Oak Cliff native Cedric Neal was already a big deal in the North Texas theater world in the 2000s, thanks to performances at Jubilee Theater, Theatre Three and the Dallas Theater Center, where he would become on of the inaugural members of the Hal and Diane Brierley Resident Acting Company. Then he had a few shows on Broadway (first was Gershwin's Porgy and Bess), which lead to roles in London's West End, notably Berry Gordy in Motown!
This week, he became a much bigger name with a blazing performance of Stevie Wonder's Higher Ground on the U.K. edition of The Voice. In the blind auditions, he wowed all of the judges, including Tom Jones and Jennifer Hudson. The video (see above) already has more than 300,000 views on YouTube.
So, here's your chance to see him in Dallas. He'll co-headline the Dallas Theater Center's Center Stage Gala on May 4. His co-star is Wade McCollum, an actor who appeared at DTC as the Emcee in DTC's Cabaret, and was in the tour of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert when it came to Dallas Summer Musicals in 2016.
Here is the news release with complete details of the event:
2017 Regional Theatre Tony Award® Recipient Dallas Theater Center’s annual fundraising event, Centerstage 2019 will take place at the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre on Saturday, May 4, 2019. Co-chaired by Andy Smith and Paul von Wupperfeld, and Honorary Chairs Bess and Ted Enloe, the event will honor original Diane and Hal Brierley Resident Acting Company Members Chamblee Ferguson, Liz Mikel and Sally Nystuen Vahle with the annual Linda and Bill Custard Award.
“I’ve served on the DTC board for the past seven years and have seen first-hand the impact this Tony-Award winning regional theater is making on our community,” said Smith. “Not only does DTC produce world-class theater that entertains and sparks conversation, but they have excellent education and community outreach programs, for which Centerstage provides much-needed funding. DTC is working hard to be the theater for all of Dallas, to be a thought leader and spark ideas, conversation and solutions to help make our community stronger.”
Following the unprecedented success of the 2018 Rock On! Centerstage gala, Dallas Theater Center will once again welcome back two Broadway stars with Dallas Theater Center roots. Cedric Neal, an original Diane and Hal Brierley Resident Acting Company member and Oak Cliff native, whom Dallas audiences saw in The Who’s Tommy (2008), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2009), and Stagger Lee (2015); and Wade McCollum, who will forever be remembered as the Emcee in Cabaret (2011). Neal and McCollum have both gone on to have successful careers on Broadway and beyond, and they look forward to celebrating an evening that includes a lively cocktail hour in the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre followed by a three-course dinner, a Tony-worthy performance and a jubilant late-night party.
Centerstage is Dallas Theater Center’s annual fundraising event that supports the theater’s innovative artistic programming, including thought-provoking new works and award-winning education programs like Project Discovery. Centerstage 2019 will begin at 6:30 p.m. with a cocktail hour, followed by a seated dinner, a special performance from Neal and McCollum, and an after-party with DJ Steffi Burns.
Individual tickets for Centerstage 2019 are $1,000 and underwriting levels start at $2,500. Can’t make it for the full evening? The after-party includes the special performance and DJ. Individual after-party tickets are $100.
Regardless of whether you attend the event, anyone can participate in the Centerstage 2019 raffle that includes a trip to New York City and two tickets to The Band's Visit and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts 1 and 2, with round-trip first-class airfare and two nights in a luxury hotel. Tickets are $50 each or six tickets for $250.
All tickets can be purchased online at www.dallastheatercenter.org/
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