27 artists - one special night!

River Rep Theatre presents the 3rd Annual Gala Benefit
April 11, 2026 at the Delaware Valley Opera Center

Benefiting River Rep’s 2026 season, the 3rd Annual Gala Benefit will feature the River Rep ensemble, members of River Rep Jr., and a talented lineup of local and visiting artists.

Seating is limited, reserve early! Tickets $50 in advance, $65 at the door. Buy Tickets Now

The program will include musical performances and scenes from River Rep’s 2026 season, including the AI-inspired dark comedy Tomorrow Today, encore performances of the hit fantasy classic The Neverending Story, Eugene Ionesco’s absurdist classic Rhinoceros, and much more! Includes full buffet and Silent Auction.

Artists include: Arthur Aulisi, Alden Bratland, Thomas Cambridge, Matt Carpenter, Jessica Davis-Irons, Andrew Kitson, Giuliana DiCostanzo, Luna Ditacchio, Kazzrie Jaxen, Lexee McEntee, Susan Mendoza, Christopher Parsons, Christopher Peditto, Iliana Pena, Cooper Quinn, Shane Rennison, Oliver Schumacher, Charles Schroeder, Nick Sherman, Margie Stokley, Malcolm Strother, Greg Triggs, Crystal Tweed, Laura Velez and Waverly Van Aalsburg. Directed by Arthur Aulisi, Jessica Davis-Irons and Christopher Peditto.

A full buffet will be served with delicious food from top Sullivan Catskills restaurants and chefs. A cash bar will be open throughout the event. A Silent Auction will launch online in early April and continue beyond Gala night, where patrons can bid on a variety of art, goods and services from local artists and businesses.


A Weekend of Hope, Art & the Power of Story, April 18–19, 2026

Where creativity becomes connection… and connection becomes hope.

In April 2026, the Delaware Valley Opera invites the community into a luminous two-day celebration of the human spirit—a weekend where art, memory, and storytelling gather under one roof to remind us that hope is never lost… it only needs a place to grow.

  • On Saturday, April 18, artist and educator Dr. Hope Blecher invites the community to Iterations of Hope, an interactive installation and workshop that welcomes participants to create or bring a 2-D piece of art representing their personal vision of hope. Each image—simple, bold, tender, expressive—will be joined with others to form one expansive community collage. Together, these individual offerings become a shared portrait of camaraderie and perseverance… a collective reminder that hope multiplies when we bring our stories forward.

  • On Sunday, April 19 at 2:00 PM, the celebration deepens with BEING SOMEBODY, a funny, moving, and uplifting theatrical event directed by award-winning filmmaker and transformative acting coach Elizabeth Browning. The show stars Dr. Howard Mase, a vibrant 90-year-old practicing psychologist who began acting at 87, alongside his daughter, recording artist and performer Marla Mase. Through music, movement, and intimate storytelling, they invite audiences on a heartfelt journey back in time to Brooklyn in the post-war gleam of the 1940s and ’50s, and the gritty disco era of the ’70s—sharing hilarious childhood misadventures, tender family memories, and the unforgettable moments that shape who we become. Nostalgic, deeply human, and inspiring, BEING SOMEBODY reminds us that it is never too late to grow, to dream, or to begin again.
    Tickets: Pre-sale $20 and $25 at the door.

Iterations of Hope and BEING SOMEBODY are more than a workshop and a performance. They are reminders that the human heart is resilient, that our stories matter, and that it is never too late to step into the life we’ve long imagined.

This extraordinary pairing—Hope’s collaborative collage and Howard & Marla’s intergenerational storytelling—will conclude with a short discussion with all the creators on Sunday afternoon after the show.