Princess Grace Awards Gala to Honor Glenn Close

On Wednesday, October 15, 2008, the Princess Grace Foundation-USA will host the Princess Grace Awards Gala at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York City and present 31 Awards to emerging artists in theater, dance and film, as well as two Princess Grace Statue Awards to artists who have previously won Awards and have shown achievement and growth in their respective fields.  Every year, the Princess Grace Foundation-USA (PGF-USA) proudly awards these grants at its annual gala to support its mission of providing crucial support to emerging artists in America.  Additionally, PGF-USA is proud to announce that award winning actress Glenn Close will be honored with the Prince Rainier III Award in recognition of her outstanding career and contribution to the arts. Entertainment for the evening will include a performance by Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings and dancing to DJ Tom Finn.  Co-chairs for the Gala (and Platinum Sponsors) will be Noelle and Dick Wolf, Emmy Award winning writer/producer of the Law & Order drama series and Dolly Lenz, Vice Chairman of Prudential Douglas Elliman.  Presenting Sponsor for this year's Princess Grace Awards Gala is Hermes.  Crown Sponsors this year are Ana Tzarev Gallery and Mrs. Edmond J. Safra. The Gala will take place in the presence of HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco.

The Princess Grace Foundation-USA is a not-for-profit, publicly-supported foundation headquartered in New York City founded more than 25 years ago by Prince Rainier III of Monaco in honor of his wife, Princess Grace [Kelly]. The Foundation's mission, that mirrors Princess Grace's in her lifetime, is to support emerging artists in theater, dance and film through the awarding of scholarships, apprenticeships and fellowships. Since its inception, the Foundation has awarded more than $5 million in grants to nearly 500 recipients.

Glenn Close will be honored this year and presented the coveted Prince Rainier III Award for her outstanding contribution to the motion picture, television and theater arts.  Ms. Close's accomplished artistic career spans almost 35 years. In that time she has been nominated for and won numerous accolades including Academy, Emmy and Tony, Golden Globe and SAG Awards.  She made her professional theater and Broadway debut with the New Phoenix Repertory Company in Love for Love in 1974.  In 1980 Ms. Close was nominated for her first Tony Award for her role in Barnum and went on to win Tonys for her performances in The Real Thing, Death And The Maiden and her role as Norma Desmond in Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Sunset Boulevard.

Ms. Close's film debut came in 1982 as Jenny Fields in John Irving's The World According to Garp, for which she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress, followed by Oscar nominations for The Big Chill and The Natural.  Her unforgettable performance as Alex Forrest in Fatal Attraction garnered and her subtly crafted characterization of the Marquise de Merteuil in Dangerous Liaisons garnered her fourth and fifth Oscar nominations.  Ms. Close has also starred in many television shows and miniseries including FX's groundbreaking drama The Shield for which she received an Emmy nomination as well as FX's original series Damages for which she won the 2007 Golden Globe as well as Emmy and Screen Actor's Guild nominations.  Additionally, Ms. Close has also served as executive producer/producer on a number of projects.

"Glenn Close's extraordinary artistic talent and distinguished career in theater, television and film has been a beacon of inspiration to countless creative young artists, many of whom we acknowledge at this celebration," says the Hon. John Lehman, Chairman of the Board, Princess Grace Foundation-USA. "In the spirit of Princess Grace, it is with great pleasure that we celebrate the achievements of Ms. Close and the creativity, passion and budding talent of our Awards winners."

This year, guests will be entertained by the funk/soul styling of Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, who recently appeared on The David Letterman Show and will open for The Dave Matthews Band this fall in California.  Following dinner, guests will dance to the spinning of famed DJ Tom Finn, who has worked at many of NYC's top dance clubs.  Guests can bid on their favorite lots in a silent auction and a live auction will take place during dinner.  All auction proceeds will benefit Princess Grace Awards to advance its mission of providing crucial support to emerging artists in America.

