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10:03 p.m. June 11, 2015
Clarence Brown Theatre Gala sets attendance and fundraising records
The Clarence Brown Theatre 2015 Gala set an attendance and a fundraising record. Image courtesy of Clarence Brown Theatre.
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KNOXVILLE — More than 250 theatre patrons attended the sold out 2015 CBT Gala honoring Knoxville native and University of Tennessee alumnus, John Cullum, on June 7, 2015 at RT Lodge in Maryville, TN.
“Our 2015 Gala exceeded expectations and we remain most grateful to our loyal donors, sponsors and subscribers for supporting our region’s only professional theatre in this way. CBT/University of Tennessee theatre students and the community alike will benefit greatly from the funds raised at this year’s Gala,” said David B. Byrd, CBT Managing Director.
Hosted by WBIR’s Robin Wilhoit and John Becker, the Gala benefitted the Clarence Brown Theatre Artists Endowment, which helps bring professional guest artists from across the United States to the stages of the CBT. Guest artists engage and teach undergraduate and graduate students, all while creating the world-class, professional theatre experiences Greater Knoxville audiences have come to expect.
Carol Mayo Jenkins, past award winner, presented Cullum with his CBT Artistic Achievement award. Jenkins and Cullum have performed together on the CBT mainstage.
A celebrated actor of stage and screen, Cullum is a 2007 Theatre Hall of Fame inductee, first appearing on Broadway in Camelot. He earned his first Best Actor in a Musical Tony Award nomination for On a Clear Day You Can See Forever. Cullum has won the coveted Tony Award twice, for Shenandoah and On the Twentieth Century, and earned two more nominations for Urinetown and 110 in the Shade. In 2014, he performed in the Broadway hit Casa Valentina at Manhattan Theatre Club. His many regional theatre appearances include The Dresser at the Clarence Brown Theatre in 2004, co-starring his son, JD Cullum, and fellow Knoxville native Carol Mayo Jenkins.
Among his extensive television work, he earned an Emmy nomination for his starring role in Northern Exposure, had recurring roles on ER, Law & Order: SVU, Mad Men, and The Middle, and has appeared on such TV movies as All the Way Home and Hawaii.
Some of the CBT Gala attendees included: Doug and Melissa White, Terry and Gina Turner, UT President Joe and Deb DePietro, Margie Nichols, UT Knoxville Provost Susan Martin, Lee Reidinger, UT Knoxville College of Arts & Sciences Dean Theresa Lee, Lacy Wallace, Lyle and Trish Irish, Carmen and Albert Harb, Liz and Wes Stowers, Ola Blackmon-McBride and James McBride, John and Sally Fisher, Sara and Ben Pinnell, Larry and Jeanie Brakebill, Charlie Brakebill, Cynthia Moxley and Alan Carmichael, Michael Grider and Christine Jessel-Grider.
Sponsors for the 2015 Gala included: Toyota Knoxville/Lexus of Knoxville, The Lederer Family, Dr. Sharon Lord Unlimited, Regions Bank, Rosemary Gilliam, The Gilliam, Montgomery Group at UBS, Amy Morris Hess, Townes Lavidge Osborn, Bob and Becky Paylor, Lamarr and Susie Stout/Alice Torbett, Liz and Wes Stowers, Peggy and Ron Turner, Georgiana Vines/Alice and Mike Wirth, Wendy and Dale Wortham, Covenant Health, Moxley Carmichael, The Knoxville News Sentinel, The Trust Company, UT Federal Credit Union, Willis Company, June and Rob Heller, Lyle and Trish Irish, Brenda and Bob Madigan, Neil and Maureen Dunn McBride, Bob and Margie Parrott, Whitney Ray-Dawson and Channing Dawson, Kay Stoutt and Howard Filston, Robin and Joe Ben Turner, and Melanie and Tom Wood.
Members of the 2015 Gala committee included: Whitney Ray-Dawson, (Chair), Lyle Irish (Co-Chair), Bob Lederer, Brenda Madigan, Lamarr Stout, Alice Torbett, Mimi Turner, Robin Turner, Georgiana Vines, Lacy Wallace, Melanie Wood, and Wendy Wortham.
With a dual mission to train the next generation of theatre artists and to provide top quality professional theatre, like that of a teaching hospital, the Clarence Brown Theatre at the University of Tennessee Knoxville is one of only 12 academic LORT (League of Resident Theatre) institutions in the nation. Under the leadership of Producing Artistic Director Calvin MacLean and Managing Director David B. Byrd, the CBT season runs from September through May and features eight productions ranging from musicals to drama. Tickets are on sale now for the 2015/2016 Season which includes: The 39 Steps; Of Mice and Men; Mr. Burns, A Post-Electric Play; A Christmas Carol; The Santaland Diaries; Titus Andronicus; A Lesson Before Dying; The Open Hand; and, South Pacific. To order tickets, call the Box Office at (865) 974-5161 or online 24/7 at clarencebrowntheatre.com.
Stay Connected to the Clarence Brown Theatre on Facebook (Clarence Brown Theatre), follow on Twitter (@ClarenceBrown) and view Clarence Brown videos on YouTube (Clarence Bro).
Published June 11, 2015
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