STAGE TUBE: Betty Buckley Honored at Shubert New Haven's 100th Anniversary Gala

Betty Buckley recently accepted the 2015 Maurice Bailey Award for Outstanding Contribution to Musical Theatre, at the Shubert Theatre's 100th Anniversary Gala Celebration on Saturday, March 21, 2015. Check out her acceptance speech below, where she shared some of her experiences in the world premiere of 1776!

CAPA also welcomed Barbara Cook and Rex Smith as the Shubert's honored guests. Buckley, Cook, and Smith were the first recipients of the Maurice Bailey Award for Outstanding Contribution to Musical Theatre, a new award inaugurated for the Shubert's 100th Anniversary. WNPR's Colin McEnroe will serve as the Master of Ceremonies.

All three performers have graced the legendary Shubert stage a number of times and have added to the theatre's rich legacy. Betty Buckley appeared on the Shubert stage in the 1969 World Premiere of 1776 and returned to the Shubert on December 31, 1999 for the Millennial New Year's Eve Concert. Barbara Cook first appeared at the Shubert in 1951 in Flahooley and followed in Plain and Fancy (1954) and She Loves Me (1963) - all Shubert World Premieres. Ms. Cook also appeared in the Shubert's 75th Anniversary Performance and returned in 2001 in her one-woman show, Mostly Sondheim. Rex Smith has been seen on the Shubert stage in the touring productions of Anything Goes (1988), Grease (1994), Annie Get Your Gun (2000) and Kiss Me, Kate (2001).