Saturday, April 22 at 6:00 pm
Awarding Hutchison School Educator Christina Wellford-Scott as our inaugural Teacher of the Year
Benefiting TSC’s innovative Education and Outreach Programs
Sponsored by the Jack Jones Family
We will host our indoor/outdoor Jack Jones Children’s Literacy Gala on Saturday, April 22 at 6:00 pm honoring longtime Hutchison School educator Christina Wellford-Scott with our inaugural Teacher of the Year Award and featuring select performances from her favorite classical works on stage.
Generously sponsored by the family of Jack Jones, our Gala will feature the award presentation to Christina, her remarks, a performance on stage by TSC’s professional actors curated especially from the classics that Christina has selected, and a buffet feast, open bars, fun auctions, and a chance to enter and win the Broadway Weekend Trip for Two to NYC drawing.
Gala guests will be welcome to socialize with friends indoors and outdoors during the buffet and cocktail hour, then relax under the portico, or nestled into our Shakespeare Garden, or indoors under the vibrant banners while creating verses on our lobby’s Poetry Tree.
Attire is festive. Seating will be limited to 150 guests.
Named in honor of the late John Paul (Jack) Jones, TSC Board member Emeritus and a longtime supporter of Memphis youth athletics and literacy, the Gala supports TSC’s Education Program expansion to create over 40,000 points of contact with Memphis area children by activating the works of William Shakespeare and other classical authors.
All Gala proceeds will go toward our two Education funds: The Jack Jones Children’s Literacy Fund and the Barbara B. Apperson Angel Fund.
We annually work with children ages 5-18, primarily in Title 1 schools, as well as incarcerated youths and military Veterans in near-daily programming that develops students’ literacy, desire to read, and compassion. These acclaimed programs include the Romeo and Juliet Project, the Macbeth Initiative, Feast of Crispian-South, Poetic Justice, and Juvenile Justice.
Christina Wellford-Scott is in her 28th year at Hutchison School, teaching 90 seniors Heritage of Western Literature and AP English Literature and Composition, which includes two of her favorite plays: Hamlet and King Lear. She attended Mount Holyoke and graduated from Rhodes with a degree in English (Phi Beta Kappa), attended the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and completed her Masters in Music in Vocal Performance at the University of Memphis (Pi Kappa Lambda), toured with Southern Opera, attended the Franz Schubert Institute in Baden-bei-Wien, Austria in German Lieder, attended the Summer Shakespeare Workshop at LAMDA in London, and attended the Month-Long Intensive Actor Training at Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, MA. As a classroom teacher, Christina has taught courses in acting styles and scene study, music history, film history, women studies, biblical history, and all areas of English literature: including creative writing, American Literature, British Literature, and World Literature. She is also has acted with TSC (Amanda in The Glass Menagerie) and is an award-winning veteran of Memphis stages.
Christina was selected by our staff and Board of Directors based on criteria for a Tennessee educator who:
- Promotes the study of Shakespeare and provides live Shakespeare performance opportunities for their students.
- Is a life-long learner, continuing to discover ways to strengthen their knowledge, skills, and offerings in the classroom.
- Advocates for the arts and their vitality in schools.
- Leads with empathy and compassion, fostering a safe, open, and inclusive learning environment where students feel inspired to take creative risks.
- Values collaboration with outside organizations that strengthen students’ learning experiences.
Platinum, Gold, and Silver tables (ranging from four to eight seats each) are available for purchase now by calling TSC’s Gala Coordinator Stephanie Shine at (901) 759-0620 or emailing her at contact@tnshakespeare.org. Additional information about the sponsorships and evening is available here.
