Theater fund-raiser lets you name your seat
To raise $$ for ongoing restoration, St. George Theatre patrons can have their names affixed to seats
Sunday, January 15, 2006
By TEVAH PLATT
ADVANCE STAFF WRITER
The owners of the St. George Theatre are counting on community spirit to bolster the once and future majesty of the historic performance center.
To raise funds for the ongoing restoration of the theater, contributors who have been enchanted by the ornate theater, its productions, or its ambitious owners will have their names inscribed on the theater’s mahogany and red velvet orchestra and mezzanine seats in months to come.
The revitalization of the baroque-style theater has been driven by the labor and life savings of dance teacher Rosemary Cappozalo (known to Islanders as Mrs. Rosemary) and her daughters, Doreen Cugno, Luanne Sorrentino and Rosemary Hillers.
The family hopes the “Jump into the Hot Seat” campaign will raise $150,000 to pay for air conditioning, an advanced rigging system, its newly refurbished seats, and the continued restoration of the theater that first opened its doors to Hyatt Street in 1929.
On Feb. 12 at 2 p.m., the theater will host an event and tribute to Big Bands to honor “chairholders” who will see their names (or those of their companies or loved ones) on the seat-mounted plaques for the first time.
Already five months into the six-month campaign, the theater hopes to more than double the $68,000 it has raised to date. “We need a big push,” Mrs. Cugno said.
Such a push may come from the campaign’s committee members, Charles LaGanga of Dongan Hills, Bob Cutrona of Emerson Hill, and Jay Anderson of Eltingville, who will be ardently soliciting $200 and $400 donations — for mezzanine and orchestra seats, respectively — on the theater’s behalf.
FOR ‘ALL OF ISLAND’
“This theater is a jewel that should shine as a beacon of light from the North Shore to the South,” said LaGanga, the avuncular community leader, waving his arms with enthusiasm. “It’s for all of Staten Island. So I’m gonna go to the grassroots — I’m going to the banks, to the foundations, and to everyone I know. And I’ll be on the ferry passing out brochures.”
“When you see the energy of Mrs. Rosemary and her daughters, and the blood and sweat they put into the theater, you’ve got to help,” said Cutrona, who is naming a seat in honor of his daughters, Marley, 6, and Mia, 4, students at Mrs. Rosemary’s Dance Studio.
Anderson was instrumental in arranging contributors' eligibility to receive a 25 percent tax credit for their donations.
Lisa Mazzarisi Schroder and Kurt Schroder of Richmond purchased orchestra seats in honor of their daughters, Juliet, 11, and Jozie, 8, both Ms. Cappozalo’s students who performed in the recent Spectacular Christmas Show at the St. George Theatre.
“My husband Kurt and I are truly grateful to Mrs. Rosemary and her daughters for sharing their artistic passions with our family,” said Mrs. Schroder, adding that she cried through most of the Christmas show “because it was so beautiful.”
Chairholder Christine Asperti of Sunnyside, also naming a chair for her children, put her enthusiasm simply: “Going to the St. George Theatre is probably the single best thing a Staten Islander can do. When people walk out of the shows there, they’re just gleaming.”
AnneMarie and Vincent Colandrea of Dongan Hills will put the name of their family-owned business, Colandrea New Corner Restaurant, Brooklyn, onto a St. George chair.
SPECIAL AFFINITY
Because the restaurant is almost as old as the theater, and because its success has depended on “the family’s sacrifices,” Mrs. Colandrea said she felt an affinity between the restaurant and the theater she enjoys attending with her whole family.
“This dream is on its way to becoming a reality,” she said of the St. George Theatre. “It will definitely happen with everyone’s support.”
Last year, the St. George Theatre brought singers Don McLean and Gloria Gaynor and the Alvin Ailey dance company to the Staten Island stage. Upcoming performances include “Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka” in February, “Clifford’s Coming to Town” in March, and comedian Jackie Mason, live on the stage this April Fool’s Day — really.
The advanced rigging system that donor dollars will fund would bring more elaborate productions — the St. George could host a show similar to that of Cirque du Soleil, Mrs. Cugno said.
In other words, says Mrs. Sorrentino, “We would have no limits.”
For information on how to become a chairholder, contact the St. George Theatre at (718) 442-2900.
