Masquerade in the Mountains Puts the Fun in Fundraiser

On April 21, Greenbrier Valley Theatre, the State Professional Theatre of West Virginia, celebrated its annual fundraiser with Masquerade in the Mountains, an evening of costumed entertainment.

Masquerade in the Mountains was held at the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine’s Conference Center, and guests arrived masked and ready to celebrate.

The evening kicked off with a cabaret performance by New York’s Gabrielle Lee, who entertained the crowd with classic Broadway and jazz numbers. She was accompanied by GVT Music Director Kermit Medsker on piano, Terry Douds on bass, and Tim Pyne on drums. Lee will return to GVT in the fall as the star of the world premiere of Bricktop: Legend of the Jazz Age, written by GVT Producing Artistic Director Cathey Sawyer.

Guests at Greenbrier Valley Theatre’s Masquerade in the Mountains included (left to right) Sandy Hoffman, cabaret artist Gabrielle Lee*, Angie King, Jen Runyon, and Mereda Doss. (Photo courtesy / Jen Runyon)

* denotes member of Actors’ Equity Association.

Following Lee’s fabulous performance, the crowd was treated to dance band RiverJam from Charleston, WV. The 13-piece RiverJam played classic hits, spanning the musical spectrum from The Temptations to Journey, and the crowd was on its feet—particularly the cast of The School for Lies, currently playing at GVT.

GVT would like to thank Gabrielle Lee, RiverJam, the GVT Board of Trustees, WVSOM and the patrons and guests who made the Masquerade a success.

“We are so grateful for the support of the community,” said GVT Development Manager Sofia Crowell. “While Greenbrier Valley Theatre is a professional, equity theatre, we are first and foremost a community theatre, and without our local patrons and supporters, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do.”