Clarence Brown Theatre tops itself with move to big tent

From left, John Cullum, Mary Johnson, Betsey Bush and Rick Johnson in the garden for cocktails. Mary once was in a play with Cullum.

Carol and Joe Pelliccia.

I told myself these passed appetizers were healthy because they have asparagus in them. Never mind that puff pastry the asparagus is wrapped in!

Georgiana Vines, the current chair of the Clarence Brown Theatre Advisory Board, left, with former Knoxville Mayor Victor Ashe and his wife, Joan.

Jennifer Crake Roche and Alexander Waters attended law school together. Today, she plays French horn with the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, in addition to practicing law.

Jeannie Dulaney with Gary Doyle, the general manager of RT Lodge.

Some, like me, tried to stay inside the RT Lodge to avoid the heat. Here, from left, are Milton and Mimi Turner with Maggie Erickson.

David Byrd, the Clarence Brown Theatre’s managing director, with Carol Mayo Jenkins.

Gil and Edie Volk.

Cal MacLean, artistic director of the Clarence Brown Theatre, and his wife, Rebecca.

Maja Djorcev Roy conducted the “wine pull” inside. These affairs, where you plop down a set amount of money and pick a random bottle of wine, are increasingly popular at local fundraisers.

Maggie Erickson, left and Brenda Glanville, right, with Robin Wilhoit, of WBIR-TV who, with her co-anchor, John Becker, emceed the evening and provided periodic updates on Tony winners as they were announced.

The inside soon became packed. I found an air conditioning vent on the floor in a corner and stood over it for a long part of the cocktail hour!

Elegant nibbles were placed about the rooms.

Soon, we were called to move to a huge tent in the back of the lodge. Fortunately, there was good air flow. Our table, “lucky 13,” was on the edge and there was a breeze. Yay. Aren’t all the tables simple but elegant?

Each centerpiece featured a cute little bird.

I told you it was a big tent! Screens were set up to let us tune in to the Tony Awards from time to time, including the big opening number.

From left, Steven Smith, Alan Carmichael and WBIR-TV’s John Becker.

Victor Ashe and Katharine Pearson Criss.

From left, Patricia Robledo, representing the city of Knoxville, and Christine Jessel and Michael Grider, representing Knox County.

Amanda Middleton, center, of Clarence Brown Theatre, greeting Tom and Konomi Wolf.

I thought the place cards were clever.

Executive Chef Trevor Stockton, who honed his skills at Blackberry Farm before joining RT Lodge in 2010, chose to serve dinner family style, which worked well. Here’s the delicious summer melon salad with lime-chile vinaigrette and mint. A green salad also was passed and a plate of house-made charcuterie, pickles and sourdough was placed in the center of the table.

Townes Osborne and her fiance Bob Marquis. Don’t they look happy? She’s a past chair of the Clarence Brown Theatre Advisory Board.

From left, Tom and Melanie Wood and Russ and Florence Johnston.

Rebecca and Nick Cazana.

Back at our table were Brooks Clark, the chair-elect of the advisory board, and Lacy Wallace.

Here’s more from our table: from left, Terri Lelardy, Janette Burgin, Valerie Privette, Lacy Wallace and Laura Slyman.

Just look at this! It was cooked perfectly, which was surely a challenge for this many folks. Whole roasted Wagyu eye of ribeye.

Grilled Scottish salmon with grape tomatoes, lemon and basil was excellent, as well.

I loved the grilled early summer vegetables. We also had skillet potatoes with Vidalia onions.

Alice and Dean Michael Wirth of the College of Communication & Information.

Deb and Dr. Joe DiPietro, the president of the University of Tennessee.

Doug and Melissa White. Their car dealerships, Toyota of Knoxville and Lexus of Knoxville, were major sponsors of the gala.

Theotis and Jonida Robinson.

Jeff Stanley, left, with David Byrd. Jeff had one of my favorite lines of the night when he walked into the tent. “It’s like a Tennessee Williams play in here,” he cracked, referring to the heat.

Dessert was a skillet of strawberry rhubarb crumble served with a big bowl of whipped cream.

Here’s John Cullum receiving his award.

And making his sweet remarks.

Auctioneer Blake Wilson sprang into action next, selling everything from a seven-night stay at a home in Costa Rica to a walk-on appearance in a Clarence Brown Theatre play.

Robin Conklin, left, and Julie Summers of Clarence Brown Theatre tried to keep track of all the bids.

After dinner, Alan, left, posed with Sherri Gardner Howell, a columnist for the News Sentinel, and Chef Trevor Stockton.

Here’s Chef Stockton, left, with Becky and Bob Luper and John Cullum. The Lupers, as you probably know, own Naples restaurant on Kingston Pike in Knoxville. Becky is Cullum’s niece.

It was time to say goodbye to those who were not spending the night. Kat Stoutt and Howard Filston bought one of the centerpieces.

Board member Charlie Brakebill with his granddaughter, Erin Pate.

Carol saying goodbye to Neil and Maureen Dunn McBride.

Cal made a quick change of clothes, and he and Rebecca decided to take a load off for a few relaxing minutes.

Konomi Wolf had other priorities. The fire pit was set up for s’mores!

She and Tom got right to it!

Looking good!

Yum!

Jeannie took hers inside to enjoy. In fact, I think she sent someone out to make it for her!

From left, me, Alan, John Cullum and Georgiana Vines at breakfast. It was a very memorable event. (Photo by David Byrd)