2024 Avalon Theatre Gala
May 5 was a special evening for The Avalon as we celebrated our 12th Gala with so many members of our community. The highlight of the evening for many attendees was Rachel Franklin’s presentation Orchestrating Greatness: Movies, their Music, and the Oscars. Rachel dazzled us with a multi-media program that highlighted iconic movie scores and the composers who wrote them.
This year’s gala raised over $160,000 to support the theater and its Cinema Classroom at The Avalon program. The program began with The Cinema Classroom Story that we produced to give our audience an inside look at our student film education program.
If you were unable to attend the gala, please consider contributing to our Cinema Classroom at the Avalon program which in its 11 years of existence has brought the educational value of film to over 17,000 students from every DC ward. Your contribution will help fund this free program (including bus transportation).
There are many people to thank for making the evening such a success. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all those who joined us, as well as those who could not attend but generously made donations. We would especially like to express our appreciation to the event underwriters for their invaluable support. The list of underwriters appears below.
Cinema Classroom at the Avalon is a free program teaching visual literacy and critical thinking to 6th-12th grade students from across the District of Columbia.
Twelve films are presented each school year, each focusing on social justice and human rights issues. In advance of each screening, we offer curriculum guides linked to DCPS standards. Each screening is followed by an interactive discussion with a subject matter expert.
About Rachel Franklin
British-born classical and jazz concert pianist Dr. Rachel Franklin is a renowned performer and public speaker. Her acclaimed wit, scholarship and insights about music have led to countless speaking engagements for such distinguished organizations as the Smithsonian Institution, the Library of Congress, and National Public Radio.
She’s particularly fascinated with movie music, its storied composers, social history and irresistible gossip.
Rachel’s great passion is provoking connections and sparking imaginative pathways for her listeners and students, so their own creativity can be inspired by extraordinary musical art. Besides appreciating her performing artistry, her listeners rave about her warm, engaging style as she illustrates on the piano.
We Thank Our Generous Underwriters!
CORPORATE UNDERWRITERS
Screenwriter
INDIVIDUAL UNDERWRITERS
Gala Star
Anonymous
Producer
Donetta George
Jodie Levin-Epstein & Barry Zigas
Live to Give Equity & Justice Fund
Cinematographer
Carl & Courtney Bergeron
Lynn & Bill Choquette
Circle Yoga & Opening Heart Mindfulness
Patricia P. Karp & Judith A. Powers
Ann Pelham & Bob Cullen
Margaret Parsons & Lawrence Gray
Screenwriter
Lisa Banks & Linda Correia
Phyllis & Barry Caldwell
Connie K.N. Chang & Nathaniel G. Pearlman
Heather & Chris Davenport
Bernard S. Gewirz
Sarajane Johnson & Arthur Goldberg
William & Heidi Maloni
Kathleen & Chris Matthews
Elias Savada
Dr. Maria Turner
Dorothy & Kenneth Woodcock
Host Committee
Cynthia Baker & Jonathan Zeitler
Lisa Banks & Linda Correia
Carl & Courtney Bergeron
Claire Bloch & Geoffrey Griffis
Sally Courtney
Toby & Daniel Edelman
Donetta George
Peter Halle & Carolyn Lamm
Aviva Kempner
Joshua M. Levin & Debra Fried Levin
Andrew & Amy Mack
Mary Louise Mitterhoff
Adam Nemzer & Vali Tschirgi
Lynn Palmer & Bob Peck
Susan & David Reichardt
Jan Solomon & Kenneth Simonson
Daniel Spealman Jr & Kristi Maasjo
Randy Speck & Samantha Nolan
Lalita Subramanian & John Pappajohn
Patron Level Supporters
Kathryn Abell
Janice & Kim Abraham
Cynthia Baker & Jonathan Zeitler
Joanne Barrett
Annie Burns & John Monahan
Dana Beyer
Claire Bloch
Gina & Arch Campbell
Jeanne Cohn & Mark Wolfe
Colb Family
John Cole & Nancy Guinn
Sally Courtney
Alexander D. Crary
Joan Danzinger
Kim DiDonato & Martin Murrell
Toby & Daniel Edelman
Tom & Eileen Ehrgood
Christina Files & Richard English
Sherry Fizdale
Stephanie & Tope Folarin
Barbara & John Franklin
Mary L. Froning
Matt Frumin
Maureen Gardner & Bill Oberdorfer
Nancy Gifford
Martha Gil-Montero & Joseph A. Page
Gerry Gingrich
Jenny Goldstein & Dave Wachtel
Teresa Grana
Martin Hahn & Colleen Martin
Peter Halle & Carolyn Lamm
Harold & Bonnie Himmelman
Charlotte Jones-Carroll
Aviva Kempner
Margo Kingston
Peter Kolker
June Kress
Chris & Tomi Landis
Philip & Patricia Larson
Jerry Levine
Joshua M. Levin & Debra Fried Levin
Andrew & Amy Mack
Cathy MacNeil-Hollinger & Mark Hollinger
Chase & Chris Maggiano
Wendy W. Makins
Jason & Elena McFeaters
Carol McGarry
Elizabeth A. McGrath
Anne McGuirk
Kathy Mckay
Judith & Richard Meltzer
Louise Millikan
Mary Louise Mitterhoff & Richard Saunders
Kent Morrison & Dale Clayton-Morrison
Henrietta Morse
National Trust Insurance Services, LLC
Adam Nemzer & Vali Tschirgi
Tom Oberdorfer
Inci Otker
Lynn Palmer & Bob Peck
Lydia & Sandy Parnes
Mark & Dori Paster
John & Nancy Pielemeier
Susan & David Reichardt
Ruth Robbins
Barbara & Sherman Robinson
Lisa Rosenberg & Frank Gorman
Christina H. Schoux
Rob Sheehan
Anne Shields
English & Elaine Showalter
Jan Solomon & Kenneth Simonson
Daniel Spealman Jr & Kristi Maasjo
Randy Speck & Samantha Nolan
Janet St. Amand
Lalita Subramanian & John Pappajohn
Jim & Cindy Tuite
Dorothy Wexler
Katharine Weymouth
About the Avalon Theatre
The oldest operating movie house in the Washington, DC region, the Avalon Theatre has been a cornerstone of its community since opening in 1923.
After the theater was abruptly closed in 2001, a grassroots effort by the newly formed Avalon Theatre Project successfully restored the theater and it reopened in 2003.
The non-profit, historic Avalon Theatre is a 101-year-old community-supported film center in Chevy Chase DC that entertains, educates, and inspires the people of metropolitan Washington, DC through the magic of cinema.