Encore, South Coast Repertory’s 52nd season gala, opened Orange County’s theatrical and social season with bold elegance at the Westin South Coast Plaza on September 12.
Partygoers walked a royal purple carpet into Town Center Park beneath colorful banners. Guests sipped the evening’s “mainstage martini” while they mingled with board president Sophie Hall Cripe and her husband, Larry, along with SCR artistic director Marc Masterson and Managing Director Paula Tomei.
The party then flowed along a turquoise carpet into the Plaza Ballroom for a gourmet three-course meal. During the evening’s honors, applause broke out for founding artistic directors David Emmes and Martin Benson. But it was the event chair, emeritus trustee Socorro Vasquez, who drew a standing ovation as she announced the net proceeds of $350,000 for the theater’s educational and outreach programs.
“Our gala is an SCR production, so I want to congratulate everyone who helped us stage Encore,” Vasquez said.
For the final act of the evening, guests rode the elevators up to the Westin rooftop to a chic tented dance floor to dance the night away.
