Dennis Rowland-Walt Richardson Concert Starts Actors Theatre's Next Fund-Raising Phase, 2/27
By: Kelsey Denette Feb. 16, 2012
The next phase of Actors Theatre's fund-raising efforts will include a series of special events beginning with a concert featuring Dennis Rowland, Walt Richardson and their Friends, Monday, Feb. 27 at 7 p.m. on Stage West at the Herberger Theater Center, 222 E. Monroe. Bob Sorenson will be the Master of Ceremonies.
Tickets are $25 each with a select number of VIP Angel seats available for $100. Tickets can be purchased by visiting The Actors Theatre website at www.actorstheatrephx.org.
Actors Theatre needs to raise $260,000 by the end of June to keep the company's doors open. This phase of the effort follows a successful grassroots outreach during the final eight weeks of 2011 when the company raised $228,000 from 722 donors from more than 30 Arizona cities, 19 states and the United Kingdom.
"Dennis and Walt have generously offered to help us reach our goal, and I can't think of a better way to spend a Monday evening than with these two incredible artists," said Matthew Wiener, Actors Theatre's Producing Artistic Director. "The first phase of our effort was remarkable in the quick and generous response from so many. We're not out of the woods yet, and donations have slowed down considerably since the first of the year, so we're hoping this will start the movement again."
In addition to the Rowland-Richardson concert, plans are being finalized for an evening event at the Dearing Acting Studio in Phoenix on April 28.
Actors Theatre's annual Gourmetheatre is planned Sunday, March 18 beginning at 4:30 p.m. at Stage West of the Herberger Theater with entertainment, cocktails and a silent auction and then moves to restaurants around the Valley where special meals will be created for groups of eight.
Participating restaurants include: T. Cooks, The Arrogant Butcher, 5th & Wine and many more. Cost is $75 for the cocktail reception only, $250 for the reception and dinner. Table sponsorships begin at $2000. For more information, visit www.actorstheatrephx.org.
Actors Theatre's next production, Dead Man's Cell Phone, runs from Feb. 24 through March 11. The story, by Sarah Ruhl (In the Next Room (or the Vibrator Play)), revolves around Jean, who was trying to enjoy a cup of coffee in a quiet café when a nearby cell phone started ringing and wasn't answered because the phone's owner was dead. When Jean, out of annoyance and a bit of curiosity answered the phone, she connected to the man's life, family and disturbing career and the characters that defined them all.
Single tickets range in price from $20.50 to $39.50 and can be purchased online at www.actorstheatrephx.org or at The Herberger Theater Center Box Office.
Dead Man's Cell Phone will be followed by:
• Body Awareness, March 30-April 15: Annie Baker ("Circle Mirror Transformation") got five stars from Time Out New York for her delicate, moving play that takes place during Body Awareness week on a Vermont college campus. The organizer and her partner are hosting one of the guest artists in their home. He's famous for his nude portraits and when he chooses Joyce to pose, Phyllis blows a gasket. As the two bicker, Joyce's son, who may have Asperger's Syndrome, struggles to express himself physically with heartbreaking results.
• Time Stands Still, May 11-27: Donald Margulies' finest play since his Pulitzer-Prize winning "Dinner With Friends," this Tony Award nominee for Best Play follows a photojournalist and a foreign correspondent trying to find happiness in a world that seems to have gone completely crazy. This partnership, based on telling the toughest stories to make a difference, takes a sudden turn in a flash when the couple confronts the prospect of a more conventional life.
For information about all of Actors Theatre's shows, and to purchase tickets, visit www.actorstheatrephx.org. Tickets also can be purchased at the Herberger Theater Center Box Office at (602) 252-8497.
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