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Vineyard Theatre’s 40th Anniversary Gala

by Lenique Vincent
written by Lenique Vincent

Vineyard Theatre celebrated their 40th Anniversary with a red carpeted fundraising gala that honored Tony winning actor, Billy Crudup. Funds raised from the event, held in the Edison Ballroom in NYC on Feb. 13, will support the theatre’s upcoming season; including their Fair Pay Initiative and the “Good Neighbor” ticket program which offers free and affordable theatre tickets to thousands of local theatre goers.

The evening, hosted by Tony winner Billy Irwin, also recognized Vineyard Board of Directors Chair Ken Greiner and Walk Tall Girl Productions President and Founder, Marcia Pendelton. Guests included Lily Allen, Justin Theroux, Ngozi Anyanwu, Paula Vogel, and plenty more artists and visionaries. An affair to remember, the gala began with cocktails and continued with dinner and a show featuring performances from the Vineyard’s upcoming production of Michael R Jackson’s White Girl in Danger and from the upcoming Broadway musical New York, New York.

Known for producing excellence, Vineyard Theatre has consistently developed new plays and musicals under the artistic direction of Douglas Aibel and Sarah Stern; along side Managing Director Suzanne Appel. Back in 1994, Crudup took to the Vineyard stage in Chiori Miyagawa’s America Dreaming. Since, Crudup has been nominated for four Tony’s, winning one for his role The Coast of Utopia. Currently, the New York University alum stars in Apple TV’s The Morning Show.

 

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EntertainmentThe LatestTheater

On The Scene: Deirdre O’Connell, Mandy Gonzalez and more Talk at the 2022 Vineyard Theatre Gala!

by Sydney Hargrove
written by Sydney Hargrove

In her shocking, bold and astonishing broadway show Dana H, Deirdre O’Conell lip syncs to tapes created by Dana Higgenbotham, telling the harrowing story of her five months of abduction, creating a theater experience unlike any other. The play is crafted by Higgenbotham’s son, Lucas Hnath, and the concept of the tapes is an extremely unique way to do a show, but Deirdre takes on the challenge with grace. She has now earned herself a Tony Award nomination for best leading actress in a play. We spoke to Deirdre on the red carpet for The Vineyard Theater Gala on Monday, taking place at the iconic Daryl Roth theater. The gala honored the amazing New York City Council Member Carlina Rivera, and celebrated the music of the extraordinary late singer-songwriter Laura Nyro with performances and speeches by Latoya Edwards, Julie Benko, Brandon Victor Dixon Mandy Gonzalez, Judy Kuhn, Anika Noni Rose, and Wilson Jermaine Heredia. It was truly such a special night to be apart of as we watched incredibly talented people share stories, words, and miraculous performances in support of this amazing theater. We spoke to Mandy Gonzalez, Julie Benko and Deirdre O’connell about what it meant to be there in support of the arts, check out the full conversation below! 

 

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EventsLifestyleThe Latest

Playing For Change Foundation Impact Awards Gala & After Party

by Avyana Chapman
written by Avyana Chapman

Playing For Change Foundation Impact Awards Gala & after-party had the Faena Forum in South Beach full of excitement this past Saturday to honor Luis Fonsi & Paula Abdul by celebrating their charitable achievements. Playing For Change Foundation (PFCF) is a non-profit music & arts organization with programs in over 15 countries with 50+ locations.

On Saturday, the Playing For Change Foundation hosted their 2nd annual gala, raising over 1 million in ticket sales and auction items, setting a record to date for the foundation! The evening kicked off with a cocktail hour before moving into an elaborate dinner featuring entertainment by Luis Fonsi, Cimafunk, and other prominent artists, all powered by CEEK VR, with support from Tequila Herradura. Some notable auction items included: an NFL Rams game package, a Miami Heat floor seats package, a luxury Napa trip with a Screaming Eagle experience, and many more.

The after-party at the Faena Theater was truly magical. The theme of the theater, located on Collins Avenue Miami, is inspired by Europe’s historic opera houses and had stunning gold-leaf and red velvet decor. As soon as guests walked into the after-party we were indulged with talented live musicians playing various genres of music, an open bar, hors-d’oeuvres, and a full dessert station. The hors-d’oeuvres enjoyed by guests included: chicken and waffles, hotdogs, mini sliders, and many more delicious bites. The dessert bar had a variety of cookies and donuts to satisfy any sweet tooth. My favorite hors-d’oeuvre of the night was the chicken and waffles which had a perfect blend of sweet, savory, crunchy, and light taste with a slight kick of spice. After grabbing some delicious bites and cocktails the guests danced the night away to the lively music by a variety of talented musicians, I even learned a few salsa dance moves!

