DIVINE DIVAS PRESENT Divas Las Vegas 2-24-2024

Thank You To Our Sponsors For Making Our Dreams Come True!

Paul and Elyse Davis and Family, Kristin & Scott Selby, and Dr. Ken & Mrs. Lena White

Thalian Association’s Divine Divas Returns in 2024 with Divas Las Vegas

Fundraiser to benefit Youth Theatre Program & Kids Making It

Thalian Association ‘s signature fundraiser Divine Divas will return in 2024 with Divas Las Vegas, a cabaret style tribute to iconic Vegas performers. The one night only event will take place February 24, 2024 in the Windell Daniels Ballroom at Union Station, Cape Fear Community College.

Divine Divas originated in 2017 as a concert style event to raise money for Thalian Youth Theatre. Executive Director Susan Habas wanted to continue the association’s long history of community support and help another non-profit organization as well. The first beneficiary was She ROCKS, a local organization founded to bring awareness to ovarian cancer, fund groundbreaking research, and help patients undergoing treatment. The first six Divine Divas fundraisers supported TACT’s Youth Theatre program and donated $41,727.65 to She ROCKS.

Divas Las Vegas will benefit Thalian Youth Theatre and Kids Making it, a Wilmington-based nonprofit youth woodworking program that teaches valuable vocational, entrepreneurial, and life skills to at-risk and disadvantaged youth.

“The She ROCKS story touched our community theatre family, and we were honored to donate to their mission,” said Susan Habas, Executive Director of Thalian Association. “We have admired Kids Making It for many years and are excited to raise funds for their program, training, and opportunities for young people. This is a great collaboration since Thalian Youth Theatre’s mission is teaching youth life skills through theatre arts. Our methods are different, but our goals are the same!”

“Thalian Association’s commitment to inspiring people and helping our community’s youth is something we could not support more strongly,” said Kevin Blackburn, Executive Director of Kids Making It. “We are honored and deeply grateful to be a beneficiary of Divas Las Vegas!”

About Thalian Association Community Theatre (TACT)

Established in 1788, Thalian Association Community Theatre is a non-profit, membership organization dedicated to enhancing the Cape Fear region through live community theatre and arts education. Thalian Association Community Theatre produces five major productions annually on the Main Stage at historic Thalian Hall and professionally manages the Hannah Block Historic USO/Community Arts Center for the City of Wilmington. The youth theatre program offers training and performance opportunities for children ages seven through high school seniors. In 2007, Thalian Association Community Theatre was designated North Carolina’s Official Community Theater by the state legislature. For more information, visit thalian.org.

About Kids Making It

Kids Making It is a non-profit youth woodworking program that teaches valuable vocational, entrepreneurial and life skills to at-risk, low income and disadvantaged youth. Our goal is that every student we serve will stay in school, stay out of trouble, and transition successfully into either the workforce or college. We serve 800+ youth and young adults annually (7-26+ years old). We do this through five programs designed to provide life and social skills and help young people connect work to income. They include Introductory Woodworking Outreach, After-School Entrepreneurial Woodworking, Apprenticeships, Summer Jobs Program (with Voyage of Wilmington), and our Skilled Trades Program. For more information, visit kidsmakingit.org.

Would you like to be involved in future fundraising events? Please contact Susan Habas, shabas@thalian.org or 910-251-1788.

Divine Divas From The Beginning

Divine Divas began in 2017 when veteran theatre director Mike Thompson approached Thalian Association Executive Director Susan Habas with the idea for a fundraiser based on a Broadway concert featuring female performers on stage together. TACT always needs a fundraiser and wanted to support another community non-profit organization as well. Ovarian Cancer had impacted the community theatre family so TACT decided to support She ROCKS and celebrate the amazing women and families working together to fund research and treatment for this disease. Divine Divas Fundraisers continue Thalian Association Community Theatre’s 235 year tradition of supporting citizens of the Cape Fear region.

For the first three years the Divine Divas concept was two night concerts at the Hannah Block Historic USO/Community Arts Center but in 2020 TACT President Joan Loch thought it was time to go to the next level with a full evening of delightful entertainment in a cabaret atmosphere. From 2017-2023 Divine Divas fundraisers donated $41,727.65 to support She ROCKS.

In 2007, the North Carolina legislature named the Thalian Association Community Theatre the Official Community Theater of North Carolina. In an official ceremony held in Wilmington, Secretary of State Elaine Marshall emphasized that our organization’s prestigious title was not a distinction given lightly. “This is truly unique,” Marshall said. “But what this really means is that it’s honoring a tradition of inspiring people, helping children, healing a community, all the things that the performing arts and an association to support that can mean.”