Thursday, March 10, 2011

Get Ready for a Magical Evening

Elaine Weinberg and Nancy Dahan
It’s going to be black and white…mother and daughter…all about magic!

SCR’s 2011 Gala Ball, THEATRE MAGIC: The Black and White Ball, will be chaired by Elaine Weinberg and her daughter, Nancy Dahan, on September 10, 2011 at the Ritz Carlton Laguna Niguel.

According to Elaine, “I’ve always wanted to chair a sophisticated black and white event—and adding the element of magic is wonderful because theatre is such a magical art form.”

This is Elaine’s second time around as a gala chair.  She and Teri Kennady chaired “Play On” in 1999.   “We had a fabulous time working together on that event,” Elaine said.  “It’s so much fun having a sidekick, and I’m looking forward to Nancy’s input—and her creative energy.  It’ll be a special treat for us both.”

Nancy and her four brothers attended SCR with their mother and late father, Martin, from the earliest days of the theatre, when they remember sitting on bleachers.  “I have enjoyed this theater for so many years,” Nancy said, “and now so do my children and their cousins, so the legacy continues. I am so excited to work side by side with my mother on this event with our creative committee of theater lovers."

Background on the Chairs:

Elaine and her late husband, Martin, were among the theatre’s most enthusiastic and stalwart supports.  They both served as SCR Trustees and were major donors to all of SCR’s fundraising campaigns.  Over the years, they were Honorary Producers of seven plays.  More recently, Elaine underwrote The Importance of Being Earnest in 2008 and You, Nero in 2009.  For the past five seasons, she has underwritten the NewSCRipts series of staged readings.

Like her parents, Nancy is an attorney.  She has been active in family law since 1988 and partner in Dahan and Brown since 2000.  She and her husband, Victor, are members of SCR’s Golden Circle of donors and subscribers to the Segerstrom Stage, and Nancy joins her mother in enthusiastic support for NewSCRipts.

News from the first Gala meeting:
On March 9, Elaine and Nancy welcomed the Committee members to a luncheon held in the SCR lobby and introduced Managing Director Paula Tomei, who talked about the increased artistic activity all around the theatre, with two season productions in rehearsal, the Pacific Playwrights Festival coming up and the on-going Studio Series, a new initiative that includes seven local performances over eight weekends.  “That’s why we’re having lunch in the lobby!” she explained.

She brought the Committee up to date on SCR’s new Artistic Director Marc Masterson, who will join the theater fulltime in September.   “It’s going to be a particularly exciting season, the beginning of a new era at SCR,” she said.  “The Gala launches our season and provides the largest gift to the Annual Fund.  I’m especially happy—at this auspicious time—that our Gala will be led by Elaine and Nancy.”

Committee members introduced themselves and talked about their Gala experiences over the years and the excitement surrounding the 2011 Gala.  Serving on the Committee this season are six new members, three of them Weinbergs—Bailey, Eva and Marci Maietta, wives of Elaine’s sons (and Nancy’s brothers) Paul, David and Bill.  Joining them are Carolina Prichard, Gayle Widyolar and Carolyn Zainer.

By all accounts, THEATRE MAGIC: The Black and White Ball will be a elegant event, held in an especially elegant setting, the newly renovated Ritz Carlton.  “It’s going to be gorgeous,” Nancy said, adding that they hoped the black and white theme would carry through in the gowns, and possibly even masks.  The meeting ended on a high note, with the news that J.T. and the California Dreamin’ would return to provide the music for dancing the night away on September 10.  For more information, please contact Director of Development Susan Reeder at (714) 708-5518.

Gala Committee members, to date—and growing:
Ashleigh Aitken, Bette Aitken, Julianne Argyros, Randy Morrison Baird, Susan Bowman, Dede Brink, Donna Cohn, Sophie Cripe, Gail Doe, Susan Ehrlich, Patricia Ellis, Valerie Fearns, Kathryn Glassmyer, Nadine Hall, Marlene Hamontree, Dee Higby, Mimi Holcombe, Linda Hovee, Betty Eu Huang, Olivia Johnson, Joan Kaloustian, Teri Kennady, Elaine Krajanowski, Linda Maggard, Diana Martin, Sue Murphy, Pam Muzzy, Pat Neisser, Stacey Nicholas, Beth Phelps, Carolina Prichard, Barbara Roberts, Jan Seitz Jashinski, Ardelle St. George, Laurie Smits Staude, Jane Taylor, Kathy Taylor, Julia Ann Ulcickas, Socorro Vasquez, Bailey Weinberg, Eva Weinberg, Marci Maietta Weinberg, Gayle Widyolar, Carolyn Zainer

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