Ann Nash Honored by Chicago’s Auditorium Theatre
February 13, 2023
Ann Nash, an attorney and manager at Nash Disability Law, has been named this year’s recipient of the prestigious Adler and Sullivan Award given by Chicago’s Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University. The annual award is given to recognize individuals whose contributions have been pivotal in the theater’s survival over the last 134 years and is named for the Auditorium’s designers, legendary Chicago architects Dankmar Adler and Louis Sullivan.
The award will be presented to Ms. Nash, a longtime board member and immediate past chair, at the theater’s annual gala on March 8. (The evening begins with a performance by Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, a favorite of Ann’s.)
She is being honored for her “longstanding and exceptional commitment to the National Historic Landmark Auditorium Theatre,” says Judie Green, Chief Development Officer for the Auditorium Theatre.
“Her dedication in the board room and on our stage has made a profound impact. Her generous support has made possible remarkable presentations such as the Eifman Ballet of St. Petersburg and Giordano Dance Chicago, events such as the 125th Anniversary, the auxiliary board’s annual Trivia Night and Devil’s Ball, and every annual gala. Ann and Tom Nash bring friends and family to the theatre to experience everything from ballet, modern dance, Broadway shows, rock concerts, and prolific speakers. Her enthusiasm is contagious and her love of our landmark theatre is second to none!”
The Auditorium Theatre, which opened in the Chicago Loop in 1889, is known for its perfect acoustics, innovative construction but most of all for its stunning design and architectural details.
This National Historic Landmark delights visitors with 24-karat, gold-leaf ceiling arches, hundreds of Sullivan’s beautifully restored intricate stencil patterns, stained glass muses at the entrance, and endless floor and wall mosaics.
Adler and Sullivan pushed the limits of modern architecture to make the Auditorium the then-tallest building in Chicago, the first multi-use building ever designed, and the most massive modern edifice in the world at the time.