Underwriters Are the Real Stars of SCR, Other Benefits

Got an extra $3,500 to spend?

It’s a bundle, but that’s what patrons of South Coast Repertory’s fall gala are paying for tables.

Make that $3,500 and up. SCR supporters are also being invited to donate $5,000, $7,500 or $10,000 to help cover party expenses. Single tickets are $350 each.

These generous spenders--a.k.a. gala patrons or underwriters--are the lifeblood of charity do’s. With them, proceeds soar. Without them, gala profit margins can be slimmer than last year’s fashion model.

It’s easy to spot underwriters at a black-tie event. They’re the guests whose tables ring the parquet dance floor, who take a bow somewhere between the beef consomme and the double chocolate souffle. And they’re the ones who receive profuse thanks at an elegant pre-event party staged anywhere from two weeks to two months before the main event.

“The underwriters are actually paying the cost of the gala, allowing the organization to use ticket income to its maximum advantage,” says Richard Owens, co-managing director of Opera Pacific--sponsor of two annual galas. “At our recent gala, they paid for everything from the can-can dancers to the centerpieces.”

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SCR’s “30th Dimension” soiree on Sept. 18 will launch its 30th season. The affair for 400 at the Westin South Coast Plaza, which will include an al fresco reception with cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and entertainment and a sit-down dinner with additional entertainment and dancing, will cost about $100,000 to execute.

With assistance from underwriters, proceeds are expected to be in the $100,000 range. It takes big money to attract big money.

Wouldn’t it be easier for SCR supporters to put a check in the mail and stay home?

Easier, perhaps. But not as much fun.

In its 14-year history, the SCR gala has been considered the opener for Orange County’s social season. Here, some of Orange County’s most sophisticated jewels and ball gowns are on view. Here, Tony Award-winning Martin Benson and David Emmes, the theater’s directors, schmooze with the arts crowd.

“People love to go with their friends,” says Janice Johnson, chairwoman of last year’s SCR gala. “People know it’s a great party and that the monetary return to SCR will be generous.

“When people spend $200 and $300 for a seat, they want to see most of it going to the charity.”

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On Aug. 5, Johnson and her husband, Roger, will co-chair the $200-per-person AIDS research benefit “Together for the Cure”--featuring Mikhail Baryshnikov--at the Orange County Performing Arts Center.

After a performance by the White Oak Dance Project in Segerstrom Hall, guests will dine with Misha and company at the Center Club in Costa Mesa.

Without an underwriter for the post-performance supper, profit margins would be shaved by $10,000, Janice Johnson says.

Who would buy?

Enter Cartier Inc. The corporation that hawks some of the world’s priciest baubles has agreed to pay supper costs and provide the engraved invitations.

“Cartier is proud . . . to be associated with the Orange County Performing Arts Center,” says New York’s Herve Martin, corporate vice president. “The White Oak Dance Project with Mikhail Baryshnikov is a wonderful project, and we are honored that we can take part.”

Smooth move. “The Center is a prestigious institution, and Cartier will enjoy a positive name identification with it,” says Janice Johnson, who during her years as an arts activist has led several underwriting drives.

And well they should, she adds. “Too often, nonprofits think corporations should just donate out of the goodness of their hearts. First, it has to be a good marketing tool for them. Cartier will get its name in the program and some publicity.”

Potential underwriters for the SCR gala--theater board members and local business leaders--first received a letter inviting their support, says patron chairwoman Julia Sunde.

“It contained a pledge card,” Sunde says. “After that, another letter is sent, reminding them to reserve a table. Then we call and explain the event to them, encourage them to join us. It’s a challenge. There are so many events wanting support here in Orange County.”

SCR gala chairwoman Dee Higby has invited every member of her 30-strong committee to help with the underwriting campaign. “It’s all about personal contact,” she says. “If you have a good committee that is representative of a good number of people, it helps move things along quite a bit.”

So far, it’s working. “More than half of our tables are sold,” she says. “A check in the mail for $5,000 just makes our day.”