Published: October 26, 2009 03:59 pm      

Revelry will be rampant at playhouse benefit

BY RUTH RICE

RRICE@TRIBDEM.COM

Cold, hard cash will be the reward at this fundraiser.

The ninth annual Mountain Playhouse Revels will be held from 6 p.m. to midnight Nov. 7 at Green Gables Restaurant and Mountain Playhouse, Jennerstown.

Playhouse producer Teresa Stoughton Marafino said this year’s raffle prize will be $20,000 in cash.

“Last year, we did the Smart car, but this year, we figured everyone can use some cash,” Marafino said.

“Only 800 tickets will be sold, so the odds are excellent. You don’t have to be present to win, and you don’t have to buy a ticket to the event.

“The benefit is it’s tax deductible since you’re buying from a nonprofit, so it’s a win-win situation.”

Tickets for the raffle are $50 each and are available by calling 629-9201, ext. 1, or by visiting www.MountainPlayhouse.org.

“The revels are well-attended,” Marafino said.

“We get as many as 250, and we have a capacity to do 300.”

Marafino added that with the event being black-tie optional, there is usually a mixture of tuxedos and evening gowns along with more semiformal wear.

Marafino compared the revels to Johnstown Symphony Orchestra’s Opera Festival because it is the playhouse’s only fundraiser.

“Proceeds will go to our general operating fund,” Marafino said.

“It’s expensive to do theater at the caliber the Mountain Playhouse does.”

With state funding from the Pennsylvania Council for the Arts being cut, the educational tax-credit program affected and foundations not able to donate as much money as in the past, Marafino said the Revels are all the more important.

The evening will begin with a cocktail and hors d’oeuvre reception at Green Gables Restaurant at 6, followed by entertainment on the Mountain Playhouse stage at 6:45.

“Tom Schaller and Seana Hollingsworth will sing some songs and do some dialogue,” Marafino said.

“It’s like an old vaudeville act, but it won’t be old songs. It will be sheer entertainment.”

After the show, guests will return to the restaurant at 7:45 for a two-course gourmet dinner featuring a salad and entree prepared by executive chef Susan Kroft.

At 8:45, a raffle drawing will be held, and a decadent dessert buffet will be available.

There will be dancing until midnight with music by the jazz ensemble Sly Swing Quartet.

“We like each segment to go smoothly, to keep it moving and lively,” Marafino said.



Fundraiser

What: Ninth annual Mountain Playhouse Revels.

Where: Green Gables Restaurant and Mountain Playhouse, Jennerstown.

When: 6 p.m. to midnight Nov. 7.

Cost: $150 per person; raffle tickets, $50.

Information: 629-9201, ext. 1, or www.MountainPlayhouse.org.