The ARTS by George! benefit event, presented by George Mason University’s College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA), celebrates its 20th year with Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning actor, singer, and songwriter Darren Criss as the headliner. Each year, the event raises vital support for student scholarships in visual arts, dance, music, theater, game design, film, and arts management, as well as for the Mason Community Arts Academy, Green Machine Ensembles, and the Great Performances at Mason season at the Center for the Arts. ARTS by George! takes place on Saturday, September 27 on the Fairfax campus of George Mason University.
ARTS by George! begins at 5 p.m. with hundreds of CVPA students and faculty collaborating in a series of behind-the-scenes showcases and exhibits in art, music, dance, theater, film, computer game design, arts management, arts education, and the Green Machine Ensembles. The evening culminates in a performance from Darren Criss at 8:30 p.m. in the Center for the Arts Concert Hall. Titled An Evening with Darren Criss, the headlining concert will feature favorite songs from throughout his eclectic career as a songwriter and performer—including those from his roles on Glee, StarKid, and on- and off-Broadway—as well as his original music.
Sandy Spring Bank is the presenting sponsor and Mason Arts Board member Annie Bolger is the event’s chair. Guests will enjoy a buffet dinner, a variety of student showcases, An Evening with Darren Criss, and an onstage reception with the artist following the concert. Each ticket includes a charitable donation directly supporting CVPA student scholarships and community arts programs. Since 2006, ARTS by George! has raised almost $4.6 million for Mason Arts.
Darren Criss first became known as both an actor and songwriter through the YouTube viral hit, A Very Potter Musical, in 2009. Before that, he had made a small name for himself playing unique interpretations of popular songs at cafes and bars in his hometown of San Francisco, California. This special knack for covering tunes would lead to Criss being cast on FOX’s massively successful musical series Glee in 2010, from which several of his performances of well-known songs became Billboard-topping records. In 2015, he received an Emmy nomination for Best Original Music and Lyrics for “This Time,” a song that he wrote for Glee’s series finale.
Criss has continued to write and produce music throughout the years, whether for his own releases as an artist or as a songwriter for theater, film, and television. He created, executive produced, starred in, and provided all the original songs for his short-form musical comedy series, Royalties, in 2019. He also provided the music and lyrics for the opening number of the 2022 Tony Awards, Act One. As an artist, he most recently delivered a genre-diverse collection of “character-driven” singles as part of his 2021 solo EP, Masquerade (BMG), and released a full-length Christmas album, A Very Darren Crissmas (Decca), that same year.
Criss is a veteran of the stage whose Broadway credits include the titular role of Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2015), How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (2012), and the most recent revival of David Mamet’s seminal play, American Buffalo, alongside Laurence Fishburne and Sam Rockwell (2012). In 2018, his work in Ryan Murphy’s The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story received wide critical acclaim, earning him Primetime Emmy, Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild, and Critics’ Choice awards. He most recently starred in Netflix’s hit series Hollywood (2020), for which he also served as executive producer. Criss currently stars in the critically acclaimed Broadway musical Maybe Happy Ending, directed by Michael Arden, which opened in November 2024 to unanimous rave reviews.
Ticket and Sponsorship Information for ARTS by George! 2025:
Individual benefit tickets are $450 per person and include entry to the student showcases, buffet, An Evening with Darren Criss, onstage reception, and free garage parking.
Sponsorship packages begin at $2,500. To reserve tickets, become a sponsor, or for more information, please contact Amanda Snellings at cvpagive@gmu.edu, 703-993-1593, or visit the ARTS by George! website.
Standalone tickets to only the 8:30 p.m. performance of An Evening with Darren Criss are $50–$100 and will be available for purchase on Friday, August 1 through the Center for the Arts website.
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