Theatre Under The Stars Leading Ladies Luncheon Raises Over $115,000

Theatre Under The Stars hosted its annual Leading Ladies Luncheon on April 5 at Houston’s renowned Tony’s on Richmond Ave. The event honored Donna Vallone with the Shirley Stein Outstanding Champion in the Arts and Education Award. 

This sold-out event, chaired by June Deadrick for the third straight year, raised over $115,000 benefitting all of the work TUTS does to create a broader world of musical theatre that is accessible to everyone. 

“This Luncheon is filled with the very people who make Houston’s dynamic arts and education community so vibrant. Your steadfast support continues to expand access for thousands of children allowing them to experience the overwhelming joy that only the arts can inspire from within,” said Deadrick.

During the program, the award for Arts Educator of the Year was presented to Rozie Curtis of Kinder HSPVA, and the award for Volunteer of the Year was presented to Julie Schweers. Rozie’s son Trey Curtis took a break from his role as Hamilton on Broadway to attend the Luncheon. 

TUTS Director of Education Jacob Shideler shared, “At TUTS, we are committed to creating experiences that provide people opportunities to see themselves represented in the arts, and we work to exemplify how the arts, through an environment of belonging, can create a more equitable and inclusive world. None of this would be possible without the volunteers and educators that we regularly work with.”

The TUTS Leading Ladies Luncheon was emceed by Emmy Award-winning journalist Courtney Zubowski Haas. Entertainment was courtesy of the 2024 Tommy Tune Awards Outstanding Lead Performers: Alyssa Dorsey of G.W. Carver High School and Eliran Masti of Kinder HSPVA. These students will represent The City of Houston at this year’s Jimmy Awards, presented by The Broadway League Foundation in New York City. Guests also enjoyed a performance from Riley Korfhage from the upcoming TUTS Musical Theatre Academy Production of Pippin.

Notable guests of the event included: Bruce Stein, Robin & Brad Stein, Andrea & David Stein, Jay Landa, Marris Goldberg, Patrice McKinney, Cissy Segall Davis, Kristin Somerville, Trey Curtis, The Honorable Kelly Hodges, Audrey & Phil Morabito, Demetra Jones, Heather Hrap, Sofia Adrogué, Hector Villarreal, Richard Leibman & Valerie Baron, Meredith Philipp-Tchlokian, Y. Ping Sun, Elaine Balagia, Kristen Cannon, Christine Underwood, and Lynda Underwood.

This Luncheon was created by TUTS affinity group, the Leading Ladies: a dynamic group of vibrant women with a shared passion for musical theatre and commitment to Theatre Under The Stars’ education and community engagement efforts through volunteering, fundraising, and exclusive TUTS events. Founded in 2006 by Amy Pierce and Marsha Taylor, the TUTS Leading Ladies believe in the transformational power of theatre and the arts. 

Learn more about this annual event and more about the TUTS Leading Ladies by visiting TUTS.com/LeadingLadies.

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