Town Hall Theater Celebrates 5th Anniversary with Benefit Gala Tonight

"It seems like we opened just yesterday," says Town Hall Theater executive director Douglas Anderson. "It's come as a shock to all of us that we've been at this for 5 years. I guess time passes when you're having fun."

Once it opened in the summer of 2008, Town Hall Theater quickly changed Middlebury's cultural and social landscape. Not only has it provided a state-of-the-art home for the performing arts, but it has also become a center for a variety of community events, such as fund-raisers for area non-profits, weddings, conferences, meetings, book readings, classes and even the MUHS Junior Prom. It's a performing arts center but also a vibrant community center - something its creators envisioned all along.

"A town needs a big room," says Anderson. "We try to put no limits on what can happen in this building."
Big-name performers like Ed Asner and Judy Collins have played THT - as well as school children and local performers big and small.

To celebrate the 5-year landmark, THT is bringing back performers who brought down the house in productions since the building opened. On the bill are Kim Anderson (Funny Girl); the cast of Annie; Judith Dry (Gypsy); dancer/choreographer PatTy Smith; bluegrass wonders The Connor Sisters; pianist Diana Fanning; the Hadippa Dancers; Nikki Juvan (Music Man); Leigh Guptill (Smokey Joe's Café, Middlebury Does Soul); the Maiden Vermont chorus; Chuck Miller and the house band; and many more.

To meet the demand for tickets, the gala performance will be presented twice, at 5 pm and 8 pm, tonight, June 22.

Between the performances, part of Merchants Row will be roped off to create space for a street party, complete with food, music, and a birthday cake. Those attending the 5 pm performance will exit the show directly into the street party. Those attending the 8 pm performance will come early (around 6:30 pm) to the street party and then move into the theater for the performance.

"The street party gives us all a chance to whoop it up a bit," says Anderson. And there's a lot to cheer. SEVEN DAYS recently wrote that "Addison County's Shire town is becoming one of Vermont's premiere cultural destinations." Town Hall Theater is a real grassroots success story, and the model for many other communities who are trying to restore and revive their historic theaters.

Town Hall Theater's 5th Benefit Birthday Gala will be held tonight, June 22. Performances are at 5 pm and 8 pm, with a street party between the two shows. Tickets are $35, and include the show and food at the street dance. The gala will give THT a great start as it heads into the next five years.

Tickets are available at www.townhalltheater.org, (802) 382-9222, at the THT Box Office (Noon-5, Mon-Sat) or at the door, if available.

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