Saturday night's Beggars' Banquet, held at the Park West, raised funds for local arts organization Collaboraction. Dubbed "Back in Black," the event was inspired by rock stars and everything that surrounds them—from groupies and tattoos to trashed hotel rooms and paparazzi.
Seth Bockley, Collaboraction's creative director, oversaw the nearly year-long planning process, which involved searching for a venue, signing on co-chairs, finding a host committee, and landing sponsors. "In all, there are about 10 core planners and then a team of about 75 volunteers—performers, greeters, artists, organizers, and production crew—that make the event happen," he said.
The theme of Saturday's event was evident even before the 200 guests made it inside the Park West: Outside the theater, fake paparazzi snapped pictures as partygoers headed down a red carpet and into the door. Inside, the tone carried on with the Rock for Kids choir, a chorus of 20 children that took to the stage to perform rock classics such as the Rolling Stones' "You Can't Always Get What You Want." Elsewhere in the venue, performers from Collaboraction (the organization specializes in art-based and theater performances) acted as guest-besotted groupies, weaving their way through the crowd, acting frenzied and starstruck.
Thematic decor elements included classic rock photography, flashy lights, and live video feeds of moments from rock history. Next to the stage, an installation meant to evoke a trashed hotel room featured torn couches, greasy pizza boxes, and ripped-apart musical instruments. On the dinner tables, artificial flowers sprung from folded vinyl records, and blown-up air guitars were scattered throughout the space. A cascading sculpture of bras and underwear was a kitschy nod to the obsessed fan.
Along with dancing, live and silent auctions, and a buffet dinner (which overtook the dance floor for part of the evening), activities included interactive stations dedicated to temporary tattoo application, T-shirt decoration, and ice cream sundae-making.
Correction: The photo credit in this piece has been changed to correctly attribute photos to Kirstie Shanley.
