Broadway And Local Talent Join Forces For Riverdale YM-YWHA Gala's GUYS AND DOLLS

Broadway luminaries and Riverdale's most talented performers will join forces for a Gala concert production of the classic musical comedy GUYS AND DOLLS, Frank Loesser's immortal musical fable of Broadway. The one-night only gala event will be held at the Riverdale YM-YWHA on Sunday, June 17, 2018, and will begin at 4:00pm. The performance and honoree ceremony will be preceded by a cocktail hour and entertainment by the award-winning Riverdale Rising Stars youth theatre company.

This one-night only Gala event will benefit programs at the Riverdale Y, including the Riverdale Rising Stars scholarship fund, which enables children and teens to participate in the organization's theatrical productions.

GUYS AND DOLLS will be performed at the Riverdale YM-YWHA, located at 5625 Arlington Avenue (just off of Riverdale Avenue and West 256th Street), in Riverdale, Bronx, NY. Tax-deductible tickets to the show/cocktail hour/dessert are $125. Sponsorship packages, include benefits like VIP seats, program ads, and acknowledgment in next season's programs, begin at $1,000. In addition, raffle tickets for house seats to Hamilton on Broadway are available for $100, and memory book tributes for honoree Laurie Walton are available for $25-$500. All the above may be purchased by may be purchased by visiting www.riverdaley.org or by contacting Riverdale YM-YWHA Development Director Rick Lund at 347-913-4974 or rlund@riverdaley.org.

The honoree for this event is Laurie Walton, artistic director of the Riverdale Performing Arts Center and founder of the Riverdale Rising Stars, for her first 18 years of bringing life to performing arts at the Riverdale YM-YWHA. In Jewish tradition, the number 18 refers to the word "Chai," which means life. It is auspicious to honor someone for achieving this milestone.

Prior to becoming the Director of Performing Arts, Laurie had a successful acting career on Broadway, national tours and in numerous regional theater productions. She was seen on television guest starring on shows such as the popular sitcom Frasier. Laurie also began the east coast branch of the talent agency Schiowitz/Clay/Rose (now Wolf Talent), where she was a talent agent for more than two years.

Since Laurie came to the Y in 2000, she and the programs she created have touched the lives of thousands of people - child, teen, and adult participants; parents; audience members; and more. Laurie Walton and the Riverdale Performing Arts Center are shining institutions of the greater Riverdale community.

GUYS AND DOLLS has been hailed by Time Magazine as "The greatest of all American musicals." Based on Damon Runyon's stories about gamblers, missionaries, and showgirls in the heart of Times Square, the brassy, hilarious show features music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and a book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows.

The original Broadway production of GUYS AND DOLLS opened in 1950 and won five Tony Awards, including "Best Musical" on its way to a 1,200 performance run. The oft-revived show returned to New York in 1965, 1977, 1992 (when it won four Tony Awards), and 2009.

This concert production will be directed by Bob Walton (performer in the Broadway productions of City of Angels and 42nd Street), and the onstage 18-piece orchestra will be conducted by Justin Fischer (Trip of Love), who also serves as music director.

Honoree Laurie Walton (seen on Broadway in Show Boat) leads a cast of Broadway, Off-Broadway, and reginal theatre veterans in this one-night-only concert production of the classic musical GUYS AND DOLLS. The company also includes Joel Blum (Show Boat, Steel Pier), Joe Cassidy (Waitress, If/Then), Mary Callanan (Bandstand, Mamma Mia!), Jennifer Cody (The Pajama Game, Shrek), Ray DeMattis (Little Shop of Horrors), Ben Fankhauser (Newsies), Jeffrey Foote (NJ Tap Ensemble), Kevin Pariseau (Grand Hotel, Legally Blonde), Alex Walton (The Cobalteans), Emily Walton (August: Osage County, Peter and the Starcatcher), Lenny Wolpe (Bullets Over Broadway, The Drowsy Chaperone), and Kevin Zak (Clinton: The Musical). Also in the cast are Matt Augustyniak, Hannah Beck, Bettina Bresnan, CARTER ELLIS, Alex Sanders, and Kristin Serafini.

The cast is rounded out by members of Riverdale Repertory Company and the award-winning Riverdale Rising Stars, including Robin Aleman, Lily Bayrock, Jordan Bland, Kim Burgering, Esther H. Cohen, Wylie Cohen, Eric Dinowitz, Patrick Dwyer, Joshua Goldin-McCarthy, Kelly Lavery, Elijah Levi-Dabby, Timothy Mathis, Hayden Nadine, Shawn Renfro, and BARBARA SALANT.

Riverdale Rising Stars (Laurie Walton, Founder and Artistic Director) was created to provide the teens of the Riverdale community and beyond a professional repertory company experience. Since its inception in 2000, the organization has expanded its programming to include Rising Stars Jr., Riverdale Repertory Company, and the Riverdale Performing Arts Conservatory (RPAC), an educational program for adults and children. Of greatest importance is the way that all build self-esteem, learn enormous respect for others, develop camaraderie and create lifelong friendships. Together, these award-winning companies provide a world of expression, passion and creativity for all ages.

For more information, visit www.riverdaley.org/programs/theater/.

The mission of the Riverdale YM-YWHA is to be the hub that brings together members of the Jewish and wider community. At the Y, individuals and families of all backgrounds and abilities gather to grow, to learn, and to deepen their understanding of themselves and their connections to one another. Rooted in Jewish values, our cultural, social, educational, health and wellness programs offer members of all ages multiple pathways into the richness of our local community life. Through our programs and partnerships, we strive to improve the quality of life in the Riverdale community and celebrate its uniqueness and its diversity. www.RiverdaleY.org