Gala Co-Chairs plan a special tribute to Producing Artistic Director Terry Martin
WaterTower Theatre’s 2009 Spotlight Gala will be held on Saturday, February 14, 2009 and will celebrate Producing Artistic Director Terry Martin’s 10th anniversary with the company.
The Gala will be Co-Chaired by Anita Braun and Allie Theisen and the Gala Committee consists of Landrie Bock, Shannon Brame, Lauren Embrey, Elizabeth Fratantuono, Kitty Goddard, Andy Gosnell, David Guedry, James Paul Lemons, Karol Omlor, Greg Patterson, Andrea Redmon and Katie Wood.
Tickets to this year’s Gala are $150 per ticket; $1,750 per table. Underwriting opportunities begin at $2,500 include the Live and Silent Auctions, underwriting the Terry Martin table, underwriting the Young Benefactors table, invitation underwriter, production underwriter, Valet Parking underwriter, and Raffle ticket underwriter.
This year’s theme is a celebration of Terry Martin’s 10-year history with WaterTower Theatre. The evening will include a specially-produced live theatrical retrospective highlighting many of Terry’s best-loved productions.
For more information on the 2009 Spotlight Gala, please contact Greg Patterson, Director of Development, at 972.450.6227 or gpatterson@watertowertheatre.org.
About Terry Martin Multi-award winning Director Terry Martin is starting his 10th season as Producing Artistic Director of WaterTower Theatre where he has overseen over 60 productions.
Some of his 33 directing credits at WTT include As You Like It, Almost, Maine, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Man of La Mancha, Humble Boy, The Crucible, Take Me Out, A Country Life (which he adapted from Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya and which won the 2005 Rabin Award – Best New Play), Cabaret, It Ain’t Nothin’ But The Blues, Company, An Inspector Calls, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, The Laramie Project, You Can't Take It With You, Book of Days, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (2002 Rabin Award – Director of a Play), Sweeney Todd (2002 Rabin Award Nomination – Director of a Musical), Desire Under the Elms, Ravenscroft, Rockin’ Christmas Party (2000, 2001), Enter the Guardsman (2001 Rabin Award Nomination – Director of a Musical), Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill and Little Shop of Horrors (2000 Rabin Award Nomination – Director of a Musical) among others. For Plano Repertory Theatre, he has directed Journey’s End (2000 Rabin Award – Director of a Play), Dracula, La Bęte, Little Shop of Horrors and Pump Boys and Dinettes. Terry was named "Best Theater Director" in the Dallas Observer's "Best of Dallas 2002."
He has appeared on stage at WTT in Blackbird, The Woman in Black, Dinner with Friends, The Guys, Bash: Latterday Plays (2002 Rabin Award Nomination - Actor in a Play) and at PRT in The Only Thing Worse You Could Have Told Me… (1998 Rabin Award – Actor in a Play, 1998 Dallas Theater Critics Forum Award), The Woman in Black (2000 Rabin Award Nomination – Actor in a Play), and Lonely Planet.
After growing up in south Alabama, Terry spent 12 years in New York City working in theatre, television and film. While there, he directed and acted at The Village Theatre Company, Carnegie Hall Studios and Theatre at St. Marks as well as television appearances on ABC’s One Life to Live and NBC’s To Serve and Protect. He holds a BFA from the University of Alabama and has trained professionally with Sanford Meisner, Fred Kareman, Wynn Handman, Sally Johnson and Lehmann Byck. Terry presently teaches on-going acting classes in the Sanford Meisner Technique at WTT, as well as having served as Adjunct Professor of Acting at the University of Texas at Dallas.
About WaterTower Theatre WaterTower Theatre has become a theatrical force of nature through its consistent excellence and sharp programming. Combining Broadway-quality productions with the beauty of an intimate playing space, WaterTower Theatre provides experiences that are powerful and insightful, intense and uplifting. WaterTower Theatre provides the community with an opportunity to examine man’s conditions from all perspective’s and promotes growth through humor and drama.
