TheatreSquared Announces Gala for Education, 11/15

TheatreSquared announced today the 2012 Gala for Education, supporting arts-in-education outreach for 10,000 students and teachers from Northwest Arkansas to the Arkansas Delta. Famed entertainers Lucie Arnaz and Laurence Luckinbillwill serve alongside NWA community members as honorary co-chairs, with Luckinbill, an Arkansas Entertainer's Hall of Fame inductee, performing. The 2012 Arts Advocate Award will be presented toDenise and Hershey Garner, recognizing their decades of service to the region. The event will be held November 15, 2012, 6:30pm at Mermaids Restaurant, 2217 N. College Ave. in Fayetteville . Individual tickets are $125, sponsor tickets are $250, and table sponsorships range from $1,000 to $5,000. Guests are invited to RSVP to TheatreSquared at (479) 445-6333 or online at theatre2.org/gala. 

"Larry and I are delighted to join TheatreSquared in celebration of their program for students and teachers," said Lucie Arnaz, a trustee of the American Theatre Wing and honorary co-chair of the 2012 Gala. "It's up to our regional theatres to bridge the gap for students who lack access to the arts, and TheatreSquared's significant educational outreach was a major factor in its selection for a 2011 National Theatre Company Grant. I'm looking forward to an enjoyable and meaningful evening." 

Northwest Arkansas arts patrons joining Arnaz and Luckinbill as honorary co-chairs for the 2012 Gala for Education include: Lucie Arnaz and Laurence Luckinbill, Jim and Nancy Blair, Mike and Dottie Lou Buffington, Ed and Karlee Bradberry, Marybeth Cornwell and Rick Hays, Debbie Evans and Richard Dailey, Michael Hollomon and Eric Wailes, Steve and Linda Nelson, Don and Kathy Pederson, Bob and Diane Shaw, Tod Yeslow and Jackie Telfair, and Alan and Carol Sue Wooten. 

Denise and Hershey Garner, 2012 Arts Advocate Award recipients, have dedicated much of their adult lives as volunteers to advancing causes that benefit the welfare of individuals and the community.  Their commitment to causes as varied as arts, education, hunger, health, sustainability, poverty relief, child welfare, and others reflects their belief that all such efforts are "interrelated and vitally important." A member of more than a dozen community organization boards and committees, Denise has spearheaded numerous major fundraising efforts ranging from special events to capital campaigns. As a medical doctor, Hershey's volunteer roles have often focused on advancing health and wellness, though he also serves on boards and committees for the Fayetteville Public Library Foundation, Walton Arts Center, the Ozark Roots Festival and others. Both are active with St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Fayetteville. Together, they recently co-founded FeedCommunities.org, dedicated to alleviating hunger and creating food security through a sustainable food network. Denise and Hershey have been married 36 years and have raised two sons, Wes and Adam. The 2012 Arts Advocate Award recognizes their indelible contributions to the arts and to the greater Northwest Arkansas community through leadership, inspiration, and hard work. 

Laurence Luckinbill (Featured Performer, Honorary Co-Chair), a Fort Smith native, has achieved extraordinary success as a stage, film, and television actor, as a writer, a teacher, and as the founder and producer of a non-profit NY theatre company. He served as a cultural affairs director for the U.S. Department of State during the Kennedy Administration and as a producer for network television. His many starring roles as an actor include feature films, television, Broadway, Off-Broadway and national tours. An Emmy Award-winner, Drama Desk and Tony Award nominee, and Arkansas Entertainers Hall of Fame inductee, he is the featured performer for the 2012 Gala for Education. 

Lucie Arnaz (Honorary Co-Chair), a trustee of the American Theatre Wing and daughter of TV’s first family, has had an extremely diversified career spanning over 45 years on Broadway, film, more than 250 television programs, and performances around the world. She has starred on the New York stage inThey’re Playing Our Song (Theatre World, LA Drama Critics and Outer Critic’s Circle Awards), Lost in Yonkers, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and Grace and Glorie; in the London premiere of The Witches Of Eastwick; and in numerous other productions on Broadway and around the world. She has appeared on television in The Lucie Arnaz Show, Sons And Daughters, The Black Dahlia, The Mating Season, Who Gets The Friends?, Washington Mistress, Death Scream and six seasons of Here’s Lucy; on the big screen with Neil Diamond and Sir Laurence Oliver in The Jazz Singer (Golden Globe Nomination), Down To You, Second Thoughts, Billy Jack Goes To Washington, The Pack, Wild Seven; and has lent her voice to the new animated fantasy about the NY Yankees, Henry And Me. She has performed the opening number on the Academy Awards and several times at The White House, produced and executive produced television and albums, and manages Desilu, too, LLC along with her brother, Desi. She and Larry have been married for 32 years. 

Tickets and tables for the 2012 Gala for Education can be reserved by calling (479) 445-6333 or visitingtheatre2.org/gala. Individual tickets are $125, sponsor tickets are $250, and table sponsor levels range from $1,000 to $5,000. Guests may also take part in the 2012 Sparkling Wine Raffle, awarding one lucky winner a $1,500 gift certificate to Romance Diamond Co., a collection of exceptional wines selected by Bordinos Restaurant and The Wine Cellar.

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