Malcolm Gets returns to alma mater for benefit gala

March 4, 2013

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — University of Florida fine arts graduate and well-known actor Malcolm Gets will perform at the March 15 benefit gala “Splendor in the Spring” at the Nadine McGuire Theatre and Dance Pavilion.

It’s the first combined gala fundraiser organized jointly by University of Florida Friends of Music and Friends of Theatre + Dance.

Gets, who is best known for his role on the sitcom “Caroline in the City,” will return to campus to headline the gala and contribute a performance alongside the talented students of UF’s music, theatre and dance programs.

“We are delighted to feature Malcolm,” said School of Theatre + Dance director Jerry Dickey. “It is a special treat and a tremendous inspiration for our students to perform with him on the Constans Theatre stage. This is a great way to demonstrate the impact our programs have on the lives of students now and in the future.”

Gets, a Gainesville native and 2005 Alumni Outstanding Achievement Award recipient from the UF College of Fine Arts, is also a dancer, singer, composer, classically trained pianist, vocal director and choreographer. He has a small part in the film adaptation of “Sex and the City.” He played Gould in the 2009 film “Grey Gardens” opposite Jessica Lange and Drew Barrymore. His first solo album came out in 2009 from PS Classics.

A 1987 graduate with a bachelor’s degree in theatre, Gets began acting in productions at UF when he was 14, in a production of “Carnival.” He enrolled at UF at 16. While at UF, Gets acted, choreographed, composed, and even sat under a piano, “ghost playing” for an actor in “House of Blue Leaves.”

He went on to the graduate program at the Yale School of Drama. Since then, he has acted extensively on New York stages. He has been the recipient of a number of awards, including a Tony nomination, Drama Desk nominations and the Obie award. In film, he has appeared in “Thirteen Conversations About One Thing,” “Love in the Time of Money,” and “Adam and Steve.” He made his Carnegie Hall debut opposite Barbara Cook.

The gala production at 8 p.m. in Constans Theatre will be hosted by Richard Drake, WRUF’s “Voice of the Arts,” and will feature student performance highlights from the two schools, including musical theatre, opera theatre and instrumental music performances. Guests are invited to stay for an exciting after party which will feature dancing in the Black Box Theatre to the UF Jazz Band, additional entertainment, hors d’oeuvres cash bar and silent auction.

Tickets are $40 for the Celebration Package, which includes after party with dancing, live jazz bands, silent auction, entertainment and cash bar until 11 p.m. Premium Packages are $150 per guest or $250 per pair and include all benefits of Celebration Package plus additional excitement and services, such as a pre-gala “Dinner with the Dean” at 6:30 p.m. in Studio G6, valet parking, drink tickets, access to a Director’s Lounge with reserved seating for the entire evening and additional bar service.

For more information visit http://www.arts.ufl.edu/splendor or call 352-846-1218.