Maureen McGovern to Headline Garden Theatre Gala This March

The Garden Theatre (160 West Plant Street) is pleased to announce its signature event, Garden Encore! presented by Orlando Health, March 4-6, 2016. What was once a one-night-only event in previous years, 2016's Garden Encore! features three days of celebration and entertainment, and welcomes Grammy Nominee and Broadway star Maureen McGovern, renowned musical entertainer John Charles, and the world-class talents of a cappella group, Vox Audio.

Garden Encore! serves a dual purpose as the annual fundraiser for the Garden Theatre, as well as an opportunity to reveal the upcoming 2016-2017 Season. On Saturday, guests will begin the evening with red carpet welcome and champagne reception, followed by the 2016-2017 Season reveal that precedes a one-of-a-kind opportunity to experience Maureen McGovern in the intimacy of the 299-seat Garden Theatre. Guests will then be escorted to an outdoor after-party under the stars for unique food experiences, decadent desserts and dancing.

This year, musical artists John Charles and Vox Audio provide entertainment on Friday and Sunday, respectively.

The complete weekend schedule and ticket information is as follows:

Friday, March 4, 2016 at 8pm
With just a guitar, a piano and his incredible voice, John Charles creates a unique and exciting experience that is tailored especially for each audience. No two performances are ever alike.
Tickets: $45

Saturday, March 5, 2016
Grammy Nominee and Broadway star Maureen McGovern shares an eclectic evening of songs and stories from her illustrious 40-year career. She has been described as a "four-octave powerhouse."
Tickets: $200 includes 7pm welcome champagne reception, exclusive concert and after-party under the stars.

Sunday, March 6, 2016 at 3pm
Vox Audio, a group of incredibly talented, high-energy, a cappella vocalists, is known throughout the world for their exploration of the boundaries of the human voice. Their Off-Broadway show, Loudmouth, had a long successful run and won the prestigious Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical Experience. Winners of the 2006 Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards' Artist of the Year award in 2006 and Album of the Year award for their album Chemistry from the Contemporary A Cappella Society of America in 2003, Vox Audio is "pitch perfect" fun!
Tickets: $45

Guests may elect to only attend the Saturday evening after-party for a ticket price of $80. Tickets may be purchased by calling the Garden Theatre Box Office at 407-877-GRDN (4736) x0 or online at gardentheatre.org/encore. To purchase a corporate package and for sponsorships, contact Shana Fair at shana@gardentheatre.org.

Maureen McGovern's illustrious career as a live performance and film/television actor, vocalist and writer has spanned over forty years. She first achieved acclaim for her #1 Billboard recording of "The Morning After" from The Poseidon Adventure which garnered her a Grammy nomination in 1973 for Best New Artist. McGovern received her second Grammy nomination in 1998 for Best Traditional Pop Vocal for her solo piano/voice album, The Pleasure of His Company, with Emmy-winning, Grammy-nominated jazz pianist, Mike Renzi. She was also a featured guest artist on the Grammy Award-winning Songs from the Neighborhood: The Music of Mister Rogers. Other hits include, "Can You Read My Mind" from Superman, the Oscar-winning "We May Never Love Like This Again" from The Towering Inferno and "Different Worlds" from the TV series Angie. Her many critically-acclaimed recordings include tributes to George Gershwin, Alan and Marilyn Bergman, Harold Arlen and Richard Rodgers.

Her multifaceted career includes acting roles for live performance and film/television. Her Broadway credits include Marmee in Little Women, The Musical, for which she was nominated for a Drama Desk Award; Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance; Luisa in Nine with Raul Julia and Polly Beachum in 3 Penny Opera with Sting. Off-Broadway, McGovern performed the role of Mary in Brownstone and she starred as Mrs. Anna in the Broadway Revival National Tour of The King and I. Feature films include roles as the Nightclub Singer in The Towering Inferno and Sr. Angelina, the guitar strumming nun in the comedy classic Airplane! and Airplane II: The Sequel, which was a fitting and hilarious finale to her early "Disaster Theme Queen" decade.

More recently, McGovern co-wrote the one-woman musical memoir, Carry It On (formerly A Long and Winding Road), which received an IRNE Award for Best Solo Performance. This memoir looks back on McGovern's life as a performer and singer and how the culture and time shaped her personal and creative life. Her personal life includes her long-term service as a volunteer and performer for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, and is an advocate for music therapy through the American Music Therapy Association.

John Charles has been performing all around the United States, Canada and Europe for most of his professional life and has established himself as one of the most sought after entertainers in the corporate market. He has written, produced and hosted the openings of almost every Walt Disney Resort in the United States and Europe. As a corporate entertainer, John has performed all over the country for most of the fortune 500 companies, including AT&T, IBM, Kodak, Time Warner, Coca-Cola, and many, many more.

Vox Audio was born as Toxic Audio at the 1998 at the Orlando Fringe Festival with a simple concept: create a fun, interactive theatrical show, where the star was the human voice. The show was an instant hit, and the group soon caught the attention of Disney executives, who hired them to perform daily at Walt Disney World's MGM Studios. After winning first place in the National Harmony Sweepstakes and being named "Best Pop Group in America" by Ed McMahon's Next Big Star, the group spent some time as top-ranked guest entertainers on Royal Caribbean cruise ships.

In 2004, Vox Audio opened to rave reviews Off-Broadway. The production also won the prestigious Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical Experience.

Soon the Vox Audio garnered national attention with appearances on ABC-TV, FOX, and ESPN 2's "Cold Pizza." Their album, Chemistry was named "A Cappella Album of the Year" by The Contemporary A Cappella Society of America and was featured on radio stations across the country, including Sirius Satellite Radio.

In the years following, Vox Audio has performed for sell-out crowds at the Luxor Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, and toured internationally throughout parts of Asia, South America, and Europe. Wherever they go, Vox Audio continues to delight audiences world-wide by exploring the boundaries of the human voice.

Located in the heart of historic downtown Winter Garden on Plant Street, the Garden Theatre is a not-for-profit organization committed to enriching, engaging and entertaining through creative experiences. The 299-seat theatre, which re-opened in 2008, is a historic, atmospheric, professional performing arts venue in a Mediterranean Revival style. The Garden Theatre hosts live plays, concerts, movies and more to the residents of and visitors to the city of Winter Garden. For tickets or additional information, contact the Garden Theatre Box Office at 407-877-GRDN (4736) or visit the Garden Theatre website at gardentheatre.org.

Photo Credit: Deborah Feingold

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