Arena Stage To Host Exclusive Wine Auction And Wine Dinner

Arena Stage will host a silent and live wine auction on Friday, October 26, 2018 at the Mead Center for American Theater (1101 Sixth St., SW). The event is helmed by Arena Stage Trustees Judith N. Batty, Gene Samburg and Beth Newburger Schwartz.

The evening kicks off at 6:30 p.m. with a reception and silent auction, followed by a seated dinner, paired with wines donated by Total Wine & More. Event attendees will have the opportunity to bid on exclusive items and experiences throughout the event, including the Bordeaux Experience, valued at $5,000, where two couples traveling together will enjoy a three-night stay in a château in romantic Bordeaux, with VIP treatment, including one-of-a-kind vineyard and winery tours, private wine tastings and an insider's look at winemaking in France's most famous wine region. Also available for bid is a one-week stay in a four bedroom, four-and-a-half-bathroom private residence villa at the Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita, valued at $20,000, with an infinity edged heated plunge pool, spacious covered terrace and patio, hot tub, panoramic Pacific Ocean view and full kitchen (3,600 feet of indoor space and 3,600 feet of outdoor space). Winners of the Punta Mita package will enjoy full use of the Four Seasons Resort facilities and amenities, including room service. The following wines will also be available for bid:

2007 Schrader CCS Cabernet Sauvignon, WS 100; RP 100, valued at $1,000

2004 Harlan Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, WS 98 ; RP 98, valued at $1,000

2008 Penfolds Grange Shiraz, WS 100 ; RP 100,,valued at $750

2007 Staglin 25th Anniversary Selection Cabernet Sauvignon, WS 95, RP 96, valued at $750

2002 Sloan Cabernet Sauvignon, WS 99; RP 100, valued at $750

Additional auction items will be announced at a later date.

All proceeds from the evening support Arena Stage's award-winning artistic and community engagement programs.

Individual tickets start at $300. Space is limited. For additional event details, visit arenastage.org/support/special-events/wine-auction/

For information on ticket or table purchases, please contact Maria Corso at 202-600-4025 or email mcorso@arenastage.org.

Judith N. Batty is active in several professional and charitable organizations, and currently serves as Chair of the Governing Board of Trustees of Arena Stage. She is also a member of the Executive Committee of the Board of Girl Scouts of the USA, and serves as the International Commissioner. Ms. Batty was an executive and senior attorney at Exxon Mobil Corporation for over 28 years. She is experienced in structuring and negotiating complex international acquisitions, divestitures, and market entry. She was the first female, and first African American, General Counsel of ExxonMobil's 3000 employee, publicly traded, Japanese affiliate. Ms. Batty, is a native New Yorker, and has also lived in Dallas, London, and Tokyo. She received her BA from New York University College of Arts and Sciences, and her JD from New York University School of Law.

Gene Samburg is the founder and former president of Kastle Systems International LLC, a security systems service company that installs, monitors, and operates electronic security systems in more than 1,850 commercial office buildings throughout the United States and Australia. Early in his career, Gene worked for Westinghouse Security Systems in the Washington, DC, area and collaborated with the U.S. Secret Service to provide security solutions for The White House, Camp David and four presidential residences. He went on to start his own company, which he grew into an international business with revenues of more than $50 Million. Gene sold Kastle in 2007 and retired in 2009, but he continues to consult for the company. In 1999, Gene received Ernst & Young's "Master Entrepreneur of the Year" award, he is president of the Board of Directors of his Condominium Association, is a member of the Gridiron Club, and is listed in Marquis Who's Who. Gene is currently a Trustee of Arena Stage.

Beth Newburger Schwartz is an entrepreneur who has started and sold several businesses. She is currently President and CEO, Epoch Communications, Richlynd Federal and Middle Finger Productions. Beth is known in preservation circles for her work as Director of Communications for the National Trust for Historic Preservation. She served as a senior political appointee in both Clinton Administrations first in the White House Women's Office and later as Associate Administrator, General Services Administration. In addition to her professional career, Beth is past Chair of Arena Stage and currently Vice President, past Chair and trustee of the National Children's Museum, Trustee of the Roosevelt Library at Hyde Park, President's Council of Cornell Women, the Boat Owners Association of the United States and Chairman of the Board of Apollo Enterprise Imaging. Beth shared her love of theater and the arts with her late husband, Richard Schwartz, Founder and Chairman of BoatUS and an extraordinary philanthropist.

Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater, under the leadership of Artistic Director Molly Smith and Executive Producer Edgar Dobie, is a national center dedicated to American voices and artists. Arena Stage produces plays of all that is passionate, profound, deep and dangerous in the American spirit, and presents diverse and ground-breaking work from some of the best artists around the country. Arena Stage is committed to commissioning and developing new plays,and impacts the lives of over 10,000 students annually through its work in community engagement. Now in its seventh decade, Arena Stage serves a diverse annual audience of more than 300,000. arenastage.org

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