Credit: J Henry Fair
Attendees were warmly welcomed in from the freezing cold into Banning Hall at Stissing Center on Saturday, Jan. 20. The place was packed with enthusiastic people gathered to hear Stissing Center’s news, to nibble and drink while being entertained, and to enjoy the convivial atmosphere.
The emcee for the evening, Grace Angela Henry, previously appeared at Stissing Center doing her one-person performance about Sojourner Truth as part of the Local Produce play reading series. She graciously welcomed everyone and kept the pace and patter warm and lively throughout.
One of the goals for the event was to raise $40,000 to fund readings of new musicals in development. There were performances of two short chamber music pieces by Director of Chamber Music Sophia Zhou on piano and Nathan Meltzer on violin, but the lion’s share of music offerings were songs from musicals. Nolan Montgomery sang two songs, one by David Simpatico and Ross Patterson, from the musical Cruel Shoes, the other from the musical Triangle, by Thomas Mizer, Curtis Moore and Joshua Scher. Broadway actor Mary Rotella, along with Hunter Booth and Gianna Marie Torres of Dutchess Community College, sang a song from the musical Convenience. The final song, also sung by Mary Rotella, was Business Plan, from Mary Kay, a new musical playwright Darrah Cloud is writing with composer Kim D. Sherman. Ross Patterson accompanied the musical numbers on piano.
A crowd favorite was Heather Dell’Amore, who performed an excerpt from her award-winning Moth Radio Hour monologue. She will be performing a solo, No Hope for Oz, at Stissing Center in April.
Director of Programming Liz Raum announced an upcoming fundraiser, on Sept. 28, featuring Alan Cumming, of stage and screen, winner of Tonys, Emmys, and an Olivier Award, performing his new cabaret show, Uncut.
Interspersed with the entertainment was the unveiling of Stissing Center’s new branding by Board President Patrick Trettenero, who explained that branding is storytelling. No longer is it The Stissing Center, but Stissing Center for Arts & Culture, which tells more about how the institution functions in the community and the region. The elegant new typeface and shade of green replace the darker color and more literal visual reference to the mountain. The new logo design, which resonates with the tin ceiling of Banning Hall, was conceived and realized by Beat Baudenbacher, whose company, Loyalkaspar, is a creative branding agency.
Credit: J Henry Fair
Brett Bernardini, Executive Director of Stissing Center, announced a new capital campaign. He began by defining what the Stissing Center is, and isn’t. “The Stissing Center for Arts and Culture is not the heart of Pine Plains, its people are. We are not the ‘hero’, our residents are. Our purpose is not to dictate what Pine Plains needs or what is missing, but rather to work alongside our community to provide world-class, affordable and diverse arts and cultural opportunities.”
Bernardini pointed to the project’s goal of bringing people together: “By centering on arts and culture, we can begin the work of spotlighting and amplifying local culture, empowering community development, instilling civic pride, fostering critical thinking, and providing a forum for shared experiences and debate.”
He asked gala attendees to contribute to the challenging task of completing renovations to the historic brick building since the costs of repairs have gone up since the initial estimates. The campaign plans to raise over nine million dollars; including about five million to complete the building and another four million for immediate and longer-term programming, educational and community outreach needs.
The evening, aptly dubbed, “Fire & Ice” given the season, was sponsored by wine purveyor France + Western. Ticketed guests were offered a glass of champagne upon entrance and hors d’oeuvres from The Farmer’s Wife and were able to purchase additional drinks from the bar. Center tables featured elegant white floral arrangements from Hugs and Kisses Flower Shop.