Photo Flash: Pittsburgh CLO Celebrates Van Kaplan and More at AN EVENING IN PARIS Gala

Pittsburgh CLO Guild President Anne Liparulo announced the Guild's pledge of $500,000 to Pittsburgh CLO's Next Generation Campaign at the 62nd Annual Pittsburgh CLO Guild Gala, "An Evening in Paris." Scroll down for photos from the event!

This special gift was presented as a surprise to Van Kaplan, accompanied by the 2017 CLOE Award, in honor of his 20th Anniversary as Executive Producer of the organization. The gift ensures Pittsburgh CLO will surpass its $10 million Next Generation Campaign goal.

The Next Generation Campaign is the largest fundraising campaign in Pittsburgh CLO's 71-year history and, together with the Guild's generous gift, will support new work development through the following initiatives:

- A Festival for New Small Musicals for the CLO Cabaret

- Education programs support to cultivate and train tomorrow's musical theater artists

- Production support for A MUSICAL CHRISTMAS CAROL and new production technology

- New audience engagement programs and new works that deepen the potential for audience involvement

Capital Campaign co-chairs Dan Booker and Bill Lambert applauded the Guild's gift, saying, "Our beloved and time-honored Guild, whose leadership has always been 100% women, has played a pivotal role in bringing the joy of musical theater to generations of Pittsburghers. This is the largest gift in the Guild's history, adding to an astounding $6 million donated over time to Pittsburgh CLO. Their legacy of fundraising and service is the gold standard in our community."

In announcing this generous gift in honor of Mr. Kaplan, the Guild celebrates his 20-year tenure with Pittsburgh CLO. He is only the 4th Executive Producer in the organization's 71-year history, which under his leadership produces a six-musical subscription season in the summer, year-round shows at the CLO Cabaret theater, National Tours, Broadway shows and recently lead-produced AN AMERICAN IN PARIS, based on the 1951 Hollywood 'Golden Age' movie. It was the most awarded new musical of Broadway's 2015 season.

Guild Chairman, Patti Matty Blenko, presented Mr. Kaplan with a special CLOE Award from the Guild in recognition of his impact on musical theater locally and on the world's stages.

"An Evening in Paris," under the leadership of Event Chair, Helen Wylie, celebrated Pittsburgh CLO's role in the creation of AN AMERICAN IN PARIS and its homecoming to Pittsburgh. Guests were treated to a pre-show reception at the Duquesne Club, followed by a performance of the musical, and a special champagne toast and a post-show party with the cast at the Benedum Center.

During his tenure, Kaplan, with Pittsburgh CLO, has participated in 22 Broadway shows, including THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE, FLOWER DRUM SONG, BOMBAY DREAMS, MONTY PYTHON'S SPAMALOT, Oprah Winfrey's THE COLOR PURPLE, THE ADDAMS FAMILY, Twyla Tharp's COME FLY AWAY, MATILDA and ON YOUR FEET: The Gloria & Emilio Estefan Musical.

He has awarded Pittsburgh CLO's Richard Rodgers Award for Excellence in Musical Theater for lifetime contributions of outstanding talents in musical theater to: Gwen Verdon (2000), Bernadette Peters (2002), Shirley Jones (2007), Kathleen Marshall (2008), Rob Marshall (2008) and Stephen Schwartz (2009).

Kaplan is a current Board Member for The Broadway League; on the Investment Committee of the Independent Presenters Network; and is past President and current Board Member of the National Alliance for Musical Theatre. He has been a Tony Awards voter for more than 25 years.

Van Kaplan and the cast of AN AMERICAN IN PARIS

Van Kaplan with Next Generation Capital Campaign Co-Chair Dan Booker and CLO Board Chairman and Next Generation Capital Campaign Co-Chair Bill Lambert
Pittsburgh CLO Board Member & President of Howard Hanna Real Estate Helen Hanna Casey; Event Chair Helen Wylie; Martha and Kent McElhattan-CC
Jeff Mangone, Daphne Alderson and John Marcinizyn
Pittsburgh CLO Guild President Anne Liparulo with Van Kaplan
Missy Moreno, Caroline Nicolian, Kate Toole and David Toole
Pittsburgh CLO Board Chairman Bill Lambert and Van Kaplan
Pittsburgh CLO Guild Chair Patti Matty Blenko and Van Kaplan with Cloe Award for Van’s 20 years as Executive Producer