Broadway Review to Raise Money for Programming at Dunbar
Springfield, MA ― Mamie Duncan Gibbs, Springfield native and Dunbar Community Center alum, who went on to sing and dance in many Broadway productions including Chicago, Cats and Jelly’s Last Jam among others, is returning to Springfield with some of her Broadway friends to do a benefit performance for Forever Dunbar, whose mission is to provide financial support necessary to sustain the viability, essential programming and life changing impact of the Dunbar on our community. In a nutshell, Forever Dunbar raises money to provide sustainable programming at the Dunbar Community Center.
The Dunbar ran into financial trouble several years ago and has a close to $1 million dollar mortgage which is in default. For the past four years, the YMCA of Greater Springfield has been managing the Dunbar and running its programs in the building for the Mason Square Community. The funds raised from the event will be allocated specifically to the Dunbar programming which is currently subsidized by the Y’s other operations.
The event will be held on Sunday, October 9th at 3:00 p.m. at Symphony Hall. Performing with Mamie will be Tony Nominee, Vivian Reed, who starred in Showboat, Bubbling Brown Sugar, Sophisticated Ladies and Blues in the Night; Ben Cameron, whose shows include Wicked, Aida and Footloose; Jimmy Tate, who appeared in The Tap Dance Kid, Jelly’s Last Jam, and Bring in the Noise-Bring in the Funk; Michael-Denby Cain, who appeared in Smokey Joe’s Café, Ragtime, and Victor/Victoria; the Williams Brothers, whose Broadway shows include Sophisticated Ladies and Five Guys Named Moe; and natives to our community Gretchen Palmer, Savoy Bailey and Vanessa Ford.
Many Dunbar alum, both living locally and across the country, are expected to attend. The Sunday program will also include a tribute to Frank Hatchett, a beloved dance instructor at the Dunbar who gave Mamie and other local dancers their start in the profession. All of the performers are graciously donating their time and all proceeds raised from the event will be used for programming at the Dunbar.
In addition to the event on Sunday, the performers will hold classes and clinics on Saturday at the Dunbar which will be open to the public. Also, on Saturday night, a cocktail reception will be held at the Hall of Fame which will provide an opportunity to meet and talk to Mamie and the other performers. Tickets for Sunday’s performance, the Saturday night reception and a discounted package for attending both events will go on sale in August. For more information, please visit the and Forever Dunbar will be on Facebook.
Volunteers to help with the event are welcome as are advertisements in the ad book and sponsorships for Saturday and Sunday. Please contact Ellen Freyman at 413-737-1131 or efreyman@ssfpc.com
