An Unshakable Audience

Note even a 5.1 earthquake near Ojai or Tropical Storm Hilary could impact the Ensemble Theatre Company’s annual Curtain Up! gala at the historic Santa Barbara Club, attracting 167 guests and raising around $260,000 for the popular New Vic theater, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary.

A 90-minute show preceded the boffo bash hosted by Joe Spano and Jenny Sullivan when the company looked back at shows over the last decade and its music with performers including Morganfield Burnett, Miriam Dance, Hunter Hawkins, Jonathan McEuen, and Shawn Thies, to a band accompaniment directed by John Enrico Douglas with Tariqh Akoni on guitar, Randy Tico on bass, and drummer Austin Beede.

A shuttle bus transported supporters to the West Victoria Street locale, while others chose to walk the few blocks up Chapala Street, umbrellas in hand.

Among the theater fans turning out for the unusual night that even a mercurial Mother Nature couldn’t affect were Anne Towbes, Dan and Meg Burnham, Howard Jay Smith and Patricia Dixon, David and Anne Gersh, Harry and Judi Weisbart, Robert Weinman, Eve Bernstein, Simon and Euzetta Williams, Joan Rutkowski, Scott and Edie DeVine, Sybil Rosen, Meredith Baxter, Deborah Bertling, George Konstantinow, Beno Budgor, Dana White, and Kandy Luria-Budgor.

Classical guitarist Chris Fossek entertained.