — and involved in — ICA since its inception, they said. They are one of many families who have taken part in alternative community programming the school started offering a few years ago as it waited to find a permanent home for its operations. Supplemental programming has ranged from week-long intensive camps to after-school classes using rented space around Naperville.
Joshua Sanchez, 15, took his first intensive program three years ago. It was a “life-changing moment,” he said. Aspiring to be an actor when he’s older, Joshua reveled in the opportunity and has returned to subsequent programs.
He and his mom attended last week’s open house to show their backing and gratitude for ICA’s mission, they said.
“We’re here to support everyone because they’ve done so much for us,” Christina Sanchez said. “This is where (Joshua’s) heart is at … and I pray and hope this goes well and the school gets finished and filled.”
Other young artists were also in attendance last week. As an added peek into its work, organizers arranged for several students from its after-school and intensive programs to give a handful of live performances. The students sang snippets from musicals, performed monologues and even played improv acting games with attendees.
People take part in a dance class at an open house for Naperville’s Illinois Conservatory for the Arts on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2025. (Tess Kenny/Naperville Sun)
They were glad to help with the event, they said, knowing it was one step closer to seeing school aspirations come to life.
“We’ve all just thought of it as a dream, right? But now seeing the space and everyone come together, it really shows that they’ve done it,” performer Addie Troupis said.
Troupis, 12, has attended two intensive camps. Her forte is acting and singing, she said. Though she describes herself as relatively new to ICA, she’s excited to keep doing more, she said, especially since she and other conservatory students have started to build a rapport after seeing each other time and time again.
“We’re built a family here, and it’s really cool to be able to go somewhere and be with that family again,” 15-year-old Alexandria Danley said.
Conservatory founders are aiming to decide by next February or March whether the Bond Street facility “really is home,” Ladd said. That decision will come down to fundraising.
“Fingers crossed that between now and February, we can raise some good money and make it happen,” he said.
Should plans go through, ICA would be positioned to open with an inaugural class of students next fall.
As we advance into the 21st century, the push for diversity and inclusion in the performing arts industry has increased significantly. Numerous thriving performers, directors, and casting directors voice and continue to voice stories crucial to our cultural development. Among them is Patrick Maravilla, a casting director who has cast groundbreaking productions such as The Life of Pi, A Wonderful World, and Chicago. Maravilla has been an essential player in shaping and pivoting our view of diversity in theater. He is genuinely transforming the future of the performing arts industry and life. Maravilla remarked, “Storytelling allows us to access the roots of who we are, and we continue to tell those stories to keep them alive.”
A Hunger to Make a Difference:
Maravilla started his performing arts occupation by participating in and auditioning for theater in California. However, as Maravilla became increasingly exposed to the industry, he realized he “…had never seen another brown person behind the table.” Shortly after the pandemic, Maravilla discovered he no longer wanted to pursue acting. Regardless, he still wanted to have a career in the performing arts; more specifically, he desired to make a difference in the field. Eventually, this drove him to seek casting as a profession. “I wanted to be a voice for people who look like me.”
Life of Pi:
Maravilla’s aspiration for diversity goes beyond race; he casts shows to give people of various backgrounds the opportunity to have a voice in the industry. From Real Women Have Curves to The Life of Pi, Maravilla has pushed for refreshing interpretations of well-known works. A representation of how Maravilla supplied a play with a renewed point of view is through The Life of Pi. Similar to most professional productions, Life of Pi debuted in the West End. During the duration of Life of Pi’s premiere, the character Pi, who was originally portrayed as a male, was incapable of attending and performing a particular performance. The understudy, who traditionally played Ronnie, covered the performance of Pi that evening. Leaving the audience, cast, and crew in complete astonishment and marvel, Maravilla stated: “When she went on, we weren’t expecting it, and we were like, ‘Yeah! This works.'” Shortly after Hiran Abeysekera parted from the Broadway cast, “We were like, this is a no-brainer; Uma would be a fabulous actor to illustrate her view of Pi, which allowed a different take on what the show is and what it means, as well as the social standings of Pi as a woman.” The most remarkable and fascinating component of Maravilla’s casting is that it allows a woman of the 21st century to convey her story, especially in a narrative in which the theme is about survival.
