Our Time Theatre Company Honors Bill Withers At Gala

Our Time Theatre Company (Taro Alexander, Artistic Director, Everett Bradley, Musical Director) , a non-profit organization dedicated to providing an artistic home for young people who stutter, will hold its Sixth Annual Our Time Benefit Gala entitled, "Lean on Me" continuing its tradition of honoring a person who has been an inspiration to those that stutter. This year's Our Time Award will be presented to Bill Withers, the Grammy Award winning  music legend responsible for such hits as "Ain't No Sunshine," "Lovely Day," and "Lean on Me." 
 
This year's star-studded evening's Honorary Chairs are Ricki Lake and Paul Rudd. And will be hosted by Our Time Kids.  This year's benefit will take place on April 14, 2008 with an all-star cast at the Jack H. Skirball Center for the Performing Arts at 7PM . Celebrities will perform original work written by and with the young people of the Our Time Theatre Company.
 
Performing with the members of Our Time are Lauren Ambrose, Talia Balsam, Howard Bingham, Nadia Dajani, Ned Eisenberg, Kathryn Grody, Adriane Lenox, Tiffany McElroy, Kelli O'Hara, Jesse L. Martin, Cynthia Nixon, Rosie Perez, Ramon Rodriguez, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Ed Sherin, John Slattery, Callie Thorne, Mary Testa, Sam Waterston, 13 members of the cast of Spring Awakening, including Tony Award-winner John Gallagher, Jr. with more to come.

Our Time Theatre Company provides an environment free from ridicule where young people who stutter discover the joy of creating and performing original theatre and music. Based in New York City, Our Time consists of pre-teens nd teenagers who study acting, singing, playwriting, drumming, and dance with professional artists. Exercising these skills, they create original plays that are performed in New York City and around the world. Our Time serves its members free of charge and there are no prerequisites to join.  In August of 2008 Our Time will launch Camp Our Time, a sleep-away performing arts camp for young people who stutter and their siblings.  Now in its sixth year, the Our Time Award is presented to one exceptional individual who has improved the quality of life and been an inspiration to people who stutter.
 
An inspiration to those that stutter, Bill Withers  has overcome adversity to become a renowned  Grammy Award winning artist who is responsible for such hits as "Lean on Me," "Just the Two of Us," "Ain't No Sunshine," "Use me," "Lovely Day," "Grandma's Hands," and many, many more.  

"Lean on Me"
The 6th Annual Our Time Benefit Gala honing Bill Withers
April 14, 2008 at 7PM
Jack H. Skirball Center for the Performing Arts is located at New York University,
566 LaGuardia Place at Washington Square South.
For tickets and information, please call (212) 414-9696
Tickets for performance only are $100.  Individual Tickets for dinner and performance are $300/$1,000.
Tables for dinner (which include the performance) are $10,000/$25,000.
Visit www.ourtimetheatre.org for more information.