Tony Winner Alice Ripley to Headline Media Theatre's STAR STRUCK Gala

Tony award winner Alice Ripley will headline The Media Theatre's Star Struck Fundraising Gala on Saturday February 25 at 6pm at the theatre. Patrons, donors, actors, politicians, and sponsors will enjoy a catered reception, live and silent auctions, award ceremony, and concert by Ms. Ripley at the 23rd annual gala event. Tickets start at $150.

Star Struck is an event that will celebrate the many star contributors, volunteers, and performers who continue to guide and light the theater and its mission. The 2017 Walter M. Strine Advocate of the Arts Award will be presented to Delaware County Councilman David White for his exemplary generosity. Iron Workers Bank, represented by its President Mr. John Whitig, will receive the 2017 Community Partnership Award for its longstanding commitment to The Vocalist and Vocalist Jr. vocal contests for youth.

Gala guests will be entertained with a concert by Broadway's Alice Ripley. She is best known for her Tony Award-winning performance as Diana in Next to Normal and Tony and Drama Desk nominations as one of the two Hilton sisters in Side Show. (Coincidentally, the Philadelphia regional professional premiere of Side Show will open at the Media Theatre this spring.) Ripley also starred in the original Broadway casts of Sunset Boulevard, James Joyce's The Dead, The Rocky Horror Show and The Who's Tommy.

Alice Ripley joins other Broadway and regional stars who have appeared on The Media Theatre stage including Philip Boykin, Betty Buckley, Ann Crumb, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Judy Kaye, Andy Karl, and Andrea McArdle. Aside from those celebrity names, many who have performed on the Media Theatre stage have had their start at the theatre's education programs or developed as artists through the theatre's musical productions.

"At almost any given time, audiences on Broadway are being entertained by Media Theatre alumnae," notes Artistic Director Jesse Cline. "These include young actress Ava Briglia, who studied here and just finished playing the lead role on Broadway's Matilda; Sean Thompson, who is currently cast in the new Broadway revival of Sunset Boulevard with Glenn Close after starring in our production of Sunset Boulevardtwo years ago; and Andy Karl who will be opening the new musical Groundhog Day this spring."

As a way to celebrate The Media Theatre Broadway connection, many items for auction will be Broadway themed including tickets to the blockbuster Hamilton and Glenn Close's Sunset Boulevard (paired with a dinner date with current cast member Sean Thompson). Other items will include a sit-in at the annual Media Theatre's New York City auditions and a walk-on-role in a mainstage production at the theatre.

Individual and corporate sponsorships are still available as well as single tickets for $150. Sponsorships and tickets can be secured at mediatheatre.org/gala or by calling 610.891.0100.

The Media Theatre for the Performing Arts is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization operating as the only award-winning professional theatre in Delaware County. It produces a full season of musicals and one play, the Broadway Series, a Children's Series, and educational opportunities. The theatre's mission is to promote and nurture the imagination, diversity and joy unique to music theatre is exemplified by the professional productions of new and classic works and by our work with young people to herald music theatre as an art form that is indigenous to their cultural heritage.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride