Fountain Theatre to Host 25th Anniversary Gala, 10/3

In celebration of a "silver" theatrical milestone, "The Fountain Theatre's 25th Anniversary Gala and Auction" will honor co-artistic director and award-winning playwright/director Stephen Sachs on Saturday, October 3 at Hollywood's Redbury Hotel. City of Los Angeles Councilmember Mitch O'Farrell serves as honorary chair.

The gala event will include a cocktail reception, silent auction (items available beginning Sept. 14 at www.fountaintheatre.com), champagne, dessert and dancing on the hotel's rooftop overlooking Hollywood. Highlights will include a special presentation by Councilmember O'Farrell and a retrospective montage of the last 25 years of Fountain Theatre history.

The evening is a tribute to Sachs, who, together with co-artistic director Deborah Lawlor and producing director Simon Levy, has guided the organization since its founding in 1990 and cemented its place in the Los Angeles theater community. Under Sachs' leadership - as a director, a producer and a playwright - the Fountain Theatre has achieved over 250 awards and international acclaim; in a recent article, Los Angeles Times theater critic Charles McNulty named the Fountain, "one of L.A.'s most vital intimate theaters."

Sachs has also personally won every major theater award in Los Angeles, including two Ovation Awards for Best Director of a Play. He has twice been nominated for the SDC Zelda Fichandler Award honoring outstanding stage directors in the Western United States. Sachs has authored 12 plays that have been produced across the U.S. and internationally and translated into multiple languages. A two-time finalist for the PEN Literary Award for drama, Sachs wrote the teleplay for Hallmark Hall of Fame's Sweet Nothing in My Ear based on his award-winning play. The movie aired on CBS and starred Academy Award winner Marlee Matlin and Golden Globe winner Jeff Daniels. His play Bakersfield Mist won the Elliot Norton Award for Best New Play, received its London premiere starring Kathleen Turner and Ian McDiarmid on London's West End, and is now being produced in theaters across the country and around the world. Sachs' Citizen: An American Lyric, a stage adaptation of Claudia Rankine's award-winning book, is currently running at the Fountain, where it has received rave reviews and was named a "Critic's Choice" by the Los Angeles Times.

For more information on the Gala and details about how to participate in the celebration with a tribute message, email FT25@fountaintheatre.com.

Net proceeds from "The Fountain Theatre's 25th Anniversary Gala and Auction" will provide vital funds to support the development and production of new plays and provide educational outreach opportunities for students throughout greater Los Angeles.

Mixing stylish chic hip with the glamour of old Hollywood, the Redbury is a boutique luxury hotel located near the iconic intersection of Hollywood and Vine in the heart of Hollywood.

"The Fountain Theatre's 25th Anniversary Gala and Auction" takes place on Saturday, Oct. 3 from 5 p.m.-9 p.m. Tickets are $125. The Redbury Hotel is located at 1717 Vine St., Hollywood, CA 90028. For more information to make reservations, call (310) 665-1525 or go to www.fountaintheatre.com.