Theatre Under The Stars Raises Nearly $700,000 with its One Night Only Gala

The Theatre Under The Stars (TUTS) One Night Only 2017 Gala, which honored Margaret Alkek Williams for her many contributions to the arts community in Houston, was held on Saturday night at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts. Becky and Bart McAndrews and Paul-David Van Atta chaired the event.

The evening raised nearly $700,000! All proceeds from the evening benefit the TUTS Education and Community Outreach Programs. Guests of the gala were transported back to the 1960s as they enjoyed cocktails and dinner inside Sarofim Hall. The stage shimmered in purple and gold, and was filled with flowers, candles and a center table with a mirrored top where the guest of honor was seated. The decor for the evening was created by The Perfect Touch. Entertainment for the evening featured performances by stars from the cast of the upcoming Theatre Under The Stars production of DREAMGIRLS -- Phoenix Best, Ta'Nika Gibson, Zonya Love, Kerissa Arrington, Thomas Hobson, and Wonza Johnson.

This year TUTS extended the fun with its first after party -- the Grand Finale - a throwback to the heyday of the 70s club scene complete with disco balls, a roller skating raffle, and disco hits of the 70s and 80s played by the Richard Brown Orchestra. David Peck and Hector Villareal served as chairs for the Grand Finale.

TUTS One Night Only gala and Grand Finale after party was supported by longtime partners who provided items for the evening's festivities including Zadok Jewelers, Elaine Turner, Kendra Scott, Van Cleef & Arpels, Gillman Automotive Group, West U Travel and Katz Coffee. The event was catered by Culinaire.

The evening's festivities were attended by 400 people. Notable guests of the evening included Margaret Alkek Williamsand Jim Daniel, Amy and Rob Pierce, Bobby and Phoebe Tudor, Steve and Leticia Trauber, Faith and Lee Majors, Penny and Paul Loyd, Frank and Demetra Jones, Jay Landa and Daniel Turner, John Nau, Roxann and Tim Neumann, Randy and Sandy Stilley, Pierce Bush, Roselle and Dennis Baldwin, TUTS Executive Director, Hillary Hart, and Artistic Advisor, Sheldon Epps.

Theatre Under The Stars (TUTS) is Houston's leading Musical Theatre Company since 1968, with a focus on education and community engagement. TUTS is a 501(c)(3) Non Profit Organization that relies on the generous support of our donors to deliver first-rate theatre experiences. Children's MemoriAl Hermann Hospital is the official healthcare partner of Theatre Under The Stars and the official sponsor of the 2016/17 Season. United Airlines is the official airline partner of Theatre Under The Stars. KTRK ABC13 is the official media partner of Theatre Under The Stars. For more information, please visit www.tuts.com.