Step Right Up!!

It is that time of year again. The year-end benefit gala for Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts, Detroit. CARS & STARS 2013.

As Director of Special Events for Music Hall, I get to create and produce this evening. By "create," I mean chose the theme (and have it approved by our President and Artistic Director), design the gala portion and produce the gala on the night of. The fundraiser has two basic elements; Gala and Show. I am the GALAura. ;)

There is so much involved in throwing a gala benefit... auctions, seating, committee meetings, menus, volunteers, fire breathers, jugglers and stilt walkers, flowers, linens and such, but I pride myself on the twist I give it - the ability to make it different than all the other events around town AND there are a lot of events around town. The biggest key is keeping the costs down, yet having it look and feel rich and sophisticated.

For the last 6 seasons we have had some wonderful themes - Hollywood, Ziegfeld Follies, Mad Men, Cotton Club and last year’s salute to James Bond & Austin Powers. (See previous blogs for pictures).

This year our theme is Circus. I had seen "Water for Elephants" and though I hated (yet it was well acted) Chistoph Waltz's character, the movie hit me to the core. I wanted to do a vintage Circus.

The first thing I had to do was get the idea approved by 'the Boss," which wasn't easy. The Circus has so many elements and being that it is a black-tie fundraiser the risk is of running the fine line between sophisticated and a child's birthday party, not that there is anything wrong with a child having a circus themed birthday party, it just isn't the look we want.

After 6 months, I got the go forward and the ideas flourished. Right now in the midst of it all I am creating costumes for my volunteers -"Bally Girls." The Bally Girls were a girls who sang and danced in the circus spectacles and were 'generally useful' throughout the entire performance. Use of this term probably came from the employment of real ballet girls and dancers in the great circus spectacles of 1880 to 1910. Later day bally broads remained with the show for many seasons working in a featured act, and often, married to a staff member of the show. http://circushof.com/glossary.html

Our "Bally Girls" will seat guests, help with the auctions and appear in the opening of the show.

Here is the progress so far...

 

 

The finished product! This photo is by Scott Lipiec 

 

Casablanca

A trustee at Music Hall celebrated his 80th birthday and his darling wife, Judy wanted to surprise him with a Casablanca themed party.

 I was somewhat amazed when researching the movie that I didn't find enough of what I wanted for collateral to decorate the room, so I created a few pieces from the fuzzy images on the Internet.

Each guest's place card was a "letter of transit."

It was a 3-fold card with the menu and trivia from the movie.  

 The Moroccan feast was prepared and served by two truly lovely people Chef Michael Otto and Ginny of Scratch Catering.

 

Even the staff go into the gig by dressing up!

Thankfully the guest of honor loved it!