Delaware Theatre Company reclaims wine event
Delaware Theatre Company executive director Bud Martin likes a red, preferably a Bordeaux. Delaware's first lady Carla Markell prefers a red wine, too.
They'll be able to indulge themselves Oct. 28, when the Delaware Theatre Company moves to take back the success it had with its longtime fundraising wine feast, following an attempt by others to expand it into a multiday affair.
The theater's new roving cocktail party, Ovation! Wine Feast & Auction, will be staged at the Delaware Art Museum and will be limited to about 400 people as the theater tries to rebuild the event's momentum. The Wilmington party will feature wine and food tastings as well as a silent auction.
The original Wine Feast, which ended in 2011, had been held first at the theater itself decades ago. It later moved to the Chase Center on the Riverfront and finally, as it grew to about 750 people, in the Hotel du Pont's Gold Ballroom. The feast was a popular enough event that when theater board member Carol Arnott married Tucker Robbins, they decided not to have a private reception, but instead brought their wedding guests tickets to the wine feast.
Those wine feasts raised about $100,000 a year.
"It was a big part of their bottom line," Markell says.
Organizers of Ovation!, who include event co-chairs Markell, arts patron Tatiana Copeland and former DuPont Co. Chief Executive Ellen Kullman, hope this year to raise $50,000.
The now-defunct MidAtlantic Wine + Food Festival planned to capitalize on the wine feast's success and expanded to multiple-themed tastings and dinners in various locations, including private homes, with notable experts and wines flown in from around the world. But expenses proved to be much higher. The first year, it raised less than half of the funds customary for the Delaware Theater Company and the arts organization pulled out. After two more years of working with other area charities, the MidAtlantic festival ended.
Former board member Markell was on the DTC team that planned the theater's first wine festival, and former board member Mike Kullman, a DuPont Co. retiree and husband of Ellen, worked on the event for years. When MidAtlantic collapsed, they were two of the first to suggest the theater jump back into the alcohol-laced void.
"I think what happened is that some of the wine people who were more into wine and food really thought it would be fantastic to make it a gigantic wine and food event," Markell says. "I was more into raising money for the theater."
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Expanding was a great idea, she says, but so complicated that it didn't leave much to share with charities, which had been most everyone's hope.
Martin says he's particularly happy restoring Ovation! has meant a significant amount of renewed interest from people who had been active with the theater in the past and stepped back when MidAtlantic began.
Markell, Kullman and Copeland have created an organizing committee that doesn't have board and staff members on it, relieving the staff from much of the day-to-day organizing.
"People seem to be very excited about it and, so far, there has been lots of support and a lot of wine donations to auction off to raise money for the theater," Martin says. "We hope for it to be a good fundraiser for us and to also make people aware of our new capital campaign."
The theater hopes to raise $4 million in that campaign. It will use $2 million of the money to augment productions that have a chance to move to New York, such as "Because of Winn-Dixie" and "Diner." The other $2 million will be used to update scenic, lighting and sound equipment in the 30-year-old theater, as well as replace the roof, seating, carpet and paint.
When the theater lost the wine feast money, Martin started its Play A Part winter gala. It begins with a cocktail party and pickup dinner at the Riverfront Market, and then moves into the theater for an evening with entertainment, then dessert in the theater lobby. The first year, Carla and Gov. Jack Markell, performed "Love Letters." The next two years, Broadway stars performed.
"I think Play a Part and the wine event can co-exist," Martin says. "They attract different audiences as well. And the idea of getting a Broadway star to come in and perform here is in keeping with our mission, so we would like to keep both at different and distinct times, as long as people don’t get sick and tired of us raising money."
Mike Kullman says he believes Ovation! will become the go-to kind of event that the original wine feast was.
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"The interest has been huge," he says, and he's particularly happy about having it at the Wilmington Art Museum on Kentmere Parkway.
"It's great that the cultural institutions in the city support each other," Kullman says. "It's a beautiful space over there, and we thought it was about the right size this year. We're not shooting for 650 people. We wanted to start small and make sure it was well done and make sure people were having fun."
Markell and Kullman said it's been gratifying that sponsors, restaurants and wine vendors have been enthusiastic. Participating restaurants include Caffé Gelato, Domaine Hudson, Harry’s Hospitality Group, Junto, Montrachet Fine Foods, Piccolina Toscana, Platinum Dining Group and Walter’s Steakhouse. Wine merchants include Branmar Wine and Spirits, Collier’s of Centreville, Dogfish Head Brewery, Frank’s Wine, Kreston Wine and Spirits, Moore Brothers Wine Co., Standard Distributing Co., White Horse Winery and the Wine and Spirit Company of Greenville.
People also have donated auction items, including wine, art and a trip to the Inn at Carneros in California wine country.
Organizers hope that the rising profile of the theater company and its productions will help interest ticket buyers. The theater's current offering, "The War of the Roses," is also set to head north after it closes Oct. 2.
"Bud has done a great job of making it accessible," Carla Markell says.
Markell is not afraid to wonder aloud if it might be possible to reach the $100,000 mark this year.
"It was such a great moneymaker for us," she says. "It's just a very simple lovely evening with great food and wine and a lovely sense of community spirit."
Contact Betsy Price at (302) 743-6006 or beprice@delawareonline.com.
IF YOU GO
WHAT: Ovation! Wine Feast & Auction
WHEN: 6 to 9:30 p.m. Oct. 28
WHERE: Delaware Art Museum, 2301 Kentmere Parkway, Wilmington
TICKETS: $125 ($100 before Oct. 1); $250, event and patron dinner in a private home; $75, young friend tickets (21-35 years old). Buy them at www.delawaretheatre.org/winefeast.
TO DONATE: Contact Andy Truscott at (302) 504-3451 or ATruscott@DelawareTheatre.org).