PHOTO: This summer’s Thingamajig Theatre actors including (L-R) Trevor Brown, Allie Tamburello and Tyler Price Robinson will serve a sit-down dinner, perform in a cabaret-style concert and be auctioned off for private gatherings on Tuesday, July 26. Photo courtesy Carole Howard.
Mark your calendars for an exciting Broadway Gala fundraising event on Tuesday, July 26 at 5:30pm… to include dinner and a cabaret show featuring the talents of the Thingamajig Theatre Company’s brilliant summer musicals cast.
It’s part of an elegant evening at the Pagosa Springs Center for the Arts to raise funds for Pagosa’s only nonprofit professional live theatre that also will include a live auction for unique interactions with the actors, live music by the actors, backstage tours conducted by cast members, and a sit-down dinner catered and donated by theatre sponsor Alley House Grille, hosted by the actors. There will be a cash bar with tips going to the actors.
Only about half of the costs of Thingamajig productions are covered by ticket sales. The remainder of the theatre’s funding comes from private donors, business sponsors, program advertising, grants and proceeds from this annual Broadway Gala fundraiser – the most important event of the year to keep the theatre up and running.
Tickets are $250 for this dressy evening and are on sale now on the theatre’s website at pagosacenter.org.
Unique auction items
The actors are working on their acts for the cabaret concert and their individual contributions to the auction — and keeping them a secret surprise for now.
A look at a few of past years’ one-of-a-kind auction offerings gives you a good idea of what very special fun will be available this year. They included actors’ serenades at private parties, a brunch with several of the actors, a sunrise hike led by two actors, and a personalized cocktail party featuring a drink created just for the winning bidder.
Some of the perennial favorites will be offered again this year. One is a progressive dinner for 10 people when actors chauffeur you and your friends to four incredible locations where you’ll enjoy wine pairings, serenades and delicious food prepared by the cast. Cleanup is included. Another popular auction item is a photo shoot for four when the actors will do your hair and makeup as you enjoy champagne and chocolate, then provide costumes before you pose with the cast for a very special picture that could be your best Christmas card ever. A third is an evening campfire singalong with the actors.
“We know from previous galas that our guests have been surprised and delighted by the evening’s festivities – and especially the clever and creative auction opportunities,” said Laura Moore, executive director and co-founder of Thingamajig Theatre with her husband Tim. “We are deeply grateful for everyone’s support because the musicals that folks are seeing on stage this summer would not be possible without the funding raised at the gala.”
The summer musicals
This summer’s talented actors, singers, dancers, directors and designers are performing in a blockbuster summer season aptly titled “Broadway in the Mountains.” Tickets for all the shows are available on the theatre’s website at pagosacenter.org — $42 for adults and $25 for kids 12 and under. Evening performances are at 7pm and matinees are at 2pm.
The musicals are “Bright Star,” with the bluegrass score composed by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell, “Guys and Dolls,” a romantic comedy involving a high-rolling gambler and a strait-laced missionary, and “SpongeBob the Musical,” a family-friendly show based on the Nickelodeon animated TV series.
“As we begin our 11th year, we are super excited to be presenting these musicals, which represent the best of Broadway from classic to contemporary,” Tim Moore said. “‘Guys and Dolls’ is the iconic romantic comedy that’s on everyone’s favorites list. ‘Bright Star’ is a powerful drama featuring bluegrass music that originated in the Appalachian region of the U.S. ‘SpongeBob’ showcases the latest in technological innovation and spectacle in its staging.”
Moore pointed out that even the settings of the shows are remarkably diverse. “Bright Star” is set in North Carolina in the 1920s and ‘40s. “Guys and Dolls” is set in Damon Runyon’s New York City, with a side trip to Havana, Cuba. “SpongeBob” takes place in the underwater world of Bikini Bottom.
These three musicals are being performed in rotation with five to six shows a week until August 24. All the dates are on the theatre’s website.
“The Music Man Kids”
A special production of “The Music Man Kids” takes place on Saturday, July 16 and Sunday, July 17 at 1pm and 2:30pm. This show is the culmination of the Whatchamawhozits Children’s Theatre Summer Camp, in its 11th season this summer.
The camp provides opportunities for youngsters aged seven to 12 to be taught a multitude of skills from dancing and costume design to storytelling and character development as they interact with the professional actors performing in Thingamajig’s main musicals. They are led by Tyler Price Robinson, the much-admired actor who this summer is playing Nicely-Nicely in “Guys and Dolls.”
