Special Events at Theatre Charlotte

Special events at Theatre Charlotte have changed a lot over the past year. One year ago (way back in 2008), we had one major fundraising Gala. It was a black tie event with a live band, catered meal, and silent and live auctions. I served on the committee for this event in April of 2008 and when I started my job as Director of Development we planned to move the event to October. Unfortunately, October of 2008 was when the city of Charlotte was turned upside down and it was not at all the time to hold a $75 per person black-tie-optional Gala. Fortunately, out of this turmoil and panic came a whole new set of special events and opportunities!

We kicked off this plan with a New Year's Eve Celebration. A $35 per person event which featured Theatre Charlotte entertainers, Vito Abate as the emcee, tons of delicious food provided by Board members headed up by Michelle Gutt and Scott Miller, a silent auction, a live feed from Times Square, an open bar with beer, wine, and wassail, and a balloon drop and champagne toast at midnight! This was an incredible event and we absolutely plan to do it again so be on the look-out cause tickets are limited and, if last year was any indication, they'll go fast!

Next, we held a Valentine's Day Murder Mystery Dinner Party called "Wine, Chocolate, and Murder." We weren't sure what to expect from this - we had never done a murder mystery and we weren't sure if people would come to Theatre Charlotte on Valentine's Day. But, they did! We crammed 134 people into our little lobby! The event was a ton of fun and something that we plan to do again on Saturday, February 13, 2010!

A few weeks ago we held our first Junior Cabaret. We had 20 kids ranging in age from 9 to 17 perform on stage. Some sang, others danced, some played instruments. We had a few cabaret tables on stage and held a colorful, sugar-filled candy reception afterwards. The kids seemed to have fun and they were all incredibally talented! This is one that we are looking to do again (possibly as early as Spring 2010!)

Events coming up include:
Lunch with The Cat in the Hat next Saturday, September 19th, and a Sing Along version of the Rocky Horror Picture Show movie after the October 16th just do it.

What was once one big Gala is now lots of smaller events - something for everyone, every budget, and every interest.