Shimerman, Swink On Theater Company Auction

Armin Shimerman and Kitty Swink are putting their gold-pressed latinum where their mouths are – and they’re hoping you will, too. Chief among Shimerman’s passions in recent years has been The Antaeus Company, the Los Angeles-based non-profit, classical theater ensemble for which he and Swink serve as associate artistic directors. The Antaeus Company’s 2012 Online Auction is underway and, in addition to everything from show tickets and personal training sessions to a Big Bang Theory set visit and jewelry, there are Trek-centric prizes to be had as well. For example, one lucky fan can win dinner with Shimerman, Swink, Michael Dorn and Linda Park. There’s also a whimsical original art print by Rene Auberjonois. And there’s an audiobook of Die Snow White! Die, Damn You! autographed by Keith Szarabajka, Kate Burton, Simon Helberg, Robin Sachs, Philip Proctor, Melinda Peterson, Ned Schmidtke, Kitty Swink, Armin Shimerman and more.“We’re very excited about this auction,” Swink told StarTrek.com during a joint conversation with Shimerman. He, of course played Quark on Deep Space Nine, and Swink, his wife, guest starred in two DS9 episodes. “It started on Monday and will end on September 24. The money will go for general operating support for productions by Antaeus Theatre Company. Everybody works for free. All the actors donate their time. In fact, most of the actors also donate money to keep the operation going. And the company is full of people Star Trek fans know. Armin, Linda Park, me, Greg Itzin, Harry Groener… who else, honey?”“Robert Pine, Chris Pine’s father,” Shimerman says. “Dakin Matthews. Michael Dorn is a great contributor to it, which is why he’s doing the dinner. Joe Ruskin. Kurtwood Smith. Antaeus is a classically oriented theater and most of the actors on Star Trek, starting with Mr. Shatner, trained in classical theater. The young actors here get their education, as well as a chance to learn from the older actors. And I think the older actors learn from working with the younger actors as well. The dinner with Kitty, Michael, Linda and me is kind of neat. We’re happy to do it. We did it last year, too, and had a wonderful time. The people who won, the Nathans, were very gracious, and I’ve seen them several times since, including at the big convention in Las Vegas.”“We also love that anybody who gets involved this way ends up coming to the theater and seeing a show, because it’s really an extraordinary company of actors and we have a great time,” Swink says. “Our family extends not just to the actors and the designers and the directors, but to the people who come. They come into the library. They have a glass of wine with us. They talk with us. It’s really a nice place.”Right now, the dinner with Shimerman, Swink, Park and Dorn has a bid of $375. Last year’s dinner went for about $500. Shimerman and Swink are out to beat that. “We’re hoping for more,” Swink says. “Simon Helberg got $7,500 last year for a set visit to Big Bang Theory and he’s at $7,500 this year for another Big Bang Theory set visit. So we want Star Trek fans to pump it up for our dinner.”Click HERE to get in on the auction and HERE to visit The Antaeus Company’s web site.