As a historic performing arts organization in Palm Beach County, the Lake Worth Playhouse has announced its 60th anniversary fundraising season of events, including its Diamond Jubilee with Burt Reynolds scheduled to appear as the honored guest.
The Lake Worth Playhouse welcomes Reynolds back to the stage on which he appeared early in his career. The playhouse is honored to be associated with Reynolds — an Oscar-nominated, two-time Golden Globe Award–winning actor — and the largess of his illustrious career and thrilled to celebrate the legacy of a great actor in the season of celebrating the success of community theater.
“I was thrilled that Mr. Reynolds would join us for such an amazing celebration,” said Jodie Dixon Mears, artistic director of the playhouse. “The Lake Worth Playhouse has been a mainstay in Palm Beach County arts where many have taken advantage and learned from all we offer. I cannot wait to celebrate this history with Mr. Reynolds.”
The schedule of fundraising events is as follows:
• Speakeasy, Jan. 23 — Enjoy a fun night of drinking, gambling and an interactive show time experience at the vintage speakeasy set in an original 1920s theater. Enjoy the sights and sounds as they transport you back to the freewheeling ways of the 1920s. In an era like no other, the “Roarin’ ’20s” were defined by the parties, the gambling and the alcohol made more tempting by the impropriety of it all. Travel back to a night that was once called the “golden era” by the very likes of Hemmingway, Fitzgerald and Picasso in the prime of life. The Speakeasy will transport you back to the 1920s to enjoy the nightlife like it was meant to be lived. Tickets are available for $35.
• Diamond Jubilee, Feb. 9 — The playhouse welcomes donors with an elegant, intimate evening of cocktails, dining, dancing and silent auction on the stage of the Lake Worth Playhouse’s historic theater. For the more curious and adventurous, there will be tours backstage and in dressing rooms to show the full specter that is the playhouse theater. The theme of the evening is “Decades,” focusing back on the six memorable decades of the playhouse’s history. Featured will be talented playhouse volunteer performers showcasing classic songs from popular musicals performed throughout the playhouse’s history of more than 340 main stage shows. The apogee of the evening will turn to a playhouse success story — the return of Burt Reynolds to the playhouse stage where he performed more than 50 years ago. Reynolds is scheduled to attend. Tickets are not yet available, but the price will be $150.
• Send in the Queens, March 22-23 — The Lake Worth Playhouse welcomes the return of Send in the Queens. This annual drag show fundraiser is back by popular demand for a sixth consecutive year on the stage of the Lake Worth Playhouse. Send in the Queens is a high-end, high-energy drag concert that features a cast of dazzling drag divas, including Lake Worth favorites and playhouse performers such as Melissa St. John, Lupita Hollywood, Pepper Monroe, Velvet LeNore Rajean Cox, Chris Rod, Candy Von Sparkle, Justin Thyme and the Massengill Sisters: Mitzy and Maxine. The queens will channel some of the hottest singers of stage and screen, honoring legendary performers with song-and-dance numbers from such blockbuster hits as “I Will Survive,” “Hey Mickey,” “Big Fine Daddy,” “Shout,” “Phantom of the Opera” and “Hot Honey Rag.” Tickets are available for $35. Sponsorship opportunities are still available. For additional information, of for sponsorship information, contact Event Chair Susy Diaz at (561) 779-5876 or via e-mail at susydiaz@comcast.net.
The Lake Worth Playhouse is a nonprofit community theater with a diverse array of offerings, including award-winning dramas, comedies, musicals, area premieres, Broadway favorites, children’s shows, ballets and operas on film, live concerts, improv comedy and alternative programming.
In addition to its main stage theatrical fare, the playhouse presents year-round independent and foreign films in the Stonzek Theatre, an intimate black-box-style theater equipped with a large viewing screen and high-definition projection.
The playhouse offers a variety of educational programs for adults and children, as well as community outreach initiatives that bring cultural programs into the neighborhoods of underserved youth and also make theater available free of charge for disadvantaged citizens in the community.
The Lake Worth Playhouse is located at 713 Lake Ave. in downtown Lake Worth. Tickets can be purchased through the box office by calling (561) 586-6410 or online at www.lakeworthplayhouse.org.
