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Hollywood at the State

By Kelly Skinner
Contact: 
Kelly Skinner, director of public relations
732-247-7200, ext. 542
[email protected]
Renu Verma, marketing & pr coordinator
732-247-7200, ext. 517
[email protected]
State Theatre presents
Hollywood at the State
An Original State Theatre Production
State Theatre Benefit Gala 2009
Saturday, May 16, 2009, 6pm
Tickets (concert only): $65, $50, $40, $25
Benefit Gala “Black-Tie” Ticket (cocktail party, concert seat, dinner dance, and auction): $650
Benefit Gala “After Party” Ticket (concert seat, dinner dance, and auction): $250
Ticket Office: 732-246-SHOW (7469)
 
New Brunswick, NJ (April 21, 2009)— State Theatre presents Hollywood at the State, a Hollywood musical revue featuring long-time Academy Awards® Music Director and Oscar® winner Bill Conti for the State Theatre’s 21st Annual Benefit Gala on Saturday, May 16 at 6pm. In conjunction with the concert, the State Theatre Benefit Gala 2009 will include two different receptions: the “Black-Tie Reception and Dinner Dance;” and new this year, “The After Party,” a less formal option. The “Black-Tie Reception and Dinner Dance” will take place at The Heldrich Hotel and Conference Center, across the street from the State Theatre. “The After Party” will take place at the Hyatt in New Brunswick. Ticket prices for the concert only range from $25 to $65. Patron tickets for the “Black-Tie” Gala are $650 and include the 5pm cocktail reception, 6pm concert, and black-tie dinner dance and auction immediately following. Patron tickets for “The After Party” are $250 and include the 6pm concert and a dinner dance and auction immediately following. For Gala tickets please call the Development Office at 732-247-7200, ext. 512.
Hollywood at the State also stars Broadway singers Judy McLane (currently starring in Broadway’s Mamma Mia!) and George Dvorsky (The Scarlet Pimpernel), the Princeton Symphony Orchestra, the New Jersey Youth Chorus, and the New Jersey Tap Dance Ensemble.
The show will include songs from the following movies: Rocky,The Sound of Music, Beauty and the Beast, For Your Eyes Only, The Right Stuff, and more.The show will also include a special “Tribute to Walt Disney.”
The 2009 State Theatre Benefit Gala Honorees include corporate honoree CIGNA and H. Edward Hanway, Chairman & CEOAdelaide M. Zagoren, President of The Blanche & Irving Laurie Foundation. The Gala Chairs are Ann. H. Asbaty, Senior Vice President, National Accounts, CIGNA, and Efrem B. Dlugacz, Vice President, Global Benefits and Health Resources, Johnson & Johnson.
BILL CONTI
Oscar®-winner Bill Conti has composed music for many films including: “Gonna Fly Now,” the theme to RockyThe Karate KidFor Your Eyes OnlyThe Right StuffGloriaPrivate BenjaminF/XBaby BoomLean on Me, among others. He has also composed the themes to television’s Dynasty, Falcon Crest, Cagney & Lacey, and The Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.
JUDY MCLANE
Judy McClane is currently starring on Broadway as Tanya in the hit musical, Mamma Mia! McClanereceived critical acclaim for her performance as Vienna in Johnny Guitar Off-Broadway (Drama Desk Nomination and a Drama League Award for Distinguished Performance in the Theater). Most recently, she starred as Donna in the feature film Were the World Mine. McLane has appeared on Broadway in Kiss of the Spider Woman, Aspects of Love, and Chess. Her national and international tours include the Baker’s Wife in Into the Woods, the Narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat with Donny Osmond, Mrs. Baskin in Big, and Side By Side By Sondheim. Some other favorite roles include: Phyllis in Follies (Signature Theater, Helen Hayes nomination), Eva Peron in Evita, the title character in Victor/Victoria, Aldonza in Man of La Mancha, Luisa in Nine, Nancy in Oliver!, Florence in Chess, Lily in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Paper Mill Playhouse), Fiona in Brigadoon, and Milly in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (St. Louis Muny).
GEORGE DVORSKY
George Dvorsky’s Broadway resume includes roles in The Scarlet Pimpernel, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Passion, Marilyn: An American Fable, and Whorehouse. Off-Broadway roles include Pete N Keely, Dames at Sea, and ‘And the World Goes Round. Dvorsky has also performed in Lincoln Center’s Cinderella and Brigadoon, as well as the PBS specials Passion: Live at Lincoln Center and Bernstein’s Broadway with the Boston Pops.
PRINCETON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
The PSO is greater Princeton’s only resident professional orchestra and performs its subscription series in historic Richardson Auditorium in downtown Princeton, as well as special performances throughout the region.
Founded in 1980 as The Little Orchestra of New Jersey by the late Portia Sonnenfeld, the Princeton Symphony Orchestra originally presented two or three informal concerts each year. The orchestra was restructured in 1983 and just before Sonnenfeld’s death in 1986, the Board of Trustees selected Mark Laycock as Music Director of the Princeton Chamber Orchestra, later renamed the Princeton Chamber Symphony, and finally, the Princeton Symphony Orchestra.
 
NEW JERSEY YOUTH CHORUS
The New Jersey Youth Chorus—founded in 1992 by Artistic Director Patricia Joyceis an auditioned choral program for children in grades two through 12, divided into three ensembles: Advanced (grades 7-12), Intermediate (grades 4-6), and a Musicianship Class (grades 2-3). 
NEW JERSEY TAP DANCE ENSEMBLE (NJTAP)
NJTAP is a professional touring tap dance company. The Bloomfield-based non-profit dance company was founded in 1994 by professional tap dancer Deborah Mitchell, and has continuously served audiences and artists throughout the tri-state region.
For tickets (or a brochure), call the State Theatre ticket office at 732-246-SHOW (7469), or visit us online at www.StateTheatreNJ.org. The State Theatre ticket office, located at 15 Livingston Ave, New Brunswick NJ, is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday 10am to 6pm; Wednesday 11am to 7pm and at least one hour prior to curtain on performance dates. For information on group outings and discounts, call 732-247-7200, ext. 536.
The State Theatre, a premier nonprofit venue for the performing arts and entertainment. The theater exists to enrich people’s lives, contribute to a vital urban environment, and build future audiences by presenting the finest performing artists and entertainers and fostering lifetime appreciation for the performing arts through education. The State Theatre’s programs are made possible, in part, by funding from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, and contributions from numerous corporations, foundations, and individuals. Continental Airlines is the official airline of the State Theatre. The Heldrich is the official hotel of the State Theatre. The Star-Ledger is the official newspaper of the State Theatre. William Grant & Sons, our season spirits’ sponsor.
 
 
STATE THEATRE
15 Livingston Ave
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
Ticket Office – 732-246-SHOW (7469)
Online – www.StateTheatreNJ.org
PHOTOS AND INTERVIEWS FURNISHED UPON REQUEST
Please contact Kelly Skinner at
732-247-7200, ext. 542 or by email at [email protected].
Information in this release is current as of April 21, 2009.
For up-to-the-minute information on events and State Theatre news,
visit the State Theatre online at www.StateTheatreNJ.org.