Dramatists Guild Honors Rosie O'Donnell and Her 'Broadway Kids' at STAR TURNS Gala 4/20

The Dramatists Guild Fund's annual Benefit Gala, titled "STAR TURNS: Great Writers Thank Their Lucky Stars!" which will be held on Monday, April 20 at the Hudson Theatre (Millennium Hotel, 145 West 44th St), will honor Rosie O'Donnell and Rosie's Broadway Kids.

"We've always been grateful for Rosie's ebullient support of the theater - but now, most importantly, we are honoring her determination to bring the transformational power of the theater to a new generation of kids - kids who wouldn't have gotten a chance to experience it otherwise," said Gretchen Cryer, President of The Dramatists Guild Fund.

Hosted by Julie Halston and directed by Dan Foster, the evening's entertainment will include performances by Rosie's Broadway Kids as well as a full star lineup: Alan Alda, Jane Alexander, Christine Ebersole, James Earl Jones, LaChanze, Nathan Lane, Jefferson Mays, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Idina Menzel, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Karen Olivo, Bernadette Peters, David Hyde Pierce, B.D. Wong and other stars of the Broadway stage.* The stars will be introduced by the writers whose work they will be performing.

The mission of the Dramatists Guild Fund is to aid and nurture writers for the theater; to fund non-profit theaters producing contemporary American works; and to heighten awareness, appreciation, and support of theater across the country. The annual gala event helps to raise monies for future generations of writers, writers in need, and many theater companies across the country that support and present the work of new American playwrights. The benefit also raises money to advance and improve the condition and welfare of persons engaged in the writing and creation of dramatic and other literary works for the theatre and related arts.

Rosie's Broadway Kids is an arts education organization dedicated to enriching the lives of children through the arts. Using professional teaching artists, Rosie's Broadway Kids offers classes in dance and music and a professional theater experience for children who might otherwise not have the opportunity. Its goal is to inspire excellence, motivate learning, uplift the human spirit, and to instill a lifelong appreciation of the arts.

Cocktails will begin at 6:30 pm, with dinner at 7:30 pm, followed by the show at 8:30 pm.

Tickets: $1,000 per person. Premium and Celebrity Tables available.

For information, call The Center for Creative Resources at 212.864.7827 or visit www.dgfund.org.

Photo Credit: Fernando Leon/Retna Ltd.