On Wednesday Oct. 28, the Gold Coast Arts Center will hold their 20th annual Gala at the Tilles Center for the Performing Arts from 6 to 11 p.m.
The Gold Coast Arts Center Founder and Executive Director Regina Gil said the Gala is not just important for raising money, but also for providing high-class entertainment for the community.
“It’s a necessary event. Do I wish I could throw a wonderful event and not worry about the money I have to raise? Sure,” Gil said. “But until somebody says to me, ‘here’s a check for a million dollars,’ I am committed to doing this event and doing it well and doing it as elegant and wonderful as possible. We want to send a message to tell people what we do and have a good time at the same time.”
Due to the protection of celebrities, Gil said it is difficult to get high-profile entertainers to attend events, but over the years staff at the center have developed important connections.
“We are able to get these people because of various connections, everything is about personal connections. VIPs and celebrities are protected by armies of people,” Gil said. “You have to ultimately find a way to persuade them that our cause is a good one. After all these years, we have solid connections.”
This year, the center will be honoring two accomplished entertainers with their “Artist of Distinction” awards.
Grammy-award winning musicial and conductor, Vince Giordano, who is known for recording soundtracks for shows like HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire” and Cinemax’s “The Knick,” and actor Navid Negahban, known for his supporting role in the Clint Eastwood directed film “American Sniper,” will be honored by the center as “Artists of Distinction.”
“He’s not just amazing and talented, but he’s also a nice guy who understands what we’re doing and cares about what we’re doing,” Gil said of Giordano.
She added that audience members will see a different side of Negahban that they would not see on the screen.
“It’s interesting because he’s such a funny guy, but he plays terrorists in movies,” Gil said. “He is going to have some funny things to say about his career.
The center will be giving a “Woman of Influence” award to Patricia Riggen, a Latin-American director who directed “The 33,” an upcoming film starring Antonio Banderas.
“One of our themes is honoring women,” Gil said. “There are few female directors and even less Latin-American female directors in the industry. We were excited to offer her the ‘Woman of Influence’ award.”
Gil added that Riggen would be presented the award by Lou Diamond Phillips, an actor starring in “The 33.”
While honoring various entertainers has been a consistent aspect of the Gala, Gil said the center will be trying something new this year by presenting a short Buster Keaton film to the audience.
“The film is in black and white. It’s a very funny film that has been re-digitalized and re-mastered and there will be live music from a professional organist who travels the world performing for all kinds of entertainment,” she said. “We have never taken the film side of what we do before.”
Gil added that the idea came from a previous center event where they screened a short film at the Bow Tie Theater with live music that was well-received by the audience.
The Gala will also hold a silent auction for attendees to buy items such as Barclays Center VIP box tickets for New York Islanders and Brooklyn Nets games, a black mink vest, jewelry, and trips to locations like Costa Rica, London, and Cabo.
“When we accept the gifts, we want to make sure they are excellent to entice people to participate,” Gil said. “And everything is donated so that’s another way to raise funds.”Save and close
The Gala will be hosted by Kristin Thorne, a Long Island correspondent for ABC’s Eyewitness News.
“When we were thinking about it we wanted to bring a young, attractive, articulate person to the microphone to be the M.C.,” Gil said. “She was gracious enough to say yes. She is quite a personality.”
While she is the main overseer of the Gala, Gil said the success of the event would not be possible without her staff.
“We have so many people who participate and help,” she said. “Without them, our Gala would be a much diminished event.”
Tickets for the Gala cost $250 per person, but anyone under the age of 35 can call the center for a reduced price.
To buy tickets or for more information, you can call the Gold Coast Arts Center at 516-829-2570 or e-mail at info@goldcoastarts.org.
The Tilles Center for the Performing Arts is located at 720 Northern Blvd. in Greenvale.
“Everyone is invited and we would love to see as many people as possible,” Gil said.
