With more than a touch of star quality, Hartnell College will present its 14th Annual Black & White Gala for the Arts on Nov. 16, featuring a performance of the musical “Evita” by The Western Stage theatre company.
This benefit for arts programs at Hartnell will be held on the college’s Main Campus in Salinas, beginning with an opulent reception and silent auction and concluding with the musical performance in the Center for Performing Arts. Gourmet desserts and wines will be served during intermission.
The reception in the newly renamed Willard Lewallen STEM Center will include Argentine cuisine from Main Street Bakery and Catering, appetizers from Tarpy’s Roadhouse and brews from Carmel Craft Brewing Company and Martha’s Hopyard.
A special flamenco dance performance by Jessica Iglesias will reflect the flamboyant passion evoked by the “Evita” story. Iglesias, who has trained with Spanish masters, will perform her interpretations of such traditional flamenco dances as the alegria, solea, sevillana and rumba.
A gala raffle will feature a glamorous 14k rose gold pendant and ring set, with diamonds and lotus garnets. The set is valued at $6,092, and each raffle ticket is just $50.
The Western Stage production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Evita” in Hartnell’s Mainstage Theater will plunge the gala audience into the climactic story of Eva Peron’s unlikely rise to power in post-war Argentina.
Gala tickets are $100 each, and sponsorship packages are still available. For tickets and more information, visit hartnellfoundation.org/donate-now /galatickets or call (831) 755-6810. Reservations are requested by Nov. 9.
Marquee sponsors include McWherter’s Jewelers, Scholl & Company LLP, California Water Service, HGHB, KION-TV, Gary and Mayumi Tanimura and Dr. Neal and Margaret Thornberry.