‘Act Out’ at Sixth Annual Arty Party, Hosted by UA

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – You and your friends are invited to be characters at the next Arty Party hosted by The University of Alabama’s College of Arts and Sciences Leadership Board at 6 p.m. Saturday, April 4 at the recently renovated Hotel Capstone, 320 Paul Bryant Drive.

Themed “Act Out,” the gala fundraiser for the fine and performing arts programs at UA will spotlight the College’s theatre program in the department of theatre and dance. At the sixth annual Arty Party, patrons will be invited to dress up with provided props and get in the spirit of the theatrical theme. The evening will include cocktails, a silent auction, dinner, a live auction, and special appearances by faculty and students from the College’s theatre program.

Individual tickets may be purchased for $150, patron’s tickets for $200, table sponsorships for $1,250, and benefactor sponsorships for $2,500. Tickets may be purchased by phoning 205/348-7007 or on the Web at www.as.ua.edu/artyparty. Table sponsors and benefactors receive special recognition at the event.

“We always have a great time at the Arty Party,” said Tricia Noble, 2009 Arty Party chair. “The silent auction is great fun and lively as friends bid on fabulous finds. This year, everyone has the opportunity to be a winner by qualifying for our door prize, beautiful jewelry from Bromberg’s jewelers. It’s a special treat to see the students in action, and they do appreciate our support. We would love to have a record crowd this year, so put April 4th on your calendar.”

Anyone purchasing a $150 ticket will have the chance to qualify to win an 18-karat gold Marco Bicego Paradise necklace and earrings, valued at more than $1,600, from Bromberg & Co. Inc.

One-of-a-kind Crimson Tide football experiences will be on the block at the Arty Party, including special autographed items from Crimson Tide Coach Nick Saban, VIP Crimson Tide football tickets, “Nick at Noon” tickets for the 2009 season, and the opportunity to ride in a convertible in the 2009 UA Homecoming Parade.

Vacation packages in the live and silent auctions will include a trip for four to New York City, including dinner at a fine restaurant and tickets to a Broadway show, a VIP dinner for four and evening at UA’s SummerTide Theatre in Gulf Shores in June, and a week at resort homes in Destin, Fla. or at the historic Murray Hotel in Livingston, Mont.

The theatre program will auction a series of personal consultations packages including professional presence/speaking coaching or a wardrobe makeover by a professional wardrobe designer. Also up for auction are acting lessons, an opportunity to have a custom-designed costume made, a personalized singing holiday/birthday gram, and a “Dinner and the Theatre” package of season tickets for four to the 2009-2010 Gallaway Theatre with four dinners for four at The Globe restaurant in Northport.

The Arty Party auction also will include art by such recognized artists as Frank Fleming, Lowell Baker, Maureen Shotts, Bill Dooley, MoJo Weaver and Jim Morris, among others.

For Birmingham attendees, a complimentary Arty Party van will provide transportation to and from Tuscaloosa for the event.

The Arty Party annually showcases and raises funds and awareness for the fine and performing arts at UA. Proceeds from the 2009 event will provide for scholarships and priority academic needs in the theatre program and other fine and performing arts departments in the College of Arts and Sciences.

The event is sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences’ Leadership Board and coordinated by the board’s Fine Arts Committee. The committee’s chair is Tricia Noble of Birmingham and co-chairs are Jan Mize and Claire Black Wilson of Tuscaloosa.

Members of the Fine Arts Committee are Gay Burrows, Ronald Davis, Joseph Fritz, Wilson and Milla Green, Stella Hillard Moore, Mary Jean “MoJo” Weaver, Claire Black Wilson and Hoyt Winslett of Tuscaloosa; India Askew, Jack Drake, Libby Hamner, Carol Pitts Hovanec, Millie Hulsey, Marsha Aldridge King, Margaret Livingston, Helen Mills, Barbara Stone and Rae Trimmier of Birmingham; John Cranton, Susan Helmsing and Jeffrey Zieman of Mobile; Elizabeth Burford Crump of Montgomery; Ned Smith of Pell City; George McAdams of Sheffield; Anne Barr Herman of Suwanee, Ga.; Joseph A. “Woody” Woodruff of Franklin, Tenn.; and William T. Price of Amarillo, Texas.

The auctioneer for the event will be Jack Granger, of Granger Thagard & Associates in Birmingham.

For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit the UA College of Arts and Sciences Arty Party Web site www.as.ua.edu/artyparty or phone 205/348-7007.

Contact

Sarah Colwell, College of Arts and Sciences, 205/348-8539, sccolwell@as.ua.edu
Rebecca Florence, 205/348-8663