New 42nd Street to Honor Michael D. Eisner at Annual Gala, 11/18

The New 42nd Street has announced that its annual Gala, to be held Monday, November 18 at The New Victory Theater, will honor visionary entertainment leader Michael D. Eisner with the New Victory Arts Award for bringing kids to the arts and the arts to kids. Barry Diller and Thomas Schumacher will serve as Gala honorary chairs.

"Michael's contribution to 42nd Street and to Broadway theater is remarkable. The New 42nd Street is delighted that he has agreed to accept The New Victory Arts Award for his longstanding commitment to entertain, enlighten and engage young people through the performing arts," says Cora Cahan, President of the New 42nd Street.

The New 42nd Street Gala provides critical support to New Victory Education programs. Requiring almost complete subsidy, these programs annually introduce more than 34,000 school kids in over 160 schools throughout all five boroughs of New York to a broad spectrum of productions each season.

Fiona Rudin, Chairman of the Board of The New 42nd Street, comments, "These award-winning programs offer New York City public school kids unforgettable opportunities to experience live performances in the heart of the city's theater district and also in their classrooms, where they discover exciting connections between the work on stage and the extraordinary world around them." Ms. Rudin, along with her husband Eric Rudin, co-chair the event along with Shahara Ahmad-Llewellyn, Marian S. Heiskell, Simone and David W. Levinson, Isabel Rose, and Mary Ann Tighe and David Hidalgo. Thomson Reuters is the Gala Corporate Sponsor.

The evening includes a musical performance at The New Victory Theater with special appearances from members of the Disney on Broadway Family, and special remarks given by Bill Haber, Robert A.M. Stern and Julie Taymor. A gala dinner will immediately follow on stage at The New Amsterdam Theatre. For more information, or to purchase tickets, please contact Bari Lasky at BLasky@New42.org or 646-223-3085.

An accomplished author, businessman, philanthropist and entertainment industry leader, Michael D. Eisner headed both ABC and Paramount Pictures before becoming Chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Company in 1984. Over the next 21 years, he transformed the company into a global media empire and brought its groundbreaking work to the New York stage. Reaching over 70 million people worldwide with The Lion Kingalone, Michael has truly succeeded in "bringing kids to the arts and the arts to kids."

Presented to a person or organization whose concern for the well-being of children is matched by their belief that the arts and arts education stimulate imagination and creativity, and are therefore crucial to the emotional, intellectual and social development of young people, the NEW VICTORY Arts Award has been presented to Tony Awards recipient Bill Irwin, President of the Jim Henson Foundation, Cheryl Henson, and the Australia Council for the Arts.

In all its endeavors, The New 42nd Street pursues excellence and innovation. By leading the renewal of seven historic theaters, by creating unique innovative cultural institutions and by building a home for nonprofit arts organizations in the heart of Times Square, The New 42nd Street leads the dynamic evolution of the reinvented 42nd Street, cultivating a unique New York City cultural and entertainment destination. Projects of The New 42nd Street include: The New Victory Theater, a performing arts theater devoted to kids and families; the New 42nd Street Studios, a state-of-the-art, 10-story performing arts complex; and The Duke on 42nd Street, a black box theater available on a rental basis to nonprofit and commercial performing arts organizations. A leader in the national and international arts communities, The New 42nd Street is devoted to finding new ways to deepen, expand and develop these projects and services, and diversify its constituencies. An independent, nonprofit organization, The New 42nd Street is committed to the transformational power of the arts.