Broadway actor, J. Mark McVey and Tony nominated actress,Emily Skinner are set to perform at Casa Mañana’s 2016 Gala on april 9.
“We are celebrating 80 years of Casa Mañana and I wanted to bring in high caliber talent to commemorate the occasion,” said Wally Jones, president and executive producer.
McVey made his Broadway debut as Jean Valjean in Les Misérables after having won the Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Actor while on tour with the same production. He was also the first American to perform the role in London’s West End.
Skinner was nominated for a Tony Award and received a Drama Desk Award for her portrayal of Daisy Hilton in Side Show. Her other Broadway credits include Billy Elliot, Jekyll & Hyde, James Joyce’s The Dead, The Full Monty, and Dinner at Eight.
Casa Mañana’s annual Gala, occurring April 9 from 6 p.m. to midnight, will feature a cabaret style performance, dinner, dancing and auction. An array of auction items will be available including a trip to the Masters Golf Tournament, tickets to see Hamilton on Broadway, and two private jet trips to New York to see a Broadway show with a backstage tour, to name a few. The Gala benefits Casa’s education program which was ranked by backstage.com as the top education program for young performers in 2015.
In addition to performances by McVey and Skinner, the Gala will feature Mary Michael Patterson and Sainty (Reid) Nelsen who are past Casa Kids that have gone on to Broadway and television. Patterson, last seen at Casa as Cosette in Les Misérables, recently starred on Broadway as Christine in Phantom of the Opera. Nelsen, last seen at Casa as Amber Von Tussle in Hairspray, starred alongside Denis Leary in the FX’s series Sex, Drugs & Rock & Roll and won an Emmy® Award for her work on The Bay. To exemplify the education program, there will also be a performance from Casa’s Apprentice Program’s cast of Children of Eden.
For more information on the 2016 Gala at Casa Mañana: www.casamanana.org