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Alabama Shakespeare Festival 25th Anniversary Gala
A Gift to the State:
25 years ago, many came from across the state and the nation to join the late Wynton “Red” Blount, and his wife, Carolyn, for opening night of the permanent home for the Alabama Shakespeare Festival.
A Teen Remembers:
Winston Wilson Reese, then a teenager, recalled the event as “the most glamorous and star-studded evening Montgomery had ever seen.” As chairwoman of ASF’s 25th Anniversary Gala, she set the bar high for the social event of this season.
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A Night of Sparkle:
As a celebration of the past and a salute to the future of the theatre, bright lights focused on many silver-clad arrivals who were treated to surprise after extraordinary surprise until the wee hours.
Flora and the Bard:
In the Grand Lobby, the Shakespeare statue was surrounded by more than a thousand stems of roses, hydrangea and fragrant stock. Covered in orchids, wooden anniversary swans had been commissioned for display that night as a tribute to those obtained by “Red” Blount to float on the lake in Blount Cultural Park.
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Left: Carrie Banks stands in front of Shakespeare’s statue at the ASF 25th Anniversary Gala (Jon Cook)
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