Village Theatre Hosts Annual Gala 5/8, Foundation Pledges To Match Up To $50,000

Village Theatre announces an exciting matching opportunity at On The Town, our Annual Auction and Gala event taking place on May 8, 2010 at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel in Seattle. The Bruce and Jolene McCaw Family Foundation has pledged to match contributions to our ‘Raise The Paddle' on a one-to-one basis, up to $50,000. This year, ‘Raise the Paddle' will benefit Village Theatre's new works program Village Originals, which is the same program that developed the recent Pulitzer Prize winning new musical, Next to Normal. Those who wish to support Village Originals but cannot attend the Gala can still ‘Raise The Paddle' and donate to this unique program.

Village Theatre's mission stipulates a dedication to the development of new musicals that achieve national exposure, and the Village Originals program of readings, workshops, developmental productions and Mainstage productions represents one of the strongest commitments to new musicals in the nation. Village Theatre is one of the few resident theatres to provide regular opportunities at every step of musical development, from first table reading to full-scale premiere production-two new works each season are part of Village Theatre's five-show lineup alongside the classics.

To date, over 85 new musicals have been developed, many of which have gone on to stages throughout the world. Broadway's Next to Normal was developed in the Village Originals program in 2002 and again in 2005. In 2009 the show was nominated for 11 Tony Awards and went on to win three including Best Original Score. This month, the new musical won the prestigious Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Other notable Village Originals productions that have moved forward include Broadway's Million Dollar Quartet, The Ark (opened off-Broadway, 2005), Signs of Life (formerly titled Terezin, opened off-Broadway, March 2010), The Wedding Banquet, and Eleanor.

For those interested in attending the Annual Auction & Gala event, tickets start at $200 per person, with corporate sponsorship tables for 10 starting at $2,000. For more information about attending the Gala or to ‘Raise The Paddle' for new musicals, please contact Jessica Wright at (425) 392-1942 x151 or jwright@villagetheatre.org.

Special thanks go to Village Theatre's Annual Auction & Gala Sponsors: The Boeing Company, The Bruce and Jolene McCaw Family Foundation, Continental Airlines, Greenfield Advisors, Holland America Line, MacDonald-Miller, US Bank, and Wells Fargo.

About Village Theatre

Based in Issaquah, WA, with operations in Everett, Village Theatre is a leading producer of musical theatre in the Pacific Northwest. Producing entertaining quality productions for the entire family since 1979, Village Theatre has grown into one of the region's best-attended Equity theatres, with over 18,000 Subscribers and 182,000 projected total attendance each season. Through its Village Originals program, Village Theatre is nationally recognized for its contribution to the development of new musicals, having launched over 85 new works to date. Village Theatre also takes pride in nurturing tomorrow's audiences through its youth education programs, Pied Piper and KIDSTAGE, serving over 54,000 young people, families, and schools annually.