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VYTal Affair-athon
August 21, 2021 @ 10:00 am - 6:00 pm
More than 100 performers from Arizona and nationwide will hit the stage for Valley Youth Theatre’s (VYT) VYTal Affair-athon, an eight-hour virtual event to be streamed live from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on August 21 on vyt.com and on Facebook.
The event will include beloved youth performers from across the Valley along with VYT alumni nationwide and well-known stars of stage and screen – like Broadway’s Nick Cartell, who recently completed a two-and-a-half-year run as Jean Valjean in the national tour of “Les Misérables.”
The virtual fundraiser replaces the 27th annual VYTal Affair. It’s second year the COVID-19 crisis prompted VYT to take the event online, but there are benefits to the virtual platform.
A highlight of the fundraiser is the 21-year reunion of the cast of VYT’s “West Side Story,” which was staged at the Herberger Theater in 2000. Five alumni performers from the original production – Nick Cartell, Katie “Rex” Casey, Chris Ciccarelli, Sharie “Combs” Nievar and Ian Sidden – will come together for a virtual performance of the powerful “Tonight Quintet.”
The goal is to raise $250,000 to ensure the nonprofit theater can continue offering its signature fee-free programming and low-cost ticket pricing.
Most of the performances for VYTal Affair-athon were pre-recorded in July. In addition to vocal numbers, the event will include live Zoom interviews with alumni, multi-track performances and a few surprise guests.
Each hour of the telethon will be hosted by a local celebrity, including Yetta Gibson, Gina Salazar Hook, John Hook, Brad Perry and Carey Peña. The fundraiser also will include a silent auction featuring travel, entertainment, skin care, spa, hotel, food and beverage and dozens of other packages.
High-profile performers who got their start at VYT include Emma Stone, Jordin Sparks, Kimiko Glenn, Chelsea Kane, Max Crumm, Charity Angel Dawson, Matt Dallas, Columbus Short, Nick Cartell and Sam Primack.
