Within These Walls
WHAT: The show at Turner Hall is a fundraiser focused
on five former visitors to the establishment known throughout the country. Actors will reprise the spirits of Jack Dempsey, Lawrence Welk, Susan B. Anthony, Marie B. Hoesly and John F. Kennedy. Each one will speak in character about their visit to Monroe and their lives during a five-course dinner.
WHEN: The event starts at
6 p.m. Nov. 14. Dress-up is encouraged.
TICKETS: $80 per person, $600 per table of eight; only 34 remain. Call (608) 966-3362 to make reservations.
MONROE - Turner Hall in Monroe has decided to turn back time for a fundraiser with a twist on live entertainment.
With help from the Monroe Theatre Guild, Turner Hall Executive Board Vice President Virgil Leopold said the not-for-profit has spent more than a year organizing "Within These Walls" as a part of their Swiss Heritage Series. The event is scheduled for Nov. 14 beginning with dinner at 6 p.m.
At 147 years of history, the Turner Hall fundraiser is a tribute to the past.
The night of a five-course dinner and yesteryear decorations and costumes will host five prominent guests who have visited Turner Hall in the past: Susan B. Anthony, Lawrence Welk, Jack Dempsey, Marie B. Hoesly and John F. Kennedy. Each person will be brought back to life for this one-night-only event through performances by guild actors throughout dinner.
"We have so many interesting people who have been to Turner Hall," Leopold said. "We could have gone on. It was amazing when we started looking at the history."
At some point in their lives, all of the historical people have spent time at the building. Anthony, a pioneering suffragist; Dempsey, a famous boxer; and Welk, a television entertainer for
30 years all stopped by for varying
reasons. Kennedy stopped on April 1, 1960 as a senator running for president. Hoesly was a Monroe native who trained in Turner Hall before making it to the Olympics in gymnastics.
Many people have helped make the night of entertainment a possibility. The committee overseeing the project, board of directors, decorators, costume designers, a photographer and videographer are all pieces of the puzzle from beginning to end. Other people will take part to ensure the night feels like a trip into the past. Employees will serve in costume, young women will walk around as candy vendors, and there will even be an elevator attendant. Attendees have been encouraged to dress in their favorite attire of the decades focused on for the show.
"There will be a couple of surprises," Leopold said. "We are more than excited about it."
Leopold said a "wonderful" script writer, who chose to remain anonymous, was the best part of the show and what places the event a caliber above others. He also said the MTG was a big part of their assured success.
"We couldn't have done it without the Monroe Theatre Guild," Leopold said. "It's a neat fundraiser turned into a really, really fun evening with a marvelous script."
The Turner Hall board limited the event to 200 seats due to the burden of an extended dinner. Leopold said there are just more than 30 seats left, but that tickets are going quickly, with plenty of people purchasing whole tables to share the production with their closest acquaintances.
With help from the Monroe Theatre Guild, Turner Hall Executive Board Vice President Virgil Leopold said the not-for-profit has spent more than a year organizing "Within These Walls" as a part of their Swiss Heritage Series. The event is scheduled for Nov. 14 beginning with dinner at 6 p.m.
At 147 years of history, the Turner Hall fundraiser is a tribute to the past.
The night of a five-course dinner and yesteryear decorations and costumes will host five prominent guests who have visited Turner Hall in the past: Susan B. Anthony, Lawrence Welk, Jack Dempsey, Marie B. Hoesly and John F. Kennedy. Each person will be brought back to life for this one-night-only event through performances by guild actors throughout dinner.
"We have so many interesting people who have been to Turner Hall," Leopold said. "We could have gone on. It was amazing when we started looking at the history."
At some point in their lives, all of the historical people have spent time at the building. Anthony, a pioneering suffragist; Dempsey, a famous boxer; and Welk, a television entertainer for
30 years all stopped by for varying
reasons. Kennedy stopped on April 1, 1960 as a senator running for president. Hoesly was a Monroe native who trained in Turner Hall before making it to the Olympics in gymnastics.
Many people have helped make the night of entertainment a possibility. The committee overseeing the project, board of directors, decorators, costume designers, a photographer and videographer are all pieces of the puzzle from beginning to end. Other people will take part to ensure the night feels like a trip into the past. Employees will serve in costume, young women will walk around as candy vendors, and there will even be an elevator attendant. Attendees have been encouraged to dress in their favorite attire of the decades focused on for the show.
"There will be a couple of surprises," Leopold said. "We are more than excited about it."
Leopold said a "wonderful" script writer, who chose to remain anonymous, was the best part of the show and what places the event a caliber above others. He also said the MTG was a big part of their assured success.
"We couldn't have done it without the Monroe Theatre Guild," Leopold said. "It's a neat fundraiser turned into a really, really fun evening with a marvelous script."
The Turner Hall board limited the event to 200 seats due to the burden of an extended dinner. Leopold said there are just more than 30 seats left, but that tickets are going quickly, with plenty of people purchasing whole tables to share the production with their closest acquaintances.