Well, today I'm in a space that I actually have never been in before, but I'm at the Lerner with my friends here.

Tanner.

I always love you, and you look so sharp today.

Thank you.

You know, we have an event coming up, so I thought I'd get a little dapper.

I'm a little dapper.

I love in 1920s theme I'm guessing.

Absolutely.

I love it.

You guys do so many wonderful things here for the community with Premiere Arts.

And you guys have an important event that's coming up where people can support you.

Yes.

And a very fun, different kind of way.

Oftentimes when we are asking for people to come support the arts, it's buying a ticket to a show or just making a pure of a donation.

But we've kind of put our heads together and thinking, how can we really get the community together in a theatrical way, which I love?

I love this, and this is a great way to because this is happening here at the Lerner in allowing people to explore the space, you know, in a mysterious type of way.

Right?

Yes.

Because we are doing a good old fashioned murder mystery.

I love this murder on Main Street right here at the Lerner.

And it takes place at near the grand opening of the Lerner 100 years ago, 1924.

Because we're still celebrating the 100 years right now.

Run all year, baby.

Yes it is.

It doesn't end any way to celebrate it, though.

Yes.

And really allow you to transport yourself back to that beginning because so many of the building has been renovated, but it still keeps that iconic feel.

And so we really want to transport people back to that time, back to that era, and maybe impose a little bit of false history into the opening.

Okay.

So this is not necessarily a truthfull hstory, right?

No.

Okay.

These events did not take place, which allows you to know, I think the Lerner would appreciate us making that point.

Yes, very much.

But, throughout the night, you will meet some Elkhart historical figures.

We've kind of created our own story that weaves in people that were iconic to the foundation of Elkhart 100 years ago, along with some other, maybe starlet actresses, from Hollywood.

Maybe bring in some Chicago ties for a little extra intrigue.

And, the cool thing about the murder mystery is I've been to a few in my life, and they can run a couple different ways.

One, you just purely sit and you watch it happen in front of you, others where you're getting up, and you have a part.

Yes you are.

You got your script ahead of time, your your story.

You're about to do.

Exactly.

We've kind of found a way to blend the two so that for those who want to take part, they can feel like they were part of the story.

If you just want to sit back and watch, that is completely possible.

Okay?

Okay.

We have got lots of great actors kind of portraying the main story.

But it's going to be up to you to help kind of figure out and see if you can be correct in your who classic whodunit.

Okay.

And I don't, I don't know who did it.

Maybe you're gonna have to find out who did it.

I don't either.

I mean, technically the murder hasn't taken place yet, so we don't we know nothing yet.

But I will be your host of the evening, Harry Lerner.

I love opening my grand theater, but, there's a little bit of rivalry, because if you rewind the clock.

100 years ago, there was this beautiful Buckland opera house right across the street.

And, it didn't quite have the long lasting that the Lerner has.

And so we kind of take back to that point where there's a little bit of a rivalry between this new theater opening right across the street from an existing beautiful opera house.

Also some Hollywood ties.

We found a few actresses, for example, the lead actress, Catherine McGuire from The Navigator, which was the first movie they showed here in the opening.

Wow.

So we've invited the two guys included, all of those.

Those kind of Easter eggs?

Yes.

Classic Elkhart Easter eggs, I love it.

So we've invited her to attend the event as the starlet.

But also some, homegrown actresses that maybe are looking for their point in the spotlight.

And then you have some shady characters, maybe Chicago, kind of sticking around everything else.

So we'll see.

We'll see what happens.

I love it, and I mean, this is all really for a great cause.

There's a reason why you guys are doing this.

You do your annual fundraiser to help Premiere Arts, and this one is important.

It's very important.

When you come see a premiere art show, constantly, we hear this was unlike anything that I've ever seen, especially for community theater.

They constantly arts like these.

Were these people from you hired these people from Chicago, right.

This is a tour like.

No, these are people, teachers, librarians.

They work at the grocery store.

You.

I knew that I was in one of the last shows.

It was great.

It was so much fun.

And finally I, you know, took you long enough, I know it.

My girls are in the next one coming up to.

Yes, we've got descendants just around the corner.

We do.

But I mean it truly to to go on to what you're saying.

The talent here is just incredible.

And and it is top level across Michiana.

