n September 1981, the then
Auburn Civic Theatre made
Ed Sayles its Producing
Director. Twenty-five years later,
Sayles is still at the helm and the
company, now the Merry-Go-
Round Playhouse, has earned
national recognition for both its
ground breaking educational youth theatre and its crit-
ically acclaimed musical theatre.
On Friday, May 5th, in celebration of the tri-
umphant strides of the past quarter century and the
man who championed the vision, Merry-Go-Round
Playhouse announces a unique fundraising event: a
special one night only musical performance at the
Playhouse followed by a gala reception in the Emerson
Park Pavilion. The evening, which serves as a major
fundraising event for the
not for profit professional
theatre company, will
honor both the vision and
success.
The cabaret
style performance titled Ed
Sayles: Way-Off Broadway,
conceived and created by Ed with help from long time
Merry-Go-Round Musical Director, Mark Goodman,
will consist of a revue of musical selections from the
best of Broadway and chronicle the Playhouse's last 25
years as told by Sayles. Sayles' leadership and progres-
sive philosophy regarding quality musical theatre are
principle factors in the remarkable growth the Merry-
Go-Round Playhouse has witnessed.
The post performance gala, complete with silent
auction, will offer invitees an opportunity to toast the
evening and celebrate the Playhouse.
Special Event Passes, which include admission
to Ed Sayles: Way-Off Broadway and invitation to the
gala, are $75 and limited to 250. An additional 250
Performance Only Tickets, at $40, are also available.
Tickets go on sale January 4th.
For those who wish to be a part of this special
event but are unable to attend, the evening will
include a commemorative program in which, for a
contribution of $25, Merry-Go-Round invites patrons
and supporters to make their own special dedication to
Ed or the Playhouse.
All proceeds from tickets sales, program dedica-
tions and the silent auction will benefit the Merry-Go-
Round Playhouse. Funds raised will support program-
ming for both the Playhouse's Musical and Youth
Theatres.
For tickets, dedications or information, contact
the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse Box Office at 315-
255-1785 or toll free at 1-800-457-8897. In anticipa-
tion of high demand, all orders must be made by
phone; online tickets will not be available.
The Merry-Go-Round Playhouse, known wide-
ly as "Broadway in the Finger Lakes" is located in beau-
tiful Emerson Park on Owasco Lake in Auburn, NY.
The not-for-profit professional theatre company pro-
duces five musical productions annually. Now cele-
brating its 35th season, the 2006 lineup of musical the-
atre includes: Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story, Rodgers
& Hammerstein's The King and I, Meredith Willson's
The Music Man, Lerner & Loewe's Gigi and My Way:
A Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra. For more infor-
mation on Merry-Go-Round or the 2006 season, visit
their website at merry-go-round.com, or call the Box
Office at 315-255-1785 or toll free at 1-800-457-8897.
Merry-Go-Round Playhouse announces a
special fundraising event 25 years in the making
Go Do
F i n g e r L a k e s o f N e w Yo r k
C U L T U R A L G U I D E
&
&
is published each Spring by Lee Enterprises
and The Citizen and distributed free through-
out the Finger Lakes region.
Offices are at 25 Dill St., Auburn, NY 13021.
Office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday
through Friday.
Also look for our related guides: Go&Do
Outdoors Guide, Go&Do Wine & Dine, Go
&Do Bridal and Go&Do Travel Guide and
the list goes on.
Publisher
..................................Rick Emanuel
Contributing editor
.....................Fran LeFort
Advertising director
........ Michael Rifanburg
Creative director
................Lee Cunningham
Advertising: For information on advertising
in our print and Web products contact at
315.253.5311 ext. 210.
Listings: Send press releases and editorial
updates electronically to citizenads@yahoo.com
Cover photo: Holly O'Brien, as Belle, from
Merry-Go-Round Playhouse's 2005 production
of Disney's Beauty and The Beast.
Photo by Glenn Gaston.
I
Merry-Go-Round Playhouse
2 Go&Do Cultural Guide 2006
