Irvington Town Hall Theater To Host Three-Event Benefits Series

The ITHT Commission, which oversees the beautiful and historic 116-year-old, 432-seat theater in Town Hall of Irvington, N.Y., announced on Wednesday the launch of a three-date benefit concert series for the 2018-2019 season, beginning with the Cool Music / Hot Night season-kick-off concert on Saturday, Sept. 22, 2018, at 7:30pm.

The three events will benefit the Friends of the Irvington Town Hall Theater, a 501(c)(3) corporation dedicated to supporting the theater.

"We thought a great way to help support the theater would be to bring New York City level entertainment to our beautiful theater on Main Street," Mitchell Bard, the ITHT commissioner heading up the benefit series with commissioner Marjorie Rosenfeld, said. "Folks in Irvington, the Rivertowns, the rest of Westchester and even in New York City will have the chance to hear some outstanding music and truly funny comics, all for a great cause."

The benefit series will span the entire 2018-2019 theater season. Cool Music / Hot Night will kick off the season with a show featuring Brooklyn's Kenny Young and the Egpplants -- who have been described as what would happen if Tom Petty was the lead singer of the Violent Femmes and sang songs about animals and other objects that can speak -- along with four popular Irvington acts: Party Faithful, James John Wilson, Tumbleweed Mile (featuring Chris Merola with Marc Jacoby and Mike Levine) and Mood FM.

The Eggplants (http://www.kennyyoungandtheeggplants.com) are a popular staple in Manhattan and Brooklyn rock clubs, having released six albums over the last 20 years. The band regularly plays during the Edinburgh fringe festival and tours the U.K. to large crowds and positive critical notices. English music legend and BBC radio host Tom Robinson, who regularly has the band on his show, called the Eggplants "the most brilliant, left-field Brooklyn band you have never heard of."

"The Cool Music / Hot Night show demonstrates what the theater can do for the community," Bard said. "Those in the Rivertowns and beyond can see a band like Kenny Young and the Eggplants right here in Irvington in a special venue without having to travel into the city. And the theater also provides a place for local talent to connect with Westchester fans without leaving the county."

Doors open for Cool Music / Hot Night at 7:30 p.m. Between the band's sets, the crowd will be treated to music videos from artists with a local connection. Tickets will be priced at $20 and will be available from the ITHT website (http://www.irvingtontheater.com). The ticket includes one beer, sponsored by Scott Smith of Wells Fargo Home Mortgage in White Plains.

"The Sept. 22 concert will be an affordable way for more people in our community to see what the Irvington Town Hall Theater has to offer," Bard said. "We have an incredibly loyal base of supporters who come to events at the theater. We hope even more people will come out on Sept. 22, support their local theater, and have a great night out right here in Irvington."

The series will continue with a comedy night on Saturday, January 17, 2019, featuring New York comics who are regulars in the city's comedy clubs. The series will wrap up on Friday, April 26, 2019, with a season-ending concert featuring an Irvington institution: the bands that turn Halloween night in the village into an outdoor music festival, filling side streets with adoring fans.

The presenting sponsor for the series is Eric Bernstein of Compass of Dobbs Ferry (https://www.compass.com/agents/westchester_ny/eric-bernstein/).

The Irvington Town Hall Theater, located at 85 Main Street in downtown Irvington, N.Y., on the entire third floor of Town Hall, was built in 1902 and hosts film, theater, comedy, music and other events between September and May.

The ITHT Commission was established in 1980 by the Village of Irvington to operate and manage the theater. The members of the Commission were appointed by the mayor and village trustees.