Here’s To 90 Years More
By Makayla Hoppe for the San Diego Jewish Journal
In 1935, the California Pacific International Exposition looked to add some art and drama to its lineup. Based on Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London, The Old Globe became so popular that it stuck around long after the exposition. At 90 years old, The Old Globe remains one of the pillars of Balboa Park and the city, producing world-class theatre for San Diego, Broadway and more.
“It’s impossible to imagine San Diego without The Globe,” said Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Barry Edelstein. “It is one of the defining institutions of our city. We’re the largest theater company of our kind outside of New York City. We originate work that goes on to a long life in New York and around the country, and even abroad. We have a community-based platform that is the envy of the national field, and we are cherished by people who live here. To be locally beloved and nationally respected is an extraordinary achievement, and after 90 years, that’s where the institution finds itself.”
The 90th Anniversary Celebration will be held on Sept. 20, and the event is sure to entertain and dazzle theatre-lovers all over town. Taking place in both the Copley Plaza and Donald & Darlene Shiley Stage, the black-tie event will feature food, drink and entertainment.
“We always throw great parties at The Old Globe,” Barry said. “And first and foremost, that’s what it is. It’s going to be a really spectacular birthday party. You know, we clean up nicely. The plaza is decorated beautifully…It’s a wonderful, fun party on a gorgeous September evening.”
The event begins with a reception at 5:30 p.m. featuring drinks by the Snake Oil Cocktail Company and hors d’oeuvres by Urban Kitchen Catering. Following the reception, guests will move into the theater where Barry will remark on The Old Globe’s legacy and history with a tribute.
Guests will then enjoy an evening of entertainment from veteran performer Christopher Jackson, renowned for playing George Washington in the original Broadway cast of “Hamilton.”
The theater portion of the event will then wrap up with a fundraising component, helping The Old Globe fund future productions and community engagement. The theater keeps community involvement at the heart of all they do.
“The community-based work that we’re doing is now inseparable from the artistic work that we’re doing,” Barry said. “(The Old Globe) was a community theater in the sense that community members made the work back in 1935…with only a small number of full-time professional actors. It was very heavily volunteer and community-based. It’s changed fundamentally and dramatically— it’s a $40 million annual operation now.
Today, it’s a community theater in the sense that we serve communities from Tijuana all the way to North County and East County. We’re in prisons, homeless shelters, the library system, the school system, refugee centers and veterans’ organizations. So, our understanding of the idea of community has really changed over 90 years, but still, we really see ourselves as a place that’s in service to the citizens of San Diego.”
Once the entertainment and fundraising portions wrap up, guests will enjoy an alfresco three-course dinner catered by Urban Kitchen beginning at 8:00 p.m. The remainder of the evening will feature live music by Liquid Blue, with dancing and “surprises under the stars.”
When it comes to live theater, San Diego has made its mark and left a lasting impression, thanks, in part, to The Old Globe.
“I should shout out to the wonderful volunteers who are chairing it, Cheryl White and Jennifer Greenfield,” Barry said. “I should shout out to Darlene Marcos Shiley, our honorary chair. You know, these are the pillars of arts philanthropy in San Diego.”
Here’s to 90 more years of world-class theater from The Old Globe. From Shakespeare to musicals and more, the artistic contributions to San Diego truly have given the theater world work that lives beyond the stage.
For ticket and event information, please visit theoldglobe.org/support-us/special-events/globe-gala/
(Photo credit: Douglas Gates)
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