Biltmore Hotel Hosts Actors' Playhouse-Miracle Theatre Gala

Actors' Playhouse Plans to Celebrate 10 Perfect Years at the Miracle Theatre with 'A Decade Doo-wop Sock-hop' at The Biltmore Hotel Actors' Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre will celebrate ten perfect years in the Miracle Theatre, Coral Gables' very own three-stage performing arts center, Sunday, November 13, 2005 at 5:30 p.m. at The Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables. Celebrators will enjoy an all out 50's style prom extravaganza, including a three course gourmet diner meal, open Bacardi bar, dance-a-thon and contests, a ten year slide show, a performance from the cast of Actors' Playhouse's production of Grease, and a surprise celebrity guest appearance. Event hosts will be NBC6's anchor team Bob Mayer, Kelly Craig, and Lonnie Quinn.

"We cannot let this milestone pass without celebrating and taking the opportunity to share it with the community that made it all possible," says Gala Committee Co-chairs Jeannett Slesnick and Neal Stebbing. Honorary Chairpersons, and long-standing supporters of the Actors' Playhouse, Karl and Carmen Bishopric set the pace for the gala celebration in the spring of 2005 with an initial anniversary contribution to the theatre. Preparations are underway now for the one-of-a-kind event. Connie Crowther of Crowther Communications and an Actors' Playhouse board member, is authoring a 60-page glossy commemorative book including a variety of interviews and photos of those closely involved in the theatre past and present, including Founding Chairman of the Board Dr. Lawrence E. Stein, Executive Producing Director Barbara S. Stein, Artistic Director David Arisco, and Children's Theatre Director Earl Maulding, Architect John Fullerton, Coral Gables Mayor Donald Slesnick, among other notable donors of this extraordinary public/private project. The Decade Doo-Wop Sock-Hop will celebrate the unique a partnership with the City of Coral Gables to renovate the historic Miracle Theatre, restoring the long-neglected landmark to its original Art Deco splendor and the facility the company now calls home. In exchange for free rent under a 40-year lease, Actors' Playhouse bears full responsibility for operating the city-owned facility, managing all programs, and raising all necessary funds for operations and capital improvements. With strong support from the State of Florida, Miami-Dade County, and many generous private donors, Actors' Playhouse has carried out comprehensive seven million dollar renovation of the historic theatre. The re-birth of the classic 50-year-old movie house into a performing arts center was a critical aspect of the positive revitalization of the Coral Gables downtown district. The Gala will also be an opportunity for corporations and individuals to become involved in supporting the theatre's mission to sustain cultural vitality and quality of life in the community. A limited 300 seats are available for this special event. Sponsor tables range from the $50,000 Greased Lightnin' presenter level to the $3,500 T-Bird level. Drive-In single tickets are $250. For further information about the Gala Celebration, sponsorship opportunities, or to purchase tables and seating in advance, please call Executive Producing Director Barbara Stein at 305-444-9293, extension 601, OR visit www.actorsplayhouse.org One of Florida's major cultural institutions, Actors' Playhouse is affiliated with Actor's Equity Association of New York, and produces year round Mainstage theatre for adults as well as the Musical Theatre for Young Audiences. The Playhouse hosts an annual National Children's Theatre Festival; runs year- round theatre classes and summer camp through the Theatre Conservatory, displays visual art exhibits of renown artists in the Miracle Theatre lobbies; hosts a playreading series of new works, and arranges rental of the facility to outside organizations. Actors' Playhouse is renowned for its large-scale Broadway musical theatre productions on the Mainstage and has received nearly 50 Carbonell Awards including "Best Producer of a Musical" in South Florida multiple times.