I grew up in theatre. My mom was huuuugely into the arts - acted and sang for years! It’s been through her that my love and obsession with and for theatre came into being. I grew up around and in community theatre when I was younger before finally (officially) joining the realm myself in middle school when I acted through my senior year of high school

Fast forward to 2 years ago. I was out of college, back living at home (that’s a story for another day), and my grandparents asked my sister and me if we would want season tickets to Playhouse Square for Christmas. Well obviously we jumped at that!

Playhouse Square, for those of you who don’t know, is Cleveland’s big theatre district - actually, it’s the largest performing arts center in the U.S. outside of New York. We’re so lucky to continuously see such incredible Broadway shows coming right from the theatres in New York by being season ticket holders for the Broadway Series lineup!

However, that doesn’t even begin to cover everything. Playhouse Square, while continuously hosting traveling Broadway shows, also hosts the Cleveland Ballet, Cleveland Play House, Great Lakes Theater, and more in its 11 different spaces.

After attending shows religiously last year, I discovered and joined Partners this season. Partners is a group of young professionals who are involved in Playhouse Square ranging from 21-40 which supports the center’s not-for-profit mission through volunteer, leadership, and social activities. As a paying member, I’ve been able to attend various events throughout the year, network with other arts-loving peers in the area, and assist on a committee in order to help support and progress education which, of course, I chose to assist with the Jump Back Ball!

Onto the Ball!

The planning process started off a lot earlier in the year but was definitely necessary in order to plan the biggest night of the group’s year. Meetings were held once a month (a few more closer to the date) to discuss decor, sponsors, entertainment, marketing, and more with “shop nights” added in closer to the date in orderto create some of the larger-than-life pieces. Jump Back Ball (JBB) is the big annual fundraiser hosted by Partners in order to support community and education. Proceeds are used to fund different programs such as sensory-friendly performances, the Dazzle Awards, and providing underserved schools with a 17-week musical theatre program with Disney Musicals in Schools.

Jump Back Ball features endless food and cocktails, live music and dancing, and other entertainment. This year’s sold-out event’s theme was “From Jukebox to Boombox” and highlighted music from the 1950s-1990s.

The night started off at 6:30 for VIP ticketholders who were treated to cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, and the vocal stylings of Sinatra CLE in the Connor Palace. At 7:30, General Admission was welcomed in to they KeyBank State Theatre where we were treated with photo ops, cocktails, a raffle, silent auction, prize pull, and later buffet before heading upstairs to the gaming tables. 

We then walked through the doors into the theatre to some more gaming tables on the balcony level while the theatre itself was packed with games, more photo ops, a soft pretzel station, and Faction (a local, live band) dancing, and a strolling dinner buffet on the stage itself. For the dress code, we were encouraged to wear costumes, dress as you would if you were going to an awards ceremony, or dress as your favorite music artist/band from the 50s-90s. The wide range made for some incredibly fun and clever costumes from all who attended!

The food and drinks were amazing; the music was fun; and the company made it such an incredibly fun night that has me already excited for next year! 

Ticket prices for the event ranged from $75 - $200 with VIP and General Admission tickets being partially tax deductible. Tickets are also complimented with a parking pass (if you decide to go that route) and they also have a special partnership with one of the area hotels for those wanting to stay in the area overnight but obviously the sooner you buy your tickets, the better (especially when it sells out)!

Now for the dress!

I had every intention of starting and finishing this dress at least one week before the Ball… That didn’t happen!

Between costuming, pattern testing, work, and home I had absolutely no time to get this dress done in my original timeframe. So what did I do? Friday, the day before JBB (Jump Back Ball), I started patterning and cutting the muslin for the bodice at 9am once my hands decided they would cooperate. Thankfully, I wanted to keep a simple look - sleeveless with a higher neckline and princess seams - to let the fabric speak for itself so I finished the bodice muslin in about an hour and a half. 

The gold is a cracked ice from Spandex World in New York which basically means that it’s a bunch of glitter that’s been glued onto tulle in a design. My original plan (see below) was to layer the cracked ice over a black lining for the entire dress but, as I was cutting out the center cracked ice panel, I realized that there would be no way I could keep that plan. The cracked ice is a directional design and, in order to achieve the look I had planned, I would have had to spread out all of my pieces to match seams which meant it wouldn’t all fit.

So I raced to one of the closest Joann’s near my house and grabbed a couple of yards of a simple black crepe that I used for the bodice save that center front piece that already had the cracked ice. At first I was a bit upset that it wouldn’t be my original vision but I love the fact that the black on the side front pieces makes the rest of the dress pop more (not to mention the fact that my arms were saved from getting cut up by glitter).

The skirt took a little more fitting, taking me the bulk of the time I spent on the dress, but I really wanted a mermaid fit. It may have taken a bit but it was sooooo comfortable to wear so definitely worth it!

Just about every seam on this dress was French seamed and I hand tacked bias binding into the neckline and armholes for nice, clean finishes and it definitely was worth it to have so many people coming up and complimenting my dress at the Ball, not believing I had made it.

I had soo much fun at Jump Back Ball and cannot wait for next year! Maybe this next time I’ll actually start earlier than the night before though...