BrooklynONE celebrates 10th anniversary with fundraiser

On a night filled with performances and awards, BrooklynONE productions celebrated its 10 year anniversary with a fundraiser on November 12.

The event, “And Away We Go: A 10 Year Anniversary Fundraiser,” started off with a cocktail hour at St. Patrick Catholic Academy’s auditorium hall (401 97th Street) and turned out quite the crowd.

“We were so excited to bring old friends and new friends together for this fundraiser,” BrooklynONE Cofounder and Artistic Director Anthony Marino said. “We had some incredible performances planned and our cocktail hour was amazing.”

Marino welcomed his guests with the company’s own rendition of The Black Eyed Peas’ “I Gotta Feeling.”

“We’ve had a lot of fun producing some great events over the years,” Production Manager Nicole Ferguson-Rodriguez said, “but putting together our 10 year Anniversary is really something special.”

She added that the company’s large-scale fundraiser is something she’s dreamed of.

Marino and Tom Kane founded the company in 2006 in Bay Ridge. Since then, it has produced works from playwrights throughout the world and even a feature length independent film. In 2011, Kane lost his battle with cancer.

Thus, BrooklynONE introduced the Tom Kane Legacy Award this year and presented it to Camille Loccisano, Lauren McElroy and Andrew Gerardi.

“It’s a good thing to have that now,” said Dawn Barry Hansen, a member of the Narrows Community Theater, a group that her mother co-founded. “Tommy brought together a lot of these people and it’s an honor for anyone to receive it.”

In addition, the company honored ten years of Vince Mazza Award winners, including Hansen, Michael Coluccio, Jeff Samaha, Arlene Keating, Marino, John Heffernan, Fred Grieco, Anton Koval, Nicole Ferguson-Rodriguez, Adriane Cole and Joe Appel.

“We give the award out to people who are involved in the Bay Ridge community and go above and beyond,” Marino said.

In addition, it is the first year actual awards were given out.

Danny Mazza, the son of a longtime Brooklyn performer and playwright, Vince Mazza, thanked BrooklynOne for keeping his father’s memory alive.

“I didn’t have the privilege of meeting Vince Mazza so being given the award speaks volumes,” Keating said. “I’m very proud of this award, as I was seven years ago, because it’s the Vince Mazza award.”

“This last decade has been one of incredible creativity and artistry,” Marino added. “We are grateful for the support over the years and look forward to what’s next,” Marino said.

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