André De Shields, Lillias White and More to Reopen the Laurie Beechman Theatre

Tom D’Angora and Michael D'Angora, producers and owners of the West Bank Café, will present the official Renaissance Gala, marking the reopening of the Laurie Beechman Theatre, to be held on Monday, April 14 at 7PM. The event will raise funds for Broadway Cares one of the nation’s leading industry-based, nonprofit AIDS fundraising and grant-making organizations, and will reveal the historic venue’s renovation, currently being completed by Tony Award winner and renowned architect and theater designer David Rockwell.
 
Performers welcoming the Laurie Beechman Theatre back to 42nd Street include Chip Zien, Tony Award winner André De Shields, Tony Award winner Lillias White, Tony Award winner Matt Doyle, Tony Award winner Lauren Patten, Jak Malone, Milo Manheim, Elizabeth Gillies, Bryan Batt, Christine Pedi, Joe Iconis, Jelani Remy, Emma Pittman, and JJ Niemann. Additional performers for the Renaissance Gala will be announced soon.
 
Renaissance Gala features Music Direction by Benjamin Rauhala and Stage and Venue Lighting Design Aiden Bezark with Brendan McCann as Creative Consultant.

Since its opening in 1983, The Laurie Beechman Theatre, previously known as the “Downstairs Theatre Bar,” has welcomed legends such as Joan Rivers, The Who, André De Shields, Tony Shalhoub, Aaron Sorkin, Jinx Monsoon, and many more. In the theatre’s first 14 years, more than 1,500 one-act plays were performed at the theatre. When the venue was scheduled to close in August 2024 after financial difficulties following the COVID-19 pandemic, Tom D'Angora, Michael D'Angora, Tim Guinee, and Joe Iconis joined forces to raise nearly $1 million to save the café and theatre.