Richmond CenterStage Announces Broadway Under the Stars Third Anniversary Gala, 6/8

Richmond CenterStage today announced the Broadway Under the Stars Third Anniversary Gala, which will be held on Saturday, June 8, 2013 and will feature Richmond native and Tony Award nominee Emily Skinner performing as the signature artist.

The celebration and fundraiser promises to be a dynamic, entertainment-filled evening staged in the historic Carpenter Theatre followed by cocktails, an elegant dinner, silent auction and dancing held under the stars in a festive gala tent.

In addition, this year the CenterStage Foundation Board of Trustees is proud to inaugurate the CenterStage Renaissance Award, which honors two dynamic individuals whose long-term achievements have significantly impacted the performing arts in Richmond, Central Virginia and beyond. One award is given to an artist for his or her artistic contributions to our cultural legacy; a second award is presented to a business or civic leader who embodies the arts in his or her work and vision.

CenterStage's inaugural Renaissance Award recipients are Thomas F. Farrell II, chairman, president and CEO of Dominion Resources, Inc. (pictured right) and Emily Skinner, Broadway star, Tony Award nominee and Richmond native (pictured above). The awards ceremony will be held in conjunction with the Broadway Under the Stars Third Anniversary Gala on June 8 and will feature the 71st Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia Robert F. McDonnell as a presenter.

The Foundation is proud to celebrate and recognize these remarkable individuals who have elevated the performing arts across our region.

As chairman, president and chief executive officer of Richmond-based Dominion Resources, Tom Farrell has shown that effective corporate citizenship begins at home. Thanks in large part to Mr. Farrell's leadership and vision, Dominion recently announced a generous $2 million contribution to the Landmark Theater renovation project. In addition, Dominion has served has a sponsor of Central Virginia's many arts organizations and events such as the Richmond Ballet's annual performances of The Nutcracker, the ever-growing Richmond Folk Festival and the Richmond Symphony's Music Education Scholarship Fund, among others.

Farrell's personal interest and dedication to the arts is also reflected in his service as a member of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Board of Trustees and as the current Chairman of the Richmond Performing Arts Center, which oversaw the development and operation of Richmond CenterStage's inception in 2007.

"I am honored to receive the CenterStage Renaissance Award - and at an event featuring Richmond's own Emily Skinner," said Thomas F. Farrell II, Dominion's chairman, president and CEO. "The performing arts are vital to any culture and society, and Dominion is delighted to enhance and nurture them in the Richmond region."

Richmond native Emily Skinner is an alumnus of the School of the Performing Arts in the Richmond Community (SPARC) and has performed regularly with Theatre Virginia and Barksdale Theater in the past. Following her degree at Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh, PA, Skinner has performed on Broadway to critical and commercial acclaim in productions that include Jekyll and Hyde, Billy Elliott, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and Side Show, where her role as one half of a pair of Siamese twins was nominated for a 1998 Tony Award shared with co-star Alice Ripley - the first time in Tony history that two actresses were co-nominated for the same award.

Skinner's amazing success on Broadway has made her an ambassador for the Richmond performing arts community, and she has returned to her hometown on numerous occasions to work with SPARC in many different capacities, including teaching a master class with arts education students, hosting SPARC lectures about her experiences as a working actress in New York and co-chairing fundraising campaign efforts.

"It is such an honor to perform and receive the first-ever artist's Renaissance Award from CenterStage," said Skinner. "I remember performing with SPARC when I was an adolescent and in many of Richmond's wonderful professional theaters as a teen, and to receive this award in my hometown is truly meaningful, and I'm proud to be a part of this great event."

"Our Third Anniversary Gala celebration promises to be unlike any evening we've ever had here at CenterStage," said Richmond CenterStage Executive Director Richard M. Parison, Jr. "The performing arts community in Richmond is grateful for the contributions of artists like Emily Skinner and community leaders like Tom Farrell. We're looking forward to celebrating them and honoring all of their Herculean achievements. Our evening under the stars will support our artistic and education programs - and include a few surprises along the way."

For additional information about Richmond CenterStage's Broadway Under the Stars Third Anniversary Gala, visit www.richmondcenterstage.com/gala.