Darren Criss: A Benefit Concert for Long Wharf Theatre

To preserve tax deductibility, your sponsorship advertisement must include the following
language: “[ORGANIZATION NAME] is proud to support Long Wharf Theatre.”

Full-Page Advertisements
4 5/8″ wide by 7 3/4″ high | No bleed, full-color PDF file

Half-Page Advertisements
4 5/8″ wide by 3 7/8″ high | No bleed, full-color PDF file

Quarter Page Advertisements
2 5/16″ wide by 3 7/8″ high | No bleed, full-color PDF file

Promotional advertisements are available for purchase at $1,500 (full page inside cover – two
available), $1,000 (full page), $500 (half page), and $250 (quarter page).

A PDF of the fully designed recognition advertisement must be received at
events@longwharf.org by April 26, 2024.

CONTACT: Gloria Gorton at (203) 772-8234 or events@longwharf.org.

Producing Sponsor ($15,000) 

If full benefits are taken, the tax-deductible value is $13,000. 

• Preferred seating for ten (10) to the concert performance
• Access for ten (10) to the pre-show cocktail reception and post-show dessert party
• Exclusive meet and greet for ten (10) with Darren Criss
• Recognition as Producing Sponsor in event remarks
• Logo and/or name recognition as Producing Sponsor on e-blasts, print and social media
• Logo and/or name recognition on event signage
• Full-page, full-color recognition ad in event program
• Logo and/or name recognition as Producing Sponsor on Long Wharf Theatre event landing webpage with link to your corporate website
• Listing on Long Wharf Theatre institutional giving webpage and in production playbills for one (1) year

Directing Sponsor ($10,000) 

If full benefits are taken, the tax-deductible value is $8,400. 

• Preferred seating for eight (8) to the concert performance
• Access for eight (8) to the pre-show cocktail reception and post-show dessert party
• Exclusive meet and greet for two (2) with Darren Criss
• Logo and/or name recognition as Directing Sponsor on e-blasts, print and social media
• Logo and/or name recognition on event signage
• Half-page, full-color recognition ad in event program
• Logo and/or name recognition as Directing Sponsor on Long Wharf Theatre benefit event landing webpage and link to your corporate website
• Listing on Long Wharf Theatre institutional giving webpage and in production playbills for one (1) year

Patron Sponsor ($5,000) 

If full benefits are taken, the tax-deductible value is $4,200. 

• Priority seating for four (4) to the concert performance
• Access for four (4) to pre-show cocktail reception and post-show dessert party
• Exclusive meet and greet for two (2) with Darren Criss
• Logo and/or name recognition as Patron Sponsor on e-blasts
• Logo and/or name recognition on event signage
• Half-page, full-color recognition ad in event program
• Logo and/or name recognition as patron Sponsor on Long Wharf Theatre benefit event landing webpage and link to your corporate website
• Listing in production playbills for one (1) year

Gold Sponsor ($2,500) 

If full benefits are taken, the tax-deductible value is $2,100. 

• Priority seating for two (2) to the concert performance
• Access for two (2) to pre-show cocktail reception and post-show dessert party
• Exclusive meet and greet for two (2) with Darren Criss
• Logo and/or name recognition as Gold Sponsor on e-blasts
• Logo and/or name recognition on event signage
• Quarter-page, full-color recognition ad in event program
• Listing in production playbills for one (1) year

Premier Ticket ($1,000) If full benefits are taken, the tax-deductible value is $800.

• Premier seating for one (1) to the concert performance
• Access for one (1) to the pre-show cocktail reception and post-show dessert party
• Exclusive meet and greet for one (1) with Darren Criss

Preferred Ticket($500) If full benefits are taken, the tax-deductible value is $300.

• Preferred seating for one (1) to the concert performance
• Access for one (1) to the pre-show cocktail reception and post-show dessert party

Concert-only tickets are available for $75 – $125 for non-Members, $50 for Members, and $10 for college students. Free admission for K-12 students is also available. 

Parking 

Free parking for guests in lots P-2, P-5, P-12, and P-12B. The two closest lots are P-5 and P-12. Parking is on a first-come, first-served basis. SCSU Parking Map 

Driving Directions 

via I-95 North 

I-95, Exit 44 (Kimberly Avenue, Route 10). Turn right at the end of the exit onto Kimberly Avenue, then left at the stoplight onto Ella Grasso Boulevard, Route 10. Ella Grasso Boulevard ends at Crescent Street, near the south entrance of the campus. Turn left on to Crescent Street. The entrance to the Lyman Center will be on your righthand side. 

via I-95 South 

I-95, Exit 44 (Ella Grasso Boulevard, Route 10). Follow Ella Grasso Boulevard north. Ella Grasso Boulevard ends at Crescent Street, near the south entrance of the campus. Turn left on to Crescent Street. The entrance to the Lyman Center will be on your righthand side. 

via Rt. 15 North 

Rt. 15, Merritt-Wilbur Cross Parkway, Exit 59 (Whalley Avenue). Head south on Whalley Avenue, turn left onto Fitch Street, which bisects the campus. Turn right on to Crescent Street. The entrance to the Lyman Center will be on your lefthand side. 

via Rt. 15 South 

Rt. 15, Wilbur Cross Parkway, Exit 60 at Dixwell Avenue. Head south on Dixwell Avenue to Arch Street. Turn right at Arch Street and left at Fitch Street, which bisects the campus. Turn left on to Crescent Street. The entrance to the Lyman Center will be on your left-hand side. 

