Art Buchwald at the Podium

How much would you pay for a tennis game against Art Buchwald?

How about for a "walk on" part in a production of a William Shakespeare play?

You'll get your not to bid on those--and 238 other--items at the American Repertory Theatre's (ART) second annual benefit auction tonight.

Five hundred guests, mostly ARI subscribers, will bid on over 240 items and services, according to the auction's organizers. Most of the smaller prizes--including a script from "All in the Family" signed by Norman I car--will be on display early in the evening for a silent auction, while the truly quirky goods will not be sold until after 7:45 p.m.

That's when Buchwald will take center stage at the Charles Hotel--the site of this year's event--to auction off the 40 or so big-name items.

Designed a year ago by Robert S. Brustein, director of the Loeb Drama Center, and noted author Buchwald, the event's organizers view it as a creative and entertaining way to raise money for the theater "I verything we realize goes to the support of the theater," Brustein said.

Buchwald, who also volunteered his services as auctioneer a year ago, will oversee the sale of the more unusual items, such as a "walk on" in the ARI's production of "Love's Labour's Lost" and a tennis game on Martha's Vineyard against himself and Brustein.

Items were donated by local merchants and friends of the ARI, said Jeanne M. Brodent, general manager for marketing at the ARI Contributions include a trip to Portugal. 100 shares of Equity In come Fund, and yearly installments of a privately published novel by Stephen King.

Trips, bonds, paintings, and dinner parties attracted the most bidders last year, according to Brustein, who added that such offerings are once again a large part of this year's fare. The tennis game is also a repeat of a previous success.

The auction will be one of the first events ever held at the new Charles Hotel in Harvard Square, which in out week, tickets, costing $35 apiece, include a buffet dinner, champagne, and a chance to bid.