Masquers Theater gala coming Saturday

SOAP LAKE — The Masquers Theater will hold its annual gala Saturday, with a theme that may be long overdue. 

“We’re actually kind of laughing, because we’ve never done a masquerade at Masquers, so we thought it would be fitting,” said Masquers Board Secretary Cecily Hendricks. 

The gala will include free food provided by Cloudview Kitchens, masquerade-themed music, live reprise performances of the troupe’s shows from the last year and a preview of the fall musical, “Little Shop of Horrors.” The whole thing is free and open to the public, Hendricks said. 

“(There will be) all kinds of different snacks and hors d'oeuvres,” she said. “We'll have free wine and beer for our patrons and anyone that comes, and a fun photo booth for people to take pictures of themselves in their masks.” 

Masks and related costumes are encouraged but not required, according to the Masquers website. 

A large part of the gala is celebrating the end of the Masquers season and looking forward to the next, Hendricks said. 

“(It’s) a time for us to celebrate all that the theater’s done this past season,” she said. “Last season was one of our most successful yet in terms of audience turnout, so we're going to be sharing some data around that. It's also a time for us to update our members on where the theater is standing financially.” 

The Masquers will also give out some awards at the gala, Hendricks said. 

“We give out the Masquers Hall of Fame, which always goes out to someone that has been on stage or off stage for over 10 years,” she said. “Past Hall of Fame members get to vote on the incoming Hall of Fame members. And we also give out an award for Super Volunteers, acknowledging someone who’s gone above and beyond to volunteer their time at the theater every year.” 

The other part of the gala is the Masquers’ annual membership drive. Memberships come in a number of tiers. Patron members pay $35 and are recognized in the program at every performance, while season memberships come with passes to all performances at different donation levels for families, seniors and students. Corporate memberships come at gold, silver and bronze levels with a variety of perks. 

“Membership is a huge way to support the theater,” Hendricks said. “We're all volunteers. We have no staff at Masquers, so becoming a member is a really good way to stay engaged in the loop of what's coming up. And a lot of our members end up volunteering at the theater, which we're very grateful for.” 

This will be the Masquers’ 46th season, Hendricks said. 

“We're one of the longest-standing community theaters in the state, and we're really excited to see what next season holds,” she said. 

‘Masquerade’ 

Soap Lake 

Masquers Theater 

322 E. Main Ave. 

Saturday, Aug. 23 

Cocktail hour 5:30 p.m.
Program 6 p.m. 

Food and drinks provided 

Free to the public 

    Masquers Theater board member Allison Pheasant is inducted into the Hall of Fame at last year’s gala.
  

    The Masquers gala and membership drive Saturday will include free hors d’oeuvres from Cloudview Kitchen.