Playwrights Horizons to Honor Kristen Anderson-Lopez & Robert Lopez at Spring Gala

Acclaimed Off-Broadway theater company Playwrights Horizons (Tim Sanford, Artistic Director; Leslie Marcus, Managing Director) will hold its annual Spring Gala on Monday evening, May 7 at 583 Park Avenue. The evening will honor Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Playwrights Musical Theater Fellowship alumnus Robert Lopez, the Academy Award and Grammy Award-winning songwriters of Frozen and Coco. Robert co-conceived and co-wrote the smash-hit musicals Avenue Q and The Book of Mormon, both earning him Tony Awards. Kristen's show In Transit made history as the first all a cappella musical to run on Broadway.

The evening will celebrate the writers' artistic accomplishments and feature songs from their repertoire. The full line-up of performers will be announced in the coming weeks. Funds raised from the evening will provide far-reaching opportunities for playwrights, composers and lyricists to develop their new plays and musicals; for audiences to experience the most exciting new works onstage; and for young people to train for arts careers.

Serving as Gala Co-Chairs are Playwrights Horizons Board Member Jill Crovitz, Cari Hauck and Thomas Schumacher, Chairman of The Broadway League and President of Disney Theatrical Productions.

Playwrights Horizons is an award-winning, not-for-profit theater dedicated to the support and development of contemporary American Playwrights, composers, and lyricists and to the production of their new plays and musicals. In its 47-year history, Playwrights has been distinguished by its steadfast and unyielding dedication to the American writer; a history of acclaimed productions that have earned six Pulitzer Prizes; the recognition of the national theater community as a leader in the field of new play development and production; a commitment to new work and new voices which has resulted in the launching of hundreds of playwriting careers; and the production of more than 350 plays and musicals, with hundreds more commissioned and developed at the theater.

Cocktails will begin at 6PM, followed at 7:30PM by dinner and the evening's entertainment.

Individual tickets for the Gala start at $1,000 and tables start at $10,000. For more information regarding tickets and sponsorship opportunities, please visit www.phnyc.org/gala or contact Carly Siegler at (212) 564-1235 x3141 or csiegler@phnyc.org.

The Playwrights Horizons Spring Gala is generously sponsored by Disney Theatrical Productions, Citi, and Taconic Capital Partners L.P.

The Spring Gala is the organization's largest fundraising event of the year, with donations earmarked to support six annual productions, the development of new plays and musicals, ticket subsidies and programs for students and early-career professionals. The programs cultivate the next generation of artists, arts managers and theatergoers.

HONOREES

Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez are the Oscar and Grammy-winning, married songwriting team behind the Disney animated film, Frozen. Their Academy Award-winning song "Remember Me" is featured in Pixar's Coco, and their stage adaptation of Frozen is currently running on Broadway. Robert co-conceived and co-wrote the smash-hit musicals Avenue Q and The Book of Mormon, both earning him Tony Awards. Kristen's show In Transit, made history as the first all a cappella musical to run on Broadway, after earning recognition at the Drama Desk, Drama League and Lucille Lortel awards for its Off-Broadway run. Lopez and Anderson-Lopez have written for television, film and stage, including Finding Nemo: The Musical, songs for The Wonder Pets (two Emmy Award wins) and the Winnie the Pooh animated film. Their original musical, Up Here, premiered at the La Jolla Playhouse. Lopez and Anderson-Lopez both serve on the Dramatist Guild Council. Graduates of Yale University and Williams College, respectively, they now reside in Brooklyn with their two daughters.

Playwrights Horizons

Playwrights Horizons is dedicated to cultivating the most important American Playwrights, composers and lyricists, as well as developing and producing their bold new plays and musicals. Under Artistic Director Tim Sanford and Managing Director Leslie Marcus, Playwrights builds upon its diverse and renowned body of work, counting 400 writers among its artistic roster. In addition to its onstage work each season, Playwrights' singular commitment to nurturing American theater artists guides all of the institution's multifaceted initiatives: our acclaimed New Works Lab, a robust commissioning program, an innovative curriculum at its Theater School and more. Playwrights has been recognized with numerous awards and honors, including six Pulitzer Prizes, 13 Tony Awards and 39 Obie Awards. Prior artistic directors include André Bishop and Don Scardino. Robert Moss founded Playwrights Horizons in 1971 and oversaw its first decade, cementing the mission that continues to guide the institution today.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride / WM Photos