On Saturday, March 24, 2018, from 6 p.m. to midnight, the Creative Arts Center was filled with hundreds of students and theatre lovers attending the 2018 ArtsGala. With tickets ranging from $250 to $550, it is evident that attendees were passionate about supporting students and funding scholarships and of course, a night full of nonstop entertainment and good company.
“When we started out over a decade ago, I think we had three or four hundred people, and now we always sell upwards of 800 tickets. We’re clearing over $200,000 a year,” Stuart McDowell, professor and artistic director of the Department of Theatre, Dance and Motion Pictures said.
Through the years, the ArtsGala has raised more than $2.5 million in order to fund scholarships for the department. Although this event occurs every year, it is never the same thanks to the collaboration of all of the fine arts departments as well as the hard work of the students.
“It’s always absolutely different because every room has different music, different art, different students and different shows including new films from the students that will be shown. There are new displays that are happening in the lobby, dance concerts in the new ballet studio, and those are always new and different. If you ran from room to room you still could only see half of the stuff that’s going on. The only thing that is the same is that people have a blast,” McDowell explained.
This year’s gala included selections from the current main stage show, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, which is still running. Students from the different fine arts departments performed live art, theatre, music and dance performances. Community members, and individuals from across the country gathered together to enjoy what is known to many of them as, “The event of the year.”
“People save up to buy that new gown for the lady and cumberbund for his tuxedo, and they buy their tickets well in advance–oftentimes, they buy higher priced tickets just to support the students. Many people have been here at least a decade, and have come to at least ten of these, because once they come they realize they’re not going to miss this again. I would guess that 10 to 20 percent of the people attending are new,” McDowell said.
Each year, the next year’s gala begins the creative process immediately after the current one ends. With so many successes, McDowell struggled to choose a favorite, comparing it to choosing between children.
“The year I did [Les Miserables] was one of my favorite years because I got to direct that on the main stage, but I love every year. Years like that, where I was able to direct on the main stage were a high point,” he shared.
Themed rooms contained gourmet meals from various countries, as well as more performances, and auctions. This year, the auction was available on cell phones for those who weren’t able to be there at the time of bidding. Original student films were displayed in the film festival.
