By Peter Lyons Hall
A sold-out crowd filled Forge 28 Studios on Monday evening, March 16, as acclaimed Broadway and West End performer Jill Paice took the stage for an intimate cabaret-style fundraiser benefiting the Core Theatre Group, hosted by producer and co-founder Chuck Ragsdale.
The standing-room-only event highlighted both the growing cultural energy of Warwick and the expanding reach of Core Theatre Group, which continues to bring high-caliber theatrical experiences and arts education to the region, while collaborating with Warwick’s own local talented performers.
Paice, whose extensive stage career spans Broadway, the West End, Off-Broadway, and television, captivated the audience with a dynamic mix of musical performances and personal storytelling. Her Broadway credits include An American in Paris (Milo), Matilda the Musical (Miss Honey), The 39 Steps, Curtains (Niki Harris), and The Woman in White (Laura Fairlie). She has also starred in London’s West End in Gone With the Wind (Scarlett) and The Woman in White, and appeared Off-Broadway in Death Takes a Holiday (Grazia). Additional notable performances include Chess(Florence, Signature Theatre), Titanic (Carolyn, Lincoln Center), Company (Susan, New York Philharmonic), A Little Night Music (Anne, Roundabout Theatre Company), and Mamma Mia! (Sophie, Las Vegas). Her television credits include appearances on White Collar, Unforgettable, Person of Interest, and The Beautiful Life.
Despite these impressive credentials, Paice’s presence on stage was warm, grounded, and deeply personal. Throughout the evening, she reflected on her early years growing up without direct access to New York City theater, recalling how her passion for Broadway began with a single annual event:
“The Tony Awards were my access—once a year, over and over,” she said, describing how she recorded the broadcast on VHS and studied it closely. “I didn’t even realize at first that you could get paid to do this.”
Her remarks underscored the importance of arts education and exposure—an idea central to Core Theatre Group’s mission.“Programs like this are so important because they bring theater to young people because it’s fun—because they want to be part of something,” Paice said. “The community of theater is the most extraordinary part of all of this.”
That sense of belonging was a recurring theme in her reflections. As an only child in an Air Force family, Paice described how frequently moving shaped her search for connection. Theater ultimately became that anchor. “I was always looking for a kind of family,” she shared. “And I found that in every show.”
The evening also included humorous and revealing behind-the-scenes stories from her time on Broadway. One standout moment came as she recounted her experience performing in Matilda, where multiple young actors rotated through the title role. Paice described a particularly tense onstage moment involving a carefully choreographed tea scene that nearly went off track, offering a glimpse into the precision—and unpredictability—of live performance. The story drew laughter and knowing appreciation from the audience.
Hosted by Chuck Ragsdale, the event reflected Core Theatre Group’s ongoing commitment, now in its third year, to elevating the arts in Warwick and the surrounding region. Under his leadership, the organization has steadily built a reputation for producing professional-quality theater while also investing in educational programming for emerging performers.
Paice acknowledged the uniqueness of the local arts scene, praising both the organization and the community supporting it.
“You are so lucky to have this,” she told the audience. “It’s like a small New York City up here.”
Monday night’s fundraiser served not only as a showcase of world-class talent, but also as a powerful reminder of the role that local arts organizations play in fostering creativity, connection, and opportunity. Proceeds from the event will directly support Core Theatre Group’s future productions and educational initiatives. Accompanying Paice’s presence were additional performances by Christy Brown, Harry Charles, Luisa Fuentes, David Michael Garry, Alex Haines, Noreen Hanson, Grace Hoey, Christina Bream Cara Leahy, Paul Loesel, Connor McCabe, Pat McRoberts, Emmerson Powers, Chuck Ragsdale, Dana Regan, and Charlie Ventre. Additional technical support was provided by Brian Dunn, Corey Brown, Britt Johnson and Forge 28 Studios.
For those in attendance, the evening offered something rare: the chance to experience a performer of international caliber in an intimate setting, while also contributing to a growing cultural movement close to home. Core Theatre Group [CoretheatreGroup.com] is a professional theatre company and a 501 (c) 3 not-for-profit organization in Orange County, NY. Setting course to enrich the community by connecting people through the transformative power of the performing arts, its vision is to create a center for artistic work that entertains, educates and enlightens the community. By offering creative collaborations of industry professionals and local talents, CTG brings a signature brand of home-grown entertainment experiences to the Warwick Valley area.
As Warwick continues to emerge as a destination for the arts, events like this demonstrate that the distance between Broadway and the Hudson Valley is, increasingly, just a matter of perspective.
Photo credit: Peter Lyons Hall
