By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer
The red carpet was rolled out Thursday in front of the Princeton Garden Theatre, just like it might be for a big movie premiere in New York or Los Angeles.
In part, that’s what it was for a screening of “Admission,” the film based on local author Jean Hanff Korelitz’s novel about an admissions officer at Princeton University. Yet the main purpose of the night was to raise about $7,000 for Housing Initiatives of Princeton, whose board includes Ms. Korelitz.
The organization, a nonprofit founded in 2001, provides low-income, transitional housing, said Ruth Thurmond Scott, chairwoman of the board. The nonprofit owns a townhouse in town and also leases a property from the municipality.
Before the movie started, Ms. Korelitz said an anonymous donor underwrote all of the expenses of the evening, so all the proceeds from ticket sales, auction items and portions of sales of Ms. Korelitz’s book sold that night would go directly to Housing Initiatives. Board member Sally Weisman, who organized the fundraiser, said Thursday that tickets went fast. All 200 seats, in one of the two screens at the theater, were taken.
”It sold out in less than 24 hours, it’s crazy. And people are excited to see it,” Ms. Korelitz said.
Milling about in the theater before the screening were the film’s executive producer, Caroline Baron, and one of the young actors from the film, Travaris Spears. The film, shot partly on the university campus for two days last summer, made its national release on Friday.
”It was a wonderful experience. We had a terrific relationship with the administration, and everybody was incredibly helpful, very collaborative,” Ms. Baron said.
”Admission,” starring Tina Fey and Paul Rudd, is based on Ms. Korelitz’s book published in 2009, her fourth novel. She worked for a few years in Princeton’s admissions office as a “reader” of applications.
”I truly love the film,” Ms. Korelitz said before seeing it for the fourth time. “I really am very interested to see it with a Princeton audience and to see what they laugh at.”
Later that night, a second screening of the film was scheduled, this one for the university. Larry Haber, the theater owner, said he did not know if university President Shirley M. Tilghman planned to attend.
”It would be nice,” he said of having her be there.

