HB Studio to Honor Stiller and Meara at Gala 11/10

The Herbert Berghof (HB) Studio and the HB Playwrights Foundation will host a tribute to the acclaimed and accomplished actors/comedians Anne Meara and Jerry Stiller in a gala celebration at The Players Club on Monday, November 10, 2008. Richard Pergolis of Pergolis Swartz will be the Corporate Chair of the event and television personality Joy Behar will be the MC for the evening. Anne Jackson and Eli Wallach will present the third annual Herbert Berghof - Uta Hagen Achievement Award to Ms. Meara and Mr. Stiller, given in memory of the actor/director Herbert Berghof and his wife and partner, the storied actress and master teacher Uta Hagen. The award recognizes theatre artists of extraordinary talent, achievement, and humanity who, in the conduct of their professional and artistic practice, have demonstrated an exemplary commitment to the vitality, integrity, and mission of the theatre and its community.

The evening will include a cocktail reception, dinner, and a musical presentation featuring jazz musician David Amram and an excerpt from Danusia Trevino’s one-woman show “Wonder Bread.” The tribute will also feature remarks by John Guare, Doris Roberts, Amy and Ben Stiller and Joseph Benincasa, Executive Director of The Actors’ Fund. Ticket prices range from $300 for an individual ticket to $5,000 for a table for 10 and a full-page tribute in the souvenir program for the event.

The honorary committee for the gala includes Jason Alexander, Barbara Barrie, Jill Clayburgh and David Rabe, Tom Fontana, New York State Assemblymember Deborah Glick, John Guare, David Hyde Pierce, Anne Jackson and Eli Wallach, Kevin James, Rochelle Oliver, Carol Ostrow, New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, Doris Roberts, Jon Stewart, Christine Taylor and Ben Stiller, Amy Stiller, Renee Taylor and Joe Bologna, Marlo Thomas, and Fritz Weaver.

Anne Meara has been nominated for five Emmy Awards. Her recent credits include appearances on Sex and the City and King of Queens. Her writing credits include After-Play produced Off-Broadway at Theatre Four and The Manhattan Theatre Club, for which she won the John Gassner Award. Another play, Down The Garden Paths, was done Off-Broadway and regionally starring Anne Jackson and Eli Wallach. Anne also created the role of Bunny in John Guare’s House of Blue Leaves, received a Tony Award nomination for Anna Christie at The Roundabout Theatre, appeared in the feature film Like Mike, and in Night at the Museum with her son, Ben Stiller. She was also co-writer and star of The Other Woman, a CBS movie of the Week, which won a Writer’s Guild Award.

Jerry Stiller was nominated for an Emmy Award and won the American Comedy Award for his portrayal of Frank Costanza on Seinfeld. He just finished nine years as Arthur Spooner on King of Queens. In film, Jerry was most recently seen as Mr. Pinky in the movie Hairspray and Doc in the Farrelly Brothers movie Heartbreak Kid, where he starred opposite his son, Ben Stiller. Broadway has seen Jerry in Hurlyburly, The Ritz and Three Men on a Horse, while other film appearances include The Taking of Pelham One-Two-Three, Airport ’75, the original version of Hairspray, Zoolander (also with his son, Ben) and the starring role in The Independent. He has also lent his voice to animated films including Teacher’s Pet, Lion King 3, Lion King 1½ and the CBS holiday special, Robbie the Reindeer.

As Stiller and Meara, Anne and Jerry were seen on the Ed Sullivan Show 36 times and received many awards for their radio and TV commercials that include Amalgamated Bank, Blue Nun Wine and United Van Lines.

For more informatoin please visit www.hbstudio.org