The organizers at Studio Two Three are urging everyone to get their tuxedos and prom dresses out of mothballs. Their “Sad Prom” event on Saturday, March 15 is a fundraiser to help raise money for needed repairs at the nonprofit arts center and event space.
“It will be a legitimate prom,” says Kate Fowler, the studio’s director of community partnerships and development. “The event is an opportunity to gather and celebrate and dance while also raising money for the studio’s HVAC’s repair fund, which I know is far less sexy than a prom. We hope to replace one of the units on our roof so we’re not collectively sweating to death this summer.”
The prom will be a glitzy, retro-styled affair meant to give off serious John Hughes/Molly Ringwald vibes. “Imagine that you pull up to the building,” she says. “You exit the limo you’ve rented, or your father’s Miata, and enter and get swept away to 1983. The Cure is about to release their third album, the room is filled with people wearing polyester and taffeta, and there’s tinsel, specialty cocktails and new wave music spun by DJ Infinite Repeats.”
Tickets to the soiree are available on a sliding scale from $25 to $150. There will be a Studio Two Three prom court, and attendees may enter a raffle to be the prom king. “You can sadly, and joyfully, dance the night away,” says Ashley Hawkins, executive director of Studio Two Three, adding that patrons can expect some over-the-top fashions, a cash bar and a lot of ’80s heartbreak songs.
The plan is to have a little cheeky fun while also addressing a serious setback. Last month, it was revealed that the Manchester studio was, because of new policies proposed by the Donald Trump administration, losing a $200,000 federal grant that would have seen a series of much-needed energy efficiency improvements on its 160,000-square-foot building, which was constructed in 1939.
Proceeds from the Sad Prom, Hawkins says, will specifically go toward fixing the studio’s most pressing need—a sputtering, wheezing air conditioner unit that should have been replaced three years ago. For that, they need to raise a quick $60,000.
“We’re looking at a program of incremental improvements rather than doing all these things at once,” she says. “We’re addressing our most dire-ly impacted, coughing, HVAC equipment first and then raising additional funds later for the remaining improvements.” That work includes installing interior storm windows, sealing the building to make it energy efficient, and replacing old thermostats. “Eventually we’ll need to replace our entire HVAC system.”
For the rest of the repairs, Studio Two Three is exploring local and state grants and seeking donor partners for help. “We’re looking for in-kind contributions too, if there are folks locally who do interior storm windows and these kinds of energy efficient improvements, we’d like to talk.”
But, first, it’s time to dance, and donate, at the Sad Prom.
“We highly encourage arriving in a limo, corsages, asking parents for permission and breaking curfews,” the organizers say.
Actually, the gala will (sadly) end at 11 p.m. and admittance is 21-and-up, but you get the idea.
The Sad Prom will be held at Studio Two Three on Saturday, March 15. 8 p.m. Tickets are $25-$150 and available at studiotwothree.org/event-tickets/p/sad-prom-fundraiser
