If you haven’t purchased your tickets to Light Up CenterStage this year, you’d better hurry because the event is Saturday, December 3, at 7 p.m., and tickets for the popular gala and auction are going quickly.
This year’s theme is “Once Upon a Time…” and Eventualities is ready to deck out The J to enchant one and all. “The décor will feature a steam punk theme of gears and clocks and such,” CenterStage Artistic Director John Leffert explained. “The theme was chosen as a way to celebrate CenterStage’s past and present work as we begin our journey to an exciting future.”
In response to guests’ requests, the evening has been streamlined to end by 10:30 p.m. and there will be a new layout and flow to the event to improve the experience.
“One of the things people told us they want is more food,” said Light Up Chair Sarah Harlan. This year’s hors d’oeuvres selection will include a pasta station and roasted vegetables. “Chef Z will be catering again,” she added, “and he does a wonderful job.” There are reasons why he is one of the hottest catering chefs in the city.
And, of course, there will be lots of elegant desserts, but this year, guests will find an assortment on each table when patrons enter the auditorium for this year’s original Broadway revue and the live auction.
Online auction bidding, introduced last year, will be back this year, and it will be even better. The J has improved its WiFi capabilities and Light Up CenterStage is using BidPal to ensure a better and easier silent auction bidding process. There will also be tech support people on hand to ensure the system can handle 250 people bidding at once and enable each one to keep track of the items they really want.
Of course, the evening will also include open bars, members of the CenterStage Company performing Leffert’s new original Broadway revue and a live auction with a professional auctioneer.
“I’m super excited,” Harlan said. “I love Light Up – it’s the most fun of the year. Where else can you go to see a Broadway-quality show, enjoy delicious hors d’oeuvres and sumptuous desserts provided by one of the hottest caterers in town and support the oldest community theatre in Kentucky?”
Tickets are $950 for a table of 10 or $108 for individual tickets and can be purchased at www.jewishlouisville.org/lightup or by calling Anne Ensign-Urteaga, 502-238-2773 by November 28. All proceeds of the evening benefit technical improvements to the theater including rebuilding the company’s costume stock that was stolen this summer.
Sarah Harlan is Light Up CenterStage chair. Kelly Dodd is Light Up CenterStage Auction chair. Candy Pierce is CenterStage Board chair. John R. Leffert is J Arts & Ideas Director.
Light Up CenterStage is supported by Heaven Hill Distilleries.