[photo credit: VATCHE & TAMAR MANOUKIAN CULTURAL & PERFORMING ARTS CENTER]
The gala, titled “An Evening with Stephen Schwartz,” comes as the nonprofit company works to rebuild after the January 2025 fire destroyed both its outdoor performance home at Farnsworth Park in Altadena and the personal home of its founders, Sarah and Oliver Azcarate. Proceeds will support AMT’s planned return to live musical theatre in Altadena this summer, according to the organization’s event page.
Schwartz, who has also won four Grammy Awards and the Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award, will perform selections from his catalog alongside a lineup that includes Joey McIntyre of New Kids on the Block, Alisan Porter — a Broadway veteran and winner of season 10 of NBC’s The Voice — Ty Taylor of the band Vintage Trouble, and Brian Justin Crum, an America’s Got Talent finalist who appeared in the Broadway cast of Wicked. Additional performers are expected to be announced, according to AMT’s website.
The Azcarates founded AMT in 2020 after moving to Altadena, and the company staged productions of Hair, Cabaret, and Guys & Dolls at the Charles Farnsworth Park Amphitheatre before the fire. The blaze also displaced several actors and crew members connected to the company, according to a report in Local News Pasadena. Sets, costumes, and instruments were lost.
“I want you all to know that we have not given up,” Sarah Azcarate wrote in a letter posted to the company’s website. “We will heal and we will gather and revel in song and story together again.”
AMT describes the gala as a step toward its rebuilding, stating on its event page that audience support would contribute to “restoring access to the arts, uplifting local performers, and reigniting a cultural cornerstone of Altadena,” according to the organization.
The event begins with a cocktail hour at 6:30 p.m., followed by the performance at 7:30 p.m. Two ticket tiers are available: VIP Premier, which includes a meet-and-greet, reserved parking, and cocktail hour with food and drinks; and VIP, which includes the cocktail hour and performance. Tickets are available at agbupac.ticketspice.com/schwartz. AMT’s website describes availability as limited.
The AGBU Vatche & Tamar Manoukian Performing Arts Center is at 2495 E Mountain St. in Pasadena. Free parking is available on site on a first-come, first-served basis, with additional street parking on Mountain and Dudley streets. Rideshare is encouraged. Ticketing questions can be directed to vtm-pac@agbu.org.
AMT is planning two full productions in Altadena for summer 2026, the company has said — its first live shows since the fire.
