BEF Shines 'Spotlight on the Arts'

A special fundraiser to benefit the theater arts and music programs that use the Barrington High School stage will be held on June 14.

The Barrington Education Foundation is hosting the event at the Rhode Island Country Club. It runs from 7 to 10 pm.

Titled “Spotlight on the Arts,” the event is part of the BEF’s 20th anniversary celebration. Proceeds from the event will launch an “arts enrichment campaign” that is targeting the purchase of new computerized lighting and motorized rigging equipment for the auditorium stage.

Current rigging, which allows theater directors to change backdrops for scenes, is handmade and hand-rolled, said Stephanie Spaziano, theater director at the high school.

"I've never used it," she said. "I'm afraid it won't go back up. It was made by a former theater director."

The lighting and the current board for the lighting, Spaziano said, is so old that she doesn't know how old it is.

"It's a handicap to learning," she said of the existing gear. "The quality of the shows would improve dramatically."

The campaign goal is $36,000, according to Maureen Johnson, event chairwoman for the BEF.

The event includes hors d’oeuvres and cocktails with an array of entertainment, including the Barrington High School Woodwind Quartet, Jazz Band, and Choral Ensemble and Stagemasters drama club offering a performance.

There also will be a guest artist: Pat McGee of Barrington, a noted songwriter and singer.

A silent auction also will offer an array of prizes.

Tickets are $50 per person. You can register online at the BEF website www.barringtoneducation.org . The deadline is June 7.

Attire for the event is described as casual, but the BEF is asking that you not wear denim.

The arts enrichment campaign has three objectives:

1. Provide students with increased opportunities to master the full array of backstage technical skills that support theatrical production.
2. Allow student performers at all grade levels in both theater and music to experience performing in a setting that better approximates a professional theater.
3. Provide audience members with an enhanced viewing experience.

If you cannot attend the June 14 event, you can still support the campaign by making a donation online. All donations of $100 and above will be recognized on a plaque to be hung in the auditorium.