Payton Mitchell
Staff Writer
For three years, Idaho State University’s Theatre Department has hosted a gala event for New Year’s Eve, which is put on, “In order to raise money for scholarships for students who are in the visual and performing arts,” said Melissa Lee, who helps plan and set up the event.
According to Kandi Turley-Ames, dean of the Idaho State University College of Arts and Letters, “The event involves the participation of theatre, dance and art. There was nothing in Pocatello to celebrate New Year’s Eve with.”
The New Year’s Eve gala tradition began in 2013 and has since been a way to get the community involved with young actors and artists who want to show off their art and create something beautiful.
The New Year’s Eve gala provides scholarships for students whose main focus is art. Over the past two years alone, scholarships have been provided to 40 students who want to further their goals and dreams in the visual and performing arts. “We spend months and months planning the event,” said Turley-Ames. “It brings the community together. We have seen elevated levels of people at performances after the gala was started.”
Such an event cannot be put on without the help of generous donations and sponsorships from local community businesses. These sponsors include, but are not limited to: Portneuf Regional Medical Center in Pocatello and Mountain View Hospital in Idaho Falls. Sponsors are recognized for their contributions to the event via programs handed out at the gala, local newspapers and electric billboards all around Pocatello.
A newly placed endowment, entitled the Cheryl Jensen Performing Arts Endowment, has also started as of the fall of 2015, which targets two groups of people: new talent just joining the Idaho State Theatre and older students, to help them get closer to achieving their goals.
Events at the gala this year will include the Stasia Acrobats, the Idaho State Comedy Project, a fashion show, the Idaho State jazz band and an art gallery. The emcees for the event are going to be Diana Livingston-Friedly and Geoffrey Friedly.
Food and beverages will be available for attendees as well as keepsake photos. During the event, donors who give a significant amount to the cause are awarded for their contributions.This year the event will be held in the Rotunda of the Stephens Performing Arts Center on the Idaho State campus and also in the Bistline Theatre and the Rogers Black Box Theatre. Costumes for the event are provided by Tara Young, head of costuming for the ISU theatre department where she has worked on numerous productions.
Other members of the performance staff, including Vanessa Ballam, head of the theatre department, Stefan Espinosa, an adjunct instructor in the theatre department, Kori Bond, associate professor of music, and Randy Earles, a professor in the music department, contribute their time and talents to the event.
Tickets for the event are on sale now, and are $125 per person. All of the proceeds for the event will go towards scholarships for students in the visual and performing arts. The event starts at 7 p.m. and runs until 12:30 a.m. January 1.
