Woman’s History Month came alive this weekend at the Woman’s Club of Evanston where local women showcased their talents and passion for a cause.
“The Revue is one of the Woman’s Club of Evanston’s longest-running fundraisers,” 2023 Women’s Club of Evanston Revue producer, Rona Green Taylor said.
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This year’s 2023 Revue marked the club’s 70th anniversary celebration with the 1970’s inspired theme, That 70th Show.
“The most rewarding part of working on this production is that we have such a great time working together to put on a show to raise money for our community,” Taylor said.
Members of the Woman’s Club of Evanston write, direct, choreograph and perform a variety show to benefit nonprofit organizations in the Evanston community.
The cast performs parodies of show tunes and popular songs that take on a wide range of current topics including working from home, animals gone wild and embracing questionable fashion choices.
“This is a volunteer driven and volunteer run production, it takes our whole club working together to make the event a success,” Taylor said.
Kathy Shiverts, past Women’s Club of Evanston president and Evanston resident, participated in this year’s Revue.
“The camaraderie and friendships we create while working on the show is most memorable,” Shiverts said. “It does us good to put on a show that will inevitably help local women and children in Evanston and Roger’s Park.”
The fabric of the Woman’s Club of Evanston is woven into a historic commitment to support local community organizations, a practice held since 1889.
This year, proceeds from the 2023 Revue will be donated to the WCE Community Grants Fund, extending their impact across a broad range of organizations that serve locally-based and under-resourced populations.
Three consecutive nights of ticket sales and live donations by audience members during intermission combined to raise upward of $20,000, organizers say.
Every fall, the Woman’s Club of Evanston’s Contributions Committee designates an annual giving focus and accepts applications from area nonprofit organizations whose work falls within that year’s scope.
Recent recipients of funding via the WCE Community Grants program include The Cradle, Howard Area Community Center, Evanston Scholars, Youth & Opportunity United (YOU) and the McGaw YMCA.
Funds raised from the show will be awarded by the Contributions Committee during an annual breakfast scheduled for spring 2024.
Johanna Page of Wilmette attended the Revue for the first time this year.
“At the end of the day, these accomplished women, business owners and community leaders put themselves out there in the name of charity,” Page said. “This women-empowered entertainment will go far toward helping many in our community.”
Gina Grillo is a freelance reporter with Pioneer Press.