Michael Urie Hosts 2013 Dramatists Guild Fund Gala Today

Today, October 21, 2013, the Dramatists Guild Fund hosts their Annual Gala at the Edison Ballroom in New York. This year's event will honor legendary playwrights, composers, and lyricists who have greatly impacted the American theater.

The gala will be hosted by Michael Urie and directed by Noah Himmelstein. The evening will feature legendary theater elite and the stars who have brought their works to life on stage including Stephen Sondheim with Bernadette Peters, Stephen Schwartz with Ben Vereen, Michael John LaChiusa with Kate Baldwin, George C. Wolfe with Tonya Pinkins, Alan Menken with Jeremy Jordan, Andrew Lippa with Norbert Leo Butz, Lynn Ahrens & Stephen Flaherty with Marin Mazzie, Theresa Rebeck with Julie White, Marsha Norman & Jason Robert Brown with Steven Pasquale and Kelli O'Hara, John Guare with Sherie Rene Scott, and Adam Guettel with Kelli O'Hara. Patrons of the arts Roe Green, Founder and CEO of Roe Green Foundation, and Don Loftus, President of Parlux LTD will also be honored for their commitment to and support of the American theater.

The Gala Committee includes Michael Alden, Simon Bergson, Stefany Bergson, Joseph A. Bierman, Robert H. Buchen, Deborah Dugan, Merle Duskin Kailas, Joan D. Firestone, Michael Gordon, Kevin Hager, Joanne Halev, and Susan Laubach.

The cocktail reception will begin at 6:30pm, followed by the dinner and celebration at 7:30pm. For ticket information, please visit www.dramatistsguildfund.org/galacelebration.

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 non-profit theaters producing contemporary American works; and to heighten awareness, appreciation, and support of theater across the country. The Dramatists Guild Fund depends heavily on individual contributions from theater enthusiasts across the country in order to carry out its mission. Each year, the Fund provides grants to non-profit theatrical organizations across the country that produce works by American writers. A limited number of grants are also allotted to deserving writers for the theater who have fallen upon hard times due to illness or other unforeseen circumstances. In January of 2008, the Dramatists Guild Fund was re-classified as a 501(c)3 public charity, enabling it to expand its reach through new initiatives such as The Legacy Project and the Traveling Masters program.

Based in New York, the Dramatists Guild of America has a long history of service to playwrights, lyricists, librettists and composers for the theater. Since its inception, the Dramatists Guild membership has included a broad cross-section of writers for the American stage, including legendary talents whose names are synonymous with Broadway, Off-Broadway and American Theater. To learn more about the Guild or to become a member, visit www.dramatistsguild.com.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride / WM Photos