STAGES St. Louis Gears Up for 11th Annual APPLAUSE! Gala, 11/9

On Friday, November 9, 2012 STAGES ST. LOUIS will host the eleventh annual APPLAUSE! Gala at the Ritz-Carlton, a benefit to support the organization's Education and Artistic Programs. The 2011 APPLAUSE! Gala raised proceeds of over $435,000. The event will be hosted by Fox 2's Kevin Steincross. Lynne Turley and Lisa Nichols serve as event Co-Chairs, and Judy Kent is the Honorary Chair.

The entertainment will feature the dazzling stars of STAGES ST. LOUIS. Corinne Melancon who was last seen as Charlotte in A Little Night Music will headline the evening alongside Musical Director Lisa Campbell Albert and the Adaron "Pops" Jackson Trio. Jackson recently starred as Luther and the leader of the live jazz band in this season's Ain't Misbehavin'. The evening will also feature the teen a cappella sensation TeamSTAGES with a special performance by Troupe Broadway, a group of students from STAGES Access the Arts program.

In 2012, STAGES Performing Arts Academy and its Outreach Programs brought musical theatre arts education to over 3,200 students, awarded 800 Scout badges, engaged 1,000 parents/guardians and their children in interactive dramatic play via Stories@STAGES, and entertained more than 3,500 audience members at TeamSTAGES performances. The regionally unique Access the Arts program continues to bring the beauty of musical theatre to youth with developmental and physical disabilities, while STAGES Urban Arts Initiative has conducted more than 140 programs to over 2,500 underserved students. Sponsorship monies raised at the APPLAUSE! Gala will support these wonderful and vital programs.

The 2012 APPLAUSE! Gala will be attended by over 400 supporters at The Ritz-Carlton in St. Louis. Single tickets to the black tie event are $300.00 per person and sponsorships begin at $3,000. For more information, contact STAGES Development Department at 636.530.5959 ext. 633.

STAGES ST. LOUIS opened in 1987 with a staff of 8 part-time employees, a season of 24 performances, a budget of $50,000, and an audience of 3,000. Today STAGES can boast of 25 full-time staff members (with a seasonal company of 175), 124 performances each season, a budget of $3.8 million, and a loyal audience of over 47,000. In its 26-year history, STAGES has entertained nearly 870,000 patrons with 90 productions and over 2,800 performances. The recipient of twenty-eight Kevin Kline Awards over the past seven years, including three awards for Outstanding Production of a Musical, STAGES has become the leading company for musical theatre performance and education in the Midwest.

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