S.T.A.G.E. to Host SONDHEIM NO. 5 Gala Today to Benefit APLA

The Southland Theatre Artists Goodwill Event (S.T.A.G.E.) is delighted to announce the 32nd annual gala, "Sondheim No. 5," to be held on Saturday, June 18th, 2016 with two performances: 2:00 pm matinee and the evening at 8:00 pm, at the new beautiful Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts (9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90210). David Galligan directs and serving as Musical Director for his first time is Michael Orland.

"Sondheim No. 5" promises to be another spectacular event highlighting many of the numerous memorable musical moments created for the Great White Way and the screen. Stars of Broadway, movies and television will perform in this special concert that raises critical funds for AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA). This will be the 5th program of Sondheim's works that has been presented by S.T.A.G.E. Casting to be announced later. Also full information on tickets, sponsorships, and journal ads will soon be available.

Stephen Sondheim is the genius American composer and lyricist known for more than a half-century of contributions to musical theatre. He has received an Academy Award; eight Tony Awards (more than any other composer including a Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre); eight Grammy Awards; a Pulitzer Prize, the Laurence Olivier Award, Theatre Hall of Fame, Kennedy Center Honor, and a 2015 Presidential Medal of Freedom. Described by Frank Rich of The New York Times as "now the greatest and perhaps best-known artist in the American musical theater."

S.T.A.G.E. is the longest-running annual HIV/AIDS fundraiser in the world. It was co-created by Michael Kearns, the late James Carroll Pickett, David Galligan and Susan Obrow in 1984. It has raised millions for HIV/AIDS organizations in the Southland, CA area., S.T.A.G.E. continues to be a vital and essential fundraiser more than three decades later. David Galligan has staged and directed all of these memorable productions.

Funds raised through S.T.A.G.E. support APLA programs including its Vance North Necessities of Life Program food pantries; freestanding and mobile dental clinics; in-home health services; housing assistance; HIV prevention and testing efforts; and a range of other APLA services that thousands of Angelenos affected by HIV/AIDS depend on. S.T.A.G.E. is among the most enduring and valuable sources of private support for the agency's HIV/AIDS care, prevention and advocacy work.

AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA), one of the largest non-profit AIDS service organizations in the United States, provides bilingual direct services, prevention education and leadership on HIV/AIDS-related policy and legislation. With over 30 years of service, APLA is a community-based, volunteer-supported organization with local, national, and global reach. For more information, visit www.apla.org.

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