BRATTLEBORO — On Saturday, June 10, at 6 p.m., New England Youth Theatre hosts “Roots & Wings: A Celebration,” a benefit reception to raise funds for NEYT's Angels in the Wings Scholarship Fund, which supports more than 60 percent of all NEYT students with financial aid.
The reception, featuring savory hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar by Whetstone Station, precedes an evening of Broadway-style entertainment produced by NEYT graduate Taylor Patno, who is a growing presence in the New York theater scene.
The production features about a dozen NEYT graduates reprising some of their favorite numbers and introducing new songs and sketch comedy. “Never Said Goodbye, Volume II” begins at 7 p.m., immediately following the Roots & Wings reception.
“The event is called 'Roots & Wings' because so many of our graduates who have flown to different parts of the country still return, year after year, to perform, teach, and lend their talents to their first theater home,” NEYT Executive Director Hallie Flower said in a news release.
Flower adds that many of these graduates are now working in show business or pursuing theater as an avocation while they earn degrees or build their careers.
There will be a preview showing of “Never Said Goodbye, Volume II” on Friday, June 9, at 7 p.m., for those who wish to see the show without the reception. Tickets for Friday's performance are $20 each and will be available at the door.
Tickets for Roots & Wings cost $25 for students and $35 for adults and seniors, and include savory refreshments, a cash bar, Lucy's Lemonade Stand, and entrance to the “Never Said Goodbye, Volume II” performance Saturday night, June 10. There will also be a complimentary dessert and coffee bar at intermission.