Lexington, KY - Film actor and Lexington native Michael Shannon will be on hand for a special fundraising event hosted by Friends of the Kentucky Theatre. The group is working to raise $1.5 million for critical technology upgrades and other much-needed renovations at the landmark downtown theater.
The event on Friday, April 26 begins with a VIP reception from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Portofino Restaurant where guests can meet Shannon in an intimate setting. Tickets are $100 per person or $150 per couple and include heavy hors d’oeuvres, beer, wine and admission to the film premier. Prepaid reservations are required for the reception. Tickets may be purchased online at www.kentuckytheatre.com.
At 8 p.m., the Lexington premier of Shannon’s new movie MUD, also starring Mathew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon and Midway, Ky., resident Sam Shepherd, will be featured at the Kentucky Theatre. Shannon will introduce the film and participate in a Q & A session immediately following its conclusion.
Tickets to attend the premier only are available for $20 and may be purchased in advance at www.kentuckytheatre.com or at the theater box office. Tickets may also be purchased the evening of the premier on a first come, first served basis. Shannon grew up in Lexington and got his first taste of stage performance at Tates Creek Junior High School. He attended Henry Clay High School. Shannon’s mother remains a Lexington resident.
In 1990, as a teenager, Shannon appeared in an Actors Guild of Lexington production of Home Fires. Since that time, he has appeared in movies such as Pearl Harbor with Ben Affleck and Vanilla Sky with Tom Cruise. In 2009, he received an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor for his work in the acclaimed movie, Revolutionary Road.
Shannon, star of the HBO hit series Boardwalk Empire, is currently busy with the premiers of MUD and a second new release, The Iceman, starring Ray Liotta. Later this summer, he will also appear in the much-anticipated Superman movie Man of Steel alongside Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, Russell Crowe and Amy Adams.