FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Great Barrington, Mass.—At this year’s Mahaiwe Gala on July 15, guests will have the opportunity to help the theater “raise the roof” through live auction proceeds that will help fund a two-year historic preservation project that includes replacing the 1905 slate shingle, repointing the chimney, and caring for the ornate eave trim on the theater.
The theater aims to raise $150,000 to match a Cultural Facilities Fund grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council and MassDevelopment for the project. The grant funds nearly a third of the total project cost.
Auction items are comprised of an 8-day Taiwan tour, a week’s stay at a Berkshire lake house, a 5-star overnight getaway at Wheatleigh, a spa stay at Canyon Ranch, and fine wine packages from around the world.
“Because of the matching requirement for their funding, the Massachusetts Cultural Council has given us this opportunity to be especially ambitious in our capital fundraising during the gala this year,” says Mahaiwe Board of Directors Co-vice President and Gala Committee Co-chair Allison Wintner.
“Our gala attendees have been so generous in past years, helping to fund projects like improved sound and new draperies in the theater, and this time we are giving them extra incentive, by way of this auction, to raise the roof for this once-in-120-years historic slate replacement project,” adds Mahaiwe Board of Directors Co-vice President Mandy Victor-Pieczarka.
The live auction will take place during the gala reception at Memorial Field on Bridge Street, with the option for some donors to place proxy bids in advance. The 4:30 p.m. reception will be followed by an 8 p.m. performance at the theater at 14 Castle St. with Broadway star Brian Stokes Mitchell.
For more information visit mahaiwe.org/gala or contact Diane Wortis at 413-644-9040 x123 or diane@mahaiwe.org.
About the Mahaiwe
Located in downtown Great Barrington, Mass., the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center is the year-round presenter of world-class music, dance, theater, classic films, Live in HD broadcasts, and arts education programs for the southern Berkshires and neighboring regions. The intimate jewel box of a theater opened in 1905. Since 2005, the performing arts center has hosted over 1,500 events and welcomed over half a million people through its doors. More than 25,700 students from 73 different schools have benefited from the Mahaiwe’s school-time performances and residencies. For more information, see mahaiwe.org.
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