Chicago the Musical:
Chicago the Musical is one of the rarest musical phenomenons; it has remained one of the longest-running productions on Broadway and has reached numerous fans. Among these countless successes, Chicago has had multiple interpretations; therefore, “casting can be tricky because everyone has an idea about what it should be.” However, with this, you have the ability to “uphold the integrity of the show while still pushing it into the 21st century.” Classical shows like Chicago allow people to stay true to the theme of the production while still granting space for new, relevant messages. Ultimately, the gift of casting gives opportunities to people of various backgrounds. People like Maravilla have genuinely transformed theater and given individuals equal chances. With Maravilla’s help, Chicago the Musical had Jinx Monsoon become the first-ever drag queen to play Mama Morton. Currently, Mama Morton is portrayed as the first Asian Mama Morton in Chicago’s 27-year run.
A New Light for Inclusion and Diversity in the 21st Century:
Inclusion can be taught, learned, and experienced in various ways in the 21st century. It is essential to familiarize ourselves with the past so we can positively influence the future, and Maravilla is currently doing that. He is bringing a trailblazer from history to contemporary audiences in A Wonderful World. A Wonderful World is a captivating, delightful, and outstanding piece of art that takes you through Louie Armstrong’s life, told through his four wives. It is set to open on Broadway in the fall. While it is uplifting to know that numerous people like Maravilla exist, it is also refreshing to know everyone can push for even more diversity and inclusion. It all begins with you and your first efforts toward making a difference. As Maravilla has conveyed:
“I hope people continue to push, have the conversation, and fight for diversity. Theater should be a reflection of society, which is the whole reason why theater was created. We are doing a disservice by not reflecting on the stage. We should be able to have little kids come in the show and see themselves on the stage, which, up until two months ago, if my little sister would watch a show, she wouldn’t see someone like her in the group. However, now, she can, and it’s stuff like that that I hope we keep pushing towards.”
How can being in a pre-broadway production bring you as far as performing on the Tony’s? It seems unreal, doesn’t it? Well that’s what happened to Samantha Pauly. Samantha Pauly played the role of K-Howard in the Pre-Broadway production of Six the Musical. She was the original K-Howard on Broadway, playing the role for three years. Although Covid-19 delayed her broadway debut, it never stopped her from following her dreams.
During Samantha’s career, she has performed in many different musicals, movies and plays. Right before Six, she got cast in the national tour of Bat Out of Hell, but soon canceled from getting the role of K-Howard. Samantha’s dreams were finally coming true with the news of Six making it on Broadway. Unfortunately, as soon as they were about to open in New York City, Six closed due to the pandemic. During the pandemic, most if not all grew bored after only a few days of staying home, which foreshadowed creative tasks and hobbies to work on during these hard times. For example, Samantha used social media to create YouTube videos everyday to not only entertain herself, but to relieve herself from stress due to the pandemic.
“I knew that I was going to be really bored and I wanted to do something to self-entertain myself and eventually the videos blew off sort of creating this schedule for my everyday life,” Samantha expressed. Not only did these energetic, positive videos keep her on her feet, but it brought a smile to the faces of millions.
As Broadway was opening up to a fresh start, so did all Six of the queens and the roles they played. After Covid, Six the Musical could finally start running in New York. Unfortunately, Samantha and the others had to relearn most, if not the entire show. This also allowed her to gain a deeper perspective of “All You Wanna Do.” This hit song contains many different emotions, love, sadness, and most of all shows how vulnerable Samantha is while singing the song. Coming back from Covid-19, Samantha explains the struggles she had while learning “All You Wanna Do” all over again due to the struggles from her time of reflection over her past experiences through the 18 months of quarantine.
