CORAL
GABLES (November 16, 2005) - Actors' Playhouse celebrated
ten perfect years in the Miracle Theatre on Sunday,
November 13, 2005 at The Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables.
Celebrators enjoyed an all out 50's style party extravaganza,
complete with a three course gourmet diner meal, open
Bacardi bar, dance-a-thon, a ten year theatre history
slide show, a performance of the cast of Actors' Playhouse's
2005 production of Grease. Event hosts were NBC6's
anchor team Bob Mayer, Kelly Craig, and Lonnie Quinn.
Actors'
Playhouse delighted 250 guests with great food, entertainment,
prizes and surprises and successfully raised more
than $70,000 for Actors' Playhouse endowment fund.
Ladies
showed up in poodle skirts and pink jackets, prom
dresses, and 50's attire, and gents slicked back their
hair and wore their leather jackets. The evening began
with a 50’s style cocktail hour among a variety
of vintage cars in the Biltmore Courtyard. Majic 102.7
played 50’s tunes while Bob Mayer welcomed guests
and also showed off his vintage T-Bird. Guests were
led into the main Country Club Ballroom by chants
and cheers from the Coral Gables High School Cheerleaders.
Guests dined in the Ballroom while enjoying music
from The Grease Band, Roxy Productions, and CAPELLAPOP,
a Doo-Wop Quartet.
After dinner the party continued with a Hand-Jive
contest judged by the Cast of Grease. Roy Gonas took
first place along with his wife Rosalyn Smith Gonas,
who dressed up as a bellhop girl. Next was the highly
anticipated 50’s style costume contest judged
by Kelly Craig. Jason Neil of Waste Management, who
was dressed as the Good Humor Man, won the first place.
Prizes for the contests were carnation centerpieces
made of delicious cup cakes by Edda’s Cake Designs.
The evening also featured a silent auction of an original
Artwork by Carlos A. Navarro of Pop Suave Art Gallery;
all of the guests received a commemorative poster
of the art signed by the artist. Goodie bags were
provided by The Village of Merrick Park, Studebaker
molded chocolates by Le Chocolatier, cup cake carnation
centerpieces by Edda's Cake Designs, ice cream sundaes
from Cold Stone Creamery, and cookies shaped as ice
cream cones from Chocolate Fashion were given to guests.
Bacardi U.S.A provided miniature 50’s coke bottles
and splits of rum.
Gala
was hosted by Board Chairman Dr. Lawrence Stein, and
Barbara Stein, Executive Producing Director and Artistic
Director David Arisco, the party was celebrated by
Mayor Donald and Jeannett Slesnick, Former Mayor Dorothy
and Jack Thomson, City Manager David Brown, Phyllis
Oeters, Doug Jolly and fiancé Helen Ortega,
Roy & Roselyn Gonas, Karl & Carmen Bishopric,
Sio and Henry Lindner Anna Marie Divide and Royal
Webster, John & Lizette Fullerton, Bernie and
Jessie Wolfson, Jay Jensen, Joe and Jessica Lancaster,
Francine and Ronald Sevcik, among other theatre supporters.
Honorary
Chairpersons Karl & Carmen Bishopric and Chairpersons
Jeannett Slesnick and Neil Stebbing gathered a community
of supporters including The Biltmore Hotel, Bacardi,
Ocean Bank, Hampton Inn Coconut Grove & Suites
Miami Airport, Davide Realty, and Home Equity Mortgage
Corporation, Baptist Health South Florida, Coldwell
Banker, University of Miami, and Waste Management.
“We
are indebted to the City of Coral Gables and a wonderful
community of supporters who helped us renovate and
restore the beautiful historic Miracle Theatre into
a performing arts Center. Actors' Playhouse is proud
of our accomplishments and of the artistic excellence
achieved by our team bringing to the community the
highest professional theatre for adults and children,”
says Barbara Stein, Executive Producing Director.
The story is so BIG that Actors’ Playhouse has
contracted Connie Crowther of Crowther Communications
and an Actors’ Playhouse board member to author
a 100-page glossy commemorative book designed by Frank.
Design archiving the role model private public partnership
between Actors’ Playhouse and the City of Coral
Gables and its great community of supporters. The
book, The Miracle on the Mile will be unveiled very
soon. The partnership will also be featured in the
November Issue of the new International Publication,
VIS. A. VIS.
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