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(205) 508-0525 • AmersonEvents.com 44 Southern Jewish Life • March 2017
at Workplay we want this to be their home, and the celebration to be everything they dreamed and then some,” sad Workplay General Manager Joe Benintende, who adds that Workplay has the experience and is happy to help coordinate every aspect of an event from the entertainment to the food to the decorations. “We’re so much more than just a place that hosts events. We have the resources and experience to handle every aspect of one’s special day.” Benintende worked for more than 20 years for Gary Weinberger, who owns Red Mountain Entertainment and the two are very close friends. “I have been to Seders and other holiday celebrations at their house,” he added. The New Orleans native came to Workplay last year, followed more recently by New Orleans native Steven Knight. He owns Southeastern Attractions and handles public/private events booking as well as coordination. “Joe and I have been doing this for many years,” said Knight, who started in the business in 1989. “At Workplay we’re happy to do any event big or small with big national entertainment or local folks. Whatever they want, we can do.” Workplay can host seated celebrations of 300 to 500 in its theater and bar area. The Sound Stage room can hold around 800 standing. “The versatility of the space is another advantage… plus we have some of the top sound and lighting professionals in the industry,” said Knight. In 2016, Workplay hosted the Schulman/Campusano wedding and corporate celebrations for Lehr-Middlebrooks. Other big events included the Magic City Classic Halloween party, the Mountain Brook High School prom, the Girls Rock School and a Birmingham-Southern College concert. On the entertainment production side of things, Jewish Pulitzer Prizewinning singer/songwriter Bob Dylan (aka Robert Zimmerman) filmed a video at Workplay last year, and for three weeks Workplay was home base for the movie “Let There Be Light,” with many scenes shot there. Workplay even hosted a gala for 300 FBI Academy agents. “They called us three hours before they wanted to have the party and we were closed that day. I called my people in and we put it all together on short notice. It was a big success. We can even do events with very short notice,” said Benintende. Coming up this month, Workplay will host the Elvis Ball and was recently named the official venue for former American Idol winner and Birmingham native Ruben Studdard and his band Just a Few Cats. Knight said they can offer non-profit rates to those that qualify and have experience doing kosher-style events.
B&A Warehouse One of the Jewish weddings hosted at Birmingham’s B&A Warehouse in 2016 was straight out of Hogwarts. The Grace Papajohn and Evan Garfinkel wedding last March had a Harry Potter theme. There were candles hanging from the ceilings at the event facility across the street from Railroad Park downtown. They had school crests from Harry Potter and theme-appropriate drinks. More than 200 people attended. “The great thing about the B&A is that it is an open canvas. We can work with folks on all aspects of the space, décor, food to make the event special,” said Event Coordinator Haley Roebuck. “We especially love it when people come up with a creative theme for an event we can carry out for them.” Another Jewish wedding in 2016 was for a couple, Adam Goldberg and Page Feinstein, who live in New York City. The bride is from Birmingham and wanted to have the wedding in the Magic City but with some Big Apple touches. The wedding hosted more than 175 guests. In August, B&A Warehouse will host the Aland Bat Mitzvah, with 250 people expected to attend. For a standing event, the facility can accommodate more than 800