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MUCH ADO ABOUT the new ALLEY ANNE LEE PHILLIPS HAS THE PLAYBILL. PHOTOGRAPHY PRISCILLA DICKSON, JACOB POWERS, DAVE ROSSMAN. THE CAST Alley artistic director Gregory Boyd and general manager Ten Eyck Swackhamer; WS Bellows Construction's Laura Bellow; supporters Margaret Williams, Cornelia and Meredith Long, Beth Madison, Cynthia and Anthony Petrello, Carmen and Butch Mach, Nanette and Jerry Finger, Tony Bradfield and Kevin Black, Lynn Wyatt, and Mady and Ken Kades. NOVEMBER | PAGE 28 | 2015 PRELUDE The epic $46.5 million Alley Theatre renovation designed by Studio Red Architects — the first extensive renovation since the landmark building opened in 1968 — is finally completed after 15 months of construction. In the quiet moments preceding the Grand Opening Celebration, major donors and board members gathered for a Sabrage ceremony with Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque to toast the dramatic undertaking for the world-renowned theater. ACT TWO A sumptuous seated dinner was served on the new Margaret Alkek Williams Terrace Level, which has gorgeous downtown views. Catered by Jackson and Company, the dinner was a performance in its own right, starring Butterfield lobster and Italian filet of tenderloin on brioche topped with foie gras with grilled rapini. ACT THREE The third and final act of the grand soirée fulfilled the dreams of many Alley attendees: dessert and dancing on the stage of the Patricia Peckinpaugh Hubbard Theatre. Managing director Dean Gladden selected "Celebrate" as the debut song for The Good Question Band. Chairs Molly and Ford Hubbard (his mother, Patty Hubbard, is the namesake of the theater and an Alley life trustee) danced as if it were their vow renewal (their wedding was held at the Alley a decade ago). The evening raised more than half a million dollars for the beloved theater. Celebrators continued dancing until just after midnight, with donors taking mini breaks to test out theater seats with their names etched onto them. ACT ONE Supporters were so eager to get a first look at the grand reveal that the event sold out before invitations were delivered. As they made their red- carpet arrival, revelers dressed in their finest black-tie attire were provided passports to the revamped Alley. During the extended cocktail hour, models dressed in black with red hard hats guided guests through the new Alley — including normally off-limits portions, through the state-of-the-art dressing rooms, green room, trap room, production suite and the new bar in the Skyline Lobby, with 1960s-themed cocktails and hors d'oeuvres along the way. Amy Rozzell Adam Newar Jim Ware Dancie Perugini Ware Bob Cavnar Lynn Wyatt Gregory Boyd Josie de Guzman Phoebe Tudor Bobby Tudor Dean Gladden Jane Gladden Margaret Williams Janet Gurwitch Kathryn Ketelsen Trey Peacock Ron Franklin Alex Blair Astley Blair James Black Elizabeth Marshall Black Jack Pendergrast Josh Pazda Chris Goins Laura Bellows Ten Eyck Swackhamer Leslie Swackhamer Cornelia Long Patty Hubbard Chair Ford Hubbard Chair Molly Hubbard Tony Bradfield Bobby Dees Kevin Black Meredith Long Cocktails on the red carpet in the new Alley Theatre Cocktails on the reimagined Alley Theatre stage Gracie Cavnar Wezy Dees Christina Stith