On Monday, May 17th, the New York Innovative Theatre Foundation will be bringing down the house with a fabulous fundraising benefit at Caroline’s on Broadway – Cabaretion!. There will be food, open bar, and a line-up hosted by Jackie Hoffman that includes Taylor Mac among many other awesome performers; but to top it off, the NYITF is honoring playwright Christopher Durang! That’s some serious fun!
What makes this event special, besides the fact that it’s honoring one my favorite playwrights, is that this is the first gala fundraiser that the ITF has done. It’s important, I think, for the Off-Off-Broadway community to come together and support a foundation whose sole purpose for the past six years of its existence has been to appreciate, celebrate, nurture, and help Off-Off-Broadway theatre thrive. The Innovative Theatre Foundation created the IT Awards, which offers everyone from actors and directors to sound designers, playwrights and producers the opportunity to have their own amazing award ceremony, recognizing the brilliant work that is done on stages all around New York City every day. To quote their site, the Innovative Theatre Foundation was created in part because “…publicly recognizing excellence in Off-Off-Broadway will expand audience awareness and appreciation of the full New York theatre experience.”
Somehow they find a way to fund this wonderful event every year. Besides the actual awards ceremony itself, you also have work going on all year long: keeping track of all of the shows that are done (or, that are registered by the producers); sending out judges to see the shows; and also keeping track of the votes that come in from audience members. The phrase “…And don’t forget to vote for our show at the New York IT Awards!” at the beginning or end (or both) of a show is a familiar one, said over and over in the Off-Off Theatre Community.
So…come on out to Cabaretion! and enjoy the food and THREE HOURS OF OPEN BAR for only $45 … enjoy the shwanky atmosphere of Caroline’s … get some raffle tickets!!!!! … enjoy the entertainment (Jackie Hoffman and Taylor Mac are awesome), honor playwright Christopher Durang’s accomplishments, and celebrate one of the most important threads that holds the Off-Off Broadway Community together – because they sure celebrate us.
Buy your Gala tickets NOW online or call 212-757-4100.
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