Aaron Tveit Headlines CATCH ME IF YOU CAN-Inspired TPAC Gala Tonight, 8/25

Broadway's Aaron Tveit-fresh off starmaking turns in next to normal and Catch Me If You Can-is the featured performer for this year's Tennessee Performing Arts Center Gala, set for tonight, August 25, and this year honoring community leader John Ferguson.

The opening of the upcoming season at TPAC and the distinguished contributions of John Ferguson to the arts, will be celebrated on at the event.

Inspired by the hit movie and Broadway musical Catch Me If You Can, this year's benefit for the arts center's educational and cultural programs will feature a stylish 1960s atmosphere. Guests are invited to get on board with Pan American World Airlines, travelling back to the golden era of flight when the term "jet set" was coined and national culture was on the cusp of dramatic change.

"Inspired by the playful fun of Catch Me If You Can, our chairs have taken off, transporting guests to the time setting of the show, 1963 to 1968. We don't want to spoil any of the surprises-a trademark of our gala-but I can say that the heyday of Pan American World Airlines influenced the stunning design for this event. Guests will love the vintage look and feel," said Kathleen O'Brien, TPAC's president and chief executive officer.

"And what would a party inspired by this time period be without some high fashion from the 1960s? We're encouraging guests to dress in 1960s cocktail or evening wear, from the signature elegance and simplicity early in the decade to the more adventurous directions in fashion after 1964, the year the Beatles debuted on The Ed Sullivan Show," said O'Brien. "All of our guests will be on the best-dressed list, of course, but you can imagine the fun some of our patrons will have when they go all-out to recreate a 1960s look."

The gala begins with cocktails and a silent auction at 6:30 p.m. in the lobby of Andrew Jackson Hall, followed by dinner on the stage and entertainment by Broadway star Aaron Tveit who originated the leading role in Catch Me If You Can, starred in Wicked and Next to Normal, and recently completed a featured role in the upcoming film Les Miserables.

Co-Chairs for the event are Theresa Menefee, Bob Deal and Jason Bradshaw, teaming with Janet and Earl Bentz, Patron Committee Chairs; Julie Boehm, Reservation Chair; and Laura Allen, Auction Chair.

John Ferguson's service to the community has been as rich and varied as a successful career that has spanned finance, entrepreneurial ventures, corporate turnarounds and government experience.  In addition to his personal giving with his wife Carole, he helped facilitate corporate gifts to TPAC Education's curriculum-based programs and other non-profit organizations.

"John is widely admired and respected for his level of community involvement in Nashville and Tennessee. His generosity, leadership, and commitment – personally and professionally – have had a profound positive impact on the growth and vitality of the performing arts.  At TPAC, for instance, his support has meant that tens of thousands of school children took part in our education program at no cost to them," said O'Brien.

Playing TPAC January 22-27, Catch Me If You Can is a suspense-filled musical comedy based on the Dreamworks film about Frank Abagnale, a world-class con artist who successfully impersonated a Pan Am pilot, a doctor, and a lawyer-all before the age of 21.

For more information on the event, call (615) 782-4025 or visit www.tpac.org/gala. 

Jeffrey Ellis is a Nashville-based writer, editor and critic, who's been covering the performing arts in Tennessee for more than 25 years. He is the recipient of the Tennessee Theatre Association's Distinguished Service Award for his coverage of theatre in the Volunteer State and was the founding editor/publisher of Stages, the Tennessee Onstage Monthly. He is a past fellow of the National Critics Institute at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center and is the founder/executive producer of The First Night Honors, held during Labor Day Weekend, which honor oustanding theater artists in Tennessee in recognition of their lifetime achievements and includes The First Night Star Awards and the Most Promising Actors. Midwinter's First Night, held the first Sunday in January after New Year's Day, honors outstanding productions and performances throughout the state. Further, Ellis directed the Nashville premiere of La Cage Aux Folles, The Last Night of Ballyhoo and An American Daughter, as well as award-winning productions of Damn Yankees, Company, Gypsy and The Rocky Horror Show, with Ellis honored by The Tennessean as best director of a musical for both Company and Rocky Horror.

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