Dear friends,

It was a true delight sharing thoughts about Ah, Wilderness! with all of you this past Wednesday—my dearest thanks to the 240 or so of you who joined me and the design team and Hartt students that celebrated Eugene O'Neill. I so look forward to our production in the fall! Thanks to Josh Polster, Pedro Portas Fantes, Keira Sheehan, Rob Millburn, Michael Bodeen, Jim Noone and Tilly Grimes… and you, of course. 

I now look forward to Wednesdays, and though it isn't the same as meeting in our lobby, I love seeing your faces and hearing your questions and remarks. Our being together helps weather the losses of this difficult time.

This coming Wednesday, I want to celebrate our actors. They are our prophets of the stage, riveting to see and the vehicle through which we experience all the stories.  The great acting teacher Michael Chekhov (nephew of the playwright) wrote, "An actor has to burn inside with an outer ease."  Let's find out more about this "ease"—and the burning as well.  

Wednesday I'll be joined by this exciting line up:

Marin Ireland, Tony Award nominated actress (Reasons to be Pretty) and star of the wonderful Amazon Original series, Sneaky Pete.

Robert Eli Thompson, Hartford Stage favorite (Bell, Book and Candle, The 39 Steps, Macbeth)

Emilio Delgado of this past season's Quixote Nuevo, who broke new ground as Luis on Sesame Street

John-Andrew Morrison, our beloved Mr. Marvel in A Christmas Carol and recently a Lucille Lortel nominee for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical for his role in the acclaimed A Strange Loop at Playwrights Horizons

Dan Macke, Hartt School alum who performed in A Christmas Carol and a current cast member of Dear Evan Hansen on Broadway

Join us as we hear of their best and worst moments on stage, and about the dream roles they hope to play.

Today, Saturday April 18th, should have been our annual gala celebration—the Heart of Connecticut Ball. Since we can't all dine and dance together tonight, I invite you to visit our online auction and celebrate your favorite Hartford Stage memories with your friends and colleagues. The Auction goes live at 5 pm tonight and bidding closes on Wednesday, April 29 at 8 pm, right after Scene and Heard: LIVE! that week. You will be able to view all the items after 5PM. Visit www.hartfordstage.org/gala for the details.

I’d like to give many thanks here to the generosity of our board, our donors and everyone else who has been so kind to make a charitable gift to Hartford Stage to ensure our financial well-being, and in so doing ensure that we continue our legacy of bringing fine theatre to the Hartford community. We are so happy to report that we met our initial $50,000 match and our sites are now on a match of $100,000. Remember, your donations will be doubled with this match. Please do your part and go to www.hartfordstage.org and make a pledge today!

Warmly and gratefully on this wet and chilly April Saturday,

Melia

MELIA'S PICKS

Look for our email with the auction link today at 5 pm!

Hartford Stage Heart
Show your love of Hartford Stage with this special gift, a light-up Heart of Hartford Stage pin.

Limited Edition Hartford Skyline (crafted by Hartford Stage artisans)
Originally designed to serve as the hand-crafted centerpieces for the Gala, these sculptural pieces will be a stand-out in any home or office. 


Date Night on Broadway with Me!
Attend a new Broadway play with me! As a Tony Voter – I love bringing friends and guests to join me to view some of the newest pieces in NYC.


Back in the Booth: A Behind-the-Scenes Experience at Hartford Stage
Ever wondered how the perfectly timed elements in a show actually happen? Take a seat in the lighting booth to see what it takes to run a live production.