Tickets on Sale Today for Half Moon Theatre's 2015 Gala, Featuring Sutton Foster

Half Moon Theatre, the Hudson Valley's professional regional theatre, is thrilled to announce that it will continue its partnership with The Culinary Institute of America-with a full season of inventive theatrical and culinary programming from September 2015 through May 2016. This partnership offers patrons a unique immersive experience, combining world class cuisine with Broadway caliber performances all in one spectacular venue: The Culinary Institute of America.

HMT will kick off its second season at The CIA with an annual Gala Benefit featuring Broadway veteran, two-time Tony Award-winning actress, and Younger star Sutton Foster on September 26, 2016. Ms. Foster is an award-winning actor, singer and dancer who has performed in 11 Broadway shows including The Drowsy Chaperone, Little Women, Young Frankenstein, Shrek The Musical, and her Tony Award-winning performances in Anything Goes and Thoroughly Modern Millie. She is currently starring in TV Land's new hit series Younger, which is written and directed by Darren Star (Sex and the City), about a 40 year-old mother masquerading as a single, 28 year-old in order to land an entry level job.

As a solo artist, Sutton has performed all over the world with her musical director Michael Rafter. She has graced the stages of Carnegie Hall, Feinstein's, Lincoln Center's American Songbook series, Joe's Pub and many others. The New York Times raves of her solo show, "The radiance of Julia Roberts and the zany spunk of Holly Golightly-that only begins to describe the seductive charms of Sutton Foster."

Gala sponsors will enjoy a pre-show cocktail party with sumptuous hors d'oeuvres prepared by the world-class chefs of The CIA - followed by a performance by the Half Moon Theatre Company and headliner Sutton Foster. The evening concludes with a delicious dessert reception at 9 p.m.-where sponsors will have the unique opportunity to meet Ms. Foster and have her sign CDs and other merchandise. (Sponsorships begin at $600 and proceeds fund HMT's season-in addition to their educational and community outreach programs and scholarships for HMT School of the Arts ).

Sponsorship opportunities are available at http://halfmoontheatre.org/donate/gala-sponsorship-opportunities/

Half Moon Theatre is also offering a decadent pre-performance sampling of the CIA's favorite canapés and entrees for a limited number of patrons at the Caterina de' Medici ($200 pp). Individual tickets for the performance only are available for $40-$75.

Tickets for the Gala Benefit: An Evening with Sutton Foster are on sale July 16, 2015. To purchase tickets to the Annual Gala Benefit, call 800-838-3006 or visit halfmoontheatre.org. For best seat selection, purchase as soon as possible.

Half Moon Theatre's season continues with a variety of dynamic and diverse offerings--from I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti, a one-woman tour-de-force where the actress cooks a three-course meal onstage, to Patrick Barlow's modern and heartwarming adaption of A Christmas Carol, and the side-splitting comedy Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike.

Half Moon and The CIA will also partner to offer original programming that combines the creative integration of the gastronomic and theatrical arts, including a Cabaret series called "Downstairs at the Marriott" and a new twist on HMT's annual Ten Minute Play Festival-where patrons will sample an array of delectable dishes (featured in each of the ten minute plays) after the production!

"In choosing our second season at The CIA, we wanted to offer fun, exciting and creative ways for our patrons to experience the best of professional theatre with culinary excellence in this unique setting," said HMT Managing Director Kristy Grimes. "We believe there truly is "something for everyone" in our 2015-2106 season and hope that visitors and Hudson Valley residents will enjoy this one-of-a-kind culinary and cultural destination."

Grimes continued, "We are also pleased to announce that HMT will be offering a subscription package for our 2015-16 season for the first time. Patrons will have the opportunity to sample each of The CIA's award-winning restaurants-The American Bounty, The Bocuse Restaurant and Ristorante Caterina de' Medici prior to seeing each of our main stage productions." "Subscriptions for all three dinners and shows will be available for $275-$295 (dinners are inclusive of tax & service charges) now through September 7. Subscribers will have priority access to restaurant reservations and enjoy premier theatre seating.