“I had so much free time that I had the chance to get back into therapy regularly which was helpful in general.We’ve all been away for 18 months and we’ve all gone through so much, we were all different people. Because of that, the numbers (in Six the Musical) will be different as well as a whole new version of myself and the other queens,” Samantha stated. As shown by her amazing performance as K-Howard, she created one of the most iconic queens on Broadway, causing a deeper understanding of what the role meant to her.
Samantha Pauly never gave up. She stayed hopeful throughout the pandemic, not even knowing if Six would ever open again. Even if Samantha was stuck at home, she took her career to a whole new level by doing different activities on social media platforms to continue what she loved to do the most. Perform.
Overall, everyone’s career will be different. The path you take is the path you will go. There will be different opportunities that people can take. If the opportunity doesn’t come now, it will come later. Samantha never stopped following her dreams even in the pandemic, and so can you. If you stop following your dreams you are practically throwing away everything that you love. Take Samantha as inspiration, never give up.
Broadway can be a stepping stone to something bigger. Never give up.
James T. Lane is a dancer, singer, and actor currently starring in the off-Broadway play Triple Threat. The one-person performance takes the audience through James T Lane’s life. Lane has experienced all aspects of the performing arts, from performing in Tony-nominated shows to reaching an all-time low after an injury led to addiction. Lane’s life experiences brought him to the point he describes as creative responsibility. In other words, he encourages the importance of finding multiple ways to pursue bigger creative endeavors. He is an actual ‘Triple Threat.’
From an early age, Lane was passionate about theater. “Dance was my first language as a child. Through dance, I could express myself. I found my emotions were easy to translate through dance.” With the love of dance, Lane attended Girard Academic Music Program. One year, the school had to cancel its musical. Lane made lemons into lemonade by creating his first musical, A Killer Review. Lane hung flyers around the school to motivate students to participate in his production and taught his performers different acting methods/techniques. With drive and determination, Lane was accepted into the prestigious colleges of Carnegie Mellon and Penn. State. After years of performing in primary school, Lane found it difficult not being allowed to perform during his first year of college. Lane left college to tour in Fame, allowing him to travel around Europe. Lane’s eyes were opened as he explored new and exciting cultures. “It was terrific seeing buildings older than my country. You do not have that record or realization until you have gone.” Sadly, the experience was short-lived. Lane injured his Achilles tendon, creating a downward spiral into addiction.
Being separated from the dance was incredibly hard for Lane. Lane said, “The arts have always been a mirror into my soul.” With the help of rehab and family, he eventually found his footing and embarked on a wondrous journey. Lane made his Broadway debut in the revival of A Chorus Line. Continuing his Broadway success, Lane performed in The Scottsboro Boys. Under the guidance of Susan Stroman, he discovered the art of authentic storytelling, particularly bringing African American stories to life in the fight for freedom. While in London for The Scottsboro Boys, Lane met with artistic director David Lan. “He said to me, ‘What do you want to do? I am interested in you.’ And I was like, whoa! Nobody asked me that before. I had spent so much time in other people’s dreams and visions that it was thrilling and shocking. He later asked me, ‘Do you write,’ I was like, no, so he said, ‘If you were to write something, what would you write?’ Then I started writing and felt like that kid who performed mini-musicals on the playground.”
As his career advanced, Lane starred in another Kander and Ebb musical, Chicago. Lane has revisited Chicago multiple times in his career. Pushing himself as a dancer, he joined King Kong, the Musical. Lane discovered the power of creative responsibility. He wanted to be more than a performer in a production. “It was the final time that I said, I am going to give 110% of me…So I decided in King Kong to have creative responsibility. It is like I need a bigger slice of the pie to feel good.”
Lane recalled his conversation with David Lan and realized each opportunity was a stepping stone to Triple Threat. Triple Threat was born through his artistic journey: taking risks, encountering pitfalls, and growing as an artist. Triple Threat brings awareness to the struggles people face with substance abuse. According to Lane, “Triple Threat took me on a path, for better or for worse, and I found out more of the spirit of who James was, and I fought some tough battles and came through on the other side. It is like an unshakable kind of self-esteem. I know now that I would not change what happened.”
