Alec Baldwin, Spike Lee Host NYU Tisch School of the Arts' 50th Anniversary Gala Tonight

NYU Tisch School of the Arts fetes its alumni honorees at its 50th Anniversary Gala, "Celebrating the Past/Creating the Future," tonight, April 4, 2016, at Jazz at Lincoln Center's Frederick P. Rose Hall. The gala event will be hosted by alumni Alec Baldwin ('94) and Spike Lee ('82).

All proceeds from the gala will go towards scholarship funds to support talented students for the next half century.

In addition to honoring the Tisch family, Big Apple Alumni Awards will be given to the following notable graduates:

- Representing the Institute of Performing Arts, Paul Tazewell ('89), five-time Tony nominee and costume designer for the Broadway smash hit Hamilton and The Wiz Live!

- Representing the Maurice Kanbar Institute of Film & Television, Wendy Calhoun ('91), writer and producer for television's Empire, Nashville and Justified

- Representing the Institute of Emerging Media, Lili Cheng ('93), distinguished engineer at Microsoft

Celebrating the Past/Creating the Future is the culmination of a year-long celebration of the school's 50th anniversary, celebrating the impact of the NYU Tisch community on the cultural landscape over the last 50 years, and envisioning how the school can continue its legacy of excellence in arts training over the next 50 years. The celebration has featured events with NYU Tisch 50th Anniversary Artist-in-Residence Pharrell Williams and alumnus Billy Crystal, and has provided unique opportunities for students, faculty, staff and alumni to highlight their own experiences at the institution.

Thousands of Tisch alumni have gone on to enjoy fulfilling careers in the arts. Tisch graduates include renowned artists such as Pulitzer Prize winners Annie Baker, Tony Kushner, Doug Wright and Chang Lee; Academy Award winners Martin Scorsese, Oliver Stone, Marcia Gay Harden, Keiko Ibi and Ang Lee; Tony Award winners Nina Arianda, Steve Kazee, George C. Wolfe, Michael Mayer, Idina Menzel, Stephen Spinella, and Frank Wood; Emmy Award winners Alec Baldwin, Billy Crystal, Cary Joji Fukunaga, Vince Gilligan, Kristen Johnston, Camryn Manheim and Debra Messing; acclaimed filmmakers Spike Lee, Amy Heckerling, Colin Treverrow; Grammy nominee Elle Varner; entrepreneur Dennis Crowley (foursquare); MacArthur Fellowship recipients Kyle Abraham, Camille Utterback, and Mimi Lien; visual artist Leo Villareal; and actors Danai Gurira, Gina Rodriguez, and Corey Stoll.

For almost 50 years, the NYU Tisch School of the Arts has drawn on the vast artistic and cultural resources of New York City and New York University to create an extraordinary training ground for the individual artist and scholar of the arts. Today, students learn their craft in a spirited, risk-taking environment that combines the professional training of a conservatory with the liberal arts education of a premier global university with campuses in New York, Abu Dhabi, Shanghai and 11 academic centers around the world. Learn more at www.tisch.nyu.edu.