Pasadena Playhouse Receives Anonymous 3 Million Dollar Gift

At Pasadena Playhouse's 11th Annual Gala, Pasadena Playhouse Artistic Director Sheldon Epps, new Board Chair Michele Dedeaux Engemann and outgoing Board Chair Kerry McCluggage (the Gala's honoree), announced the theatre's receipt of a $3 million anonymous gift for the Playhouse's Next Stage Campaign.  The $3 million gift, which is a Playhouse record for the largest individual donation, completed the five-year capital drive with a grand total of $11 million surpassing the campaign's original goal of $8.5 million.

"The successful completion of our Next Stage Campaign, along with the extraordinary and incredibly generous gift which pushed us sublimely beyond our original goal, represents a tremendous vote of confidence in where the Playhouse is at this point in its remarkable history.  I often boast, quite legitimately, that thanks to the tremendous efforts of the artists on our stage, our staff, our board, and our community of supporters, Pasadena Playhouse is now riding the crest of the wave, and that we are providing true 'Artistic Leadership' to this community and to the theatre field nationally," said Sheldon Epps.   "The success of this campaign, and the promise that it holds for the support of our work and the growth of our theatre, gives me both great pride and tremendous gratification.  It is good to know that the completion of this campaign represents the inarguable fact that our work is being celebrated and literally 'gifted' by those who believe in our mission, our ongoing success, and our even greater ambitions, dreams, and justifiable hopes."

Next Stage Campaign Chair Gregory P. Stone said, "This $3 million anonymous gift caps off the Next Stage Campaign and provides the vital support we need to care for the beautiful historic building that hosts the tremendous talent the Playhouse attracts and welcomes our wonderful audiences night after night.  This gift was a tremendous backdrop for our annual fall celebration and is the culmination of a great deal of hard work that has been devoted to the Next Stage Campaign over the past five years.  Our board and community are to be commended for their commitment to its success.  It has been an honor for me to serve as Campaign Chair and work with Kerry McCluggage, our board and the Playhouse staff on this ambitious campaign.  We set high goals for the campaign – the establishment of an endowment, the funding of renovations to the landmark building, and the creation and support for educational programs that touch the lives of thousands of youth – and we are proud to have achieved them."

Over eighty percent of the $11 million Next Stage Campaign contributions came from individual donors, of which nearly $6 million is restricted to an endowment for various building maintenance, administration support, and scholarship and education funds.  Campaign activities have begun as conservation specialists Architectural Resources Group (ARG) were engaged along with world-renowned architect Frank Gehry as designer for the two-phase design project of the Carrie Hamilton Theatre.  Construction will commence in the coming months.

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