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GREENSBORO - Hundreds walked the red carpet Sunday as the Carolina Theatre hosted the Triad's own Academy Awards celebration. They arrived in ball gowns and tuxedos and were crowded by autograph hounds as searchlights filled the sky above the theater.

"We always watch the Oscars," said Debra Vigliano, 52 of Greensboro. "It's going to be great to see it in such a great venue, on the big screen - and for such a great cause."

That cause was the Community Theatre of Greensboro. The group hosted the evening, one of 52 Oscar Night America events across the nation sanctioned by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to benefit local charities. Working with the local ABC affiliate, the theater broadcast the live awards show directly to the big screen.

Tickets for a preshow dinner gala with food from 223 South Elm sold out at $125 a pop and $20 tickets for the show itself also were hot items. Members of the Triad Youth Jazz Society played for ticketholders in the lobby as they mixed with local impersonators dressed as famous people, such as Charlie Chaplin and Mark Twain.

Heather Maggs, 27, did her best Marilyn Monroe in red heels and a low-cut white dress like the one Monroe made famous in "The Seven Year Itch." The Winston-Salem native said she got started in theater in a CTG production of "West Side Story" and is now performing in "The Church Basement Ladies" at the Barn Dinner Theatre. Although she hadn't seen many of the movies nominated this year, she was looking forward to the show.

"There are so many movies this year that began as pieces on the stage, like 'Frost/Nixon' and 'Doubt,'" Maggs said. "That's really exciting for theater performers to see."

Upstairs, a silent auction offered autographed memorabilia from stars such as Johnny Depp and Bob Hope and backstage passes from concerts by The Rolling Stones, The Grateful Dead and Elton John. Many items started at $400 or more, and bidding was fierce as the night wore on. Many of the highest bidders said they dug deep knowing the money would go to preserving the arts in Greensboro.

"It's a classic theater on a classic night," said former Mayor Keith Holliday, now the theater's president and CEO. "We live in troubled times. And other than family, I can't think of any better way to forget about your trouble than the arts."

During commercials, performers from CTG entertained the crowd with numbers from recent productions, including "High School Musical."

"It's so great to see the young talent that's being helped by an event like this," said Mildred Honneycutt, 38, of Winston-Salem. "It really makes you think that all these people winning Oscars tonight started somewhere, and their talent was nurtured by local theater."

Contact Joe Killian at 373-7023 or joe.killian@news-record.com