Queens Theatre Presents Gala 2011, Held May 24

Ray Cullom, Executive Director of Queens Theatre in the Park announced today that Gala 2011 will be held on Tuesday, May 24, 2011 at 6pm at Queens Theatre in the Park, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Flushing, NY.

Gala 2011 honors Farrell Fritz, Metropolitan Attorneys at Law, with a special honor for Jeffrey Rosenstock, Founding Director of Queens Theatre in the Park. Following a cocktail party and light supper at 6pm, The Honoree Recognitions Ceremony will begin at 7:15pm. The hall will then begin to rock like the Vegas Strip with a fabulous performance of Sandy Hackett's Rat Pack Show! The evening ends with the annual DESSERT EXTRAVAGANZA.

Each year, this event presents an opportunity for the Queens Theatre in the Park to recognize outstanding individuals and organizations whose contributions improve the greater community of Queens. Eager to salute the efforts of those who lend support to Queens Theatre in the Park as well as to the entire borough, the Gala is the theatre's most prestigious event. The goal of the event is to raise funds through sponsorships, ticket sales, journal ads and a silent auction.

Farrell Fritz has strong ties with the Queens community, providing legal services to a broad array of clients. Attorneys also work closely with many Queens-based not-for-profit and business organizations as board members, through active participation on committees, providing pro bono services, speakers and financial support. Farrell Fritz attorneys advise Queens businesses and individuals in connection with a spectrum of legal issues, including employment law; commercial real estate; environmental law; land use & zoning; tax issues; corporate & banking law; bankruptcy and creditors' rights; healthcare; commercial litigation; and estate planning, administration and litigation.

Attorneys serve on the boards of many Queens-based organizations,including Child Center of New York, Flushing Council on Culture and the Arts and Flushing Willets Point Corona Local Development Corporation. Founded by three partners in 1976, Farrell Fritz, P.C. is now home to more than 80 attorneys in four offices, including Uniondale (headquarters), Manhattan, Hauppauge and Bridgehampton. For further information please visit www.farrellfritz.com or call Louis Vlahos at (516) 227-0639.

Jeffrey Rosenstock was the Founding Director of Queens Theatre in the Park. Although the theatre was established in 1972, it went dark in 1985. In cooperation with the Queens Council on the Arts, Jeff responded to a request for proposals from the City of New York and was awarded a grant to give the Theatre a second chance. He secured the support of the Queens Borough President and other key elected officials and during his tenure transformed an abandoned building into the premier performing arts center with two stages (90-seat and 464-seat auditoriums), a 75-seat cabaret, and exhibition galleries plus increased the operating budget from $80,000 to $3.7 million.

Mr. Rosenstock is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Alliance of Resident Theatres/New York. He has served as a panelist in the presenting program of the New York State Council on the Arts as well as at the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and for Crain's 2003 Arts and Culture breakfast. Jeff served as Producing Director of Theatre By the Sea in Portsmouth, NH; and General Partner in the theatre management firm of ITC; Director of Operations for the Charles Ives Center.

Sandy Hackett's Rat Pack Show is a critically acclaimed, hugely entertaining theatrical production which includes exciting new arrangements of the classic songs everyone knows and loves. The stellar cast includes Sandy Hackett in the role of Joey Bishop with Frank Sinatra being portrayed by the incomparable David DeCosta. The mega talented Doug Starks plays Sammy Davis, Jr. and newcomer Tony Basile fills the shoes of Dean Martin. Buddy Hackett himself is the voice of God, thanks to a voiceover recorded before he passed.

Gala 2011 Funding Goal is $220,000.
The following organizations and individuals have pledged their lead support:
Lead sponsor: Farrell Fritz
Producer: Con Edison; Silvercup Studios
Associate Producers: Kaufman Astoria Studios; National Grid; TD Bank; and Vallo Transportation
Donors: Citibank; Crystal Window & Door Systems, LTD; Interphase Electric Group; Melrose Credit Union; and Rotary Club of Flushing

The Gala is Co-Chaired by Louis Vlahos and Steve Chen, both members of the Board of Queens Theatre in the Park. The Gala Committee includes: Denise Arbesu, Citibank; Consol Ismael Naveja, Consulado General de Mexico; Tracy Capune, Kaufman Astoria Studios; Mike Carrone, Cooling Guard Mechanical Corp.; Linda DeSabato, Vallo Transportation, Ltd.; Fred Fu, Flushing Development Center; Bertine Lafayette; Debra Markell Kleinert, Community Board 2; Frances Passantino; Dee Richard; Thomas Santucci, Gateway Investments, LLC; Dawn Simon, Queens Center; Margaret Vitale, TD Bank; Maria Elana Cabezut, Mexican Cultural Institute of NY.

Tickets are available at www.queenstheatre.org by phone at 718-760-0686 and at the box office.

Queens Theatre in the Park is located in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Flushing, NY.
By Subway: Take the 7 train to Mets-Willets Point stop. Exit and turn left after passing through turnstile, walk downstairs on the parking lot side and follow the theatre shuttle signs. Take free trolley to the Theatre. Trolley runs for one hour before and after all performances.
By Car: Take the Grand Central Parkway to exit 9E (from Manhattan) or 9P (from Long Island) and follow the signs for the Theatre. Free parking in adjacent lot.

About Queens Theatre in the Park
Queens Theatre in the Park is committed to presenting performing arts that provide audiences with the highest quality work. QTP also produces new plays, with a concentration on up-and-coming directors and playwrights. QTP has broadened the experience of its core audience to include works by under-recognized artists from around the world and works that tap into the diverse communities of Queens.

Queens Theatre in the Park events are made possible with public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the New York State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.

For more information, visit www.queenstheatre.org.

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