Garfield Center’s 2019 Annual Gala Fundraiser; Broadway by the River

Chestertown – The board of directors at the Garfield Center for the Arts are proud to announce the theatre’s 2019 annual Gala Fundraiser; Broadway by the River! Hosted by New York’s drag queen sensation, Marti Gould Cummings, and featuring an evening of intimate performances and conversations with cast members of various Broadway shows; Emily Trumble of The Sound of Music and Something Rotten, Jack Scott of Newsies! The Musical and Kristina Nicole Miller of The Preacher’s Wife. Accompanied by Blake Allen on piano and featuring local guest star, Shannon Whittaker, Broadway by the River promises to once again deliver some of that “Big Apple” theatre magic to Chestertown on Friday, April 5th at 8pm.

Marti Gould Cummings (formerly of Kennedyville) is a NYC based drag artist known for their comedic wit and political activism. Marti’s drag has taken them around the globe selling out events in Canada, Mexico, London, Amsterdam and across the USA. Marti can be seen performing in six different weekly shows in NYC as well as on Fusion television’s Shade: Queens of NYC , that she created and produced. Their broadway holiday duets album features Tony Award winner Cady Huffman and Tony Award nominee Daphne Rubin Vega. As a political activist, Marti founded the Hell’s Kitchen Democrats which toppled the oldest political dynasty in New York. He currently sits on The Nightlife Advisory Council to the Mayor, is a board member of community board 9 (representing uptown Manhattan) and is on the board of directors for The Ali Forney Center for Homeless LGBTQ Youth. They are a recipient of Out Magazines 2018 Out 100 as well as the 2019 Glam Award Entertainer of the Year. He spends his life as husband to Blake and dog dad to Woodrow and George.

Emily Trumble has an extensive theatrical resume that includes the first national tours of The Sound of Music (Maria) and Something Rotten (Bea). Her regional credits include Man of La Mancha and Mary Poppins at the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera, Pirates! at The Municipal Theatre Association of St. Louis (The Muny), Our Town at The Berkeley Repertory Theatre, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Richard III at The California Shakespeare Theatre and A Christmas Carol with the Center Repertory Company. Emily holds a BFA in Musical Theatre from the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music and is a proud member of Actor’s Equity.

Jack Scott is thrilled to be singing with some of his dearest friends in Broadway by the River at the Garfield Center in Chestertown. Jack performed in the world premiere of Newsies! the Musical at Paper Mill Playhouse before becoming an original broadway cast member and stayed with the show for its entire New York run. Before New York he was seen at Mount Gretna Theater as a featured ensemble member in Funny Girl and trained at the Boston Conservatory. Jack is a proud member of the Actors Equity union.

Kristina Nicole Miller is a native of Akron, Ohio, and has lived in NYC since 2004. She has been performing since age three, and attended performing arts schools from 6th grade and beyond, where she received classical and musical theatre training. She has performed in many productions both nationally and internationally, including the pre-broadway workshop, The Preacher’s Wife.

Blake Allen is a multifaceted composer and orchestrator at the forefront of the new musiopera genre whose music is described as “full of yearning and exuberance and affection” with “strings to make you swoon” by the New York Times. Heavily influenced by his Mormon upbringing and the vast, cultural landscapes of his hometown El Paso, TX, he made his composer debut at the Metropolitan Museum of Art where he continues to be commissioned annually. Allen’s shows include the Americana musical Folk Wandering (Off-Broadway 2018, Pipeline Theatre Co.); His violin sonata L’Abîme (2016, premiered at the Metropolitan Museum of Art) and cello sonata Music for Kelly are being recorded in February 2019 by Emily Umeatsu, Susan Mandel, and Grammy-Nominee Christopher Koelzer. Heading into its second season, Allen’s “An Evening With… Series” has been lauded as “an important vehicle for musical preservation” (BroadwayWorld), recommended by TimeOut NY, and called “delightful, informative, and beautifully sung”, “fantastic” and “could not have been better” by Cabaret Hot Spot. Other credits include Live From Lincoln Center’s Ring Them Bells (PBS) and Carousel (PBS).

Shannon Whittaker studied Theater Arts at the University of New Haven. She recently performed in the annual Women Helping Women benefit concert at the Garfield Center for the Arts. She has been involved in theater for over 18 years; her most recent acting credits include Tess in The Sisters Rosensweig, Johanna in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Carrie in Carrie the Musical, Ellen in Visit to a Small Planet, Janet in Rocky Horror Picture Show and Rapunzel in Into the Woods. She is a frequent guest performer for the Mainstay Mondays with Joe Holt at the The Mainstay in Rock Hall and is currently playing Eugenie in A Flea in Her Ear at Church Hill Theatre.

Cummings wanted to share some of the NYC theatre world with the community where he grew up, and the Garfield was the perfect venue. Those lucky enough to get tickets will be able to hear Cummings, Trumble, Scott, Miller and Whittaker perform songs from their respective shows, without paying the Broadway ticket price.

Doors open at 7pm, with the performances beginning at 8pm. Dress is black tie optional. Tickets to this exciting event are expected to sell out. Limited VIP “Broadway Pass” tickets are $100 each and include main level table seating, hors d’oeuvres, a complimentary themed cocktail and after party with the performers at LTO’s Tasting Room on High Street. Tickets for the front row of the balcony are $75, general admission is $50 and the upper balcony is $25. Tickets can be purchased online at www.GarfieldCenter.org, by calling 410-810-2060 or in person at the Garfield Box Office, located at 210 High Street in Chestertown.

The Garfield Center gratefully thanks the Kent County News for sponsoring this event, and for “carrying the banner” on the shore. Purchase your tickets now to show your support for the Garfield’s mission of nurturing, celebrating and supporting the arts and artists through performance and education, and help ensure that the theatre is able to continue to produce outstanding events in Chestertown.