Lily Tomlin to Headline ABT Gala in June

The Alberta Bair Theater for the Performing Arts announced Gala 2008 - an evening with one of America’s foremost actors and comedians – Lily Tomlin, Saturday, June 28, at the Alberta Bair Theater.

William Wood, ABT executive director, said this year’s Gala celebrates one of the most successful theater seasons in ABT history. “We had an extraordinary year, with a combined total of more than 47,000 tickets sold to our 63 public and school matinee performances.” Wood said presenting Lily Tomlin as the 2008 Gala act is the ‘crown jewel’ topping off a glittering season.

“Over a career stretching back more than 40 years, Lily Tomlin has established herself as one of the legends of American comedy. With an astonishing body of work, from Laugh In to Sesame Street, from the movie, Nashville, to the TV series The West Wing, she consistently illuminates the human heart.”

Gala 2008 Co-chairs Marcia Spalding and Leslie Pitman are returning to the elegant Gala formats of the past including the popular pre-performance Gala party at U.S. Bank, followed by the performance, and culminating with a Back Stage Bash on stage and in the alley behind ABT, for wine, hors d’oeuvres, and dancing under the stars. Spalding, who has been a theater volunteer and patron for more than 20 years, said the Gala is a gift to Billings and the surrounding communities.

“In many areas of the country, if you live in Smalltown, USA, you simply do not have the opportunity to attend an event the magnitude of Gala. The quality of the performance, the parties both before and after the show, the wonderful people who make the Gala possible - and the fact that Gala proceeds benefit the ABT, make this the best present we can give ourselves and the community.”

Spalding said the Gala could not be possible without the generous support of major Gala sponsors, including U.S. Bank, KULR 8, Crowne Plaza Billings, Denny Menholt Chevrolet-Hummer, Artcraft Printers, Susan and Hewes Agnew and the Billings Gazette.

Tickets for Gala 2008 are on sale at $150 per person for the pre performance party, premier theater seating, and the post performance Back Stage Bash, and $80 per person for the pre-show party and theater seating. A portion of each ticket is tax deductible. Proceeds benefit the Alberta Bair Theater. Call the ABT ticket office, (406) 256-6052, to purchase tickets and for more information, or visit albertabairtheater.org .