Fundraising Events
Goodspeed Musicals offers a number of fundraising events throughout the year in support of various programs and initiatives, including our annual Gala & Auction and Theatre Tours to London, Edinburgh and New York City. Click the accordions below to learn more.
Saturday, May 17, 2025 at 3pm
Smith Farms | East Haddam, CT
Honoring Bill Berloni
This year, we're honoring animal trainer Bill Berloni for his contributions to Musical Theatre, Television and film, and his life-long dedication to the safety and protection of animals in the arts.
Entertainment will be hosted & curated by Seth Rudetsky
For more information, please contact Sophia Voglino at 860.615.0389 or svoglino@goodspeed.org.
Do you have goods or services you'd like to donate to our online or live auction? CLICK HERE
More about Bill Berloni:
Bill Berloni was a 20-year-old apprentice at the Goodspeed Opera House when a producer offered him his big break: a chance to act professionally and gain his Equity Card. In return, all Bill had to do was find and train a dog to play Sandy in the original production of Annie.
What Bill didn’t know was that this was a bigger challenge than it seemed. Animal performances in movies or television can be stitched together using different takes, different camera angles, even different animals. To perform in a featured role, an animal actor would have to be trained to ignore the distraction of the audience and respond to the same cues the same way night-after-night, just like his human counterparts. It had never been done before.
Bill BerloniBill found his dog at a local animal shelter – beginning his career-long commitment to using rescued animals. Through a combination of persistence, patience and trial-and-error, he developed his revolutionary humane training techniques – learning how to teach actor and animal alike to create a successful performance. Annie became a huge hit and Sandy became “the longest running dog on Broadway,” never missing a performance in more than seven years.
Since then, Bill and his handlers have provided animals of all species and sizes, found in shelters, humane societies or rescue leagues, for Broadway, off-Broadway, national tours, regional theatres, special events, the New York City Ballet, motion pictures, television and commercials. When their careers are over, the animals return to Bill’s Connecticut farm.
Bill is widely recognized as an expert in animal behavior and for his dedication to rescue work. In addition to his work as a trainer, Bill is currently behavior consultant to the Humane Society of New York. He has a BFA in theatre, and is a published author and actor.
Goodspeed Award For Outstanding Contribution To Musical Theatre
Originally designed for and presented to Ira Gershwin more than 20 years ago, this is Goodspeed's most prestigious honor. Goodspeed is pleased to bestow this annual award upon a member of the theatre community in recognition of their extraordinary talent.
Past Honorees
- 2024 The Terris Theatre 40th Anniversary
- 2023 Goodspeed's 60th Anniversary
- 2022 The Versdon Fosse Legacy
- 2019 Jason Robert Brown
- 2018 Sue Frost
- 2016 Chita Rivera
- 2015 Tony Walton
- 2014 Sheldon Harnick
- 2013 Goodspeed's 50th Anniversary
- 2012 Kristin Chenoweth
- 2011 Martin Charnin, Charles Strouse, & Thomas Meehan
- 2010 Paul Williams
- 2009 William Ivey Long
- 2008 Michael Price
- 2007 Jerry Herman
- 2006 Stephen Schwartz
- 2005 Julie Andrews
- 2004 Gerald Schoenfeld
- 2003 Susan Stroman
- 2002 Tommy Tune
- 2001 Ira Gershwin
Goodspeed Arts & Business Partnership Award
Past Honorees
- 2012: Hoffman Auto Group
April 2 - 6, 2025
Join Goodspeed Musicals on a 5-day trip to New York City to see some of the best Broadway has to offer, experience exclusive behind the scenes content and dine at some of New York’s most famous restaurants!
Highlights include:
- Stay at the Intercontinental Times Square hotel, centrally located in New York’s theatre district
- Daily breakfast with your fellow travelers in The Stinger hotel restaurant
- Tickets to four to six Broadway productions
- Goodspeed-only access to talk backs, backstage tours and more
- Three group meals at some of New York’s most special locations
We strongly encourage travel insurance for our guests on all trips, securable through Sundial Travel
2025 New York City Trip Confirmed Shows:
GYPSY
SUNSET BOULEVARD
DEATH BECOMES HER
TO BE ANNOUNCED
TO BE ANNOUNCED
Pricing starts at $3,993 per person
- Space is limited! You can secure your spot with a $1,000 per person non-refundable deposit today
- First priority for booking is given to Goodspeed Members at the $500+ level. To increase your membership for priority booking, please contact Rebekah Moses at rmoses@goodspeed.org
For more information, contact Sophia Voglino at 860.615.0389 or svoglino@goodspeed.org.
July 31 - Aug 8, 2025
For the first time Goodspeed is going to the famous Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Thanks to our friends at Ghostlight Global you’ll enjoy a week at the third-largest ticketed event in the world. See two to four pieces of theatre a day, experience exclusive cast parties and dinners, explore Scotland’s capital city, see the world-famous Military Tattoo, and more!
Highlights include:
- Stay at the five-star Kimpton Charlotte Square in downtown Edinburgh
- Daily Scottish breakfasts with your fellow travelers
- Two to four world-class pieces of theatre a day curated expressly for Goodspeed
- A standard ticket to the Royal Military Tattoo with option to upgrade to Royal Gallery Seating & Gala
- Exclusive “Meet The Makers” events to mingle with some of the world class talent presented at The Fringe
- Multiple group dinners at some of Edinburgh’s favorite spots
We strongly encourage travel insurance for our guests on all trips, securable through Sundial Travel
Pricing starts at $8,490 per person
- Space is limited! You can secure your spot with a $1,000 per person non-refundable deposit today
- First priority for booking is given to Goodspeed Members at the $500+ level; to increase your membership for priority booking please contact Rebekah Moses at rmoses@goodspeed.org
- International trip pricing does not include airfare. You can book a group airfare rate through Sundial Travel
- We strongly encourage travel insurance for our guests on all trips, also securable through Sundial Travel
For more information, contact Sophia Voglino at 860.615.0389 or svoglino@goodspeed.org.
October 11 - 19, 2025
Join Goodspeed Musicals on an 8-day trip to London, England to see some of the best theatre in the country, experience exclusive behind the scenes content, receive private tours of the London theatre district, and dine at world-class restaurants!
If you love theatre, this is the trip for you. Our itinerary will include:
- Stay at the five-star Kimpton Fitzroy Russell Square
- Daily breakfast with your fellow travelers
- Tickets to four to six West End productions
- Goodspeed-only access to talk backs, backstage tours and more
- Three group meals at some of London’s most exciting restaurants
Pricing is estimated to start at $6,800 per person (final pricing to be released in 2025)
- Space is limited! You can secure your spot with a $1,000 per person non-refundable deposit today
- First priority for booking is given to Goodspeed Members at the $500+ level to increase your membership for priority booking please contact Rebekah Moses at rmoses@goodspeed.org
- International trip pricing does not include airfare. You can book a group airfare rate through Sundial Travel
- We strongly encourage travel insurance for our guests on all trips, also securable through Sundial Travel
For more information, contact Sophia Voglino at 860.615.0389 or svoglino@goodspeed.org.
Quotes From Our Travellers
Previous London Tours
