Only Make Believe (OMB), a non-profit organization and children's theater company, hosted its 20th Anniversary Gala event, Make Believe on Broadway, at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre last night.
The star-studded Broadway-filled show included performances from the cast of Oklahoma! and The Book of Mormon in addition to appearances by Hamilton's Euan Morton, Brad Oscar (Something Rotten!, The Producers) and Seth Rudetsky plus a special performance by Sir Ian McKellen - in which he presented the official proclamation from the Mayor's office.
Only Make Believe debuted in October 1999 at Rusk Institute's Pediatric Unit, NYU Langone Medical Center, as a project of The James and Dena Hammerstein Foundation. Dena Hammerstein established Only Make Believe in memory of her husband James, the son of theatre legend Oscar Hammerstein, for his dedication to the theatre and her own passionate love for children in need.
The concept of Only Make Believe developed out of Dena's desire to introduce children living with chronic illnesses and disabilities to the magical world of theatre. Since trips to the theatre proved to be too overwhelming for many of the children, Dena decided to bring the theatre to them, helping to create a unique version of live theatre in which each child plays an integral part in the production. Now, 20 years and 5,000 performances later, Only Make Believe visits over 60 hospitals along the East Coast.
Photo Credit: Jennifer Broski
Rafael Ferreira
Rafael Ferreira, Alan Pagnota
Alan Pagnota
Sir Ian McKellen, Dena Hammerstein
Sir Ian McKellen, Dena Hammerstein
Sir Ian McKellen
Ilsy Hoo
Ilsy Hoo
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