The Hangar's Acting Out on the Hangar Stage, Community Charades Challenge took place on Sunday, October 25. With the support of the community - through donations to four teams of participants, the purchase of auction items, and ticket sales - the Hangar was able to raise $25,000 to help support the theatre's artistic and education programs.
The evening started with a pre-show reception where guests enjoyed delicious sandwiches and hors d'oeuvres from catering sponsor The Center Cafe and refreshments provided by Sheldrake Point Winery and Ithaca Beer Company. Jen Waldman took the stage as Master of Ceremonies, leading the four teams through four rounds of charades. More than 200 audience members watched as team members jumped, gestured, and wiggled their way through clues to earn points for their teams and to earn fundraising dollars for the Hangar. Each team featured a Hangar trustee, a local notable, a sponsor representative, and a Hangar star returning to the stage after performing in a Mainstage show this summer. This year, the event featured a special halftime performance honoring former artistic director Robert Moss. Moss was artistic director at the Hangar from 1982 through 1996. The performance was cultivated by Hangar's artistic director Jen Waldman and featured performances by Bruce Warren, Shea Renne, Johnny Shea, and Sarah Dacey Charles. Robert Moss was in attendance at the event and was surrounded by friends old and new including Hangar past and present board members as well as former Executive Director Lisa Bushlow.
The winning team in the charades battle was the Hounds of Hangarville led by Hangar Trustee Jamie Wells who worked with Liebe Meier Swain of Cayuga Medical Center, Deb Mohlenhoff of TC3, and Bruce Warren, who played Watson in the Hangar's The Hound of the Baskervilles this summer to win the title. In close second in the charades battle, and taking first place for the most dollars fundraised, was the Captains of Carnage led by Hangar Trustee Steve Yale-Loehr and including Glynis Hart of Finger Lakes Community Newspapers, Stephanie Card the Hangar's resident choreographer, and Sarah Dacey Charles, who was the Adult Female in Spring Awakening. To see a full list of participants and photos from the event, visit HangarTheatre.org.
The real winners of the night, however, are the children, young adults, and early career professionals who benefit from the Hangar's commitment to education and training programs. All of the money raised from this event will support the Hangar's Project 4: Artists in the Classroom program, its professional training program called the Hangar Lab Company, its Next Generation School of Theatre summer classes, and its Spring Break-a-Leg camp. To learn more about these programs and other Hangar events, visit HangarTheatre.org or call 607.273.8588.
The Hangar Theatre gratefully acknowledges Acting Out team sponsors Cayuga Medical Center, CFCU Community Credit Union, the Ithaca Times, and Travis Hyde Properties, catering sponsor The Center Cafe, dessert sponsor Purity Ice Cream, and beverage sponsors Sheldrake Point Winery and Ithaca Beer Company.
The Hangar Theatre is committed to providing exceptional theatre experiences of high professional quality to enrich, enlighten, educate, and entertain the diverse audience in the Finger Lakes region and beyond. Strong education and training programs are central parts of our commitment to the local and national artistic communities.
