The 30th Annual Doing Art Together Benefit - emceed by Emmy award winning NBC 4 NY traffic reporter Lauren Scala - will take place in New York City on March 30th at the Mandarin Oriental. This year's honorees are iconic actor Tony Danza, along with Michael Marrale who is a Managing Director and Head of Research, Sales & Trading at ITG (Investment Technology Group, Inc.). "I am thrilled to be honored by the DAT organization at the gala this year. I have been a supporter of DAT and what they have been doing in NYC. It's extremely important to foster creativity and inspire our youth through art in our communities." says Danza. The night will also include Grammy and Tony award winning singer/actor Billy Porter treating attendees to a performance, as well as a silent auction with incredible fashion items, sport experiences, get-a-ways and more.
A non-profit arts education organization, Doing Art Together has done incredible life-changing work providing hands-on programs to under-served communities, since founded in 1982. Given that it's a milestone year, Timothy Coleman - Executive Director of DAT - shares excitedly, "I am humbled to belong to an organization that embraces bringing valuable services to those in need throughout New York City via the legacy that is Doing Art Together. This is a team of extremely talented artists who's work with youth makes a life-long impact and can easily be defined as bridging the gap between artistry, mentorship and vision." The gala's honoree,
Michael Marrale, has been involved with DAT since 2013 explains what the organization means to him saying, "I am honored to be celebrating such a strategically important organization in the lives and futures of our children as Doing Art Together. As a father of three, I understand the importance of art as an avenue for expression, a way to unlock creativity and ultimately a foundation for which to build careers upon."
The accomplished
Billy Porter explains, "I'm excited to be part of Doing Art Together's 30th Annual benefit," sharing the same passion for the arts as DAT does he goes on to say, "...having access to the creative arts in my formative years has made me the man I am today." The silent auction items include fashion shopping experiences from Alice and Olivia, Rag & Bone,
Helmut Lang and Theory as well as a package for four at the Atlantic Golf Club. Featured food stations this year will include Karloff, Barcade New York/ Lee Knoeppel (a finalist on ABC's The Taste), and dessert favorites Treathouse, Melt Bakery and Stumpton Coffee.
The mission of Doing Art Together (DAT) is to awaken and enrich the intellectual, social, and cultural development of under-resourced New York City children and youth, inspiring them to pursue their learning. They accomplish this by engaging youth in the visual arts, igniting the participation of their family network and building enduring partnerships with their educational community. DAT is a non-profit arts education organization that provides hands-on programs to under-served audiences, and their programs build skills that enhance the ability to learn and are easily transferred from the classroom to life. For more information, please visit
http://www.doingarttogether.org/.
Tony Danza is perhaps best known for starring on some of television's most beloved and long-running series, including "Taxi" (1978-1983) and "Who's the Boss" (1984-1992). Danza has also established himself as a stage and screen star, New York Times Best-Selling Author, and is indisputably one of America's most iconic performers. His film credits include playing
Joseph Gordon Levitt's father in "Don Jon" as well as
Walt Disney's "Angels in the Outfield," "She's Out Of Control," "The Hollywood Knights," and "A Brooklyn State of Mind." Tony's television experience include his role as attorney Joe Celano on the CBS dramatic series "Family Law" (2000-2002), his Emmy nominated performance on
David E. Kelley's award-winning series "The Practice"(1998), ABC's "The
Tony Danza Show" and iconic shows such as "Taxi" and "Who's The Boss." He also starred in and executive produced the ABC comedy series "Hudson Street," NBC's "The
Tony Danza Show," as well as hosted numerous award shows, including the 2001 "Miss America Pageant," and the 2003 "People's Choice Awards." Danza currently stars on Broadway in the hit musical "Honeymoon in Vegas."
Billy Porter is a Tony and Grammy Award-winning singer, composer, actor, playwright and director from Pittsburgh, PA. Porter appeared in the
Barry Levinson film, "The Humbling," co-starring alongside
Al Pacino, which opened in January of this year. As a recording artist, Porter's solo albums include his first CD, Untitled, on A&M records and his sophomore album, At the Corner of Broadway + Soul - LIVE, on Sh-K-Boom Records. Porter's current album, entitled "Billy's Back On Broadway," via Concord Records can be purchased now. Currently on hiatus, Porter starred as "Lola" in the smash hit Broadway musical Kinky Boots, for which he won the 2013 Drama Desk and Tony Awards for Best Actor in a Musical. He will return to the musical on April 28th, 2015. Additionally, he is currently directing the play, "A Colored Museum" at the Huntington Theater in Boston which runs from March 6th - April 5th.
Lauren Scala is NBC 4 New York's weekday traffic reporter for "Today in New York." Scala delivers real-time, accurate road and rail traffic information for the 4:30am - 7am commute. Scala, as part of NBC 4's continuing team-coverage of Hurricane Sandy, won a 2013 New York Emmy, and a 2014 National Emmy and Edward R. Murrow award. Scala is an Emmy-nominated features reporter for NBC 4's weekday 12:30 p.m. lifestyle show "New York Live" where Scala spotlights the best places for food, fashion and events. Scala is also the host of "City Guide," a segment produced exclusively for New York City Taxi-cabs where passengers can see feature news, lifestyle, weather, sports and entertainment programing. Scala is a graduate of Fordham University and holds a degree in Communications
Michael Marrale is a Managing Director and Head of Research, Sales & Trading at ITG. Mr. Marrale joined ITG in 2012 to lead the firm's research, sales and trading operations. Previously, he spent ten years at RBC Capital Markets where he served in multiple roles, including Portfolio Manager, Head of Sector Strategy, Director of Equity Sales, and most recently, Head of Sales Trading. Prior to RBC, he held various positions at Lehman Brothers and Prudential Securities. In addition to his involvement with Doing Art Together, Michael serves on the Board of Trustees as Treasurer for the Nature Conservancy on Long Island and is Vice Chair of the Board of Associates of the Ronald McDonald House of New York.
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