Now in its 12th season, WaterTower Theatre began life in 1996 with 136 brave subscribers. Today, with over 2000 subscribers and a budget of $1.1 million, it consistently earns rave reviews in The Dallas Morning News, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Dallas Observer, and other local publications. With 104 Dallas Theatre League Leon Rabin Nominations and 28 wins to its credit, as well as 16 Dallas Fort Worth Theatre Critics Forum Awards, WaterTower Theatre is home to the finest local talent.
New Corporate Council Announced for WTT
WTT has recently added a new sponsorship level called "Corporate Council." Becoming a member of our Corporate Council is an introduction to what we hope will be a long-lasting and rewarding partnership for your business that offers special marketing opportunities as well as a way for your business to support an important community and cultural asset.
What is it?
WTT's Corporate Council allows your company to sponsor a WTT event for a nominal sponsorship fee (TBD) and in return your company will receive a host of advertising and marketing benefits that would normally cost you 5 times that much. Plus, you'll put your company and your product in front of a highly desirable demographic -- WTT audiences typically are highly educated, have considerable disposable income and come from a wide age demographic with a considerable concentration of audience members in the highly desirable 24-36 age range.
Benefits of our Corporate Council include brand awareness for your company, entertainment opportunities (each membership comes with a pair of tickets to 4 WTT shows), networking fun (as a member you'll be invited to a number of special Corporate Council-only events where you'll meet other business leaders in our community), plus much more!
To learn more about our new Corporate Council marketing program, please contact:
Greg Patterson Director of Development WaterTower Theatre 972.450.6227 Direct 469.274.0498 Cell gpatterson@watertowertheatre.org
Spotlight 2008
WaterTower Theatre’s annual gala has become one of the area's major social events of the year, and 2008 proved to be no exception with over 220 people in attendance for an Evening of Random Acts!
WTT would like to thank Chef Pete of Chef Pete Catering and Ice for coordinating all of the restaurants present at this year's gala. A big THANK YOU goes out to Ferrari’s Italian Villa, Go Fish, Greenz, Kenny's Wood Fired Grill, May Dragon, The Clay Pit, and Truluck’s Seafood, Steak and Crabhouse. WTT also would like to thank J. Dorian Chocolatiers for donating individual boxes of chocolate for each guest.
The evening's entertainment featured exceptional performances by dancers, singers, and aerialists with amazing acts taking place on three stages as well as over the heads of the guests! Thank you to Max Ary, Ross Best, Patty Breckenridge, Marisa Diatolevi, Jimmy Fisher, Joshua Hoes, Kelly McCain, Fouatchoo Moua, Muscle Memory Dance Theatre, Cedric Neal, Stacey Oristano, Jennifer Pasion, Chad Peterson, Stephanie Stewart, Clay Yocum and Natalie Young for their wonderful performances throughout the evening! Also, thank you to the musicians Buddy Shanahan, Peggy Honea and Michael Plotkin, and a very special thank you to Donald Fowler for his direction of the night's entertainment.
Another highlight of the evening was a live auction with Auctioneer Michael Jones energizing the crowd to “Fund the Passion" of award-winning live theatre at WaterTower Theatre. Over 125 bussiness and individuals donated items to a very special silent auction.
The evening was an amazing success, raising more money for the theatre’s productions and education programs than ever before!
Proceeds raised will allow WTT to award scholarships to our Summer Performing Arts Conservatory, help bring professional artists into the classroom with WTT's After School Drama program, underwrite student and senior citizen tickets to performances, and assist in bringing the best talent to the stage to create magic everyday.
Please know how much everyone at WaterTower Theatre appreciates your generous support. WaterTower Theatre’s mission for the 21st century is to open minds with a diverse mix of plays and educational programs that inspire people to experience and embrace live theatre. Thank you for helping WTT to turn its passion into a reality.
If you would like to help WaterTower theatre fund its mission, please contact Landrie Bock at 972.450.6230.
C.J. Webster Award Past Recipients
2006 - Town of Addison
2005 - Holly Canterbury
2004 - Larry McCallum
2003 - Robert Mayer, Jr.
2002 - Fred Ferguson
The Spitfire Grill
2004-2005 Season
Pam Dougherty and Jennifer Green
WaterTower Theatre Announces Spotlight 2009