Co-Chairs for this year's gala include Noelle and Dick Wolf and Dolly Lenz.  Mr. Wolf has won numerous Emmy Awards for his series Law & Order and has been a longtime supporter of the Princess Grace Foundation-USA and its mission.  In addition, Mr. Wolf is Honorary Consul to Monaco.  Ms. Lenz is the country's leading real estate broker and is currently marketing the largest residential conversion in the United States at Manhattan House, a luxury apartment condominium where Grace Kelly made her home in the 1950s and where her father's company was the brickwork contractor.

Crown Sponsors for the Princess Grace Awards Gala are Ana Tzarev Gallery and Mrs. Edmond J. Safra

Corporate Chair for the Princess Grace Awards Gala is Gerard Cohen, of HSBC Private Bank (Monaco) S.A.

The Gala is being produced by Scott Mauro of Scott Mauro Entertainment, Inc. for the fourth consecutive year.  Tickets for the Gala start at $1,000 for Patron tickets, $1,750 for Sponsor tickets and $2,500 for Benefactor tickets.  Tables may be purchased for $15,000, $25,000, $50,000 and $100,000. Approximately 600 guests are expected to attend.  Those interested in tickets may contact Event Associates at 212-245-6570 or tamaral@eventassociatesinc.com.  Additional information can be found at www.pgfusa.org.

THE PRINCESS GRACE AWARDS AND 2008 RECIPIENTS

The first Princess Grace Awards winners were announced in 1984. To date, PGF-USA has awarded more than $5 million to support and continue excellence in the arts. The recipients are selected by a panel of experts in their respective fields - theater, dance, and film - and the prizes awarded are in the form of scholarships, apprenticeships and fellowships.  This year, the Foundation welcomes 21 emerging artists to the Princess Grace Awards Family and extends two Statue Awards.  Honoraria are also offered to artists whose talent deserves recognition and special support to past awards winners demonstrate the Foundation's commitment to continuing its involvement in these artists' careers.  In all, the Foundation will award more than $750,000 this year.

Notable Princess Grace Award recipients of the past include: Anna D. Shapiro, winner of 2008 Tony Award for Director of current Broadway hit August: Osage County; Stephen Hillenburg, creator of Nickelodeon's SpongeBob SquarePants; Tony Kushner, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright; Gillian Murphy, principal dancer of American Ballet Theatre; Eric Darnell, director of Madagascar 1 & 2; Greg Mottola, director of Superbad and Eric Simonson, Academy Award winning filmmaker.

Past winners of the Princess Grace Award are eligible to win the coveted Princess Grace Statue, which will be presented at this year's Gala to Rose Bond for her accomplishments in film and Alexander (Alec) T. Hammond for his accomplishments in production design and art direction.  The Award includes a $25,000 unrestricted cash gift and a special limited edition Bronze Statue of Princess Grace created by Monegasque artist Kees Verkade.  Rose Bond received her original Princess Grace Award in 1989 as the Graduate Film Scholarship at School of the Art Institute in Chicago.  Alec Hammond received his original Princess Grace Award in 1995 as the Faberge Award for Scenic Design at the Yale School of Drama.

Special Project Awards are available to previous Princess Grace Award winners and Honoraria recipients for uniquely significant projects that advance a previous winner's artistic development.  Seven Special Project Awards will be presented this year.

This year, the Princess Grace Foundation-USA Arts Advisory Board announced a partnership with the Baryshnikov Arts Center (BAC) to provide further support for Princess Grace Award winners. The aim of this Works in Progress Award is to provide previous Awards winners the opportunity for creative experimentation without the pressure to produce a final, finished product.

 The 2008 Princess Grace Award winners are:

 PRINCESS GRACE STATUE AWARD

Alec Hammond - Original Award, 1995, Faberge Award for Scenic Design, Yale School of Drama

Rose Bond - Original Award, 1989, Graduate Film Scholarship, School of the Art Institute of Chicago

THEATER AND PLAYWRITNG

Arin Arbus, Los Angeles, CA - Grace LeVine Theater Award - Directing Fellowship, Theatre for a New Audience

Jaime Castaneda, San Antonio, TX - Gant Gaither Theater Award - Directing Apprenticeship, American Theater Company

