People & Places: Danna Sue Walker: Theatre Tulsa celebrates its historical past, bright future
BY DANNA SUE WALKER World Staff Writer
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
12/11/12 at 6:09 AM
Theatre Tulsa's Toast '22 created a buzz as partygoers enjoyed a signature champagne cocktail and the music of jazz band 7 Blue Trio.
The evening celebrated the people who started Theatre Tulsa and honored the hard work and dedication that has made the local arts organization the longest continuously running theater company west of the Mississippi for 90 years.
Those attending also celebrated the theater's bright future and its continued growth artistically, organizationally and financially.
Theatre Tulsa Board President Sara Phoenix along with Kristin Harding, board secretary and Toast '22 chairwoman, began the evening by thanking special sponsors: the Atlas Grill and Catering, the Tulsa Press Club, Cascia Hall Preparatory School, Girouard Vines, Marshall Brewing, Decco Wines, as well as generous donors to the silent auction and raffle.
Others attending included Robert LaFortune, Bob and Cheryl LaFortune, Suzie Bynum, Dr. Jana Bingman, Sandra Flippo, Marjorie Bontemps, Katherine Silvey, Ruston Miles, Dr. Michael Van Antwerp and Dezaray Edward.
Recent graduates of Theatre Tulsa's Broadway Bootcamp for young actors and singers all entertained throughout the evening. The performers, ranging in age from 9 to 17, performed several old standards and Broadway songs by Cole Porter, George and Ira Gershwin, and The Andrews Sisters.
This year Theatre Tulsa has been reinvigorated as a multi-faceted organization that serves the citizens of Tulsa through productions, education and cultural enrichment.
The historic theater has produced the American community theater premieres of "Our Town" in 1939, "All My Sons" in 1947, the musical "Brownstone" in 1985 and "The Pitmen Painters" in 2011.
Theatre Tulsa received the city's first Tulsa Award for Theatre Excellence (TATE) for its production of "Up the Down Staircase" in 2009. Theatre Tulsa was named "Oklahoma's Community Theatre of the Year" by the Oklahoma Community Theatre Association in 2011.
For more information about Theatre Tulsa, go to tulsaworld.com/theatretulsa
Original Print Headline: Theatre Tulsa celebrates its historical past, bright future
Associated Images:
Theatre Tulsa Board President Sara Phoenix stands in the warehouse where props and costumes are stored for the long-running organization. STEPHEN PINGRY / Tulsa World file
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