Atlantic Theater Company Gala to Celebrate Composers; David Yazbek, Laura Osnes, Danny Burstein, and More to Perforn

Atlantic Theater Company (Neil Pepe, Artistic Director; Jeffory Lawson, Managing Director; Mary McCann, School Executive Director) will present their Annual Gala on Monday, February 26, 2018 at The Plaza (768 Fifth Avenue). Composers' Choice will pay tribute to celebrated composers of the stage with a fabulous evening of unexpected songs, honoring Orin Wolf, John Styles, and John Hart for their contribution to American musical theater.

This year, Atlantic asked some of your favorite composers to choose a song they love and their favorite musician to perform it, to be revealed at the event. Planning to celebrate are composers Kirsten Childs, Stephen Sondheim, Jeanine Tesori, and David Yazbek, plus Norbert Leo Butz, Michael Cerveris, Katrina Lenk, and Joan Osborne, with appearances by Blair Brown, Danny Burstein, Rajiv Joseph, Eloise Mumford, Laura Osnes, Mary Beth Peil, John Patrick Shanley, and more. With musical supervision by Matt Gallagher and musical direction by Mat Eisenstein, Composers' Choice will begin at 6:30pm at The Plaza with specialty gin cocktails generously provided by Aviation American Gin, the worlds highest rated gin, followed by a three-course dinner at 7:30pm, a thrilling live auction, and star-studded musical entertainment.

Auction services will be provided by James G. Niven, and among the packages available for bidding are television set tours, behind-the-scenes access to theater premieres, incredible accommodations in the world's most luxurious corners provided by Four Seasons and Six Senses Hotels, and dinners with Atlantic's celebrity friends on both coasts.

Gala ticket prices begin at $1,000 and may be purchased by contacting 646-216-1086 or gala@atlantictheater.org.

The annual Gala is Atlantic's most important fundraising event of the year. Gala contributions make up more than 25% of the total donations to Atlantic in an entire season and will benefit Atlantic's annual productions, new play and musical development activities and arts education initiatives for more than 3,500 public school students across New York City. These educational programs give children from underserved backgrounds the increasingly rare opportunity to express themselves creatively and promote in-school engagement.

Atlantic Theater Company (Neil Pepe, Artistic Director; Jeffory Lawson, Managing Director; Mary McCann, School Executive Director) is an award-winning Off-Broadway theater dedicated to producing great plays simply and truthfully while utilizing an artistic ensemble. At Atlantic, we believe that the story of a play and the intent of its playwright are at the core of the creative process. The plays in our repertory, from both new and established playwrights, are boldly interpreted by today's finest theater artists and resonate with contemporary audiences. Alongside being an award-winning producing organization, we've also been teaching theater since our inception. The internationally-acclaimed Atlantic Acting School has the only conservatory program in the world that offers in-depth training in co-Founders David Mamet and William H. Macy's unique and influential approach to acting: Practical Aesthetics, the Atlantic Technique. Our school's mission is to ensure that each graduate masters the essential analytical and physical disciplines of acting and to empower every student with skills necessary for success in the profession. We also bring theater into the classroom through robust arts education initiatives that serve a record 4,200 public school students each year. Since its inception, Atlantic has produced more than 150 plays including Tony Award-winning productions of Spring Awakening (Steven Sater, Duncan Sheik) and The Beauty Queen of Leenane (Martin McDonagh); Pulitzer Prize recipient Between Riverside and Crazy (Stephen Adly Guirgis); New York Drama Critics' Circle winner for Best New Play The Night Alive (Conor McPherson); and Lucille Lortel, Obie, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and New York Drama Critics' Circle Award-winning The Band's Visit (David Yazbek, Itamar Moses); among many others! Atlantic has garnered 12 Tony Awards, 24 Obie Awards, 21 Lucille Lortel Awards, 10 Drama Desk Awards, 8 Outer Critics Circle Awards, 4 New York Drama Critics' Circle Awards, 3 Drama League Awards, 3 Theater World Awards and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.