Santa Fe Playhouse Celebrates Centennial with Masquerade Gala

Time travel is the theme of the evening at Santa Fe Playhouse's Party of the Century, celebrating its centennial season. The masquerade gala takes place on Saturday, November 5, at La Fonda on the Plaza (100 E. San Francisco St.). Guests are invited to dress up as their favorite theater persona from the last 100 years, dine on classic New Mexican cuisine, and become a part of the fabric of live theater. The party begins at 6 p.m. and includes a silent auction of theatrically themed experiences as well as the announcement of the 2023 season.

The gala is followed by the Dance into the Future after-party at Palace Prime (142 W. Palace Ave.), starting at 9:30 p.m., with revelers asked to dress as their favorite theater persona from the future. "I'll be dressed as Eliza Doolittle for the first part of the evening," says Robyn Rikoon, the Playhouse's artistic director. "Later, I'm thinking of going as Blanche DuBois after she gets out of the institution and sues Stanley Kolwalski for intentional infliction of emotional distress."

The costumes worn by attendees are an exciting theatrical aspect of the gala that speaks to the Playhouse's 100-year history of bringing creativity and culture to the stage in Santa Fe. "This is about using your imagination and embodying the characters you want to see on stage. You get to become a character in a story, and party within that story all night," Rikoon says.

Silent-auction items include movie and karaoke nights at the Playhouse for private parties of up to 80 people, a cameo in the 2023 Fiesta Melodrama, and financial scholarships to support students in the Playhouse's Youth Theater Intensive.

Tickets to the masquerade gala are $250 per person and $450 per couple, which includes admission to the after-party. Admission to the after-party is $30 at the door, with a cash bar. Tables at the masquerade gala start at $2,500 and include a range of benefits. All ticket proceeds benefit the Santa Fe Playhouse. For details and to purchase tickets, go to santafeplayhouse.org/the-party-of-the-century.

Santa Fe Playhouse was founded by writer and social activist Mary Austin (1868-1934). Calling themselves the Santa Fe Players, a cast of locals presented the group's first productions, on February 14 and May 13, 1919, in the St. Francis Auditorium at the newly constructed New Mexico Museum of Art. The Santa Fe Players incorporated in 1922 and performed in temporary venues around town, including tents at the rodeo grounds and makeshift shelters on the Plaza. In 1964, the Santa Fe Players renovated an old livery stable in Barrio Analco into a theater space. The venue has been called many things since then, including Santa Fe Community Theater. In 1997, it became the Santa Fe Playhouse. Though there were a couple of dark seasons during WWII, the Playhouse is known as the oldest, continuously operating theater west of the Mississippi.

Santa Fe Playhouse has presented theater by and for Santa Feans for 100 years, from beloved classics to new works by local and national artists. As our city, our country, and our world changes, the Playhouse offers compelling productions that provoke difficult conversations with compassion, while pushing theatrical forms and opening doors for artists of all backgrounds and identities.