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Friday, November 19, 2010

Highlights from the Next Wave Gala


James Thiérrée, nouveau cirque master and creator of Raoul, with BAM Executive Produce Joseph V. Melillo, the Next Wave Gala Honoree.
Thanks to all of our BAM Producer Council members and Next Wave Gala leadership who helped make the Next Wave Gala Patron Celebration on November 9 such a great success!  View this full article for highlights of who attended the spectacular night. 


The gala raised nearly half a million dollarsin support of BAM, and many gala guests also contributed towards the Joseph V. Melillo Fund for Artistic Innovation, an ongoing initiative named for the gala honoree, Executive Producer Joe Melillo, in celebration of his 25 years of programming at BAM.

After an emotional tribute to Joe on the stage of the BAM Harvey Theater, guests made their way from a breathtaking performance of Raoul to a festive gala dinner at the stunning Skylight One Hanson.  The full album of images from the night is available on Picasa, and below are a couple of our favorites.  The event also received great coverage from New York Social Diary, V Magazine, Theatermania, and The Brooklyn Daily Eagle.

We are looking forward to seeing you all at our next gala event - save the date for the 2011 BAM Theater Gala on March 10, featuring Geoffrey Rush and the acclaimed Australian company Belvoir in The Diary of a Madman.  Click here to RSVP!

Gala chairs Steven & Susan Felsher at the pre-show cocktail reception with BAM Trustee Adi Shamir. 
Photo by Elena Olivo

The Next Wave Gala Honorary Chair Steve Sachs with his wife Michelle Lynn-Sachs.  Photo by Elena Olivo

Catherine Lebow, Seth Rosenberg, and Judith R. Fishman prior to the evening's performance of Raoul
Photo by Elena Olivo

The Next Wave Gala honoree Executive Producer Joseph V. Melillo, celebrating his 25 years of programming at BAM, surrounded by family members.  Photo by Elena Olivo

Diane Max, Hannah Max, and Adam E. Max, Vice Chairman of the BAM Board of Trustees.  Photo by Elena Olivo

Diana Calthorpe Rose, BAM President Karen Brooks Hopkins, BAM Trustee Jonathan FP Rose, with composer Philip Glass.  Photo by Elena Olivo

Kirk Henckles and Fernanda Kellogg
Photo by Elena Olivo

Gala guests with Margaret Morton (second from right) of the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs and NYC Cultural Commissioner Kate Levin.  Photo by Elena Olivo.
 
DJ Andrew Andrew with BAM Trustee Mallory Factor, BAM Board member for 30 years.  Photo by Elena Olivo
 
BAM President Karen Brooks Hopkins presented the gala honoree (and her professional partner for 25 years) Joe Melillo with a print of Roy Lichtenstein's This Must Be The Place, 1965.  During the pre-performance remarks, Joe received a heartfelt and enthusiastic standing ovation when he took the stage.
Photo by Elena Olivo

Combined with the decor by Fleurs Bella, Skylight One Hanson was transformed into a spectacular gala dinner setting.  Photo by Elena Olivo
 

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Generation Advance toasts the Brooklyn OMNIBUS Company


Heidi Rodewald and Stew.  Photo by Elena Olivo

Generation Advance
members celebrated the opening night of Brooklyn OMNIBUS with creators Stew & Heidi at an intimate cast party following their October 20 premiere at BAM.  The event was hosted by restaurateur Michael Ayoub at his latest success: Fornino Park Slope.


Photo by Elena Olivo

Guests stepped right off the bus and into Fornino Park Slope, located on Fifth Avenue and Garfield Place.

Photo by Elena Olivo

It was a lively scene at Fornino Park Slope as members of Generation Advance and the Brooklyn OMNIBUS company mingled and enjoyed the passed hors d'oeuvres and bar selection.

BAM Generation Advance Co-Chairs Alexander Kipka and Ashley Melone


Photo by Elena Olivo

Fornino Park Slope served a delicious selection from their menu - in addition to a sampling of their famous grilled pizzas, guests enjoyed antipasto dishes such as flatbread with a white bean puree, arancini, grapes with goat cheese and walnuts, and more.  This new restaurant is certainly an excellent addition to the neighborhood!

Monday, November 1, 2010

Persephone Opening Night BAMfans Party at Deity

The cast of Persephone included Julia Stiles.  Photo by Elena Olivo
BAMfans (BAM supporters in their 20s and 30s), Julia Stiles, and the company of Ridge Theater celebrated the Opening Night of Persephone this past Tuesday with a lively party at downtown Brooklyn venue Deity.
 
The company of Persephone arriving at Deity.  Photo by Elena Olivo

Deity, a space steeped in elegantly mysterious character, was the perfect venue to celebrate Ridge Theater's new production of the classic Greek myth of Persephone.  Fleurs Bella provided stylish decor throughout the ground floor and subterranean levels and guests enjoyed Mediterranean style hors d'oeuvres from Deity's new kitchen.

Upstairs in Deity's bar and lounge space.  Photo by Elena Olivo
As the party heated up guests made their way downstiars to the "Underworld dance floor" in Deity's lower level featuring internationally acclaimed DJ Mick Boogie.  

Member of the Persephone cast celebrated their opening performance on the "Underworld dance floor" at Deity. Photo by Elena Olivo
The bars on both levels offered the signature cocktail The Pom Persphone, made with POM Wonderful pomegranate juice and Stoli vodka.

The party's signature cocktail was the POM Persephone, which consisted of Stoli Vodka, Cointreau, and POM Wonderful pomegranate juice.  POM Wonderful also provided the non-alcoholic beverages of the evening.  Photo by Elena Olivo
All in all it was another great night of the Next Wave Festival. Check out the pics below for some highlights, or visit our Picasa site to see the full album!

For more information on BAMfans and BAM Memberships please click HERE.







Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Countdown to the 2010 Next Wave Gala!

A scene from Raoul

In just two weeks BAM will be holding the 2010 Next Wave Gala Patron Celebration.  We are putting final touches on the menu, decor, and lighting plans and can't wait to see it all come together.  Read on for some sneak peeks...
For this gala, we have found a fantastic source of inspiration in Raoul, the performance created by James Thiérrée that gala guests will be seeing before the dinner.  In this new work, nouveau cirque master Thiérrée portrays a hapless man tumbling through a magical, unpredictable, and continuously shape-shifting world. 

Our favorite decor designer, Bella Meyer and the team at Fleurs Bella, was instantly captured by the darkly dreamy and surreal concepts of Thiérrée's work.  Undoubtedly Bella will weave these into all her pieces using exciting materials and textures in additional to some breathtaking florals.  She'll be building everything on site for this event - at the incredible event space Skylight One Hanson.  Lighting will be instrumental in transforming this former bank space into a fantastical setting as befits Raoul.

Our menu for the evening also draws from the themes of Raoul, with some subtly whimsical presentations of seasonal French fare.  What is most unique about this menu though, is that it has been chosen by our own Executive Producer, Joseph V. Melillo, who is the honoree of the evening in celebration of his 25 years at BAM.  This is just one of the ways we are going to be saluting Joe for his extraordinary contributions not just to BAM, but to the arts community of New York and the globe beyond.

See you on November 9!

For more information or to RSVP to the 2010 Next Wave Gala Patron Celebration, click here.