“I believe the depth of Christina’s creativity and commitment as an actor, in addition to her rare scholarship, is a key contributor to her decades of success as a teacher of young people in Memphis,” says TSC founder and Producing Artistic Director, Dan McCleary. “When we get Hutchison students from Christina’s classes in our performances at TSC, the IQ and attention in the theatre skyrockets. She is a willing collaborator, a caring mentor, a sharp mind, and a literary scholar. She knows how important the arts are to the development of humanity, and she has inspired a legion of young people to follow in her path by encouraging them to forge their own. It is with great pride, on behalf of all of us at TSC, to have Christina Wellford-Scott awarded on our stage, cheered by our Gala guests.”
2023 Gala Sponsors
Title Sponsors:
The Jack Jones Family
Buffet Dinner Sponsor:
TSC’s Board of Directors
Teacher of the Year Award Sponsor:
Deborah Dunklin Tipton
Live Auction Sponsor:
Nancy R. Copp
Broadway Trip Drawing Sponsors:
Pat and Thane Smith
Open Bar Sponsors:
Susan and RJ Moskop
Guests may choose from three Sponsorship levels to secure a dining table and theatre seats:
PLATINUM 8-TICKET TITLE PACKAGE ($5,000)
- Eight of the best reserved seats in the theatre for the performance and Educator of the Year Award ceremony;
- VIP experience for you and your guests with early arrival, priority access throughout the evening, and reserved dining table;
- Recognition in our event program, posters, social media, and from the stage that night;
- One exclusive, commemorative event gift per package;
- Delectable dinner buffet, dessert, and multiple open bars; and
- Partial tax-deductible gift to TSC.
GOLD 6-TICKET PACKAGE ($2,500)
- Six of the “Second Best” seats in the theatre for the performance and Educator of the Year Award ceremony, after Platinum Sponsors;
- Reserved table for you and your guests;
- Recognition in our event program, posters, social media, and from the stage that night;
- One exclusive commemorative event gift per package;
- Delectable dinner buffet, dessert, and multiple open bars; and
- Partial tax-deductible gift to TSC.
SILVER 4-TICKET PACKAGE ($1,500)
- Four seats in the theatre for the performance and Educator of the Year Award ceremony, after Platinum and Gold Sponsors;
- Delectable dinner buffet, dessert, and multiple open bars; and
- Partial tax-deductible gift to TSC.
Guests also may purchase single Bronze Tickets for $250 each. Bronze Tickets provide the buffet (bistro table seating), open bars, and side-seating in the theatre. Reserve one or more Bronze Tickets online by going here or by calling TSC at (901) 759-0604.
A portion of purchased sponsorships and tickets is a tax-deductible gift to TSC, which is located at 7950 Trinity Road, Memphis, TN 38018-6297.
Season 15 Sponsors and Partners
TSC’s generous sponsors of its season, productions, and Education and Outreach Program include FedEx, International Paper, Arts Midwest, ArtsMemphis, Tennessee Arts Commission, Independent Bank, Evans Petree PC, First Horizon Foundation through an ArtsFirst grant, AutoZone, Mid-America Arts Alliance, Campbell Clinic, the family of Pat and Ernest Kelly, The Sims Family Charitable Trust, Nancy R. Copp, the Jack Jones Children’s Literacy Fund, the family of Owen and Margaret Wellford Tabor, the Barbara B. Apperson Angel Fund, the Dunbar Abston Fund for Sustainable Excellence, and Dorothy O. Kirsch.
TSC’s season is funded under a Grant Contract with the State of Tennessee; and is being supported, in whole or in part, by federal award number SLFRP5534, awarded to the State of Tennessee by the U.S. Department of Treasury. TSC’s projects and productions are supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. To find out more about how National Endowment for the Arts grants impact individuals and communities, visit www.arts.gov.
TSC’s programming and outreach partners include University of Memphis’ Department of Theatre & Dance, Shelby County Schools, Memphis Juvenile Justice System, the Memphis V.A. Hospital, Cities of Bartlett/Collierville/Lakeland/Memphis, Shelby County Election Commission, the Benjamin Hooks Public Library Friends, and WKNO Radio (91.1 FM Memphis).
