Fundraiser to support MTG’s Student Outreach Programs!
For the final fundraising event of the 2023-2024 season, Musical Theatre Guild looks back at 1996 – the year that the Guild staged its’ very first performances. While the fledgling company of performers presented a premiere concert, SAY IT WITH MUSIC, and A CHRISTMAS CAROL: THE MUSICAL, Broadway was busy launching the new musicals RENT, BRING IN DA’ NOISE BRING IN DA’ FUNK, STATE FAIR, and BIG, as well as revivals of A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM, THE KING AND I, and CHICAGO (still running). Now, Musical Theatre Guild brings the year 1996 to theatrical life with an evening of music from shows running on Broadway during that significant year, performed by an all-star array of two dozen Guild members. BROADWAY TIME CAPSULE: 1996 – BROADWAY HITS FROM THE YEAR IT ALL BEGAN will take place for one night only: Tuesday, June 25th, 2024, 8:30PM, at the Catalina Jazz Club in Hollywood, CA.
“Musical Theatre Guild launched its’ first productions in the year 1996, so we thought it would be great to revisit that year and give our audience a chance to hear music from the many shows running on Broadway that year,” says Will Collyer, member of the Guild’s Executive Committee, and co-Director of the event. ““Say you wandered up to the TKTS booth in Times Square in 1996… What show did you see that night? Our members will bring 1996 Broadway to life by performing songs from those productions.” Adds Co-Director Susan Edwards Martin, “And in MTG fashion, the music will be a mix of classics and less-familiar choices. Just as our audiences have come to expect from us! The Catalina Jazz Club will provide the perfect relaxed setting for an evening of music, memories, and fun!”
Joining Collyer and Edwards Martin on the artistic staff is Musical Director Jeff Hoeppner. Leesa Freed will stage manage the performance. Guild performers scheduled to appear include Eileen Barnett, Roger Befeler, Jennifer Bennett, Teri Bibb, Bryan Chesters, Will Collyer, Joshua Finkel, Tal Fox, Julie Garnye, Kim Huber, Maura Knowles, Susan Edwards Martin, Kevin Matsumoto, Tonoccus McClain, Dana Meller, Barbara Minkus, Chelsea Morgan Stock, Gabriel Navarro, Wendy Rosoff, Trance Thompson, Diane Vincent, Paul Wong, Robert Yacko, and David Zack. As it happens, some of the participants were performing in these very shows in 1996, so expect to hear them bring their own past productions to life on stage.
Proceeds from BROADWAY TIME CAPSULE: 1996 go to support Musical Theatre Guild’s Youth Outreach Programs, a cornerstone of the organization’s mandate to engage the next generation of theatre artists and theatregoers. The Guild’s Youth Outreach Program takes specially prepared live performances into Southern California schools, brings hundreds of local high school students to live theatre performances and offers mentorships to theatre students who shadow our professionals behind the scenes of mainstage productions. Musical Theatre Guild is committed to inspiring and developing the next generations of theatre artists and audiences. In addition, Musical Theatre Guild’s fundraising efforts help provide ASL access for Deaf and Hard-of-hearing patrons at its’ mainstage productions.
Join Musical Theatre Guild as we move into the future by celebrating a memorable history. BROADWAY TIME CAPSULE: 1996 is an evening that will appeal to everyone from the casual theatregoer to the most rabid Broadway fan. Enjoy dinner, drinks, and the best of Broadway, performed by the best musical theatre performers in Southern California. Don’t miss BROADWAY TIME CAPSULE: 1996 – guaranteed to be an evening you will never forget!
BROADWAY TIME CAPSULE: 1996 performs on Tuesday, June 25, 2024, at the Catalina Jazz Club, 6725 Sunset Blvd, Hollywood, CA 90028. The Catalina opens for dinner at 7:00PM; performance begins at 8:30PM. Tickets are on sale now, with prices ranging from $35 to $60. Entree or two item minimums apply to all patrons in addition to show ticket purchase. Tickets can be purchased online at www.musicaltheatreguild.com.
Musical Theatre Guild’s 2024-2025 Mainstage Season at the Santa Monica College Performing Arts Center, Eli and Edythe Broad Stage will be announced soon. Additional productions, fundraisers and performance events will take place throughout the year. Go to www.musicaltheatreguild.com to learn more, and to sign up for the Guild’s email list.
Musical Theatre Guild is 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership company of theatre professionals, devoted to preserving the unique American art form of musical theatre by presenting seldom-seen musicals in a staged reading concert format.