Towering proudly in the heart of Washington D.C.’s Shaw neighborhood, the majestic Howard Theatre has been graced by a wide range of extraordinary performances since its inception in 1910. During it’s heyday, numerous legendary African American artists débuted from its renowned stage, with crowds lining up around the corner to see performers like Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, The Drifters, James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, The Temptations and Ike & Tina Turner, just to name a few.
After closing in 1970 and undergoing several small revivals, the Howard Theatre underwent a $30 million renovation and finally opened its doors again in 2012, unveiling a fresh modern aesthetic while still maintaining its regal facade and paying tribute to its prestigious history. Walk inside and you’re immediately captivated by echoes of days past, with photos and painted murals of legendary artists adorning the hallways.
Using the grandiose stage as a focal point, we partnered with the teams at Wolfgang Puck Catering and Amaryllis Designs to style a winter event that was elegant yet lively, using the dramatic lighting to capture the bold pops of color in the floral arrangements. Working with the deep-blue velvet curtain and the flow of the theatre, we set the cocktail buffet and the king’s table on the stage, along with a festive winter-styled bar in the balcony for cocktails overlooking dinner and dancing. A relaxed dessert was styled in the VIP Booth, tying in the copper and jewel toned theme with passing trays doubling as vessels for coffee and tea service.
“There is something inherently dramatic about the Theatre’s setting and ambiance,” Mary Cline, Regional Director of East Coast Catering Sales at Wolfgang Puck Catering told us. “It sets the tone for guests to enjoy the type of experience that we at Wolfgang Puck Catering envision – an experience that is memorable and formal, yet comfortable, with great food and great company.” After the photo shoot, we caught up with Mary for her take on designing events in a theatre setting, the inspiration behind the looks, and how she got her start in the business.
Look #1: Center-Stage Buffet
“Many events now downplay food and menu selections for a variety of reasons; my inspiration for placing the buffet center stage was first and foremost a return to Wolfgang Puck Catering’s core values centered around food, beverage, and hospitality.”
Get This Look: Mirror Bar 6′, Antique Copper Hammered Rectangle Chafer 4 qt., Antique Copper Hammered Round Chafer 4 qt., Antique Copper Hammered Sauce Warmer 1.25 qt., Antique Copper Hammered Wok 10″, Antique Copper Moroccan Bowl 8″, Moroccan Antique Copper Bowl 6″, Antique Copper Rechaud Base, Ceramic Coupe Platter Round 10.75″, Ceramic Coupe Tray Octagon 18″ x 10.5″, Ceramic Coupe Tray Rectangle 16″ X 4.75″, Mini Ceramic Tiffin Bowl Square 5 oz., Mini Ceramic Tiffin Plate Square 6.5“, Mini Tiffin Plate Square 5″, Rechaud Copper Pan 12″, Resin Rectangle Tray 24″ x 4″ Copper, Hearst Votive Amber, Hearst Votive Amethyst, Hearst Votive Aqua, Tri-Sided Votive Cobalt Blue
“The inspiration for the “look” of the buffet – the tables, the vehicles to present the food, the lighting, the suspended florals – was all driven by the unique and distinct setting at The Howard Theatre: the majestic, royal blue stage curtain as the backdrop. The curtain, just like the building itself, has a personality and striking presence of its own – and it was a natural pairing of copper, jewel tones, and the colorful produce of the season to complement it. Amaryllis Designs’ suspended floral was the final touch on framing the buffet food at center stage.“
Look #2: Festive Winter-Styled Bar
“Venues with built-in bars and available furniture are a big win with event planners who are constantly challenged with balancing the creation of a memorable overall experience against realistic event budgets. The Howard Theatre’s built-in bars are spectacular, with shelving and ample footage to create effective visual impact in addition to providing all of the necessary functionality of servicing an event.“