It is.

And it's expensive.

If I can be that blunt, putting on a show to the scale that we are able to do thanks to the support is expensive and it takes a lot of dollars.

Craig, the executive artistic director, likes to say that these shows now cost more than his first house.

Oh my gosh, not getting into the crazy market at this point, right?

Yeah, but it's expensive.

And the only way that we can do it is through the support of the community, whether that's through ticket or through fundraisers like this, so people can purchase their tickets for this event.

Still right there.

So available.

Yes.

How can they get more information?

Because when is it happening?

I don't even know if we said that.

Yeah.

When does that happening?

It's happening September 12th.

That's Friday next.

Upcoming Friday, September 12th, 6 p.m..

Okay.

You can find all the information you need on our website, Premier arts.org.

Scroll down to Featured Events.

You can find it right there.

You can buy a single ticket.

You could buy a table of eight.

Oh great.

So if you have a company maybe you want to sponsor a table.

Absolutely awesome.

That's a great way and a great outing for staff.

And just to know that you are not only having a good time, but it's going towards a great cause I love it.

Are people going to be able to kind of explore the lerner in new ways while they're here?

We are going to kind of take you through some pieces of the learner.

It's going to start actually on stage.

It's going to feel like a speakeasy.

You're not going to enter through the front door because we kind of don't need the cops letting, to know what we're up to.

So you said speakeasy.

So I'm assuming costumes are allowed and courage.

Okay, great.

Not required.

If that's not quite your shtick, but definitely encourage and help you get, you're gonna be very dapper for that.

Oh, yeah.

There's going to be costumes galore.

But.

So you're going to enter through a back alley into the stage.

Maybe we'll need a code word to get in.

Okay.

And then as events take place, we might need to vacate the premises, to elsewhere, where maybe you can enjoy more of a formal dinner, maybe a little bit more of your walking shoe.

Then we won't take you far.

Okay?

Okay, okay.

It's not like a haunted tour you're not going to see, all right?

But it's going to feel very immersive.

That's one thing that we're interested in.

And all the funds that you guys raise support the programs.

Tell us what you guys have coming up next, because you have a lot of stuff on the docket, especially for the second half of this year.

Yeah, it feels like this year's already over because we're already thinking about next year.

Right?

But we still have got plenty more exciting things coming up.

Like you mentioned before, we've got descendants.

The musical has got a mainstage cast and an all youth cast.

This is incredible.

That's the Disney movie.

For those that don't know about the villains, I don't know about the Decendant I mean the music.

I can't stop listening to the music.

It's such a good time.

And then, towards the end of the year, we're going to have another youth opportunity.

101 Dalmatians.

We'll need lots of kids for that.

That's a great one.

Yeah.

And then one of them.

Alongside that, we're also continuing the celebration of 100 years of the learner by offering a gift, a true gift to the community with a free performance.

Thanks to the Elkhart County Visitor Bureau in the city of Elkhart, they partnered so they can make this a free opportunity.

And it's going to be an original musical by Craig Gibson and one, Carlos Alarcon writing the music.

And it's going to talk and celebrate the opening of the Lerner 100 years ago.

That's amazing.

So, so many great things that you guys have coming up.

All the more reason to support the arts and I mean the arts themselves.

It brings the community together.

It ties it in in a way that is unlike anything I've ever seen.

I have seen people come from out of town.

Maybe they just moved, or maybe they used to love theater when they were kids in high school.

But then they take that leap and they join this community, and they immediately find a family like you've experienced it.

We've been trying to get you to do it for years, and now you feel like you have an entire family tree of people that, that just wrap their arms around you the minute you need it.

And that is true even if you're not a performer on stage.

But I feel like that's true even when you come and sit in the theater in a seat that you feel, you just feel it.

Yes.

Show weekend, I just leave feeling so full.

My heart is bursting at the seams.

Just feeling the energy in that room of people celebrating, the passion of the that we love.

And also just highlighting the talent that we have here in this community.

Absolutely.

We want to keep that going.

So all the more reason to get your ticket and coming out to the murder on Main Street.

Thank you so much, Tanner.

Thank you.

Good luck with your.

I'm to be there.

Put you on the spot now, maybe in my in my flapper costume.

Yes.

You better be dressed up in.