Edgemar Center for the Arts Cuts Ribbon, Holds Fundraiser: Speilberg and Capshaw to take part
Director Steven Spielberg, his actress wife Kate Capshaw, playwright/screenwriter Neil Simon and other Hollywood luminaries are expected to attend Edgemar Center for the Arts official ribbon-cutting ceremony and cocktail reception on Saturday, September 13 at 7:30p.m.Located in a building designed by legendary architect Frank Gehry on Main Street in Santa Monica, the new equity theater opened in October 2002 and has raised the bulk of the funds needed to complete its build-out.The reception will be followed by a performance showcasing Edgemarís youngest drama students--- homeless and at-risk children and youth who attend after-school and weekend workshops at the Center. They will perform a number from the new musical ìCanvas,î written by playwright Pual Leech.Singer Lauren Frost, Leech, actor Jason Alexander and others are scheduled to perform in a series of vignettes.
Tickets to the reception and performance are $400, a VIP dinner for 40 guests at Rockenwagner restaurant in Edgemar are also planned. Tickets to the dinner are $2,000. To purchase tickets, call (310) 576-7517 or visit www.edgemarcenter.org.
Our goal for the September 13 event is twofold, Michelle Danner, the Centerís Executive Director, said. ìWe hope to raise enough money to finally complete the Center, as well as continue to provide the educational outreach program for the children and the community-at-large.
Edgemarís educational outreach partners include LAís Best, YWCA and Upward Bound. Its programs are designed to give students opportunities to discover their artistic voices and express themselves. Its after-school and weekend classes focus on self-exploration, goal-setting, writing, and critical thinking in compliance with the California Board of Education.Among the specific skills taught are developing stories, acting for film, directing, lighting, cinematography, post-production sound, and editing. The students also take field trips to studios to watch films being shot.
Edgemar Center for the Arts, a 501 c3 non-profit theater, is located in Edgemar, 2437 Main Street.