American Conservatory Theater Season Gala Raises Over $1.2 Million

With the help of artists from throughout American Conservatory Theater's (A.C.T.) celebrated 50-year history-as well as current Master of Fine Arts Program (M.F.A.) and Young Conservatory (YC) students-A.C.T. raised over $1.2 million at its 2017 Season Gala, which took place on Thursday, April 27 at A.C.T.'s Strand Theater and Costume Shop Theater. The proceeds from the Gala support A.C.T.'s actor training and arts education programs.

More than 400 guests attended this year's gala, which began with a Prosecco Promenade and cocktail reception at The Strand Theater and Costume Shop Theater--each space featuring its own entertainment, libations, and décor, including a Jazz Trio from San Francisco's Conservatory of Music and a piano performance by Casey Lee Hurt (The Unfortunates at A.C.T.). Immediately following, guests were escorted to a supper club-style tented dining room built between The Strand Theater and The Costume Shop where they enjoyed an elegant dinner prepared by McCalls Catering. During this time, guests were treated to a one-of-a-kind performance featuring musical numbers from productions presented at A.C.T. over the past 50 years, including Sunday in the Park with George, Sweeney Todd, Urinetown, The Scottsboro Boys, Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City, A Little Night Music, The Unfortunates, and closing with a preview of A.C.T.'s upcoming production, A Night with Janis Joplin. The evening concluded with an after-party featuring cocktails and dancing.

Special guest performers/speakers included Harry Hamlin, BD Wong, Judy Kaye, Betsy Wolfe, Mary Birdsong, Alysha Umphress, Jacob Ming-Trent, Jacqueline Toboni, Julia Mattison, Patrick Lane, and more. Special guests included Lisa Rinna, Bernard Tyson and Denise Bradley Tyson, Ken Fulk, James Hormel and Michael Nguyen, Jerome Guillen, JaMel and Tom Perkins, Sarah and Tony Earley, and Jascha Kaykas-Wolff.

Led by Gala Chair Priscilla Geeslin, gala host committee members included Keith Geeslin, Nancy Livingston and Fred Levin, Patti and Rusty Rueff, and Laurie and Jeff Ubben. Gala sponsors for the evening included Blue Angel Vodka, Bulldog Gin, EnRoute Winery, La Marca Prosecco, and Whiskies of the World. Dinner sponsors included AT&T California, Bank of America, BNY Mellon Wealth Management, Kaiser Permanente, Mozilla, and Wells Fargo.

Photo credit: Drew Altizer Photography

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