On June 6, the evening before the nationally-televised Tony Awards ceremony, Civic Theatre of Allentown will present its 5th annual "Tonys & Tapas Benefit" to raise money for the Allentown theater's general operating fund.

Guests will enjoy vocal performances of selections from recent Broadway shows, as well as samplings from some of the Lehigh Valley's finest restaurants and caterers. The event will also feature a live auction, open wine-beer-champagne bar, and surprises.

Unlike previous years where the festivities were held on a Sunday afternoon and confined to Civic's historic 19th Street building, this year's event will take place 6 - 9 p.m. Saturday evening and utilize Civic's 19th Street Theatre and Theatre514.

"We are really excited about expanding Civic's signature event to utilize our entire theater campus," said Michael Traupman, Managing Director.

"The change to the evening before the Tonys allows for a greater participation by the entire community. Likewise, the new flow of the event, with the bulk of the reception happening in our recently upgraded Theatre514 space, makes it more physically accessible to anyone who wishes to attend."

Patrons will arrive at Theatre514 and escorted up a red carpet, where they can have their photos taken. They will then enter Theatre514 via the scenery shop, an area that is usually closed off to visitors.

"Civic is using the event as an opportunity to allow patrons a chance to see where we put our live productions together. We usually don't grant access to the scene shop, but we feel there is a magic to lifting the veil to the behind-the-scenes areas of the theater," said Traupman.

Attendees may then visit the public areas of Theatre514, where they will sample selections from 11 different restaurants and caterers and enjoy the open wine-beer-champagne bar. Elena and Joseph Pascal are sponsoring the Champagne and beer is being provided by Weyerbacher Brewery of Easton.

Civic's Tonys and Tapas honors the theater's link to the larger American theater community as that community celebrates its biggest night of the year the handing out of the American Theatre Wing's Tony Awards for Excellence in Broadway Theatre. Civic's celebration not only includes a brief musical performance by the theater's acting company, but highlights the culinary offerings of area restaurants and caterers that are providing small bites, or tapas, for the celebration's guests.

The catering for the event includes "Tapas" stations by Blue, The Cakesmith, Kome, Maison Blanc Catering, Melt, Renaissance Hotel Allentown, Ringer's Roost, Roar, Shanty on 19th, Southern Delights and Torre.

Presenting sponsors for "Tonys and Tapas" are City Center Lehigh Valley and RCN. Lead event sponsors are Janet and Malcom Gross, and Lindsay and Jon Brachle. Event sponsors are Coringrato Insurance Agency, David & Gloria Mann - A-town Pawn, MAGDA Design Studios, National Penn Insurance, Schaefer Industries, Sharon & Barry Glassman and Timothy Richard Fine Jewelry.

Unlike previous years, the event is featuring a limited number of live auction items. Among the items up for auction this year include tickets and limo transportation to "Something Rotten!" on Broadway; tickets to the Philadelphia Eagles; a Bucks County overnight package featuring a one-night stay at the Inn at Bowman's Hill; a night for 17 people in a luxury suite at the PPL Center during a Lehigh Valley Phantoms 2015-16 season game; a Lehigh Valley entertainment package featuring dining and entertainment certificates from across the region; and a one-week stay at a historic Villa in Tuscany.

Tickets: CivicTheatre. com; Nineteenth Street Theatre box office, or 610- 432-8943.