Neil Patrick Harris to be Honored at Drama League's 30th Annual MUSICAL CELEBRATION OF BROADWAY, Feb. 3, 2014

The Drama League announced today that they will honor Golden Globe Nominee and Emmy Award winner Neil Patrick Harris at the 30th Annual Musical Celebration of Broadway, to be held on Monday evening, February 3, 2014 at the famed Pierre Hotel (2 East 61st Street). The black-tie gala, which features dozens of stars from Hollywood and Broadway in a one-night-only evening of musical selections drawn from Mr. Harris' career in theater, film and television, supports The Drama League's educational initiatives for promising young artists. Tickets are available by calling (212) 244-9494.

The evening's entertainment will be co-directed by Tony Award winner and Drama League Alumnus Michael Mayer with Johanna McKeon, who also serve as Director and Associate Director of the upcoming Broadway revival of Hedwig and the Angry Inch featuring Mr. Harris. The Musical Celebration of Broadway will be co-produced by Roger T. Danforth and Trevor Tamashiro.

"We are overjoyed to add Neil Patrick Harris to the legendary roster of artists who have been honored at the Musical Celebration of Broadway during the last thirty years," said Drama League Executive Director Gabriel Shanks. "After distinguishing himself in film, television, theater, web series, music, and as a staunch advocate for youth and arts education like that provided by The Drama League, Neil's return to Broadway this season is cause for celebration."

Mr. Harris currently stars as Barney Stinson in the CBS-TV comedy, "How I Met Your Mother," and will head the upcoming Broadway revival of Hedwig and the Angry Inch.

The Musical Celebration of Broadway Honoring Neil Patrick Harris will bring together 500 of New York City's most influential arts supporters, celebrities, and luminaries for a black-tie evening of cocktails, dinner, and the acclaimed, unforgettable musical revue that is the signature of this event. Featuring dozens of stars from film, television and theatre, the Musical Celebration of Broadway will highlight songs from Mr. Harris' illustrious musical theater triumphs in shows that include Rent, Assassins, Cabaret, Sweeney Todd, Tick, Tick, Boom!, among others.

The Musical Celebration of Broadway Honoring Neil Patrick Harris will be directed by Tony Award winner Michael Mayer and Johanna McKeon, who are also the Director and Associate Director, respectively, of the upcoming Broadway revival of Hedwig and the Angry Inch featuring Mr. Harris. One of the country's most acclaimed directors, Mr. Mayer has helmed theater (Broadway productions of Spring Awakening, American Idiot, and Thoroughly Modern Millie, among others), opera (Rigoletto at the Metropolitan Opera), television (Smash, "Hatfield and McCoys"), and cinema (A Home at the End of the World, Flicka). Ms. McKeon has directed productions for the Atlantic Theater Company, Vineyard Theatre, and the Williamstown Theatre Festival, among others; on Broadway, she served as Associate Director for Grey Gardens andAmerican Idiot. Both Mr. Mayer and Ms. McKeon are alumni of The Drama League Directors Project, the development program for early and mid-career theater directors, providing talented young artists with career-transforming experiences in the professional theater.

Neil Patrick Harris joins a gallery of past Drama League Honorees that include Liza Minnelli, Audra McDonald, Kristin Chenoweth, Angela Lansbury, Patti LuPone, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Chita Rivera, Rosie O'Donnell and Terrence McNally, all exceptional artists whose talent and passion have served as a benchmark for others.

The alumni of The Drama League Directors Project, which now number over 300, can be found working in all aspects of the entertainment profession. 'Drama League Directors' are directing on Broadway, Off-Broadway, at regional theaters across the country, and in film and television. They are the artistic directors and associates at 58 regional theaters. Others hold prominent positions throughout the industry as producers, writers, agents and administrators, and many are educating the next generation of directors at some of our finest professional training programs. Their directing work has been honored Tony, Emmy, Obie, Peabody, Drama Desk, GLAAD, Drama League, New York Drama Critics Circle, Outer Critics, Evening Standard, Lucille Lortel, Bessie, Princess Grace, Garland, Drama-Logue, Barrymore, Helen Hayes, Elliot Norton, and Joseph Jefferson Awards, as well as the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. They have literally shaped the future of the American theater, with the praise of critics and audiences alike.

The illustrious alumni of The Drama League Directors Project includes 2013 Tony Award winners Diane Paulus and Pam MacKinnon, award-winning directors Christopher Ashley, Mark Brokaw, Rachel Chavikin, Michael Mayer, John Rando and Alex Timbers, to name a few.

Photo by Walter McBride