The special event was hosted at the Edison Ballroom on November 13, 2023.
Just last night, the Drama League celebrated Embrace The Season: A Drama League Celebration, the venerated gala event amplifying the extraordinary productions gracing stages in New York City each season. BroadwayWorld was there for the special night and you can check out photos from the red carpet arrivals below!
EMBRACE THE SEASON featured a dazzling array of exclusive performances, appearances, and “sneak peeks” of Broadway productions to come. The evening included Tony and Drama League Award Winner Annaleigh Ashford (Sweeney Todd); Lindsay Mendez (Merrily We Roll Along); Arielle Jacobs(Here Lies Love), Andrew Durand (Shucked); Betsy Aidem (Prayer for the French Republic), composer/lyrists Rebekah Greer Melocik & Jacob Yandura(How To Dance In Ohio); composer/lyrists Joy Huerta & Benjamin Velez (Real Women Have Curves); plus remarks from The Wiz & The Notebook director Schele Williams and a special preview of Water For Elephants, the latter featuring the award-winning composer/band PigPen Theatre Co.; and a series of tributes to producer Jeffrey Richards, the 2023 Embrace The Season Gala Honoree, from Tony Award Winner Leslie Odom Jr. (Purlie Victorious, Hamilton), Tony Award-winning director Diane Paulus, Tony Award Winner Danny Burstein (Moulin Rouge, Fiddler on the Roof), and Tony nominees Norm Lewis (The Gershwins Porgy and Bess) and Jessica Hecht (Summer 1976, Fiddler on the Roof), among others.
EMBRACE THE SEASON was directed by Tony Award nominee Sheryl Kaller (Mothers and Sons) and Ben Villegas Randle (Hello Again), with musical direction by the longtime associate conductor of Broadaway’s Wicked, David Evans.
Photo Credit: Genevieve Rafter Keddy
Drama League Gala 2023
Stewart F. Lane and Bonnie Comley
Stewart F. Lane and Bonnie Comley
Broadway HD Sponsors-Melissa Farber, Sophia Schiffman, Danielle Allen, Wally Sedgewick, Stewart F. Lane, Bonnie Comley, MacLean Mills and Diane Prince
Kumiko Yoshii and Bonnie Comley
Stewart F. Lane, Jeffrey Richards and Bonnie Comley
Drama League Board of Directors-Jonathan Lonner, Bevin Ross, Kumiko Yoshii, Townsend Teague, Trish Chambers, Elena Araoz, Mary Jain, Bonnie Comley, Irene Gandy, Paula Kaminsky Davis and Gabriel Stelian-Shanks
Bevin Ross, Jeffery Richards, Irene Gandy and Gabriel Stelian-Shanks
Nilan Bevin Ross and Gabriel Stelian-Shanks
Bevin Ross, Mary Jain and Gabriel Stelian-Shanks
Bevin Ross, Gabriel Stelian-Shanks and Bonnie Comley
Bevin Ross, Gabriel Stelian-Shanks and Elena Araoz
Maria Koundoura and Bonnie Comley
Howard Rudominer and Michal Lamon
Darin Oduyoye and Sarah Hutton
Nadia Guevara, Ann Kreitman, Sanhawich Meateanuwat and Michelle Chan
PigPen Theatre Company-Matt Nuernberger, Alex Falberg, Dan Weschler, Ben Ferguson, Arya Shahi Curtis Gillen and Ryan Melia
Bill Timoney, Irene Gandy and Vanessa Bell Calloway
Bill Timoney, Irene Gandy, Jeffery Richards and Vanessa Bell Calloway
Drama League Staff-Rashad T. Bailey, Andrew Coopman, Maralyn Quinones-Stead, Anna Evtushenko, Lake Sims-Winfrey, Helen O'Rourke, Gabriel Stelian-Shanks, Olivia Rogan, Bernadette Norman, Mike Teele, Bevin Ross and Nilan
Rebekah Greer Melocik and Jacob Yandura
Ibi Owolabi and Irene Gandy
Ibi Owolabi, Irene Gandy and Norm Lewis
Ibi Owolabi, Irene Gandy, Jeffrey Richards and Norm Lewis
Billy Eugene Jones, Irene Gandy and Jeffrey Richards
Jacob Yandura, Rebekah Greer Melocik, Fiona Howe Rudin and Sammy Lopez
Ben Villegas Randle, Sheryl Kaller and Andrew Coopman
Benjamin Velez and Jack Noseworthy
Estefani Fadul and Elena Araoz
Vanessa Bell Calloway
Heather Alicia Simms and Vanessa Bell Calloway
Jelani Remy and Arielle Jacobs
Leslie Odom Jr.
Leslie Odom Jr.
Bill Timoney, Irene Gandy and Vanessa Bell Calloway
Ali Harimoto
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