Here's how little Gretna Theatre landed big name Vanessa Williams for virtual event

The latest star being hosted by the Gretna Theatre in rural Lebanon County is nationally-known actress, model, and artist Vanessa Williams -- albeit in a digital livestream.

The theater is one of only 20 in the country able to sell tickets for a live digital concert featuring Williams, titled "Vanessa Williams: Live from the West Side," on Dec. 5.

Gretna scored the show thanks to the theatre's executive producer Brian Kurtas’s longtime immersion in the tight-knit theater community.

The lead producer on the co-production, Dallas Summer Musicals, has a "really good relationship" with Gretna, Kurtas said. "They had an event in August with 'Hamilton' star Christopher Jackson." As with the Williams concert, that was conducted by a consortium of theaters and hosted as a livestream. 

"There was no one bringing high-profile content during the pandemic,” Kurtas said. "I reached out and said I’d love to be part of a group of such high-class theaters." He said Gretna was likely accepted as part of the network in part due to its continued efforts to operate various digital events and courses amidst the coronavirus pandemic.

“We said: is there a way, together, we could bring Broadway throughout the country?” said Kurtas.

The informal group of 20 theaters reached out to stars, said Michael Richman, lead producer on the co-production and vice president for programming at Dallas Summer Musicals, and “Vanessa was at the top of our list.” According to Richman, Gretna joined the project later than many other theaters in the group.

“Once we decided we’d present this livestream, we needed assistance," he said. 

Harrisburg law firm McNees Wallace & Nurick and the Arthur Judson Foundation helped cover some of the expenses.

Each theater is footing an equal amount of the production costs, which include paying for websites that can handle the bandwidth necessary for a national audience.

However, each is free to raise as much money as it can from online ticket sales. The participating theaters, including Gretna, are targeting their digital approach to aim at a regional audience.

Tickets for the event cost $30. Once the livestream, which will be filmed in New York’s Shubert Theater, runs its course, the recording will be left online for 72 hours.