Hudson Village Theatre's BACK IN THE TENT Fundraiser Set for 9/15

To celebrate their 20th birthday, Hudson Village Theatre (HVT) returns to its roots for the annual gala on September 15th. Riding the successful wave of their spring fundraising drive, a matched donation campaign initiated by a local anonymous supporter that raised almost $100,000, this event will seal the deal for the exciting season HVT is assembling for 2012-13. HVT General Manager Kalina Skulska put it simply: "If people liked what they saw this summer, they should come to this event to make sure it happens again next year."

After an extremely fruitful summer season with ticket sales averaging more than 90%, season 2012-13 will be even bigger and better. Comedy plays a leading role in upcoming events, with the zany duo of Bowser and Blue scheduled for the fall. After the overwhelming success of last winter's Comedy Festival, the first ever in Hudson, Joey Elias returns in January with a jam-packed line-up of hilarity. The ever popular yearly pantomime will take centre stage in its usual December slot with Puss in Boots as this year's offering and a new children's program of plays is slated to run from September to April, featuring one-off performances from local companies Geordie Productions and Black Theatre Workshop as well as imported fare.

Markgraf-Lowe is hard at work lining up the plays for next summer. "I plan to nail down summer 2013 by November so patrons can buy gift certificates as stocking stuffers! I think two of our own productions and two imports is the way to go", she explained. Number one on the list of imports is the Showboat Festival Theatre, the same outfit that brought the sell-out show Back in '59 to Hudson this summer. "They've got another blockbuster musical revue that we would like to bring to Hudson. They were a joy to have here and were such a success we had to add extra shows to accommodate the demand. We'd love a repeat of that next year!"

The party gets underway at 5:30 PM with a complimentary bar (beer and wine) and a four-course dinatoire catered by Pierre de Rigaud. A dinatoire is the latest thing in catering, a kind of upright gourmet dining experience. No pigs-in-a-blanket affair, this is the height of culinary refinement with innovative presentations that will excite the senses and delight the palate.

Michael Lawrence, notable professional auctioneer, will be inspiring bidders for a few choice items at a live auction. Raffle tickets for extravagantly themed gift baskets courtesy of, to name a few, The Wine Connoisseur, the Secret Garden, and the Pampered Chef, will also be available. Kathy Thompson entertains, Stan Tesher (a.k.a. the Grand Stan) performs interactive magical feats and Isabelle Young, who charmed the HVT audience at the summer's season opener, will also be on hand with a small ensemble, creating a cool, jazz vibe. More surprises are in store but of course the star of the evening will be the pièce-de-résistance birthday cake.

Tickets are $75 each and can be purchased through the HVT box office at (450) 458-5361, by e-mail at hvtbox@videotron.ca or online at http://www.villagetheatre.ca/

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