Keith Carradine, Tonya Pinkins and More Set for New Dramatists 64th Annual Spring Luncheon Today

New Dramatists, Tony Honor recipient and the nation's premiere playwright development workshop, has announced that they will honor entertainment lawyer and New Dramatists Chairman of the Board Seth Gelblum with their 2013 Lifetime Achievement Award at its 64th Annual Spring Luncheon tribute, to be held today, May 21 at the New York Marriott Marquis. Among those performing tributes will be Tony Award nominee Keith Carradine (Hands on a Hardbody, The Will Rogers Follies) and Tony Award winner Tonya Pinkins (Caroline, or Change; Jelly's Last Jam). The event co-chairs are Roger Berlind, Roy Furman, and Barry and Fran Weissler.

Each year, New Dramatists salutes an individual who has made an outstanding artistic contribution to the theatre community. Mr. Gelblum has practiced entertainment law in New York for more than 27 years. For the past 15 years, he has been head of the theatre practice at Loeb & Loeb LLP. He also represents producers, writers, and directors for feature film, documentary film, and television projects. He has been named New York Entertainment Lawyer of the Year, a New York City Top 100 Super Lawyer, and a Hollywood Reporter Top 100 Power Lawyer. Mr. Gelblum has represented individuals and companies in all aspects of theatrical productions, on and off Broadway, throughout the country and around the world, including producers, playwrights, composers, directors, designers, performers, film studios and not-for-profit theatres. These clients have been instrumental in productions that include Chicago; Jersey Boys; The Lion King; Angels in America; The Will Rogers Follies; Medea; Kiss Me, Kate; Caroline, or Change; Wicked; Falsettos; Jelly's Last Jam; Bring in 'Da Noise Bring in 'Da Funk; The Producers; Billy Elliot; The Normal Heart; The Scottsboro Boys; The Book of Mormon; and Death of a Salesman. When he began his work in the theatre, he had the great good fortune of learning from people like Ron Konecky, Floria Lasky, Sam Cohn, Biff Liff, Robbie Lantz, Bernie Jacobs, Gerry Schoenfeld, Manny Azenberg and Marvin Krauss. In addition to proudly serving on the Board of New Dramatists for almost 25 years, and as chairman for almost 15 years, Mr. Gelblum has also been active in other not-for-profit organizations. He is a founder and board member of the Canavan Foundation, which supports testing and research concerning Jewish genetic diseases. He is also a board member of Lawyers for Children, a national leader in the representation of children in foster care, and he is a former board member of the Film Forum. Mr. Gelblum has lectured at Columbia Law School, Yale School of Drama, and the Commercial Theater Institute.

"Seth Gelblum operates in a business of big-world deals and major theatre and film artists and producers, but he's never lost touch with the aspirations and struggles of every playwright," says Todd London, Artistic Director, New Dramatists. "In his decades of leadership of New Dramatists, he's never stopped asking fundamental questions: 'What do the writers want? What do they need?' And then he's worked selflessly to make sure they get those things. He is and will always be the ChairMensch of the New Dramatists' board. We are lucky to have him and honored to honor him."

Past luncheon honorees have included Bernadette Peters, Roger Berlind, Julie Taymor, Horton Foote, Edward Albee, Harvey Fierstein, Chita Rivera, Meryl Streep, Angela Lansbury, Julie Andrews, Glenn Close, Stephen Sondheim, Arthur Miller, Neil Simon, Jerry Herman, Terrence McNally, Barbara Cook, John Kander & Fred Ebb, August Wilson, and Gwen Verdon.

The luncheon will be held at the New York Marriott Marquis (1535 Broadway, between 45th and 46th Streets) today, May 21 beginning with a champagne reception at 11:15 AM and ending promptly at 2:30 PM. Tickets are $300 (a portion of which is tax-deductible). For tickets, call New Dramatists director of development, Christie Brown, (212) 757-6960 ext. 5468.