Random Farms Kids' Theater Hosts 20th Anniversary Gala Tonight

Tonight, May 1st, the generous supporters and dedicated families of the Random Farms Kids' Theater will celebrate the organization's 20th Anniversary Gala. The event will be held at the Scarsdale Golf Club. The evening will commemorate 20 years of teaching young people about the performing arts while raising funds for the organization's many programs.

Funds raised at the gala will support Random Farms's wide range of programs that engage K-12 students in performing arts activities that focus primarily on musical theater. Random Farms is committed to making the performing arts accessible to young people from all

economic backgrounds and depends on donors to achieve this goal. The fees for its tuition-based programs cover less than half of their expenses and many programs are offered free of charge. To date, Random Farms has provided more than $90,000 in need-based scholarships to young people eager to participate in theater.

"Our goal has been to never turn away a child from the arts because of his or her financial circumstance and, so far, we have never had to do that," says Founder and Executive Director, Anya Wallach, "Our next goal is to never turn away a child from the arts because of our financial circumstance. For 20 years, we have worked very hard to create a positive and enriching environment for these young performers and their families, and many of them

consider Random Farms a home-away-from-home. We are overjoyed that this reputation has brought so many new families to Random Farms, but we are running out of resources to reach them all. The growth necessary to expand our programs and open our doors to those children will really depend on financial support from our donors."

This year's gala will also celebrate the work of three very special honorees. Susan Golden of the law firm Venable LLP has offered an instrumental guiding hand to Random Farms, by helping to create policies for a safe and productive environment for children and by preparing the organization for major growth in the coming years.

Additionally, Random Farms will honor two young people from its organization for their exemplary involvement in its musical theater programs. Whitney Woerz, a middle school student from Connecticut, has performed with the organization's anti-bullying musical for

four years, bringing a positive and

entertaining message about a serious social issue to schools throughout the NY-NJ-CT area. Maggie Rothberg, a high school junior from from Westchester, NY, will be awarded with the Alana Calder Memorial Award due to her admirable spirit, enthusiasm, and selflessness on stage and off stage at Random Farms.

The Random Farms Kids' Theater was founded 20 years ago by a then-16-year-old Anya Wallach from Chappaqua, NY. Its first production featured Broadway tunes performed by a handful of young performers from Ms. Wallach's neighborhood. Since then, it has been a pioneer in children's theater in the tri-state area. Today, Random Farms serves 1,200 young people per year with rehearsals, classes, and lessons at its studio in

Elmsford, and performances on local professional stages such as the Tarrytown Music Hall and Yorktown Stage. More than 75 young performers from Random Farms have gone on to Broadway and many more have continued to work professionally in the arts and entertainment industries.

To learn more about Random Farms or to support the gala, visit randomfarms.com/gala.