The fair ladies of McCallum Theater's Muse & Patroness Circle enjoyed a “lovely” afternoon at the annual On Stage Birthday Luncheon held at McCallum Theater on April 25th. The attendees' attire imitated Eliza Doolittle from “My Fair Lady” with elaborate hats and exquisite dresses.
When the members entered the theater, they were greeted by a flower carriage reminiscent of the flower girl Dolittle. After a champagne reception in the lobby, members were ushered to their seats in the theater and greeted by luncheon chairs June Benson and Jaishri Mehta, who thanked the committee members and greeted their new muses.
Muses President Diane Dykema welcomed members to the annual meeting and introduced the chair of the nominating committee. Karen Ackland submitted the 2024-25 officer list. Mr. Dykema congratulated the new Board of Directors and thanked the McCallum staff for their tireless work.
Dykema will be joined by McCallum Theater Board of Directors Chairman Garry Keefe, Chief Financial Officer and Interim President Robert McConaughey, Vice President for Education Kaisa Turesson-Fraley, and Fundraising Chair Rosalind Hack. and took to the stage for the presentation of Muse's annual donation to the theater. And Victoria Bridge.
To the delight of the audience, donations reached a recent record high of $755,000, all of which will go directly to supporting the McCallum Theater Education Department. The McCollum Theater Education Program serves more than 50,000 students and educators each year through innovative, life-changing in-person and virtual programming in theater, dance, music, and visual arts, free of charge.
The audience enjoyed a medley of “My Fair Lady” performed by 2022 Grand Prix winners Alisha Bates and Isaac Toretto. They were joined by the Palm Desert High School Varsity Singers, 2024 Open Call finalists. McCallum Theater music director Paul Cracchiolo accompanied the vocalist.
As the performers took their final bows, the curtains rose to reveal tables covered in pink linens with pink roses and parasols as centerpieces. It is named after the parasol played by Audrey Hepburn in the award-winning 1964 film. The members made their way to the stage and enjoyed a delicious appetizer of curry chicken salad with diced chicken, celery, sliced ​​grapes, green onions, dried cranberries, and papaya with agave curry dressing. The main dish was served with coconut banana bombs, and the wine was provided by the past presidents of Muse. Dessert was a lemon raspberry bonnet with berries and strawberry sauce. The hat-shaped dessert was a delicious work of art.
It was truly a “lovely'' afternoon.
For membership information, please visit www3.mccallumtheatre.com/index.php/muses and click on “Muses” or call Annual Membership Manager Dustin Engstrom at (760) 776-6179.
Marge Dodge serves on several local nonprofit boards that support her passion for education, literacy, and the arts.