Tom Perakos ’69 Brings “Razzle Dazzle” to 175th Commencement

As the first notes of the song, “Razzle Dazzle” from the Broadway musical, Chicago, began to play, seven amazing Broadway performers, who left New York City before sunrise to travel to Washington, Connecticut, gracefully danced their way down the aisles to join Perakos on stage. “Give 'em the old razzle dazzle, razzle dazzle 'em. Give 'em an act with lots of flash in it, and the reaction will be passionate,” he sang, as he traded his graduation robe for a top hat and cane. 

Perakos put on a showstopping performance for the 104 graduates in the Class of 2025, their families, faculty, Trustees, alumni, and friends. As a special treat, he invited New York-based actor Jennifer Fouché, who made her on-stage Broadway debut as Mama Morton, in Chicago, to perform one of his favorite songs, “Believe in Yourself,” from The Wiz. His speech, which received a standing ovation, and the performances were an incredible gift for the graduates and the entire Gunn community, as the school celebrates the 175th anniversary of its founding by Frederick and Abigail Gunn this year.

A Standout Student and a Force for Good
Introducing Perakos as this year’s Commencement speaker, Head of School Emily Raudenbush Gum said he had shared that some of his favorite memories of the school were of performing in the theatre program, singing, and spending time with friends. “I can assure you that Tom was a standout student and a force for good on campus,” she said, noting that faculty praised him as a bright, enthusiastic, responsive, intelligent and empathetic student.

A performer even before attending Gunn, he began acting and singing with the Connecticut Repertory Theater, carrying that passion on at Gunn, where he was president of the Glee Club, sang in Vesper Choir, and co-starred in the musical, Brigadoon. As a sophomore, he received the Edward Fuller Barnes Memorial Award for embodying the qualities of cheerfulness, courtesy, and friendliness. As a senior, he was awarded the English Speaking Union International SchoolBoy Fellowship.

After graduating from Gunn, Perakos went on to Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, and from there carved a successful path in the entertainment industry. He served as CEO of the Circle Showcase Theater Corporation in Washington, D.C., and the owner of Theatrical Entertainment Services, which became the largest international motion picture trailer tracking and research services company. It held exclusive contracts with most of the major global film distribution companies.

“His work as a producer on more than 50 productions in both New York and London has earned him Tony and Olivier Awards on both continents. In just a few weeks, he will be at the Tony Awards in honor of his shows, Sunset Blvd and Buena Vista Social Club, two of the hottest tickets on Broadway,” Raudenbush Gum noted. 

Perakos is currently a producer of the stunning revival of Sunset Blvd, which received seven Tony Award nominations, including Best Musical Revival. He is a producer of Buena Vista Social Club, which led the Tony nominations, receiving 10, including Best New Musical, this year. His producing credits earned him three 2025 Olivier Awards in London last month for The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button — Best New Musical; Giant — Best Play; and Titanique — Best New Entertainment or Comedy Play. 

Perakos accepted his first Tony Award in 2018, as co-producer of The Band’s Visit, which won 10 Tony Awards in all, including Best Musical. He won his second Tony Award in 2023 for producing Tom Stoppard’s Leopoldstadt, the winner of four Tonys, including Best Play and Best Direction of a Play.

On campus, Perakos is the namesake donor of the 32,000-square-foot, LEED-certified Thomas S. Perakos Arts and Community Center (TPACC), “which has become a major part of the fabric of daily life at Gunn,” Raudenbush Gum said. It houses the 415-seat Tisch Family Auditorium, classrooms, rehearsal and community spaces as well as the Perakos Family Cares Art Gallery, which was dedicated by Perakos, his family, and the Class of 1969 in celebration of their 50th reunion and to honor beloved teacher and coach Wallace H. Rowe III H’57 P’77 ’79, who passed away last year. Of course, TPACC is the perfect place to feature student talent in theatre, music, and the visual arts, and where the community is grateful to gather multiple times each week, she said.

Perakos’ philanthropic efforts extend to The Perakos Family Cares Foundation, which supports innovative programs that promote wellness, goodness, and kindness to others, with a focus on arts and culture, animal welfare, and the health and safety of children and young adults.

