The Hangar's Acting Out on the Hangar Stage, Community Charades Challenge took place on Saturday, October 18. With the support of the community - through donations to four teams of participants, the purchase of auction items, and ticket sales - the Hangar was able to reach its fundraising goal for the event, which supports the theatre's educational programming, raising a total of $26,000.

The evening started with a pre-show reception where guests enjoyed delicious treats from event sponsor Serendipity Catering and refreshments provided by Sheldrake Point Winery and Ithaca Beer Company. Mark Shanahan took the stage as Master of Ceremonies, leading the four teams through five rounds of charades.

More than 200 audience members watched as team members jumped, gestured, and wiggled their way through clues to earn points for their teams and to earn fundraising dollars for the Hangar. Each team featured a Hangar trustee, a local notable, a sponsor representative, and a Hangar star returning to the stage after performing in a Mainstage show this summer. The Hangar stars performed a show-stopping halftime act directed by the Hangar's Artistic Director Jen Waldman.


The winning team in the charades battle was the Remarkable Reds led by Hangar Trustee Jamie Wells and including Rik Daniels of Tompkins Trust Company, Kelly Jackson of Tompkins Trust Company, and Bruce Warren, who played the Dentist in the Hangar's Little Shop of Horrors this summer. In close second in the charades battle, and taking first place for the most dollars fundraised, was the Hellacious Horrors led by Hangar Trustee Arno Selco and including Susan Currie of Tompkins County Public Library, Frost Travis of Travis Hyde Properties, and Erin Maya, who was the voice of Audrey II in Little Shop of Horrors.

The real winners of the night, however, are the children, young adults, and early career professionals who benefit from the Hangar's commitment to education and training programming. All of the money raised from this event will support the Hangar's Project 4: Artists in the Classroom program, its professional training program called the Hangar Lab Company, its Next Generation School of Theatre summer classes, and its Spring Break-a-Leg camp.

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