Ben Gunderson, Moorhead, MN - Robert and Gloria Hausman Theater Award - Acting Scholarship, North Carolina School of the Arts

Patrick Kennelly, Evanston, IL - Pierre Cardin Theater Award - Directing Scholarship, University of California, Los Angeles

Arnulfo Maldonado, Eagle Pass, TX - Faberge Theater Award - Costume Design Fellowship, Diverse City Theater

 Kaneza Schaal, Freestone, CA - Acting Apprenticeship, The Wooster Group
 Kara Lee Corthron, New York, NY - Playwriting Fellowship, New Dramatists

Maureen C. Huskey, Denver, CO - Directing Honoraria, California Institute of the Arts

Thom Pasculli, Newton, NJ - Acting Honoraria, Double Edge Theatre Productions, Inc.

Ashley Sparks, Stuarts Draft, VA - Directing Honoraria, ArtSpot Productions

 Damon E. Williams, Havertown, PA - Acting Honoraria, Temple University

 DANCE AND CHOREOGRAPHY
 Thang Dao, Montclair, CA - Choreography Fellowship, Ballet Austin

Blaine Hoven, Mobile, AL - Chris Hellman Dance Award - Ballet Fellowship, American Ballet Theatre

Jermel Johnson, Baltimore, MD - Ballet Fellowship, Pennsylvania Ballet

Alexander Peters, State College, PA - Ballet Scholarship, School of American Ballet

Lucien Postlewaite, Santa Cruz, CA - Ballet Fellowship, Pacific Northwest Ballet

Spenser Theberge, Vancouver, WA - Ballet Scholarship, The Juilliard School-Dance Division

Dominic Walsh, Elgin, IL - Choreography Fellowship, Sarasota Ballet of Florida

Nejla Y. Yatkin, Washington, D.C. - Choreography Fellowship, Cleo Parker Robertson Dance Theater

Elisa Clark, Bethesda, MD - Modern Dance Honoraria, Mark Morris Dance Group

Leah Morrison, St. Louis, MO - Modern Dance Honoraria, Trisha Brown Dance Company

FILM

Caitlin Craggs, Lake Stevens, WA - Animation Undergraduate Film Scholarship, University of Southern California

Derrick A. Jones, Youngstown, OH - Documentary Graduate Film Scholarship, Ohio University

Nikyatu S. Jusu, Atlanta, GA - Narrative Graduate Film Scholarship, New York University

Deirtra Thompson, Baltimore, MD - John H. Johnson Film Award - Experimental Graduate Film Scholarship, Bard College

Josh Weissbach, Austin, TX - Cary Grant Film Award - Documentary Undergraduate Film Scholarship, Hampshire College

Iman K. Zawahry, Panama City, FL - Narrative Graduate Film Scholarship, Florida State University

Kimberly Bautista, Pasadena, CA - Documentary Film Honoraria, UC Santa Cruz

Henry C. Fernandez, E. Los Angeles, CA  Narrative Film Honoraria, California State University, Northridge, Radio, TV & Film

Jordan C. Greenhalgh, Albany, NY - Experimental Animation Film Honoraria, Rochester Institute of Technology

Dave Horowitz, Chicago, IL - Animation Film Honoraria, University of Southern California

Erica Lisette Murphy, Rogue Valley, OR - Animation Film Honoraria, School of The Museum of Fine Arts

 SPECIAL PROJECT AWARDS
 Rosemary Newcott, Theater
 Chi Wang Yang, Theater
 Eric Kupers, Dance
 Drew Jacoby, Dance
 Ilya Chaiken, Film
 Miwa Matreyek, Film
 Julie Wyman, Film

 WORKS IN PROGRESS AWARDS
 Nancy Bannon, Dance
 Shelia Callaghan, Playwriting
 Maureen Towey, Theater

 ABOUT THE PRINCESS GRACE FOUNDATION-USA

The Princess Grace Foundation-USA, a public charity formed after the death of Princess Grace in 1982, awards scholarships, apprenticeships and fellowships to assist emerging theater, dance and film artists. For more information about PGF-USA, please visit www.pgfusa.org.

Photo Credit Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.