Dramatists Guild Fund to Go Presidential for 2016 GREAT WRITERS THANK THEIR LUCKY STARS Gala

Dramatists Guild Fund President Andrew Lippa and Executive Director Rachel Routh announced today this year's gala theme will be Great Writers Thank Their Lucky Stars: The Presidential Edition taking place the evening before Election Day on November 7, 2016 (6:30 PM). Annette Jolles will direct the gala in New York City at Gotham Hall (1356 Broadway).

This year's honorees include patrons of the arts and philanthropists, John Breglio - Producer, Author, Lawyer; Georgina Chapman & Keren Craig - Marchesa Co-Founders and Designers; and Linda G. Levy - Patron of the Arts.

"Playwrights, book writers, composers and lyricists are the lifeblood of the American theater. Supporting the Dramatists Guild Fund is an imperative to insure the nurturing and support of Authors for generations to come." - John Breglio

"As an organization supporting artists across the country, the Dramatists Guild Fund plays a crucial role on the voices of today and the creators of tomorrow. It is a wonderful opportunity to be honored by an organization whose work does so much to nurture the creative impulse and foster self-expression." - Georgina Chapman & Keren Craig

"The American theater plays a big part in the heart and soul of our country in addition to providing extraordinary entertainment to the entire world. I am honored to be recognized by the Dramatists Guild Fund and support their endeavors. Their unwavering dedication and support of playwrights, lyricists & composers contribute substantially to nurture those aspiring to bring the next great generation of theater." - Linda G. Levy

The special evening pays tribute to some of America's most distinguished dramatists and the artists who bring their words to life on stage. Previous performances include Stephen Schwartz with Ben Vereen (Pippin), Lisa Kron with Sydney Lucas (Fun Home), Sheldon Harnick with Kate Baldwin (Fiorello!), Stephen Trask with Michael Cerveris and Miriam Shor (Hedwig and the Angry Inch) Jason Robert Brown and MarSha Norman with Kelli O'Hara (The Bridges of Madison County), and Stephen Sondheim with Bernadette Peters (Sunday in the Park with George).

The lineup of writers and their stars will be announced at a later date, with casting by Tara Rubin Casting. Great Writers Thank Their Lucky Stars: The Presidential Edition will feature a script by Jonathan Tolins and Music Direction by Charlie Rosen.

Gala Co-Chairs Ira J. Gilbert, Donald J. Loftus & Barbara Olcott.

Gala Committee Joseph A. Bierman, Robert H. Buchen, Joe Christopher, Elizabeth Dewberry, Eleni Gianulis, Michael S. Gordon, Kevin Hager, Joanne Halev, Ethan Hardy, Laura Heywood, Tony Oblen, Christopher, Oscar Peña, Dustin Sparks, and Steve Tate.

John Breglio, Producer, Author, Lawyer, has spent over 40 years working in all sectors of the entertainment industry, including theater, motion pictures, publishing, and music. As an entertainment lawyer with international law firm Paul, Weiss, he was instrumental in helping his clients to produce and finance plays, musicals, and films. As an independent producer, Mr. Breglio produced the 2006 revival of A Chorus Line on Broadway and the 2008 musical revival of Dreamgirls at the Apollo Theatre in New York.

As a producer and as a lawyer, Mr. Breglio has been associated with hundreds of writers, composers, designers, producers and companies involved in show business. In 2016, he took audiences behind-the-curtain with his debut book, I WANNA BE A PRODUCER: How to Make a Killing on Broadway...or Get Killed.

In 2005, Mr. Breglio received The Actors' Fund Medal of Honor and has been recognized for his contributions to the theatrical community by Joseph Papp's Public Theatre, the National Corporate Theatre Fund and the Cherry Lane Theatre.

British born Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig have built a fashion empire defined by elegant eveningwear and one of a kind couture designs. The duo met at Chelsea College of Art and Design in London. Georgina's draping and design expertise paired with Keren's textile creations resulted in a business partnership and the establishment of Marchesa in 2004. The company's namesake and muse is the noted eccentric European style icon Marchesa Luisa Casati. The collection, designed by Georgina Chapman is coveted not only by celebrities, but by women of all ages. Based in New York, the Marchesa collections are presently available world- wide and have grown into a full lifestyle brand including an eveningwear line, Marchesa Notte, bridal line, handbag and shoe line as well as collections of both fine jewelry and fashion jewelry.

Linda G. Levy has been a leading executive in the Cosmetics & Fragrance industry for more than two decades on both the retailer and brand side. Her current position is Omni Group Vice President /Divisional Merchandise Manager of Fragrances for all of Macy's Inc.

Before joining Macy's, Linda served in a variety of diverse management roles at major brands cosmetics & fragrance companies. As a prominent executive in the industry, Linda serves on the Executive Board of The Fragrance Foundation and is a CEW Member.

In her "real Life" as she calls it , Linda lives in Manhattan & enjoys all that NYC has to offer with her husband Steven Levy, including Sunday matinees at the theater. Every year the Levys travel as they continue to enjoy la dolce vita!

Annette Jolles has created a diverse body of work as a director, writer and producer for stage and television. She received multiple Emmy Awards for the worldwide coverage of the 9/11 Memorial from Ground Zero and Mitzi Gaynor: Razzle Dazzle!. Television directing for Live from Lincoln Center includes NY Philharmonic New Year's Eve: La Vie Parisienne, Norm Lewis: Who Am I?, Patina Miller in Concert, 50 Years of Mostly Mozart and three Richard Tucker Galas: From Bocelli to Barton, A New Century, and Richard Tucker at 100. Also for PBS, she directed two Michael Feinstein specials at the Rainbow Room. Theatrical concerts include ten seasons of New Voices Concerts at Symphony Space, where she also staged Wall to Wall Sondheim, Wall to Wall Schwartz, Wall to Wall Cabaret, and Frank Sinatra at 100. Most recently, she directed a concert staging of Cosi Fan Tutte for Lincoln Center's Mostly Mozart Festival. Broadway producing: Fiddler, China Doll, Scottsboro Boys, The Anarchist, and Looped. She teaches musical theater performance at Yale.

For tickets and more information on DGF's Great Writers Thank Their Lucky Stars: The Presidential Edition, visit www.dgfund.org/gala.html.

The Dramatists Guild Fund is the public charity arm of the Dramatists Guild of America. Its mission is to aid and nurture writers for the theater; to fund nonprofit theaters producing contemporary American works; and to heighten awareness, appreciation, and support of theater across the country. Each year, DGF awards grants to nonprofit theatrical organizations across the country that produce works by American writers, provides emergency aid to writers facing illness or other unforeseen circumstances, and supports numerous educational programs and writing development opportunities for dramatists. For more information, go to www.dgfund.org.