"Our partnership with the Half Moon Theatre has created great new events at The CIA," explained Dr. Tim Ryan, president of The Culinary Institute of America. "Together we offer unique attractions that invite both our local community and visitors to come to the CIA for fabulous food and entertainment - and that offer our students great theatre on campus. It's all happening right here in the Hudson Valley. "

I LOVED, I LOST, I MADE SPAGHETTI, Based on Giulia Melucci's best-selling memoir, adapted by Jacques Lamarre. October 9-25, 2015. The New York Times calls it, "A delightful comic evening..." This mouth-watering comedy, I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti, celebrates Italian home cooking as an expression of love and a source of comfort when the romance goes cold. Giulia recounts stories about her madcap adventures as a single New Yorker looking for love as she cooks a three-course dinner live on stage before our eyes (including home-made pasta!). A limited number of onstage seats are available to enjoy Giulia's three-course meal during the show!

A CHRISTMAS CAROL, by Charles Dickens, adapted by Patrick Barlow. December 3-19, 2015. Brighten your holiday season with this magical, humorous and highly theatrical version of the classic holiday tale. By the creator of the Tony-award winning hit The 39 Steps, five actors bring Dickens' characters to life in this streamlined re-telling of Scrooge's redemption from miserly curmudgeon to a generous and kind member of society. Family members ages 8-88 will come together to laugh and shed a tear, and revel in the joy of the season. Create a lasting holiday memory by dining at one of The CIA's award winning restaurants before the show!

CABARET AT THE CIA, January 15-16 2016, February 12-13 2016: Join Half Moon Theatre as we offer an unforgettable Hudson Valley nightlife experience-combining performances by Broadway's best performers with world-class dining in a sophisticated setting. The lower level of the Marriott Pavilion is transformed into a candlelit Cabaret and elegant hotspot. Relax while enjoying canapés and cocktails perfectly prepared by the world-renowned chefs of The CIA, as the Half Moon Theatre entertainers enchant you with songs of love and longing. A perfect way to warm up the winter!

6TH ANNUAL TEN MINUTE PLAY FESTIVAL, March 11-13, 2016, Marriott Pavilion. Join Half Moon Theatre's nationally recognized playwrights as they riff on this year's theme: "The Tasting Menu." Each playwright is assigned a mouth-watering dish to feature in his/her play. After the show is over, the audience has the chance to sample each of these delectable dishes downstairs at the Marriott Pavilion Conference Center. It's the ultimate in dinner theatre!

VANYA AND SONIA AND MASHA AND SPIKE by Christopher Durang, April 21-May 8, 2016. 2013 Tony Award-Winner for Best Play! Vanya and his step-sister Sonia have been living small, quiet lives at their family's rural lake house, but when their self-absorbed movie star sister Masha arrives with her 20-something boy toy Spike, the stage is set for a weekend of hilarity and hijinx. This raucous comedy blends Chekhov's classic themes of loss and longing with supremely impressive abs, Disney's Snow White, and a psychic housekeeper. Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike is a delightfully off-kilter romp that critics have hailed as a "sublime state of hilarity" and a "zany joy."

Pre-theatre dining reservations at each of the CIA's remarkable restaurants will be available two months prior to each production by calling 845-905-4533 or emailing ciarestaurantgroup@culinary.edu.

Now entering its ninth season, Half Moon Theatre (HMT) is a Hudson Valley-based company of local actors, directors, playwrights, designers, and producers, who have also worked extensively in New York, Los Angeles, and at regional theaters around the country. HMT has produced world premiere plays, recent Broadway hits, an original children's opera, and an annual Ten Minute Play Festival.

Founded in 1946, The Culinary Institute of America is an independent, not-for-profit college offering associate and bachelor's degrees with majors in culinary arts, baking and pastry arts, applied food studies, and culinary science, as well as certificate programs in culinary arts and wine and beverage studies. As the world's premiere culinary college, The CIA provides thoughtful leadership in the areas of health and wellness, sustainability, and world cuisines and cultures through research and conferences. The CIA has a network of 46,000 alumni that includes industry leaders such as Grant Achatz, Anthony Bourdain, Roy Choi, Cat Cora, Dan Coudreaut, Steve Ells, Johnny Iuzzini, Charlie Palmer, and Roy Yamaguchi. The CIA also offers courses for professionals and enthusiasts, as well as consulting services in support of innovation for the food service and hospitality industry.