Portland, OR. Portland Center Stage‘s annual gala, Metamorphosis, was held virtually on February 20th and raised over $315,000. 551 guests attended this online celebration of theater. Delphon “DJ” Curtis Jr. performed as Hedwig for a sing-a-long of “Wig in a Box” as seen above. (Video stills by Mikey Mann, courtesy of Portland Center Stage.)
The evening was emceed by Artistic Director Marissa Wolf, Associate Artistic Director Chip Miller, and auctioneer Johnna Wells. The event was also a celebration of the life of Diana Gerding, who died November 9th, 2020 and was one of PCS’s most ardent supporters. Below is a video about her life:
The program featured five performances, including a dance piece choreographed by Darrell Grand Moultrie and musical performances from Quinlan Shea Fitzgerald, Joe Kye, Edna Vázquez, Larry Owens, and Josh Kight.
Khalia Campbell performs a solo dance piece choreographed by Darrell Grand Moultrie set to Nina Simone’s “The Desperate Ones.” Video still by Mikey Mann, courtesy of Portland Center Stage.
Larry Owens performs Stephen Sondheim’s “Take Me to the World” for the 2021 PCS Gala. Video still by Mikey Mann, courtesy of Portland Center Stage.
Quinlan Shea Fitzgerald performs “Soar,” the song she composed for the 2021 PCS Gala, accompanied by Joe Kye. Video still by Mikey Mann, courtesy of Portland Center Stage.
Edna Vázquez performs the song “Lo que pasó, pasó” for the 2021 PCS Gala, with ASL interpretation by Sarika Mehta. Video stills by Mikey Mann, courtesy of Portland Center Stage.
From Portland Center Stage:
We were so thrilled and deeply grateful for the huge outpouring of support from our community. Thanks to the many supporters who bid on auction items, bought raffle tickets, and made donations — PCS raised a phenomenal $315,000!
The gala was the kickoff for Soaring Together, a fundraising campaign dedicated to making sure that PCS has the resources needed to soar back on stage as soon as it’s safe to gather for live theater. Donations of all sizes continue to be deeply meaningful to PCS right now. (The link to donate and the video we debuted for Soaring Together can be found at pcs.org/donate.)
Here’s a video about Portland Center Stage.
