Neuwirth, Callaway & Others to Honor IATSE Local One President Claffey At Actors' Chapel Benefit 9/14

James J. Claffey, Jr, President of Local One of the International Alliance of Theatrical Employees, will be honored by St. Malachy's - the Actors' Chapel, at the Father George Moore Benefit Dinner at Sardi's, 234 West 44th Street, on Monday, September 14, at 6:00pm.

"Each year, in honor of Father Moore's legacy, St. Malachy's hosts this dinner named for him to acknowledge leaders in our field who embody his commitment to community service, dedication to the arts, and love of people and community," said Rev. Richard Baker, Pastor of St. Malachy's. "James J. Claffey, Jr., President of IATSE Local One, the stagehands union on Broadway and in television, is such a man."

Honorary Gala Chair of the evening to honor James Claffey is Madison Square Garden Chairman James Dolan. The Gala Chair is Actors' Equity Executive Director John Connolly. Joseph Benincasa, Executive Director of the Actors Fund, Actors' Equity President Mark Zimmerman and American Federation of Musicians Local 802 President Mary Landolfi are coordinating the entertainment. Heading the bill are mistress of ceremonies Liz Callaway and performing are Bebe Neuwirth; Jim Walton and Dee Hoty (performing a number from the Roundabout revival of Bye Bye Birdie); Eric Jordan Young (performing a song from the upcoming revival of Ragtime); and Kyle Brenn (performing a number from West Side Story). Scott Cady is the musical director for the evening.

James J. Claffey, Jr., who recently married Stephanie Simon and is father to twelve-year-old Bailey, is the son of Josephine and James J. Claffey Sr., a retired stagehand. He began his career as a stagehand in 1982 in venues including Radio City Music Hall, the City Center 55th Street Dance Theatre, Madison Square Garden, CBS-TV, ABC-TV and various Broadway theatres. Mr. Claffey began his career as an Officer of Local One in 1996, serving as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees until 1998 at which time the membership elected him to the full time position of Theatrical Business Manager, an office he was then re-elected to in 2001. Since May 2004, he has served as President of Local One. He is a graduate of both the Cornell University Labor Studies Certificate Program and the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School. Mr. Claffey was recently elected to the Board of Trustees of The Actors' Fund and serves on the NYC Opera Board of Directors as well as a Vice President on the NYC Central Labor Council.

The funds raised at this event will help to bring St. Malachy's into a new era. One of the future projects is the development of a child care center for families of actors and stagehands in the entertainment community. In 2008, a Needs Assessment Study conducted by The Actors Fund and Actors' Equity determined that there is a crucial need by families who work in the entertainment industry for a quality, affordable child care center in the Times Square Area with flexible hours. Hence, St. Malachy's - The Actors' Chapel is in the Early Stages of developing the Broadway Child Care Project.

Individual tickets for the benefit are $350 each and include cocktails at 6:00pm, dinner at 7:00pm. Tickets can be purchased by contacting Suzanne Katusin at (212) 489-1340, ext 102 or development@actorschapel.org.

Located on West 49th Street, between Broadway and Eighth Avenue, St. Malachy's Roman Catholic Church www.actorschapel.org was founded in 1902. And although the years have seen many changes in the neighborhood of the church, St. Malachy's today remains an active, integral part of its most unusual, most dynamic community.

St. Malachy's service to its community was comparable to that of most other Catholic churches in New York City up until about 1920. Then the Theatre District moved in. Suddenly, actors, dancers, musicians, craftsmen, and tourists were filling the seats, replacing the types of parishioners St. Malachy's had seen in previous years.

Fortunately, the priests and leaders of St. Malachy's have all been men and women of their times, and so, adapted St. Malachy's to meet the needs of its new parishioners. Masses, confessions, missions were all rearranged to accommodate the rigors of theatre and nightclub schedules. And finally, with the construction of the Actors' Chapel below the main church in 1920, St. Malachy's became famous as a haven of worship for the entertainment community.

Douglas Fairbanks married Joan Crawford at St. Malachy's. Herb Shriner's children were baptized here. Thousands jammed West 49th Street outside the church in final tribute to Rudolph Valentino. George M. Cohan, Spencer Tracy, Perry Como, Irene Dunne, Hildegarde, Florence Henderson, Elaine Stritch, Lawrence Luckinbill, Rosiland Russell, Danny Thomas, Bob and Dolores Hope and Ricardo Montalban, all worshipped at St. Malachy's. Fred Allen, Don Ameche, Cyril Ritchard, Pat O'Brien and Jimmy Durante served many a Mass.

For 123 years, Local One (www.iatselocalone.org) has been the premiere stagecraft union of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees representing 3,000 property persons, stage and studio electricians, set carpenters, sound designers, audio technicians, moving-light operators, riggers and special effects people in New York.