Ravinia 2025 Issue 6

ONCALL ARTS for the RaviniaFestival & ShirleyRyanAbilityLab celebrate30years of partnership IMAGINE being a renowned guitarist, on stage one summer evening in front of an eager pavilion of fans. You reach the end of your set, only to strike the wrong chord due to tingling and numbness in your fingertips. Or, imagine being a dancer who has rehearsed tirelessly for a dance performance, only to fall out of synch with the rest of the company due to joint pain in your knee and hip. Moving backstage: Imagine being the lighting director for a large concert— producing complex lighting effects and transitions for the musicians who are counting on you—only to be affected by back pain that impacts your ability to work at full capacity. Any one of these situations can hap- pen in the dynamic world of performing arts and live stage performance. But, as the old adage goes, the show must go on. Fortunately, at Ravinia Festival, both performing artists and stage crew members have little need to worry about the common injuries and illnesses associated with performing and touring, as they have access to world-class, on- call medical care from Chicago-based Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, named the number-one rehabilitation hospital in America by U.S. News & World Report every year since 1991, has served as Ra- vinia Festival’s on-call performing arts medicine partner for 30 years. “The nature of performance is that everyone wants the show to go on,” said Maria Reese, MD, medical director of Shirley Ryan AbilityLab’s performing arts medicine program since 2014. “Our job at Ravinia Festival is to keep every- one up and running from a medical perspective, always mindful of perform- ers’ overall health, so they can deliver memorable experiences for guests.” RAVINIAMAGAZINE • AUG. 18 – AUG. 31, 2025 18 DAVEBURK DAVEBURK