By Isaiah Frizzell
A Venetian masquerade ball in the Valley? In March? Sign me up!
Ask folks and you may hear ‘not much happ’nin’ in the Valley during this season’. We’re still engaged in a weird winter while some call it ‘the spring sigh’; however, open eyes and ears know there’s always something culturally beautiful to do here.
THE SPOT
A boutique, nonprofit theater company, The Spot is one of the Valley’s most exciting and perhaps best-kept secrets. Now celebrating its 11th anniversary, The Spot is a 501(c)(3) operating out of Ketchum. Its a unique blend as an educational venue where young artists collaborate with professional mentors. The output is extraordinary, contemporary and classical art generated while collaborating with some of the Valley’s most beloved organizations.
Co-founder Yanna Lantz works primarily with Brett Moellenberg, of administration, finance and production, as well as technical operations director Samuel Muller as the primary team. “We have a fantastic team. There’s a few of us. We all work together as a collective to execute our vision for The Spot,” said Lantz.
Community, humanity, arts and trust… everything you need to know to put The Spot on your ‘let’s do it’ list!
Venetian Leap Into Spring
While listening to a Mozart serenade in D, Adagio-Allegro Asai (composed at the age of 17!), The Spot’s up-coming event explodes across the mindscape. Pure release! Sweeping images of beautifully dressed, twirling dancers, splendid music and fine food, with a chance to win some extraordinary experiences. In its second year, this one will fill up fast.
“The event sold out last year. It’s culinary excellence, dazzling drinks, entertainment, and Venetian flair in support of The Spot’s main-stage productions and our tuition-free youth programming. So funds from this fundraiser will directly support our upcoming main-stage production of Pulitzer Prize-winner Top Dog/Underdog [by Suzan-Lori Parks] in April, as well as our tuition-free middle school production of Something Rotten! Jr. [by Grammy Award-winning songwriter Wayne Kirkpatrick with screenwriters Karey Kirkpatrick and John O’Farrell] in May, which features students from all Valley middle schools,” Lantz excitedly exclaims.
This is one of their many collaborations with the Sun Valley Culinary Institute. “There’ll be exceptional cuisine from the Culinary Institute, who are partners with The Spot throughout the year. We just love the Culinary Institute and their immersive, intimate environments, which are pretty similar to The Spot. There’ll be incredible drinks and costumes! Some people really go all out with their costumes, and, you know, the photos alone are worth it.
“It’s rare to see everybody really dressing up and going all out, so that’s a fun part of the event, too,and a reason to really come together as a community and, you know, commit to a theme.
Of course, we’ll have silent auction packages that are really geared around experiences.”
Luxury Prizes
“There’s everything from private dinners at your home to a trip for four to Tulum, Mexico, or a trip to New York, or tacos and tequila at Apple’s Bar and Grill. All these packages go towards supporting fearless theatre at The Spot and our programming.”
An absolute joy to speak with, Lantz is elated and ready that they’ll be able to directly interact with you! “It’s a great way for us to connect with everyone offstage. You know, oftentimes we’re just staring out from the stage and there’s not much time to connect. So one of the beautiful things about this event is it allows us that personal time with our patrons and supporters.”
The photos will tell all and there’s a few ways to make this an unforgettable night. With the event happening March 12th, 6 p.m. at the Sun Valley Culinary Institute. There’s time to find some enlightening and possibly period-accurate dress. The authentic aesthetic is 18th century Venetian aristocratic, but the possibilities are wide.
You’ve Got the Look
Think elegant formal gowns for women and a dark formal suit for men while the decorative mask secures the look. There’s plenty of YouTube channels to refer to or simply browse online photos (fashion books if you have them!) to inspire the imagination. There are no rules, slide into the heights of wild 18th-century Venetian elegance where opulence and joy meet melancholy and glorious tension. Layered, sweeping, architectural, corsetted, Venetian red, gold, powder blue, moonstone white, smoky amber, slightly muted and alive with expectation!
Reset the rules, respect the shine and sing as you may!
Blessed Creativity
Creativity and imagination are two words to describe “how we save the world.” The threats of AI, police state, ‘everything fatigue’ and any general doldrums – we must remember imagination. The Overton Window often excludes positions of individual power and joy, and social media can devour it in a single scroll. The Spot stands out.
Be sure to visit their website for tickets and see their genuinely amazing prizes:
https://www.spotsunvalley.com/masqueradesoiree
The Spot:
info@spotsunvalley.com
(208) 928-6241
220 Lewis Street #2
