ONELOVE ONETHEATER GALA
Produced by Molière in the Park on Monday, October 6, 2025 from 7pm-10pm at Littlefield | 635 Sackett Street, Brooklyn, NY 11217
By Nicole Jesson
How do you make a small fortune in theatre? Start with a large one.
Let's face it - not every show is Hamilton. Try as they may, shows need to either run forever or attach huge names to create buzz, i.e. high prices..
Everything else in this city runs on heart. Don't have a trust fund? Then you need a grant. Famously, American director Robert Wilson works with European theaters to create his works over months and years of rehearsal. No American theatre can afford his schedule. And with growing cuts to arts budgets throughout the US, more and more of the less commercial works are being abandoned. Small theatres and regional theatres will feel the pinch first. They already have limited rehearsals asking professional actors to mount full productions on 15 days of rehearsal. No one learns Lear in 15 days, yet AEA turns a blind eye to all the unpaid hours members need to commit to productions.(An editorial for another day.)
As the Renaissance artists knew, in order to survive, you need a patron. Or two. Or thirty-two. Or in the case of Moliere in the Park [MIP], a hundred+ folks who make their way to a small venue on a side street in Gowanus on a Monday night who for a small donation enjoy performances, libations, and snacks. Hosted by Sierra Boggess of Little Mermaid fame, the evening kicked off when a Brooklyn school teacher, Delaney Barbour, took to the stage to sing the praises of the diverse, inclusive performances presented by Moliere in the Park which is nothing to scoff at. So many schools have cut art education and extra curricular programs over the years that many in this arts-rich city have no access to live theatre. When you consider the average price of a Broadway ticket is $128, it makes a night at the theatre more than $500 for a family of 4. The median household income for these theatre goers is $276,000, which the median income of the neighborhoods served by MIP is $40,000. Board president Kaliswa Brewster spoke of “access to theater for all”. If you weren’t a believer walking into the gala, you would have been one walking out. They are truly stitching the fabric of our communities together at a time when politics is making every effort to divide us.
What is truly remarkable is how much MIP has been able to accomplish in 6 years - particularly when that span includes a global pandemic. The Better Business Bureau says any charity spending more than 75% of the money they generate on their good deeds is “highly efficient”. MIP makes sure that 80% is going back into their programs. Founding Artistic Director, Lucie Tiberghein, and internationally recognized director who made her home in Brooklyn over 20 years ago, has pulled MIP almost out of thin air to prominence making one of her long held dreams come true. And the talent attracted to this company is remarkable.
The evening’s entertainment was nothing short of stellar! Bookending the evening was cellist, Jonathan Moore and dancer, Cal Hunt memorizing the audience with their talents. Eddy Lee of Hamilton fame was not throwing away his shot to be in the room where it happened. The anchor piece of the evening, a Moliere meets Brooklyn reading, was led by compliment of MIP actors and the incomparable genius of Bill Irwin whose portrayal of a foppish Moliere gentleman seemed to marry Bill Nighy from Love Actually with Elmer Fudd. His “pwofound intwelect” on full display, “caught like an innocent wamb”, in the snare of love. All this before DJ Sahr Ngaujah got the room on their feet.
One might almost forget that this evening of excellence, which also took time out to honor Brooklyn Borough President Anotonio Reynoso for his support of the arts, was about raising money. I spoke with a few guests, all Brooklyn natives who fell in love with Moliere in the Park after seeing them in Prospect Park. Every penny counts in arts funding. Bringing the Prospect Park project to a park in Williamsburg cost $15,000 last summer. But reaching the audiences, bringing live theatre to all for free, is truly priceless.
Published by Theatre Beyond Broadway on October 10, 2025. All rights reserved.