Public Transportation 

CT Transit #243 – Whalley Avenue: Brookside (243B) 

The nearest stop is Fitch Street, with a 0.3 mile walk to the John Lyman Center for the Performing Arts. 

Visit CT Transit to plan your trip or use the links below: 

• CT Transit Route 243 Map
• CT Transit Route 243 Schedule

The Lyman Center is a physically accessible venue.

ADA parking and restrooms are available.

Wheelchair and companion seating is available and labeled on our seating map.

Assisted listening devices are available upon request at our Box Office.

Since bursting onto the pop-culture landscape over a decade ago, Darren Criss has embodied the kind of kaleidoscopic artistry that’s entirely uninhibited by form or genre. The multi-hyphenates illustrious career spans television, film, music and stage.

He’s currently starring opposite Evan Rachel Wood in the Off-Broadway production of Little Shop of Horrors and can be heard as the voice of St. Peter in the hit Amazon series “Hazbin Hotel”. In 2021, Criss shared the Broadway stage opposite Sam Rockwell and Laurence Fishburne in American Buffalo, which received a Tony Award-nomination for Best Revival of a Play. He also co-hosted “The Tony Awards: Act One” with Julianne Hough. The duo kicked off their hosting duties with a rousing performance of singing and dancing to an original tune written by Criss, titled “Set The Stage.” In 2015, he returned to the stage as Hedwig in Hedwig and the Angry Inch. In the titular role, critics alike raved, including The New York Times calling his performance “mesmerizing.” He made his Broadway debut in 2012 as J. Pierrepont Finch in How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying. With Criss at the helm, the revival made just under $4 million, which proved to be the most lucrative three weeks of its 11-month run.

His portrayal of Andrew Cunanan in Ryan Murphy’s award-winning television series “American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace” was met with widespread critical acclaim, earning Criss a Primetime Emmy Award, Golden Globe Award, Screen Actors’ Guild Award and Critics’ Choice Award. Known for playing Blaine Anderson on FOX’s global phenomenon “Glee,” he was nominated for two Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series. He also received an Emmy Award nomination in 2015 for Best Original Music and Lyrics for the song “This Time,” which appeared in the series finale.

As a singer and songwriter, Criss released his first-ever holiday album entitled “A Very Darren Crissmas” on Decca Records in 2021. In it, he brought his radiant imagination and encyclopedic musical knowledge to a wildly eclectic collection of songs: big-band standards and novelty tunes, mid-century musical numbers and modern-day folk-pop ballads. Criss’ original track “Drunk on Christmas” featuring country chart-topper Lainey Wilson, showcased his effortless ingenuity as a songwriter. The result is an essential new entry into the holiday-music canon, both thrillingly unpredictable and touched with a timeless sense of Christmas magic. Made with Ron Fair, multi-Grammy® nominee and producer of numerous GRAMMY-winning hits, “A Very Darren Crissmas” also featured special guest appearances by Adam Lambert and Evan Rachel Wood.

“A Very Darren Crissmas” was only the latest evidence of Criss’ singular gifts as a song interpreter. In 2021, he delivered a collection of character-driven singles as part of his solo EP titled “Masquerade” (BMG). In 2017, his EP “Homework” debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Heatseekers Album chart and in the same year, introduced his indie-pop band Computer Games. Through the years he’s also written songs for the comedy musical “Royalties,” “Central Park,” co-wrote “Starting Now” for Disney and performed by Brandy, and headlined the iHeartRadio Music Festival with Steve Aoki.

Prior to his television career, the San Francisco native pursued his acting degree at the University of Michigan. In his senior year, Criss and his friends created a Harry Potter musical parody entitled, “A Very Potter Musical” as a fun project for their classmates, friends and other Harry Potter fans. Along with starring as the boy wizard himself, Criss also lent several of his songs to be used in the show. Within weeks of posting the musical online, it became a YouTube hit, garnering millions of views and musical theater‐world attention.

Using “A Very Potter Musical” as a springboard, Criss and his writing partners started StarKid Productions. Within a year, they wrote and produced subsequent online hits like “Starship” and “A Very Potter Sequel,” both of which he wrote the music and lyrics for. As a result, the StarKid brand has grown to become just as popular as the shows themselves, spawning an enormous cult following from all over the world.

Criss and StarKid Productions appeared on the Billboard charts through four separate releases – all within the year 2012. These include the #1 spot on Billboard’s Top Cast Album for “Starship,” the #19 spot on the Top Compilations chart for “A Very StarKid Album,” and the #30 spot on Billboard’s Heatseekers chart with Criss’ self‐released EP “Human.”

Criss’ credits include host of ABC’s “The Queen Family Singalong,” “Muppets Haunted Mansion,” “Midway,” “Girl Most Likely,” “American Horror Story,” “Web Therapy,” and “Eastwick.” He is also the founder of New York City’s first show tunes music festival, Elsie Fest.