I went to Monday night’s Cab Calloway Lifetime Achievement Awards at Westchester Broadway Theater, where the creme de la creme of Westchester community theater gathered to honor their own:

• Asbury Summer Theatre and technical guru Andrew Gmoser;

• Dotti Pustola and Ann Wurzburger of The Harrison Players;

• Vinny Lopreto, a director and choreographer;

• Mara Mills, the driving force behind the now-defunct Herbert Mark Newman Theater at the Pleasantville Y;

• Composer, conductor and musical director Donna Cribari;

• Actors Dick Nagle and Jeanne McCabe; and

• Dance teacher and choreographer Selma Rothstein.

It was a lovefest, to be sure. I chatted over dinner with Bob Funking, the co-founder of Westchester Broadway. Nice man, Bob.

The most difficult thing was to try to coax all these theater people into their seats to get the show started, and to get them back from intermission: It was a schmooze-a-thon, with everyone seeming to know everyone else.
—Nellie O’Brien chatting with longtime “phantom” Craig Schulman (who delivered two powerhouse performances). The night’s 50/50 drawing was held to benefit his Jenna’s Dream scholarships.
—Yorktown Stage impresario Barry Leibman surrounded by a cabal of friends, after he used the time he was given to introduce McCabe and Nagle as an opportunity to call for all theater groups to work together for sheer survival.
—Ray Arrucci, fresh from a summer spent in stock in Amish country, looking bushy-bearded but happy to be back.
—Rose Norton, holding forth in a private box with a dozen friends, and welcoming longtime Mount Pleasant Theater musical director (and honoree) Cribari.
—Christine Pedi, a longtime star of “Forbidden Broadway,” told some hilarious stories about honorees Pustola and Lopreto and brought the house down with spot-on impersonations set to the tune of “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going.” (Words can’t possibly do it justice: Bernadette Peters, Carol Channing, Christine Ebersole, Katherine Hepburn and others singing this song!)
—Robi Hager, the Rye Country Day School graduate who is appearing in “Spring Awakening” (though I hear he’s headed back to school soon), was in fine voice, singing “Left Behind” from “Spring Awakening” and accompanying himself on the piano. Later, Hager appeared with his brother, John, and sister Daniele to sing a medley of Andrew Lloyd Webber songs. Talented kids, those Hagers.

Mark your calendars for next September. This is really the theater event of the year. No matter the nominees, it’s just pure fun. If you’re into theater, it’s the only place to be.