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Buy tickets now for the Sept. 16 grand opening gala of the Warsaw Community High School Performing Arts Center.
"Hopefully," said WCHS Assistant Principal Jennifer Shepherd, "it will be an elegant evening at the theater. We're trying to make it special."
Tickets are $20 each and must be purchased in advance. Tickets will not be available the night of the performance. Seating will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis.
"I don't think there's a bad seat in the house," said Shepherd. "It's a very intimate and gorgeous theater."
The tickets will be available for purchase during school registration in the WCHS Career Center Gym Monday from noon to 6 p.m. and Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. After Tuesday, tickets may be purchased by mailing a check, made payable to WCHS, along with contact information to Performing Arts Center, Warsaw Community High School, #1 Tiger Lane, Warsaw, IN 46580. Include your name, address, phone number, cell number if applicable, number of tickets needed and total amount enclosed. Tickets also be purchased by contacting Shepherd at 574-371-5099, Ext. 2374. Once school begins, tickets will be available for purchase at the Performing Arts Center ticket booth.
The new Performing Arts Center seats 990. Shepherd said 100 gala tickets already have been requested.
The Sept. 16 event begins at 6:15 p.m. with a light reception. Each ticket holder will receive a keepsake to remember the night. The show will start at 7 p.m. and last until about 9 p.m.
The semi-formal gala will open with a short dedication and thank-you to school board members and sponsors.
During the gala, "students are going to be performing," Shepherd said, including students in band, theater and choir. A video presentation will run in the lobby. "The goal is to have a lot of kids involved," whether that's performing or ushering. Shepherd said part of what they also will try to do is showcase a little of the technology of the Center, including lighting and acoustics.
The feature performer of the gala will be Tony Award-winning actress Faith Prince. The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music graduate, who has appeared in Showtime's "Huff," won her Tony for her portrayal of Adelaide in the 1992 revival of "Guys and Dolls."
Prince will be seen opposite Hilary and Haily Duff in their feature film "Material Girls," directed by Martha Coolidge.
Shepherd said, "She should be really entertaining." In 2005, Prince performed at the Wagon Wheel Theatre's 50th Anniversary Gala. She previously performed at Wagon Wheel before hitting Broadway. Audiences at that gala couldn't get enough of her, Shepherd said. Prince's participation in the gala will be in two parts, with the majority of her performance coming in the second act.
After the show, a short meet-and-greet with Prince will be held in the Center's lobby.
During the intermission, theater memorabilia will be for sale.
On Sept. 17, a dedication ceremony for the new facilities will be held at 1 p.m. Tours will be conducted until 4 p.m. For more information, contact Shepherd at the high school.
Underwriters for the gala include the Biomet Foundation, Zimmer Inc., Mutual Federal Savings Bank, Maple Leaf Farms, Arby's, The Hand Family Foundation, Ramada, Schmidt Associates and Lewis Salvage.