Get This Look: All Purpose Champagne Coupe Glass 5 oz., All Purpose Champagne Coupe Glass 8.5 oz., Belgian Beer Glass 16 oz., Berlin Goblet 15 oz., Berlin White Wine Glass 12 oz., Brandy Snifter Glass 9 oz., Brooks Votive Clear, Cerveza Pilsner Glass 11 oz., Cordial Flared Glass 3.5 oz., Cordial Pony Glass 1 oz., Cordial Salto Glass 2 oz., Dolores Votive Clear, Eleanor Platinum Rim Flute Glass 6 oz., Eleanor Platinum Rim White Wine Glass 8 oz., Hearst Votive Smoke, Martini Glass 7 oz., Nick and Nora Cocktail Glass 5.5 oz., Nonic Pub Glass 20 oz., Pandora Smoke Glass 12 oz., Regency Clear Compote Glass 9 oz., Revival Beer Glass 16 oz., Round Single Rocks Glass 9 oz., Stockholm Tinted Smoke Glass 15 oz., Tinted Goblet 14 oz. Ruby Red, Venice Highball Glass 11 oz., Cocktail Shaker, Presidential Hammered Diamond Tray 14.5″, Stainless Brushed Hammered Rectangle Tray 16″ x 5″, Stainless Hammered 5 Step Riser, Tasting Ceramic Sugar Holder 3.5″ x 2.5″, Red Velvet 10″ x 16″ Pillows, White Church Linen Cocktail Napkins
“The existing setting is very black & white with enormous historic jazz photos as the backdrop; adding pops of red with candlelight, some seasonal greens and whites, and mixing all types of glassware was a straightforward way to make the bar setup itself a focal point.“
“A secondary inspiration for this was another return to a Wolfgang Puck core value – to make “high-end hospitality” accessible to the home entertaining host – I purposefully mixed and matched glassware to show that you don’t need 24 of one type of glass to display a lovely champagne setup, and also focused on setting small vignettes of appropriate glassware matched to its spirit. Amaryllis Designs captured our intent perfectly by accenting with seasonal greens (which also added the scents of the season) along with some whites to brighten it up.”
Look #3: The King’s Table
“I must credit Cerys Spadaro from Party Rental Ltd. with the birth of this vision – it was so perfect that I jumped right on board! The ability to create a spectacular, dramatic, showcase table for guests to dine on a stage is not as common as people may think – this was the perfect opportunity to present a visual for a truly special experience. Especially, for those occasions where you may be entertaining guests that have seen and done it all, but dining on a stage is NOT something you can do just anywhere!“
Get This Look: Plum Velvet Tablecloth 156″ x 102″, Bellini Chair Black, Pandora Orchid Glass 12 oz., Stockholm Tinted Smoke Glass 15 oz., Brushed Stainless Charger 12″, Marble Glass Dinner Plate 11″ Black, York Platinum Border Lunch Plate 9″, Vanderbilt Stainless Flatware Collection, Black Shantung Dinner Napkins, Silver Napkin Ring Round, Inverted Votive Clear
“Cerys and I agreed on the deep jewel tones, folding in textures and adding some metallic touches – and then Amaryllis Designs accented our selections with the most luxurious mix of florals that perfectly complemented with more textures, added some brightness, and a bit of eccentricity with the mix and match of containers. Stunning result!“
Look #4: A Sweet Ending
“The Howard Theatre has these really unique little “nooks” to the left and right of the stage that are intended to be VIP booths for a show but offer all kinds of opportunities to be clever with event setups. In the spirit of curating this inspirational blog with a sense of the natural flow of an event, coupled with the desire to showcase what is truly unique about The Howard Theatre as a venue, it made perfect sense to conclude the experience with an intimate sweets and lounge setup inside one of these booths.“
Get This Look: Metro Coffee Table Square Black, Metro Corner Chair High Tufted Black, Hunter Green Velvet 19″ Square Pillows, Plum Velvet 19″ Square Pillows, Glass Atlas Bowl Alabaster 4.25″, Glass Atlas Bowl Alabaster 6.25″, Glass Atlas Bowl Alabaster 8.25″, Copper Mule Mug 18 oz., Ceramic Coupe Tray Rectangle, Mini Tiffin Plate Square 5″, Roly Poly Votive Aquamarine
“We again focused on deep jewel tones with pops of copper, looking to show how different Party Rental Ltd. vehicles can be used in ways other than their original intent (small passing trays repurposed to line up copper mugs for hot beverage dispensed from a small sauce warmer), along with creating the look and feel that the evening is wrapping up with a Sweet Ending.“
How did you get your start in the catering business and what led you to where you are today?
