Star Turn

Dallas Children's Theater's classy cabaret gala bows with Broadway talent

For 26 years, Dallas Children's Theater has been hosting a cabaret in the tradition of musical evenings at New York City's celebrated Oak Room at the Algonquin Hotel.

The elegant fundraiser has brought in such renowned performers as Andrea Marcovicci, Karen Akers, Liz Callaway, Jason Graae, Christine Andreas, and Klea Blackhurst, and this year's chairs Kara and Todd Ranta and honorary chairs Jane and Bill Travis raised the bar even higher.

Tony Award nominee Emily Skinner, who's gearing up to appear in her eighth Broadway production when The Cher Show opens in December, wowed the crowd with a program of musical standards and hits from her previous roles (including plenty of Sondheim), accompanied by pianist John Fischer.

But before the 300-plus guests filed into the Venetian Room at The Fairmont, which was softly candlelit and stocked with decadent desserts and wine, they enjoyed a swanky cocktail hour in the hotel's lobby. Local luminary Janelle Lutz sang jazzy tunes, accompanied by Adam C. Wright on the piano, while actors Aaron Jay Green and Katy Tye roamed the room in costume as their characters from DCT's current show, Treasure Island Reimagined!.

Spotted in the crowd were Earsa and Anthony Jackson, Debbie and Craig Sutton, DCT co-founder and executive artistic director Robyn Flatt, associate artistic director Artie Olaisen, Karen Travis, Melinda Johnson, Karol Omlor, John Swords, Tara Lewis, Dayle Binder, and local performers Laura Lites, Peter DiCesare, B.J. Cleveland, Randy Pearlman, and Olivia Grace Murphy.

Gala raffle chair Julie Parolisi organized five exciting, travel-themed packages, which included four nights in San Miguel de Allende, a Broadway-themed trip to New York, an all-inclusive jaunt to Cancun, two nights in San Francisco, and a $1,000 jewelry shopping spree at Jet Set Candy.

Since its founding in 1993, to celebrate Dallas Children's Theater's 10th anniversary, the annual cabaret gala has raised nearly $2.5 million for the company, which enhances the lives of more than 250,000 children and families with theater experiences every year.

Craig Sutton, Robyn Flatt, Debbie Sutton

Photo by Danny Campbell

Craig Sutton, Robyn Flatt, Debbie Sutton

Black-tie ball

Glorious Two x Two Gala fetches $7.6 million as Dallas' artsiest affair of fall

Photo by Kevin Tachman

Alexandra Looney, Matthew Looney, Melissa Ireland, Meghan Looney

More than 500 invited guests from the worlds of art, fashion, and philanthropy came together October 21 at the Rachofsky House to raise big bucks at the 2023 Two x Two Gala.

Officially called TWO x TWO for AIDS and Art benefit dinner and contemporary art auction, the 24th annual black-tie affair brought in $7.6 million for amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, and the Dallas Museum of Art. In a change from past years, the event was presented by Saks.

Per tradition, Howard and Cindy Rachofsky and John and Lisa Runyon hosted the event under the signature 7,000-square-foot geodesic dome tent, which Todd Fiscus' Todd Events team had transformed into a space inspired by the works of the night's artist honoree, María Berrío.

Two x Two Gala 2023 The event was held inside a 48-foot-tall geodesic dome at Rachofsky House.Photo by Kevin Tachman

Outside, a video mapping projection of migrating butterflies fluttered across the Rachofsky House exterior. Inside, the tent was swathed in a rich color palette of blue, lavender, and green, with nods to nature and lush landscapes of rainforests, paying homage to Berrío’s home country of Colombia.

As guests and VIPs arrived - including DMA director Agustín Arteaga, Saks CEO Marc Metrick and wife Deborah, Jason and Porschla Kidd, Jessica and Dirk Nowitzki, Jerry and Gene Jones, Cornelia Guest, Cameron Silver, Nancy Nasher, chef Thomas Keller, Jason Wu, Prabal Gurung, and Georgina Hartland-Mackie - they were led to the Tequila Casa Dragones lounge and offered trays of Cindy Rachofsky’s favorite “Cindy’s Margarita,” featuring Casa Dragones Blanco tequila. It was followed by a seated, multicourse dinner - including caviar by Regiis Ova - inside the tent.

Cindy Rachofsky, Lisa Runyon, and Two x Two executive director Melissa Ireland welcomed the crowd and turned things over to Anna Katherine Brodbeck, the Hoffman Family Senior Curator of Contemporary Art at the Dallas Museum of Art, who introduced patrons to honoree Berrío. T. Ryan Greenawalt and Kevin McClatchy, amfAR co-chairs of the board, presented Berrío with amfAR’s 2023 Award of Excellence for Artistic Contributions to the Fight Against AIDS.

Two x Two Gala 2023 Artist honoree Maria Berrio with one of her artworks.Photo by Kevin Tachman

After dinner, singer Jason Derulo entertained with his hits including "Whatcha Say” and “Savage Love,” and then surprised the crowd by kicking off the auction with a personal $100,000 donation.

Of course, the order of the night was raising money, and that fell largely on the shoulders of auctioneer Michael Macaulay, senior vice president at Sotheby's. In all, 122 worksby artists including Berrío, Grace Carney, Tom Anholt, Anish Kapoor, and more were offered on auction. A number of luxury trips and experiential packages were up for bidding, as well.

An after-party, presented by Loewe, kept the evening going in the back garden of The Rachofsky House. Also designed by Todd Events, it featured a moody lounge space with lush greenery inspired by rainforests. A Casa Dragones bar served icy espresso martinis, and attendees noshed on Pizzana pizza by Chef Daniele Utidi.

Two x Two Gala 2023 Trays of Moet Hennessy Brandy Alexanders were served in the lounge.Photo by Bruno, Snap the Picture

Two x Two has become the largest fundraiser in the United States for essential AIDS research at amfAR, as well as the largest single annual source of funds for contemporary art acquisitions at the DMA; to date, the event has raised over $120 million. Through its funding, the DMA has added more than 325 major works of contemporary art to its permanent collection.

Photo by Kevin Tachman

Alexandra Looney, Matthew Looney, Melissa Ireland, Meghan Looney

Notable attendees of the 2023 gala included Bela and Chase Cooley, Sue Gragg, Tina Craig, Carlos Gonzalez-Jamie, Laura Cunningham, Alexandra Looney, Matthew Looney, Meghan Looney, Danielle Hunter, Suzanne Droese, Dave Clark, Leigh Anne Clark, Moll Anderson, Ceron, Brian Bolke, Courtney and Kyle Noonan, Coley and Bradley Means, Elaine Agather, Nancy Dedman, David Haemisegger, Sarah Haemisegger, Isabelle Haemisegger, Jennifer and John Eagle, Jennifer and Tom Karol, Joyce Goss, Selwyn Rayzor, Kaleta Blaffer Johnson, Bach Mai, Nicole de la Torre, Santiago Jorba, Catalina Gonzalez Jorba, and hundreds more.

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