It's a scary sight for an arts producer or performer — be it an opera singer, stage actor or musician — to look out over the audience at a sea of white hair.

Why? Because a uniformly older crowd could signal that the attractiveness of the event is becoming marginalized. Without new faces, or if a genre is stuck with a "just for old folks" label, it could ultimately spell trouble.

The aging of audiences has jump-started local arts organizations into seeking new, younger volunteers and followers. That, in turn, has encouraged younger philanthropists and their mentors to create events that capture new audiences for the arts.

The latest example is connected to Honolulu's elegant, extravagant Opera Ball this weekend. Organizers are offering a more clublike, accessible and affordable option to the elegant affair, with a Papillon Lounge — a late-night option that includes a martini bar, chocolates, dancing and the fundraiser's silent auction.

While Opera Ball tickets begin at $350, and tables start at $5,000, it costs $100 per person to get into the Papillon Lounge after 9 p.m.

The Papillon Lounge will transform part of the Sheraton Waikiki's Hawaii Ballroom into a bold fashion statement of orange, purple and chartreuse organza.

Six people can "rent" a "HOT bed" covered in peach Thai silk at $750 for the night and use it as their home base for the event — an option similar to the paid reserving of VIP tables at the ultra-hot Skyline nights put on at the Hanohano Room by promoters Flash Hansen and Matty Boy Hazelgrove.

"We wanted to be a little edgy, to have more fun and liven up the image of opera. There's a lot of humor in opera" and people often forget that, said Joyce Tomonari, co-chairwoman of the Opera Ball. Her Papillon Lounge committee consists largely of younger philanthropists such as Michelle Ho, 34, of 'Aina Haina.

After years of college and working on the Mainland, Ho moved back to the Islands six years ago and immediately became an active and involved volunteer.

"It's my way of giving back," she said. "Many of us were raised with our families doing a lot of volunteer work, so it's always been a core family value. Since I've come home, I've seen a real awakening among my friends."

CHOOSE YOUR ROLE

Boomers are bowing out of their volunteer work as they pass the baton to a new generation, and this is accelerating change.

Cherye Pierce, a volunteer respected as the ultimate not-for-profit event planner, has chaired major Honolulu fundraising events — the Heart Ball, Opera Ball, Kama'aina Christmas and Contempo — each at least twice. Now she's passing the baton to Gen-X.

"Chairing an event takes a year of your life," Pierce said with a sigh. "I remember when, back in the day, tickets were still affordable for a young couple. Now they've priced themselves to make money, but they've also priced themselves out of the young market. So they're coming up with different ideas for raising money."

In the past, Pierce said, organizations such as the Junior League of Honolulu were a training ground for women who wanted to be community volunteers. Today, she sees a different mix of roles and obligations that have changed the way volunteers do business.

"It's a passing of the torch from one generation to the next," Ho said. "There's a great mentorship of women who've been doing this for years" — women such as Pierce and Tomonari who set outstanding examples of volunteerism and philanthropy.

While she is several months pregnant, Ho maintains a strong leadership role with Papillon Lounge, The GIFT Foundation and Tuxes & Tails, a fundraiser for the Hawaiian Humane Society. She said volunteering has been ideal for her.

"There are so many different roles you can play, depending on what's going on in your life," she said. "You can take on a leadership role or just a small role."

EDGING INTO EVENTS

Some of the ideas for fundraising events piggyback on earlier innovations. For example, the Honolulu Academy of Arts' Starlight Ball is an extension of the museum's ARTafterDARK program, which regularly packs the downtown institution's courtyards and galleries with revelers in their 20s or 30s — and new members.

In May, the Bishop Museum launched Revealed, an evening of entertainment, food and drink. Tonight, Revealed showcases Filipino comedians in conjunction with its exhibit, "Sentenaryo: 100 Years of Filipinos in Hawai'i and Beyond."

The Starlight Ball was launched in 2004. In contrast to the Academy's Kama'aina Christmas, which sells out quickly every year with tables starting at $5,000, the Starlight Ball, with the theme "Indochine," costs $75 per person. The event, said Lori Admiral, ARTafterDARK coordinator, is "Glamorous but fun — not another stuffy fundraiser." The sponsor: Prada.

Kenwei Chong, 38, of Kahala, is at the forefront of the new generation of volunteers. "I am a fifth-generation Hawai'i person," he said. "I moved back here five years ago because I wanted my kids to grow up here. I quickly saw the hardships of being young in Hawai'i. My generation needs help."

However Chong was adamant that he didn't want to "support my parents' charities. No Red Cross or AUW." Along with colleagues and friends B.J. Kobayashi, Peter Ho and other young professionals, he started The GIFT Foundation — it stands for Giving Inspiration for Tomorrow — in 2003.

Beginning with a College Daze party in 2003, the organization boasted, "This is not your parents' fundraiser!" And the tactic worked, selling out each year with hundreds of people in attendance.

"We're a working board with no paid staff," Chong said. "So all 18 of us work as staff. It's very democratic and interactive, and the group moves by vote." Each year they vote on which organizations they will support through a popular party and fundraiser.

Two weeks ago, GIFT's Halloween Gone Wild party raised $300,000 for charity.

"Our mission is to target beneficiaries who need support and are youth education- or wellness- oriented," Chong explained. This year's recipients were 'Aina In Schools ('Aina Is) — the organization founded by Jack and Kim Johnson to teach about healthy, sustainable foods in the schools — and the North Shore Community Land Trust.

Previous recipients include the College Connection, Ma'o farms, the Positive Coaching Alliance and 'Ohi'a Productions.

A few years ago, boomer-age volunteers were wringing their hands and wondering when — and to whom — they could pass the torch. Today, a new generation is stepping up to the plate to keep Honolulu's cycle of community giving strong and vibrant.

Reach Paula Rath at paularath@aol.com.