"The Play's the Thing" Surprises—and Raises Over $530,000

Could they be the surprise?

Just as everyone expected, on Saturday, September 11, South Coast Repertory’s 2010 Gala Ball, “The Play’s the Thing,” lived up to its name, raising over $530,000 for the theatre’s annual fund and throwing in a surprise for good measure.

The glittering party began as guests swept into the hotel and up the grand staircase where they were greeted — beneath a giant marquee — by Gala Chair Sophie Cripe, her husband, Larry, and SCR Artistic Directors David Emmes and Martin Benson.

Turning the corner, they continued along a red carpeted hallway adorned with posters of SCR productions and the playwrights whose classics, modern masterpieces and world premieres have been at the heart of the theatre’s 46 seasons. Along the way, they were regaled by costumed characters from past shows.

And that was just the beginning. Read all about the party and the surprise act that stopped the show.