OVG Theater Alliance to Host Annual Fundraiser and Impact Awards in Nashville

Leading representatives of the nation’s top-performing and most cherished arts centers and theaters will gather in Nashville on Oct. 3 for Oak View Group’s Theater Alliance’s fourth annual fundraiser, this year with a new “Play With Purpose” theme encouraging networking, fun competition and philanthropy supporting the arts.

The event is to take place at the Commodore Club at FirstBank Stadium at Vanderbilt University, overlooking the university’s football field and an atmosphere designed to encourage connection and collaboration. The event will also include the 2026 Impact Awards, previously announced as going to WME partner and agent Gayle Holcomb and recently retired ACL Moody Theater vice president and general manager Colleen Fischer.

Tickets are on sale now.

“In sum, our whole network produces over 10,000 events annually, there’s over 100 arts and community programs reflected and donations will go to 25 different foundations after the event,” says Joe Giordano, vice president of the Stadium Alliance, Arena Alliance and Theater Alliance for Oak View Group. Member venues of the Theater Alliance include Radio City Hall and the Beacon Theatre in New York, Ryman Auditorium and Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Fox Theatre Detroit, ACL Live in Austin, Loew’s Jersey Theater (soon reopening), Florida Theater in Jacksonville and more. The network formed in 2023.

With many performing arts centers and theaters being operated as nonprofits or supporting nonprofit and charitable organizations in various ways, and many venues themselves being registered as historic landmarks, Giordano says the Theater Alliance venues are unique to other traditional concert venues for already spending a lot of their efforts toward fundraising.

‘With over 15 million attendees across the whole network per year and an economic impact of over $2.2 billion employing more than 20,000 people, the ability to support through this event is undeniable,” Giordano says, noting the challenge of operating older facilities often with non-profit missions, which means expensive maintenance and upgrades.

Girodano says the Play For Purpose concept is about letting loose and having fun rather than a more traditional gala or black-tie event, which he says lends itself to a more casual vibe and coincides with the IEBA conference taking place after the weekend. Guests will gather for an energetic night of gaming, musical entertainment, a silent auction, and premium food and beverage from OVG Hospitality. OVG is parent company to Pollstar .

“At the end of the day, we want to make sure these theaters are preserved for years and years to come. Our fund supports every single one of our 25 members and their missions toward fundraising,” Giordano says.

Impact Award honorees Holcomb and Fischer join previous winners including Alex Hodges of Nederlander Concerts and Aaron Egigian of Segerstrom Center for the Arts.

“We’re honored to be able to honor them in a setting like this for their contributions, not just to the industry, but to the theater space in particular,” Giordano says.

The 2026 event marks the annual event’s second appearance in Nashville. The inaugural Theater Alliance benefit took place at the Grand Ole Opry in 2023, with Radio City Music Hall in New York serving as host in 2024 and the YouTube Theater in Los Angeles in 2025.

_Originally reported by [Pollstar](https://news.pollstar.com/2026/09/24/ovg-theater-alliance-to-play-with-purpose-at-annual-fundraiser-and-2026-impact-awards-oct-3-in-nashville/)._