Yesterday, June 17, the Player's Club in Gramercy Park hosted Inside Broadway's 2010 Broadway Beacon Awards. Hosted by FOX5 New York's Julie Chang, the awards show honored Tony Award-winners Katie Finneran and Anthony LaPaglia, the current stars of Billy Elliot on Broadway, Harry Coghlan (President and General Manager of Clear Channel Outdoor's New York and Spectacolor Divisions), and Nicholas & Lence Communications CEO (and former NYC & Company Director) Cristyne Nicholas. Presenters for the evening included New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Broadway actor Brooks Ashmanskas, and Broadway Casting Director Nora Brennan. BroadwayWorld was on hand for the celebration.
Katie Finneran, who won a Tony for her performance in the current Broadway revival of Promises, Promises this past Sunday, also won a Tony for her performance in the 2001 revival of Noises Off. Anthony LaPaglia, a familiar face on both TV and film, won a Tony Award for his performance in the 1998 revival of A View from the Bridge and is currently starring in the Tony-nominated revival of Lend Me a Tenor. The boys currently rotating in the title role of Billy Elliot on Broadway, Jacob Clemente, Michael Dameski, Alex Ko, Liam Redhead and Dayton Tavares were represented at the event by Jacob Clemente who accepted their award.
The awards show also featured a performance by Broadway leading man Hugh Panaro as well as students from Junior High School 278 in Marine Park, Brooklyn.
Now in its 27th year, Inside Broadway develops and produces touring equity musical productions as well as vital after school arts programs that allow students to interact with professionals in the field and experience theatre hands-on. The annual cocktail reception and awards show is held to support Inside Broadway's mission of bringing the joys of theatre to New York City's under-served public school students. "I am so thrilled to be honoring such a hardworking, talented, and committed group of individuals from the Broadway and business communities," says Inside Broadway's Executive Director Michael Presser. "Inside Broadway's aim is to pass down the rich legacy of America's musical theater to future generations so that the magic, music, and universal themes of the genre are not lost, but rediscovered and made relevant for today's youth, and our honorees this year have each without a doubt greatly contributed to that cause."
Inside Broadway was established in 1982 at the invitation of Bernard B. Jacobs, the late President of The Shubert Organization, as an effort to create a student ticket program for New York City schools students. Today, Inside Broadway develops and produces touring equity musical productions as well as a wide range of educational programs that allow students to interact with professionals in the field and experience theatre hands-on in the classroom. For more on Inside Broadway, visit www.InsideBroadway.org.
Photo Credit: Monica Simoes
