Theater Saves Lives: An Evening of Hope
On Tuesday, October 26th, Ruth Stage and the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation hosted Theater Saves Lives: An Evening of Hope. Featuring luxury artworks donated by generous friends of Ruth Stage, a cocktail hour, and charcuterie grazing stations with hors d'oeuvres, this charity auction was one for the books As the namesake of the event suggested, it was truly a night full of hope.
The evening started off with multiple speeches. Guests from the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation, Ruth Stage, and a guest oncologist spoke about their experiences with cholangiocarcinoma and innovations in current therapies and treatments. A commonality was present throughout their stories—cholangiocarcinoma is an under researched and not widely known disease.
One of the evening’s charcuterie boards
In a special presentation by Stacie Lindsey, Founder and CEO of the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation, she explained how there were almost no resources available when her brother was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma in 2005. They were forced to cobble together bits and pieces of information from other patients, online forums, and conversations with dozens of physicians across the country. The foundation was born out of the determination that no one else should have to invest as much time and effort to gather basic information about cholangiocarcinoma, and that those who are affected by it have the opportunity to surround themselves with an empathetic community.
Ruth Stage’s involvement was also drawn from personal connections. After a close friend of Matt de Rogatis’ was diagnosed with Cholangiocarcinoma, his organization the Ruth Stage Company sprung into action. They worked with the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation to create an event that would function not only as a benefit for the Foundation, but act as a physical manifestation of the support system that was there for their friend.
One of the art pieces for auction: a portrait of actress Scarlett Johansson, who starred in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof on Broadway in 2013
The evening culminated in the cast rehearsal of “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof”. Though it was a rehearsal, the actors gave the performance their all as the room was enraptured with their emotional portrayals of Williams’ iconic play. By performing the scene when the character of “Big Daddy” finds out he has cancer, the connection between the play and the evening’s cause added an additional layer of depth to the performances. The Ruth Stage company was able to bring a further profundity to what was already a rich play, and will certainly reflect this magnitude on the Off-Broadway Stage.
The cast rehearsal. From left to right Joe Rosario, Spencer Scott, Alison Fraser, Austin Pendleton
You can visit https://www.ruthstage.org/ to learn more about Ruth Stage and “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof”, and you can visit https://www.cholangiocarcinoma.org/ to learn more about the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation.
