Chicago talent agent Sam Samuelson and other longtime members of Chicago's acclaimed entertainment industry have gathered to form Chicago Entertainment Collective, Chicago's first charity group organized to benefit working professionals in the entertainment field.
The CEC kicks off its first year with The Great Baby Show, a variety show benefiting Goodman Theatre Casting Director Adam Belcuore, his partner Eric Davis and their adoption process. A night of music, comedy and storytelling, The Great Baby Show includes Jeff Award-winner E. Faye Butler, improv duo Thorton & Messing, an acoustic set by Sad Brad Smith, and 2nd Story's Megan Stielstra. The evening will also feature some of the city's leading casting directors and agents making a rare onstage appearance including Steppenwolf Theatre Company's Erica Daniels, Chicago Shakespeare Theater's Bob Mason as well as Goodman Theatre's Adam Belcuore and Logan Vaughn. The Great Baby Show! is on Monday, November 14 at Vittum Theater (1012 N. Noble), and begins with a pre-show VIP ‘Schmooze Room' at 6pm. The performance is at 7pm and a dessert reception follows.
Tickets ($30 - $70) are on sale now at ChicagoEntertainmentCollective.org.
The Chicago Entertainment Collective was founded earlier this year by talent agent Sam
Samuelson, together with other local agents, casting directors and theater artists. A life in the arts can be fulfilling, but perhaps not a terribly profitable industry for most of its members. CEC hopes to able to give back to those who help create Chicago's vibrant arts community. "My peers and I came together to do some good for our colleagues in the industry. Our hope is to host an event each year to benefit a cause in the community," said Samuelson. "I can think of nothing better for our first event than to help Adam and Eric adopt a baby. CEC feels that at the core of any community is family and is excited to help one family grow."
The Great Baby Show begins with a pre-show VIP ‘Schmooze Room' at 6pm for premium ticket
holders, featuring hors d'oeuvres and drinks before the performance. General ticket holders attend the performance at 7 pm. All ticket holders are invited to a post-show dessert reception that includes a silent auction. The auction features industry specific items such as acting and dance classes, workout sessions, a headshot photo-shoot, a personalized marketing video produced by Left Brain/Right Brain Productions as well as other great items for those not in the field.
Proceeds from the event benefit Adam Belcuore and Eric Davis and their adoption process. Belcuore and Davis have been a couple for twelve years and have been working for two years with The Cradle, a non-profit, non-sectarian adoption agency based in Evanston, IL. They have currently been a waiting family for a potential child for over a year.
As a same-sex couple, Belcuore and Davis do not qualify for many of the grants and financial charity options available to other families. "In all of our research we found over 35 adoption grants we hoped to apply for," said Belcuore. "We were crushed to find that Eric and I were excluded from all but five."
While they have managed to shoulder a large portion of the funds necessary, they have struggled to meet the cost in its entirety. Such an adoption costs $29,900. The CEC aims to raise $13,000 toward their final placement fees. Any funds raised above this goal will be donated to The Cradle.
Adam Belcuore is the Casting Director and Producing Associate at the Tony Award winning Goodman Chicago Entertainment Collective Kicks Off with The Great Baby Show! Page 2 of 2
Theatre. He is also a founding member of Serendipity Theatre Collective and 2nd Story. Eric Davis
started his professional life in theatre and after completing his degree at the Harrington Institute of Design, went on to work for Crate&Barrel, a company that thrives on the theatrics of design and visual presentation. The two met in Chicago through a series of random coincidences including growing up mere miles from each other in Michigan. The two currently live in Wicker Park with their two rescued Greyhounds, Joey and Ronin.