Tevah Platt is a news reporter for the Advance. She may be reached at
Theater fund-raiser lets you name your seat
To raise $$ for ongoing restoration, St. George Theatre patrons can have their names affixed to seats
Sunday, January 15, 2006
By TEVAH PLATT
ADVANCE STAFF WRITER
The owners of the St. George Theatre are counting on community spirit to bolster the once and future majesty of the historic performance center.
To raise funds for the ongoing restoration of the theater, contributors who have been enchanted by the ornate theater, its productions, or its ambitious owners will have their names inscribed on the theater’s mahogany and red velvet orchestra and mezzanine seats in months to come.
The revitalization of the baroque-style theater has been driven by the labor and life savings of dance teacher Rosemary Cappozalo (known to Islanders as Mrs. Rosemary) and her daughters, Doreen Cugno, Luanne Sorrentino and Rosemary Hillers.
The family hopes the “Jump into the Hot Seat” campaign will raise $150,000 to pay for air conditioning, an advanced rigging system, its newly refurbished seats, and the continued restoration of the theater that first opened its doors to Hyatt Street in 1929.
On Feb. 12 at 2 p.m., the theater will host an event and tribute to Big Bands to honor “chairholders” who will see their names (or those of their companies or loved ones) on the seat-mounted plaques for the first time.
Already five months into the six-month campaign, the theater hopes to more than double the $68,000 it has raised to date. “We need a big push,” Mrs. Cugno said.
Such a push may come from the campaign’s committee members, Charles LaGanga of Dongan Hills, Bob Cutrona of Emerson Hill, and Jay Anderson of Eltingville, who will be ardently soliciting $200 and $400 donations — for mezzanine and orchestra seats, respectively — on the theater’s behalf.
FOR ‘ALL OF ISLAND’
“This theater is a jewel that should shine as a beacon of light from the North Shore to the South,” said LaGanga, the avuncular community leader, waving his arms with enthusiasm. “It’s for all of Staten Island. So I’m gonna go to the grassroots — I’m going to the banks, to the foundations, and to everyone I know. And I’ll be on the ferry passing out brochures.”
“When you see the energy of Mrs. Rosemary and her daughters, and the blood and sweat they put into the theater, you’ve got to help,” said Cutrona, who is naming a seat in honor of his daughters, Marley, 6, and Mia, 4, students at Mrs. Rosemary’s Dance Studio.
Anderson was instrumental in arranging contributors' eligibility to receive a 25 percent tax credit for their donations.
Lisa Mazzarisi Schroder and Kurt Schroder of Richmond purchased orchestra seats in honor of their daughters, Juliet, 11, and Jozie, 8, both Ms. Cappozalo’s students who performed in the recent Spectacular Christmas Show at the St. George Theatre.
“My husband Kurt and I are truly grateful to Mrs. Rosemary and her daughters for sharing their artistic passions with our family,” said Mrs. Schroder, adding that she cried through most of the Christmas show “because it was so beautiful.”
Chairholder Christine Asperti of Sunnyside, also naming a chair for her children, put her enthusiasm simply: “Going to the St. George Theatre is probably the single best thing a Staten Islander can do. When people walk out of the shows there, they’re just gleaming.”
AnneMarie and Vincent Colandrea of Dongan Hills will put the name of their family-owned business, Colandrea New Corner Restaurant, Brooklyn, onto a St. George chair.
SPECIAL AFFINITY
Because the restaurant is almost as old as the theater, and because its success has depended on “the family’s sacrifices,” Mrs. Colandrea said she felt an affinity between the restaurant and the theater she enjoys attending with her whole family.
“This dream is on its way to becoming a reality,” she said of the St. George Theatre. “It will definitely happen with everyone’s support.”
Last year, the St. George Theatre brought singers Don McLean and Gloria Gaynor and the Alvin Ailey dance company to the Staten Island stage. Upcoming performances include “Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka” in February, “Clifford’s Coming to Town” in March, and comedian Jackie Mason, live on the stage this April Fool’s Day — really.
The advanced rigging system that donor dollars will fund would bring more elaborate productions — the St. George could host a show similar to that of Cirque du Soleil, Mrs. Cugno said.
In other words, says Mrs. Sorrentino, “We would have no limits.”
For information on how to become a chairholder, contact the St. George Theatre at (718) 442-2900.
Tevah Platt is a news reporter for the Advance. She may be reached at