Photo Coverage: The New Group Honors Ethan Hawke

The New Group proudly presented a benefit evening honoring Ethan Hawke with the third annual Michael Mendelson Award for Outstanding Commitment to the Theater. The event took place Monday, November 10th at Chelsea Piers. The BroadwayWorld's camera were there to join the celebration...and to bring you all the pictures! 

The benefit featured a live auction and a special brief guest performance by celebrated nine-time Grammy® Award-winning recording artist Norah Jones. Guests slated to attend include: Billy Crudup,Vincent D'Onofrio, Sam Rockwell, and Lili Taylor among many others. 

The late Michael Mendelson was a Founding Board Member of The New Group and served as Chairman of the Board from 1995 until his passing in 2005.  Born in 1941, he received his BS from New York University in 1964.  From 1969 until March 1988, Mr. Mendelson was Senior Vice President of E.F. Hutton & Co., Inc.  He joined Oppenheimer & Co., Inc. as Chairman of Fahnestock Asset Management in March 1988 and served as President of Oppenheimer & Co., Inc. from August 1988 to November 1991.  Mendelson was honored in June 2005 at The New Group's Spring Benefit.  In acknowledgement of Michael Mendelson's devoted and invaluable efforts as Chairman of the Board of The New Group during its founding decade, The Michael Mendelson Award will be presented annually in grateful recognition of the exceptional contributions of individuals to the theatrical community.

As an actor, Ethan Hawke's theater credits include The Coast of Utopia (B'way - Tony® Award nomination), Hurlyburly (The New Group), Henry IV (Lincoln Center), Chekov's The Seagull (B'way), The Late Henry Moss (Signature Theatre Company), The Cider House Rules, Sam Shepard's Buried Child (Steppenwolf Theatre Company), Sophistry (Playwrights Horizons), Tennessee Williams' Camino Real (Williamstown Theatre Festival) and many others with the Malaparte theater company, where he is also Artistic Director.  His film credits include: Assault on Precinct 13, Before Sunset (Academy® Award Nomination - Adapted Screenplay), Training Day, Before Sunrise, Hamlet, Gattaca, Reality Bites, Alive, Dead Poets Society and Lord of War.  Hawke's directing credits include: Lisa Loeb's "Stay" music video (1994) and the films Straight to One, Chelsea Walls, and the soon-to-be-released The Hottest State.  In 1992, Hawke co-founded Malaparte (nonprofit theater company in NYC). Last season, Hawke made his Off-Broadway directorial debut at The New Group withThings We Want, starring Paul Dano, Peter Dinklange, Josh Hamilton and Zoe Kazan. 

Photos by Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.

Ethan Hawke

Ethan Hawke

Ethan Hawke

Ethan Hawke and Leslie Hawke

Ethan Hawke and Leslie Hawke

Ethan Hawke and Leslie Hawke

Lili Taylor

Lili Taylor

Ethan Hawke and Lili Taylor

Ethan Hawke and Lili Taylor

Christopher Abbott

Lisa Emery

Lisa Emery and Christopher Abbott

Billy Crudup

Billy Crudup

Jeffrey Seller

Robyn Goodman

Robyn Goodman and Jeffrey Seller

Richard Easton

Scott Elliott

Antoine Fuqua

Antoine Fuqua

Darren Goldstein

Darren Goldstein

Halley Wegryn Gross

Halley Wegryn Gross

Sakina Jaffrey

Sean T. Krishnam

Sean T. Krishnam

Justin Long

Josh Hamilton

Justin Long and Sam Rockwell

Josh Hamilton

Vincent D'Onofrio

Vincent D'Onofrio

Vincent D'Onofrio

Seth Avi Rosenfeld

Elizabeth Jasicki

Richard Topol and Elizabeth Jasicki

Elizabeth Jasicki

Elizabeth Jasicki

Michael Shannon

Michael Shannon

Martha Plimpton

Martha Plimpton

Martha Plimpton

Wallace Shawn and Martha Plimpton

Mark Brokaw

Mark Brokaw

Matt Rausch

Andrew Polk

Matt Rausch and Andrew Polk

Sarita Choudhury

Jonahtan Marc Sherman

Richard Topol

Rashma Shetty    

Rashma Shetty    

Jimmie James

Jimmie James and his guest

Natasha Lyonne

Natasha Lyonne

David Cale and Natasha Lyonne

Jesse Harris

Jesse Harris

Norah Jones and Jesse Harris

Norah Jones and Jesse Harris

Norah Jones

Norah Jones

Norah Jones