WAM Announces 10th Anniversary Gala Line-up

The popular Stationery Factory in Dalton, MA, will welcome WAM Theatre's 10th Anniversary Gala on Wednesday, July 24, at 5:30pm.

"All of us at WAM are so excited to celebrate our first ten years with this anniversary gala! We look forward to spending time with the WAMily toasting our first decade and looking forward into the next decade. " enthused Kristen Van Ginhoven, Co-Founder and Producing Artistic Director of WAM Theatre.

The evening's guests will be the first to learn about the beneficiary for WAM's fall Mainstage production of PIPELINE by Dominque Morisseau, directed by Dawn M. Simmons, and produced in partnership with BRIDGE, and will get an exclusive premiere performance of the 2019 inter-generational collaboration between WAM's Teen Ensemble and their new Elder Ensemble.

This is WAM's fifth Teen Ensemble cohort - with many performers returning for their second or third time - and they will be joined by the new eleven member Elder Ensemble. Comprised of performers from all around the Berkshires, this inter-generational cohort will be devoting three intensive weeks to creating a brand new performance on the theme of dreams and dreaming.

"We are thrilled to welcome back the WAM Theatre Teen Ensemble and to introduce the cohort of extraordinary women who make up WAM's brand new Elder Ensemble," said Talya Kingston, WAM's Associate Artistic Director. "Since WAM began as a dream for a new way to integrate theatre and activism, we thought it was apt to center our ensemble performance this year on the act of dreaming. We can't wait to share this new work with our gala audience. Come and dream with us!"

For the second year, Berkshire favorite Ty Allan Jackson is the host for the evening. Jackson is a children's book author, publisher, literacy advocate, and three-time TEDx speaker who travels across the country inspiring children of all ages to dream big and teaches the joy and power of reading through his own publications and his two literacy programs, Read or Else and the Danny Dollar Academy.

The WAM gala will again be coordinated by Only In My Dreams Events, with hearty hors d'oeuvres catered by The Marketplace, and everyone's favorite cider donuts brought over especially for the WAM gala from Hilltop Orchards.

For the first time the Gala will be held at The Stationery Factory on Flansburg Avenue in Dalton, MA, a former Crane & Co. factory containing several businesses that serve the local community, along with an innovative event space, an art gallery, and a music venue.

The evening will culminate in a Raise the Paddle event to raise funds for WAM's 10th anniversary season of productions and education programs. With a mission to use theatre as philanthropy, WAM Theatre has provided paid work to more than 200 theatre artists and donated more than $65,700 to 17 local and global organizations taking action for women and girls in areas such as girls education, teen pregnancy prevention, sexual trafficking awareness, midwife training and more.

Tickets start at a reasonable $75 Ally level. For those who are able, attendees can also support WAM's work at $150 Advocate or $250 Activist level tickets as well. All funds go directly to WAM's 10th anniversary season of productions and education programs. Please join us on July 24!

https://www.wamtheatre.com/wam-gala-2019/

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