A Razzle Dazzle Moment
“What a Razzle Dazzle moment it is for you today,” Perakos said, as he began his Commencement Address, reflecting on some of the lessons he has learned, beginning from the time he left home for the first time and arrived at Gunn as a freshman in the fall of 1965. As a young student in Rowe’s English class, the first book he was assigned to read was The Catcher in the Rye, “which remains one of my favorites of all time,” he said. Referring to the novel’s main character, Holden Caulfield, he said: “I share with you his passion to help others. All of you are about to embark on a great, new journey to college and beyond. The best time of your life is in front of you. I am both humbled and honored to be here to share this wonderful occasion.”

In Rowe’s class, Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken,” also made a lasting impression. The opening lines of the poem were hand-written on a chalkboard next to Perakos on stage, and as he recited it for the audience, he underscored the lines that are still the most meaningful to him. “‘The Road Not Taken’ is so true in terms of my own life story,” Perakos said. “I learned so much through the process of my errors and wrong turns. If I hadn’t made them, I never would have learned how to make things right.”

Despite all of his successes, Perakos said that he reflects on the “misses,” when projects did not work out, as experiences from which he learned. At one critical juncture in his life, he was literally packing to leave for Boston University Law School when he decided to follow a different path. “Something in the pit of my stomach said it was not the right road for me. I believed in my heart that I would find my own happiness. That road led to many fulfilling business ventures, which ultimately led me to become an entrepreneur in an industry I have always loved,” he said, sharing this poignant advice with the graduates: “Stay focussed on your journey and, I’m telling you, doors will open.”

Passion for the Arts
Another experience that had a profound impact on Perakos was when he saw the 1989 film, Dead Poets Society, starring Robin Williams. “The professor in the film reminded me so much of the brilliant Wally Rowe. I was a kid at boarding school, just like the boys in the film. For me, it was all about the arts. I loved my experience here, I loved the education I received alongside a terrific athletic program. But when I saw that movie, I thought, if I’m ever going to make myself successful enough, I’m going to come back here and help create a curriculum that will elevate the arts at The Frederick Gunn School. Thank God, mission accomplished,” he said.

“It took a shared vision and passion to bring it to reality,” he said of TPACC. “I consider it one of the most important achievements in my life. So the lesson here is to follow your dreams. But if your passion and successes can also give back and bring joy to others, you will truly make a positive difference in this world. Please remember your experiences here and keep Gunn close to your hearts. I have, and I will continue to do so.”

From The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, the new musical in London, for which Perakos recently won an Olivier Award, he presented to each member of the class the gift of an hourglass as a keepsake of the day. It is inscribed with the words, “Make every second count,” an important theme from the play.

Before bringing Fouché to the stage to perform “Believe in Yourself,” Perakos recalled that the original Broadway production of The Wiz had a tremendous impact on him when he was the same age as the students. The song, he added, “speaks to me. It’s my mantra and I hope it speaks to you today, too, and that you carry it away with you.”

Perakos tapped his heart as a sign of affection for the school and pledged to represent Gunn by wearing his alumni pin on the lapel of his tuxedo when he heads to this year’s Tony Awards on June 8. Holding up the Playbills for for Sunset Blvd and Buena Vista Social Club, he explained that his biography always includes the acknowledgement that “theatrical participations are made with respect to all of those committed to the arts,” and in loving memory of his brother, Peter, who passed away last year, and his mother, Urania “Uky" Perakos, who passed away in 2022 at the age of 101. Perakos then concluded his remarks as he began them, by singing, this time sharing the closing lyrics of “What I Did for Love,” from A Chorus Line, one of the longest running shows in Broadway history: “Won’t forget, can’t forget, what I did for love,” he sang. The audience rose to their feet to applaud him. 

Before leaving the stage, Perakos held up one of his Tony Awards, which had been displayed on the podium. “All of my awards are going to go into TPACC one day — a long, long time in the future,” he promised, before challenging the students: ”I just need one of you, please, to win one and to bring it back here and join the crowd, so we can have this school, which is fantastic, take off like a rocketship!”

Photos by Ali Heck Southworth