Written by: Kate Quickel
Date: January 7, 2015
It was all pearls, gloves, cocktails, and jazz at the Ohio Theatre on Saturday night where we hosted our Roaring Twenties Speakeasy & Downton Abbey Premiere Screening to celebrate the debut of the hit show’s fifth season on WOSU TV. A crowd of over 150 stylishly dressed guests made the whole room feel like a 1920s jazz club where the signature Bee’s Knees cocktails flowed like honey and the music, provided by The Jake Reed Jazz Trio, livened up the night.
Our lovely centerpieces made from the popular Downton Abbey mug that was given away at last year’s event added a touch of class to the affair and our Silent Auction was made up of over twenty fantastic packages generously donated by businesses and organizations throughout the community.
Guests were able to “Downton Abbey Themselves” with our Highclere Castle photo backdrop, cutouts of characters’ faces, and a selection of ‘Dowagerisms’, or famous one-liners from everyone’s favorite Dowager Countess. The results were highly entertaining, to say the least…
Once the guests had perused all of our fabulous Silent Auction offerings and had their fill of delicious hors d’oeuvres from Sidecar Global Catering and ice cream from Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, everyone made their way into the gorgeous Ohio Theatre, resplendent in all its gilded glory. The theatre was in fact built in the 1920s, so it made for the perfect spot to screen the Downton Abbey season premiere.
WOSU Public Media General Manager, Tom Rieland, welcomed our guests, who were then treated to a fascinating lecture by Dr. Brian Waters of the OSU Department of Food Science and Technology who gave us a glimpse into life during the Prohibition Era. Our own Boyce Lancaster of Classical 101 then took the stage to announce the costume contest winners and award our best dressed guests with Downton Abbey-themed prizes and gift certificates to local restaurants.
Costume Contest winners flanked by WOSU Public Media On-Air Personalities, Ann Fisher, Audrey Hasson, Jennifer Hambrick, and Christopher Purdy
And finally, as a hush settled over the crowd, the Season Five Premiere of Downton Abbey began. Watching the show on the big screen in the beautiful Ohio Theatre was quite an experience!
Thank you to everyone who attended — it really was a magical evening. Don’t forget to tune into WOSU TV Sunday nights at 9pm to watch new episodes of Downton Abbey through March 1st.