SAINTS & SINNERS BALL to Benefit Park City Institute's Student Outreach Program

Polish those halos or seek redemption with a devilish and fun night of doing good. The fifth annual Saints & Sinners Ball invites all heroes, gangsters, despots, angels, villains, cherubs... to gather at St. Regis Deer Valley for an impishly delightful soirée on Saturday, March 12. Proceeds from this St. Paddy's celebration benefit Park City Institute's Student Outreach Program.

The revelry begins at 6 p.m. Dressing the part is encouraged, but not required. Tickets to the Saints & Sinners Ball are $200 per person or $1,800 for a table of 10. Please call The Eccles Center box office at 435-655-3114 or purchase tickets online at www.ecclescenter.org.

A sprightly affair, the Saints & Sinners Ball includes cocktails, dinner, an auction (with fiendishly clever and positively heavenly goods on the block) and dancing to live music. And there will be shenanigans...

But in the end, it's all about the kids. Student Outreach has been a vital part of PCI's mission since the organization's inception. Bill Cosby was the first artist to perform as a part of the program in 1998. Since then, hundreds of world-renowned dancers, musicians, actors, filmmakers, tech-savvy production artists, comedians, authors and cultural groups have worked with students in Summit County. These performers and innovators put on workshops, classes, lecture-demonstrations and student-only performances.

"Thanks to the support of all the saints and sinners among us -- and we're not judging -- we're able to offer free, student outreach events, year after year," says PCI executive director Teri Orr. "Student outreach is about introducing young people to the arts -- the magic, the hard work, the inspiration, the limitlessness of creativity. It's transformative. And it's necessary. We can't thank our supporters enough -- particularly the saints at St. Regis - for keeping this program going strong for 18 years."

This season, approximately 3,000 students will experience workshops, demonstrations, talks and performances, ranging from tech to modern dance. Ben Wizner of the ACLU (and an Edward Snowden attorney) talked with students in a Q&A format about issues of technology and privacy; fiery fiddle champ and Grammy winner Eileen Ivers workshopped with high school band, orchestra and dance students; Hyperloop Transportation Technologies chairman, Bibop Gresta spoke to leadership and English classes; and the actor-writer-composer team of Broadway's "Invisible Thread" joined a group of high school students in an in-depth conversation and Q&A about acceptance and whether or not an individual can make a difference in the world. This spring, there are many more conversations, lecture-demonstrations and workshops to come: a week long outreach with award-winning slam poets, Sarah Kay and Phil Kaye in March as well as community and student performances and master dance classes with MacArthur "Genius" and National Medal of Arts recipient Bill T. Jones (and his company) and Aspen Santa Fe Dance Company.

Another aspect of PCI's Student Outreach Program, The After-School Tech Program, allows students to learn the backstage ropes from experts in the field. In some cases, the weekly program has given those "at risk" a creative outlet and a sense of belonging. For others, it has led to college scholarships and career opportunities. Working towards a journeyman's certification, many technical theater students leave the program equipped to work the lights, sound and stage management of theaters around the country. Today, these former tech program students are some of PCI's most valued crew members.

Additionally, the organization's two Mega-Genius Supply Store and IQ HQ locations reach approximately 1,500 students each year. Inspired by Dave Eggers' 826 Valencia, these literacy centers provide free, after-school tutoring and a safe space to explore creativity for students in grades 2 through 12.

PCI's Student Outreach captures imaginations, broadens horizons and inspires careers. The Saints & Sinners Ball on March 12 is a wickedly fun way to keep this program going strong.

Park City Institute invites the community to help support the organization's Student Outreach Program by attending the Saints & Sinners Ball at the St. Regis on Saturday, March 12. The impish shenanigans begin at 6 p.m. Tickets to the Saints & Sinners Ball are $200 per person or $1,800 for a table of 10. Please call The Eccles Center box office at 435-655-3114 or purchase tickets online at www.ecclescenter.org.

Park City Institute is a non-profit organization, dedicated to bringing world-class performances and new ideas to the community. Since 1998, PCI has presented internationally renowned and cutting edge musicians, actors, authors, comedians, dancers, speakers and film at The George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Center for the Performing Arts (a joint-use facility with the Park City School District). The organization will embark on its 13th season of headliner concerts at Deer Valley Resort next summer. PCI is dedicated to introducing young people to the arts through free student outreach workshops, shows and demonstrations. They proudly launched the Mega-Genius Supply Store and IQ HQ - an after school literacy program and very thinky retail store - in January 2010; and opened a second Mega-Genius retail shop and after school tutoring center in New Park in 2015. And the organization continues to illuminate with TEDx events, Curiosities evenings and the Park City Institute / Strategic News Service Future in Review Speaker Series.