A.R.T. Brings in Record-Breaking $1M at BOUNDLESS Gala

The Board of Trustees of the American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) just announced that the theater's annual gala Boundless, which was held at the Boston Park Plaza Castle on Monday, March 2, with close to 500 supporters from around the country in attendance raised more than $1,000,000 in support of the theater's artistic, community, and education programs.

Ward and Lucy Mooney, Andy Ory and Linda Hammett Ory, and Mike and Maureen Sheehan, who co-chaired the gala, welcomed guests with good humor and wit while acknowledging those that helped design the event including Aesop, The Catered Affair, Ilex Design, Peterson Party Center, and The Urban Grape.

In his opening remarks, Andy Ory said to the evening's guests: "My livelihood and that of many people in this community are largely dependent on the innovation economy, and our work could not happen in a place devoid of creativity. There is a synergy between the innovation economy and the cultural economy and that is why we need to support a place like the A.R.T. where creativity and risk-taking are inherent to their work."

The evening honored longtime A.R.T. Trustee Rebecca Gold Milikowsky with the annual Angel Award. In a heartfelt tribute to the honoree, Diane Paulus said, "Rebecca basically IS the A.R.T. She not only represents the history of the institution but she carries all of the artistic possibilities of what it can be. . . . Her spirit, her passion, have not only made things possible at the A.R.T. but she has made a change for the American theater." Milikowsky, who attended with friends and family, was presented with the Award by A.R.T. Trustee Paul Buttenwieser and Paulus.

The night also featured entertainment from Broadway star Gavin Creel (Book of Mormon, Hair, Prometheus in the A.R.T.'s Prometheus Bound), Parsonsfield, the band from The Heart of Robin Hood, and Sara Bareilles, the Grammy nominated composer/lyricist/pop star and composer of the A.R.T.'s upcoming world premiere Waitress.

The auction, which was conducted by Kate Chertavian, highlighted a day in rehearsal with Diane Paulus, a family theater weekend in New York, a backstage meet & greet with Gavin Creel at The Book of Mormon on Broadway, among other packages.

"We are so grateful to our amazing gala co-chairs who truly raised the bar and brought extraordinary support to this event, inviting many new friends of the A.R.T. to share in this special evening celebrating the great work of the theater," stated A.R.T. Chair Steve Johnson. "Their stewardship of the event, working in partnership with all of the A.R.T. trustees, advisors, and staff, helped us break an A.R.T. fundraising record. More importantly, they helped build awareness of the A.R.T.'s deep impact in the community and the endless possibilities of the theater to stir us, change us, and inspire us."

Among the guests were Barbara and Amos Hostetter, Grace and Ted Fey, Joyce Linde, Jonathan and Amy Poorvu, Chief Justice Margaret Marshall, Ambassador Swanee Hunt, WGBH President and CEO Jon Abbott with Jared Bowen and Emily Rooney, WBUR General Manager Charles Kravetz, former Massachusetts State Treasurer Steven Grossman and his wife, A.R.T. Board of Advisor Barbara Grossman, John and Linda Henry, musicians Vijay Iyer and Sally Taylor, author Alice Hoffman, Boston Lyric Opera Artistic Director Esther Nelson, Berklee College of Music President Roger Brown, Shakespeare & Co. Founder Tina Packer and Executive Director Rick Dildine, Jonathan and Sarah Bush, and many others.

Photo Credit: Liza Voll

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