Auditorium Theatre 2019-20 Issue 1 Get Out

22 | AUDITORIUM THEATRE 2019-20 | September 21 - November 16, 2019 Throughout its history, the Auditorium has been lucky to have many champions who have supported the theatre and enabled it to succeed and grow. There is one couple in particular that has not only championed the Auditorium’s success, but has gone above and beyond for the entire Chicago performing arts community. Patti Eylar and Charlie Gardner have been dear friends of the Auditorium for decades. Patti’s unique friendship with the Auditorium began when she sat in the sixth floor balcony to watch Ballet Folklórico de México as a young dancer at the age of 19. Just a few years later, she graced the Auditorium stage, performing George Balanchine’s Rubies in the inaugural performance of Chicago City Ballet. Patti remembers the moment vividly: “As a shorter dancer, I was in front and looked out at the beautiful theatre from the stage — just me and the Auditorium!” Charlie’s first encounter with the Auditorium came shortly after he moved to Chicago from Denver where he was a power forward for the American Basketball Association’s Denver Rockets. Having been passionate about the performing arts from an early age, Charlie was no stranger to the ballet. So he felt right at home seeing Chicago City Ballet perform Cinderella on the Auditorium stage in 1982. Coincidently, Charlie saw Patti dancing in the 1982 production, and it was that same year that the couple met for the first time. This visit also marked the beginning of Charlie’s relationship with the Auditorium. He certainly enjoyed watching Patti and the rest of the Chicago City Ballet dancers perform Cinderella , but what really captivated his attention was the theatre’s breathtaking architecture. It was on that initial visit that Charlie went from being a performing arts patron to an advocate for the restoration and preservation of the Auditorium Theatre. Since then, Patti and Charlie have both enjoyed successful careers. Charlie became the President and CEO of the Chicago Dock & Canal Trust, a publicly traded real estate investment trust, and Patti went on to have an impressive professional dance career. After moving to Chicago to dance for Maria Tallchief at the Lyric Opera Ballet (which later became the Chicago City Ballet), Patti danced with Ballet Chicago for many years under the direction JOHAN PERRSON Champions of the Arts. Champions of the Auditorium: Patti Eylar and Charlie Gardner Patti Eylar and Charlie Gardner The Royal Ballet