PFCF Impact Award recipient Luis Fonsi comments, “Thank you, Playing for Change Foundation, I’m truly honored. One of the most valuable things I have learned throughout my career is how much we can help bring awareness and use our voices for the greater good, not just for entertainment. I’ve truly found profound meaning while helping others, be it through my work with St Jude Hospital or my Foundation, and I’m fortunate that thanks to events like this one, I’m able to speak more about causes so dear to my heart.” 

Whitney Kroenke Silverstein, Co-Founder & Board President, comments, “It feels great to be back in Miami, in person, for our 2022 Playing for Change Foundation Impact Awards Gala. We can’t think of two better recipients than Paula and Luis, for their contributions not only to the world of music, but also for their commitment to using their platform to make a positive impact on the world.”

CEEK VR has teamed with Impact Awards/Playing for Change to bring this year’s event exclusively to the CEEK Metaverse. The award-winning performances will be on www.ceek.com and on the CEEK VR App. The CEEK Metaverse will also feature an exclusive NFT collection with Impact Awards in celebration of the music superstars and their fans. Founder and CEO, Mary Spio says, “The exclusive Impact Awards/ Playing for Change NFT collection enables us to engage music fans in an exciting and impactful way, while raising funds for a truly important cause.”

According to the Playing For Change Foundation website: “Playing For Change Foundation grew out of a common belief that music has the power to connect people regardless of their differences. Founded in 2007, PFCF was established to create positive change through music and arts education. Our work engages marginalized youth in diverse communities around the world, primarily located in low and lower-middle-income countries. These communities are home to great cultural wealth, which we use to create educational and social opportunities. We currently operate 17 music programs in 13 countries and have positively impacted more than 40,000 lives since 2007, including more than 3,000 youth through regular programming in 2019. We employ more than 200 staff, teachers, and community leaders locally across program locations, including Mali, Morocco, Ghana, Rwanda, South Africa, Nepal, Bangladesh, Thailand, Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina. Each program serves anywhere from 50 – 900 children. PFCF was honored to be named a Polar Music Prize winner in 2019”.

The three values Playing For Change Foundation lives by are local leadership, social empowerment, and transparency.

Notable attendees included: Karolina Kurkova, Cuba Gooding Jr., Kevin “Baby Slice” Ferguson, Felix Semper, Jack McClinton, and more showing their support for this wonderful organization.

To learn more about the organization and ways to help them achieve its goals please check out its website.

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EventsLifestyleThe Latest

Giuliana and Bill Rancic Host The Pink Agenda’s Virtual Gala, Raising Over $275,000

by Ashlee Dell’Arciprete
written by Ashlee Dell’Arciprete

The Pink Agenda held their annual gala virtually this past Thursday night to raise money, and awareness for breast cancer research and grant wishes to people living with breast cancer and undergoing treatment. The event was hosted by breast cancer survivor and television personality Giuliana Rancic and her husband, Bill Rancic.

The gala was informative and powerful, with many breast cancer survivors taking part in the virtual event. Being that the event was virtual, it allowed many people from coast to coast to unite for a good cause.

The gala opened with introductions from prominent celebrities and voices. It featured special guest appearances by Melissa Joan Hart, Ryan Seacrest, Taylor Lautner, and many others, including a musical performance by Katie Gavin of MUNA. Some speakers bravely shared their own personal journey with breast cancer while also raising awareness of the disease.

 

What makes The Pink Agenda’s Gala stand out every year is its generosity in granting wishes to women undergoing breast cancer treatment. The Pink Agenda has been partnered with Giuliana’s initiative, FAB-U-WISH, since 2014. FAB-U-Wish and TPA have been working together to grant wishes to over 325 women so far, shared Giuliana.

This year, wishes were granted to two women, each of whom shared their story from diagnosis through treatment and into recovery. One recipient was granted a future shopping spree, while the other was surprised with home renovations, both on behalf of Kendra Scott.

The night was a huge success with more, than 550 people attendees present and collectively raising a total of $275,000.

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MusicNewsThe Latest

Flo Rida, Maye Musk, and More Make Gabrielle’s Angel Foundation Summer Gala a Night to Remember

by ElizaBeth Taylor
written by ElizaBeth Taylor

Gabrielle’s Angel Foundation’s co-founders Denise Rich and her daughters Daniella Rich Kilstock and Ilona Rich Schachter brought the legendary Angel Ball out east last night. Southampton’s landmark venue The Muses was transformed for one of the most captivating events of this summer.

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