TV Exclusive: Tony Honors Joe Benincasa - A Tony Awards Special Feature by Brian Stokes Mitchell

Every year the TONY AWARDS Committee chooses special people to recognize and honor from the community, who have contributed in a significant way to life, craft and achievements, bettering The Great White Way that is Broadway. This year, they are Joe Benincasa of The Actors Fund, General Manager Charlotte Wilcox and Photographer Joan Marcus.

BroadwayWorld.com thought it would be interesting to go a little more 'in-depth' about the recipients, to help you better understand their being chosen and to look more closely into their lives, worlds and work. In addition, we wanted them to be interviewed by someone with whom they shared some sort of history. Next up in the special series is President & CEO of The Actors Fund, Joe Benincasa. In the video, Joe chats with Fund Chairman Brian Stokes Mitchell, who is currently in rehearsals for Much Ado About Nothing at the Delacorte Theatre!

Joe joined The Fund in 1989. Mr. Benincasa oversees innovative programs including comprehensive social services, health care services, employment and training, and affordable, supportive and senior housing. The Actors Fund's headquarters are in New York City with regional offices in Los Angeles and Chicago, a nursing home in Englewood, NJ, and supportive housing residences in Manhattan, NY, West Hollywood, CA, and Brooklyn, NY. He is also President of the Actors Fund Housing Development Corporation which is building affordable, supportive and senior care residences for artists in major urban centers. He serves on the boards of directors of several organizations, including Bio-Reference Laboratories, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Career Transition for Dancers, Learning Ally, the Human Services Council, National Executive Service Corps, Times Square Alliance, the YMCA of New York City and the Somerset Patriots, a minor league baseball team.

Mitchell has appeared on Broadway in Women on The Verge of a Nervous Breakdown; Man of La Mancha; August Wilson's King Hedley II; Kiss Me, Kate, for which he received the Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Awards); Ragtime; Kiss of the Spider Woman; Jelly's Last Jam, Oh, Kay!; Mail. His Off-Broadway and regional credits include Do Re Mi, Carnival, Kismet, Sweeny Todd, Sound Pacific, LES MISERABLES, and Guys and Dolls. His film and television credits include The Prince of Egypt, Double Platinum, Call Me Claus, One Last Thing, "Fraiser," and "Ugly Betty." He has more than a dozen album credits including his own self-titled album.

The Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre were established in 1990 and are awarded annually to institutions, individuals and/or organizations that have demonstrated extraordinary achievement in theatre, but are not eligible in any of the established Tony Award categories.