The River Performing & Visual Arts Center (The River), along with chairs Bill and Stephanie Swingle, welcomed more than 250 guests on February 17 to its "Dream Out Loud" Celebration.  Event-goers flocked to the Junior League to enjoy a night of festivities and to pay tribute to the nonprofit by raising funds for its arts education programs.  In total, the event garnered more than $200,000 in donations for The River’s programs.

The River, an affiliate of Theatre Under The Stars (TUTS), is a unique, barrier free initiative that provides an accessible and inclusive arts education for children with disabilities, chronic illnesses, or who are economically disadvantaged.   These year-round classes teach music, art, drama and dance to approximately 2,300 children annually.

Before dinner, guests were treated to a silent auction and cocktails.  Once dinner began, KHOU’s Len Cannon played emcee while also sharing the stage with special guest speakers TUTS Chairman of the board Steve Burkett and Bob Binstock, who founded The River along with his wife Cathy.

Making the evening even more special, attendees were given a powerful presentation from The River performance troupe, which is comprised of students from both The River and The Academy at Humphreys School of Musical Theatre.  In keeping with the theme of the night, they performed a piece based off the idea of “Dreamland.”
 
Among the other guests were event underwriting chairs Toni and Howard Tate, event auction chairs Elizabeth and Scott Schwind, TUTS President and CEO John Breckenridge, Amy and Rob Pierce, Ed and Lorraine Wulfe, Marsha and David Taylor, Hector Villarreal, Julien and Lori Smythe, Ben and Arline Guefen, Frank and Doreen Speidel, Curtis and Cindee Klement, Dee Dee Dochen, Barbie and Don Schaffer and Carol and Don Brace.

About TUTS

Theatre Under The Stars (TUTS) is Houston’s acclaimed nonprofit musical theatre company whose mission is to enrich life through the experience of quality musical theatre and to positively impact lives beyond the stage through innovative education & community outreach programs.  TUTS was the first theatrical organization in Houston to perform free to the public when it was founded in 1968 at Miller Outdoor Theatre in Hermann Park and is the only Houston arts organization that has performed there free to the public every year since the theatre opened.  Founded by Frank M. Young and currently under the direction of President and CEO John C. Breckenridge, TUTS has produced more than 300 musicals including many local, national and world premieres such as Kopit and Yeston’s Phantom, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Jekyll & Hyde, and Irving Berlin’s White Christmas as well as critically acclaimed re-inventions of classics Cabaret and Les Miserables.  Through its membership in the Independent Presenters Network, TUTS has helped bring Bombay Dreams, 9 to 5, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Spamalot, Legally Blonde, Ragtime, Curtains and The Color Purple to Broadway and ultimately back to Houston audiences.

In support of TUTS’ mission, TUTS Education programs provide instruction and stage experience for more than 21,000 students annually, allowing them to flourish in a year-round schedule of classes.  The Humphreys School of Musical Theatre (HSMT) offers technique-driven classes for all ability levels and ages, ranging from four to adult.  Through a merger with The River Performing and Visual Arts Center (The River), TUTS provides an accessible and inclusive arts education for children of all abilities that will enhance their development into confident, balanced individuals.  TUTS Education provides extended on-site programming as well as off-site programming for children in schools, hospitals and other community-based sites.  TUTS also annually presents the Tommy Tune Awards, honoring the best and brightest in Houston's high school musical theatre programs.