19th Annual Warner Theatre Gala to Support Stage Company, Arts Education Programs

The Warner Theatre will host its 19th Annual Gala on Saturday, May 20th at 5:30 pm in the Carole and Ray Neag Performing Arts Center.

The event will benefit the nonprofit theatre with funds supporting the Warner Stage Company, one of the most active community theatre companies in Connecticut, the Warner Theatre Center for Arts Education, an on-site performing arts school where students are free to explore their individuality and creativity and the preservation of the historic Warner Theatre.

The evening will begin with a cocktail and hors d'oeuvre reception where guests will have a chance to mingle and bid in the silent auction. The cocktail reception will be followed by an open bar, dinner, entertainment and a live auction conducted by Eric Hummel.

Tickets are $150 per person and are available by calling 860-489-7180 or at warnertheatre.org. Tables of 6, 8 and 10 are available. For more information on reserving a table or to sponsor the event, call 860-489-7180 x 189.

Sponsors include Torrington Savings Bank, Barron Financial Group, Thomaston Savings Bank, Northwest Community Bank, Litchfield Bancorp and Karpas Strategies.

Built by Warner Brothers Studios and opened in 1931 as a movie palace (1,772 seats), the Warner Theatre was described then as "Connecticut's Most Beautiful Theatre." Damaged extensively in a flood, the Warner was slated for demolition in the early 1980s until the non-profit Northwest Connecticut Association for the Arts (NCAA) was founded and purchased the theatre. The Warner reopened as a performing arts center in 1983, and restoration of the main lobbies and auditorium was completed in November 2002. In 2008, the new 50,000 square foot Carole and Ray Neag Performing Arts Center, which houses a 300 seat Studio Theatre, 200 seat restaurant and expansive school for the arts, was completed. Today, the Warner is in operation year-round with more than 160 performances and 100,000 patrons passing through its doors each season. Over 10,000 students, pre K-adult, participate in arts education programs and classes. Together, with the support of the community, the Warner has raised close to $17 million to revitalize its facilities. NCAA's mission is to preserve the Warner Theatre as an historic landmark, enhance its reputation as a center of artistic excellence and a focal point of community involvement, and satisfy the diverse cultural needs of the region.