Lisa Green reports from Great Barrington. After a three-year restoration, The Mahaiwe Theater’s second act began in 2005 when it reopened as The Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, marking a decade of successful arts programming and outreach to the community. On Sunday, Oct. 11, supporters of the meticulously renovated theater celebrated its 10th season with a gala dinner in the Mahaiwe tent catered by Peter Platt of The Old Inn on the Green in New Marlborough, Mass. The honorees of this landmark year were Felda and Dena Hardymon, who have been staunch supporters of The Mahaiwe since the early years of its renaissance. Following the dinner, guests left the tent and entered the theater for a concert by the stellar Tony, Academy and Grammy-award winning Audra McDonald, followed by an exclusive meet-the-artist reception. Above, Maggie Buchwald, chair of the board of directors; Lola Jaffe, founding visionary of the new theater; Don Buchwald, Dena Hardymon and Felda Hardymon.
Gary Odle, Jean Rodden, Colleen Simpson and Marilyn Hayward;Sandy Newman, founder of Community Access to the Arts (CATA) and Beryl Jolly, The Mahaiwe's executive director.
Beryl Jolly with the evening's special guest star, Audra McDonald.
Pantry Road blogger Maryanne Muller, a former chef who runs a cookbook salon from her home in Boston, and Michael Krugman; Wedding gown designer Michelle Roth and Peter Roth.
Barry Shapiro, president of the Sohn Foundation,Marjorie Shapiro, Cindy Atkins and Carl Atkins.
Stanley Berger, Allison Wintner, Jeff Wintner and Lorraine Berger; Gerry Alpert, Rob Pollock, A.T. Nguyen, Ronnie Cohen, Larry Cohen and Hank Alpert.
Michael Miller and actress Annette Miller.
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Matteline deVries-Dilling, founder of Lite Brite Neon, one of the evening's honoree of this year's Upstate Benefit adresses the gala from the Caboose's caboose.
- Karen Pearson. Courtesy Art Omi.
Olana senior vice president and landscape curatorMark Prezorski, president Sean Sawyer, The evenings honoree Kristin Gamble and New York State Assemblymember Didi Barrett.
- Oxygen House Photo
