Friday, April 17, 2026
The Annual Grand Marquee Gala is The Paramount Theater ‘s signature fundraising event, supporting our mission to educate, enchant, enrich, and enlighten the Charlottesville community through the arts. This cherished Spring tradition brings together friends and supporters for an unforgettable evening of purpose and celebration – featuring a silent auction, dancing, and exceptional food and cocktails, all in support of our historic nonprofit theater.
Since reopening in 2004, The Paramount Theater:
- Hosted over 1.1 million patrons at 2,800+ events.
- Provided several thousand community access tickets to nearly 70 nonprofit partners annually, hosting numerous free events open to the community.
- Welcomed 230,100 students and teachers for live performances on stage through the Arts Education Program.
- Continues to serve as an essential part of the cultural and economic vitality of Charlottesville’s Downtown Mall.
For questions regarding sponsorship opportunities, please contact Lauren Moon | 434-293-1009
We look forward to seeing you on the red carpet!
7:00PM Doors open for Gala guests
9:00PM Late-night guests join the party
Attire: Black Tie Optional
Sponsors
Shine like the top of the Chrysler Building!
Be a beacon of vibrancy, creativity and iconic excellence — join us as a sponsor for this unforgettable evening to support The Paramount in elevating the arts in our community. Please contact Lauren Moon (434-293-1009) for questions regarding sponsorship opportunities and benefits.
We look forward to seeing you on the red carpet for this year’s Grand Marquee Gala.
Sponsorship Opportunities
Silent Auction
Coming Soon!
Check back soon for luxury getaways, private tours, 3 course dinners, epic Paramount parties, original artwork, and much, much more!
If you are interested in donating items for next year’s Grand Marquee Gala Silent Auction and Raffle, please contact Shawn Puller, shawnpuller@theparamount.net.
2026 Sponsors & Stars List
Platinum
Smith Vicars Family Foundation
Gold
Parke and Coran Capshaw
Cathy and Jon Scheumann
Anonymous
Silver
Mary Jae Abbitt
Core Real Estate Partners
Jud and Mary Dalton
Sharon B. Donovan with McLean Faulconer
Pam and Frank Edmonds
Harvest Moon Catering
Martha and Chip Jordan
Pam Roland Lengel and Alan Lengel
Diane and Howie Long
Karen Moran and Wistar Morris
Angie and Dan Oakey
UVA Arts
Bronze
Antoinette and Benjamin Brewster
Mary Kate and Rob Cary
Patti Cary and Todd Stansbury
Ashley and Kevin Gundersen
Kris Kasselman and Bob Emmett
Susan and Ludwig Kuttner – IX Art Park
Sabra Purtill and Andy Vest
Sydney and Travis Robertson
Laurie Turner
Star
Maia and Glenn Bannan | Carolyn and David Beach | Mary Buckle and Stewart Searle |
Judy Campbell and Michael Henke | Virginia Cenedella | Scheline and Bill Crutchfield |
Vicki and Jim Farmer |Sterling and Gerry Frank | Julia and Paul Given | Janie and Ron Goldberg |
Autumn and Vann Graves | Carla and Nick Hallman | Erin Hall and Michael Shveima |
Amy and John Harris | John Heyser and Julie Hulett | David Lea | Amanda and Matthew McCorry |
Rock Paper Scissors | Melissa and Rob Weiler | Chris and Sara Whiffen
2026
Grand Marquee Gala Committee
Martha Jordan, Chair
Maia Bannan
Antoinette Brewster
Patti Cary
June DeFabio
Sharon Donovan
Pam Edmonds
Clay Eure
Sterling Frank
Janna Gies
Mark Hahn
Erin Hall
Carla Hallman
Amanda Jones
Wendy Lam
Diane Long
Julie Montross
Lauren Moon
Shawn Puller
Mary Buckle Searle
Shannon Thomas
Laurie Turner
Adrienne Woodard
Photo Finish Fabulous
Thank you for joining us for last year’s 14th Annual Grand Marquee Gala – A Night at the Races. What an unforgettable Derby Day! Relive the magic and click the link below to browse the full gallery.
Photos courtesy of Rob Garland Photographers.
THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS
Marquee Sponsor
Producer Marquee Sponsor
Producer Sponsor
With Generous Grant Support from
Awards