“I joke about this, but it is the truth – I was hungry in college. I learned that working in the restaurant industry gave me ample access to great meals, compared to the meal plan at the Quad that was included with living on campus. My first restaurant job was a hybrid, front and back of house gig at the Woodstock Golf Club in Woodstock, NY, working for a French chef and his wife. I would go in mid-morning, prep in the kitchen with Chef, do side-work for the lunch shift, and work the lunch shift on the floor alone with just the bartender to back me up. Then, clear the floor, do the dishes, clean the kitchen, and prep the side-work for the evening shift.“
“I WAS HOOKED by the pace of it all, interacting with customers, so many unique experiences and life lessons each day coupled with a developing palate for fresh ingredients, classic sauces, and restaurant cuisine versus the packaged and frozen foods I mostly grew up on. It was eye opening.“
“I didn’t consider it a career until graduating from college when I was offered a full-time restaurant management position – complete with health benefits and paid vacation, I thought I’d hit it big! My trajectory from those early days to now includes a mix of optimizing on opportunities (“Hey, that person quit? I’ll do THAT job!”) to curating my “own way”, building business cases to create my own opportunities. Where I am today is a result of tenacity, passion for hospitality, curiosity, and as I grew older, the desire to train, mentor, and assist others with achieving their full potential.“
What can we tell brides and event planners about the culinary team and the menus?
“First and foremost, our culinary professionals are INCREDIBLY passionate about their craft. It doesn’t matter if they are preparing a burger or a Wagyu steak, they are truly dedicated to preparing the very best quality ingredients as simply as possible to preserve the ingredients’ integrity. This passion is apparent when interacting with our chefs. This is why we try to incorporate Chef Action Stations into as many event experiences as possible – because while I and my sales colleagues can paint the picture with words and phrases on paper, the Chefs bring the menus and food to life.“
“Second, our menus are curated to include Chef Wolfgang’s classics so that the tuna tartare cone a guest eats in Boston is the same as the tuna tartare cone served in L.A., Dallas, Atlanta, Seattle, and D.C. Our menus are also curated to reflect the personality, flavors, and flair of the local scene in each market as well, so we are able to offer not only Wolfgang Puck classics but regional offerings.”
“Lastly, we customize a LOT – particularly for weddings, events in cultural institutions, and citywide convention off-site receptions. With regard to weddings, we have a personalized approach to customize a menu that reflects the couple’s unique story, their favorites, and a menu that will appeal to their guests.“
“Events hosted in cultural institutions are often themed to the venue experience, such as the science of food in science & technology museums, historical epoch menus in history museums, and so forth. Citywide convention groups hosting an off-site quite frequently want a taste of the local cuisine, so we often find ourselves curating a “Taste of” experience for these large receptions.“
In the spirit of inspiration, have there been any truly unique weddings or other events that you could tell us about?
“It sounds cliché but I’m unable to choose just one; my favorite moments over the years that are burned in my brain are Zero Waste events, every opportunity I’ve had to create massive candy, dessert, or cheese displays (think: MASSIVE), and especially the moments when I have been a part of bringing someone’s vision or “favorites” to life and the look of joy and amazement on the clients’ faces. Those are the memories I truly treasure and provide me with the fuel to keep pushing forward to the next creative challenge. This is a truly phenomenal industry that brings all kinds of people together – because food and beverage, entertaining, and hospitality set the stage for meaningful conversations and experiences.”
Events At The Howard Theatre
Fully equipped with state of the art production, audio visual and lighting systems, the 12,000 square foot theatre offers two tiered horseshoe-shaped seating (booths and tables) centered on a 30-foot stage, making even the largest event seem intimate. The atmosphere is enhanced with two 8-foot video screens on either side of the stage. The Center Stage room can accommodate up to 170 seated at rounds, 250 seated at cafe tables, or 500 reception-style.
“We have fully transformed this venue so many times, but the most elaborate was a Bat Mitzvah where we covered the entire venue in HOT PINK,” said Colleen Hendricks, Director of Sales at the Howard Theatre Entertainment Group. “I love the main dance floor as it can be transformed into so many set ups and configurations.“
The unique balcony space comes complete with a private bar and a breathtaking aerial view of the stage and the auditorium for cocktail hour. The Balcony can accommodate 100 seated guests or 150 for cocktails.
About Wolfgang Puck Catering
Founded in 1998 by renowned Chef Wolfgang Puck and CEO Carl Schuster, Wolfgang Puck Catering continues to set the standard for culinary excellence, bringing their team’s legendary combination of innovative cuisine and refined service to the world’s most renowned and demanding corporate, cultural and entertainment settings.
Growing from their roots at Spago, Wolfgang Puck Catering continues to deliver restaurant-style experience in a special event setting. Wolfgang’s experienced team caters intimate weddings, convention galas, family occasions, and such noteworthy events as the Academy Awards® Governors Ball.
Wolfgang Puck Catering currently provides dining and catering services at entertainment, corporate and cultural centers in major markets including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Dallas, Houston, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington DC and Atlanta.