ANASTASIA's Ramin Karimloo and More to Perform, Present at Primary Stages' 2017 Gala

Primary Stages announced today additional performers, speakers and presenters for the Primary Stages 2017 Gala, which will take place on Monday, October 16, 2017 at 6:30 pm.

The event, which will be held at Tribeca 360º (10 Desbrosses Street), will honor Lynn Ahrens & Stephen Flaherty, the Tony-winning songwriting team of Ragtime, Once on This Island, and Anastasia (Artistic Honorees); Janet B. Rosen and Marvin Rosen, producers of In Transit on Broadway (Producer Honorees); and Jose Mendez and Katie Graziano of The Excel Group and MIC Floor Covering, LLC (Corporate Honorees).

Additional performers for the evening include Tony nominee Ramin Karimloo (Anastasia), as well as the creators of In Transit, Kristen Anderson-Lopez, James-Allen Ford, Russ Kaplan, and Sara Wordsworth, along with members of the original Broadway cast: David Abeles, Laurel Harris, Erin Mackey, Chesney Snow, James Snyder, Mariand Torres, AureLia Williams-Philpotts, all joining the previously announced Margo Siebert.

The evening will also feature speakers from each of Primary Stages 2017/18 productions: Kimberly Senior and Thom Sesma (Discord); Kate Hamill and Jason O'Connell (Pride and Prejudice); Benjamin Kamine (A Walk with Mr. Heifetz); and Sharon Washington (Feeding the Dragon).

Previously announced performers at the event include Liz Callaway, Quentin Earl Darrington, Tom Kirdahy, Terrence McNally, Lea Salonga, and Margo Seibert. Honorary co-chairs for the event include Tom Kirdahy and Terrence McNally.

The 2017 Honorary Committee includes David Abeles, Jason Alexander, Christy Altomare, Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Moya Angela, Michael Arden, Adam Bashian, Liz Callaway, Mario Cantone, Graciela Daniele, Quentin Earl Darrington, Jerry Dixon, Robert Dorough, James-Allen Ford, Frank Galati, Justin Guarini, Ann Harada, Laurel Harris, Nikki M. James, Russ Kaplan, Ramin Karimloo, Andy Karl, Andrew Keenan-Bolger, Kait Kerrigan, Marc Kudisch, LaChanze, Brian Lowdermilk, Rebecca Luker, Erin Mackey, Terrence Mann, Kathleen Marshall, Rob Marshall, Andrea Martin, Marin Mazzie, Audra McDonald, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Donna Murphy, George Newall, Christiane Noll, Mary Beth Peil, Gerianne Perez, Arbender J. Robinson, Lea Salonga, Margo Seibert, Chesney Snow, James Snyder, Bobby Steggert, Susan Stroman, Richard Thomas, Alex Timbers, Mariand Torres, Darko Tresnjak, Nicholas Ward, AureLia Williams, Julie White, LiLlias White, Sara Wordsworth, and Karen Ziemba.

Tickets, starting at $750 and tables, starting at $10,000, can be purchased at www.primarystages.org or by calling 212.840.9705 x203. The Gala Benefit Committee includes Sue Breger (Co-Chair), Arlene L. Goldman (Co-Chair), Jamie deRoy, Marlene Freeman, and Carol Roaman.

Primary Stages' 2017/18 season began with the New York Premiere of THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO Thomas Jefferson, Charles Dickens AND COUNT Leo Tolstoy: DISCORD. Written by Scott Carter (Executive Producer of HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher") and directed by Kimberly Senior (Disgraced), DISCORD began performances on September 19, officially opened on October 1, and will run through October 22. The season will continue with the New York premiere of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, adapted by Kate Hamill (Vanity Fair) and co-produced by Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival. Directed by Amanda Dehnert (Trinity Repertory Company), PRIDE AND PREJUDICE will run November 7 through December 15, 2017. In 2018, the season will continue with the world premiere of A WALK WITH MR. HEIFETZ, written by James Inverne (Wrestling with Elephants). Directed by Benjamin Kamine (Washer/Dryer), A WALK WITH MR. HEIFETZ is set to run January-February 2018. The season will conclude with FEEDING THE DRAGON, written and performed by Sharon Washington (While I Yet Live) and directed by Maria Mileaf (A Body of Water). Presented in a co-production with Hartford Stage, FEEDING THE DRAGON will run March-April 2018.

Primary Stages is an Off-Broadway not-for-profit theater company dedicated to inspiring, supporting, and sharing the art of playwriting. We operate on the strongly held belief that the future of American theater relies on nurturing playwrights and giving them the artistic support needed to create new work. Since our founding in 1984, we have produced more than 130 new plays, including Donald Margulies' The Model Apartment (1995 premiere and 2013 revival); David Ives' Lives of the Saints and All in the Timing (original 1993 production and 2013 revival); Billy Porter's While I Yet Live; Kate Fodor's Rx; Charles Busch's The Tribute Artist and Olive and the Bitter Herbs; A.R. Gurney's Black Tie; Horton Foote's Harrison, TX and Dividing the Estate (Two 2009 Tony Award nominations); Theresa Rebeck's Poor Behavior; Deborah Zoe Laufer's Informed Consent; Terrence McNally's Dedication or the Stuff of Dreams and The Stendhal Syndrome; Danai Gurira and Nikkole Salter's In the Continuum (which went on to tour the U.S., Africa, and Scotland); and Conor McPherson's St. Nicholas (which marked the playwright's U.S. debut). Our productions and artists have received critical acclaim, including Tony, Obie, Lortel, AUDELCO, Outer Critics' Circle, Drama League, and Drama Desk awards and nominations. Primary Stages supports playwrights and develops new works through commissions, workshops, readings, and our education and training programs: The Dorothy Strelsin New American Writers Group, the Marvin and Anne Einhorn School of Performing Arts (ESPA), the Fordham/Primary Stages MFA in Playwriting, and the newly launched Primary Stages Off-Broadway Oral History Project. Through these programs, Primary Stages advocates for our artists, helping them make important-and often transformative- connections within the theater community.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride