MAD Company and Living Room Productions Announce Joint Fundraising Gala, “Eve of the First Spark,” April 30 at Resobox
An evening of revelry, live entertainment, and community to benefit two upcoming New York theatre productions
NEW YORK — April 20, 2026 — MAD Company and Living Room Productions, two of New York City’s independent theatre companies founded by graduates of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, announce Eve of the First Spark, a joint fundraising gala celebrating the artists, patrons, and friends who help turn new ideas into fully realized productions. The event will take place Thursday, April 30, 2026, from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Resobox (91 E 3rd St., New York, NY 10003).
The evening invites guests to usher in the spring with an open bar, curated light bites, live entertainment, and a raffle with prizes designed to pique every guest’s interest.
Proceeds from the gala will directly support both companies’ upcoming projects: Living Room Productions’ Twelfth Night: 1941, a reimagined staging of Shakespeare’s beloved comedy, and MAD Company’s audio drama Sleepy Hollow.
“There is a particular magic held within the beginning of a project,” the companies wrote in the event’s invitation, “a flicker of an idea that will eventually catch and ignite. Throw some kindling on the fire with us and be a part of what comes next.”
An Ancient Celebration
April 30 also happens to be Walpurgis Night, the centuries-old European eve of May Day, traditionally marked by bonfires lit to banish the last of winter’s spirits and welcome the first warmth of spring. It is a night of thresholds: between seasons, between the spectral and the living, between what has been and what is about to begin. It is, in the truest sense, the eve of a first spark.
A Shared Spark
“Walpurgis Night is a storyteller’s holiday, the whole tradition is built on things that go bump in the night, and the bonfires we light to answer them,” said Helena Mueller, Executive Director of MAD Company. “That’s the same air our audio drama Sleepy Hollow is working in, and it’s the spirit we wanted for this gala: gather in the dark, tell a good story, and let the spark do its work.”
“Twelfth Night: 1941is about a troupe of actors in wartime London who trade the drone of the sirens and the waves of exhaustion for a comedy that makes room for love, grief, and reunion all at once,” said Ellyn Heald, Artistic Director of Living Room Productions, “ It's the same thing Walpurgis Night has always been about: gathering together, lighting a fire, and refusing to let the darkness win."
Event Details
What: Eve of the First Spark - a joint fundraising gala hosted by MAD Company and Living Room Productions
When: Thursday, April 30, 2026, 7:30 – 9:30 p.m.
Where: Resobox, 91 E 3rd St., New York, NY 10003
Includes: Open bar, light bites, live entertainment, and a raffle
Tickets: $65 – $100 (General Admission, Admission + Raffle, and Admission + Raffle + Donation tiers available)
Tickets & information: tickettailor.com/events/madcompanytheatre/2124452
Benefiting: Twelfth Night: 1941 (Living Room Productions) and the audio drama Sleepy Hollow (MAD Company Theatre)
About MAD Company Theatre
MAD Company Theatre is a 501(c)(3) non-profit New York-based company deeply committed to the importance of breathing new and ever-evolving perspectives into classical stories. Learn more at https://www.madcompanytheatre.com.
About Living Room Productions
Living Room Productions NYC is a 501(c)(3) fiscally sponsored, independent theater company creating bold, inventive productions that reimagine classic stories and champion new voices. Learn more at https://livingroomproductionsnyc.com.
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