Stephen Colbert to Host Elevator Repair Service's 2017 Gala; Steve Martin, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Debra Monk and More to Attend!

On May 22nd, 2017 Stephen Colbert will host a star-studded gala, celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Obie-Award winning theater ensemble, Elevator Repair Service.

Under the direction of founding Artistic Director John Collins, ERS is known for creating original works of theater with an ongoing ensemble. Gatz, their verbatim staging of The Great Gatsby, was called "the most remarkable achievement in theater of this decade" by The New York Times. It garnered international acclaim, enjoying over twenty engagements world-wide, including at the Sydney Opera House, London's West End, the A.R.T. in Cambridge, and two sold-out runs at New York's Public Theater. Over twenty-five years, the company has created sixteen full-length works for theater.

ERS is currently at work on a new staging of Shakespeare's Measure for Measure, a commission by The Public Theater.

The gala begins with cocktails and hors d'oeuvres on the roof overlooking the Hudson River at sunset. Dinner is served while guests enjoy the evening's program, emceed by Stephen Colbert and featuring a special performance by Elevator Repair Service. A live auction is followed by remarks offered by Oskar Eustis, Artistic Director of The Public Theater. Mr. Eustis has said of the company, "Their profound, unpretentious attention to whatever they choose to theatricalize ends up revealing beauties of the most profound order."

Guests will include longtime ERS supporters, including actors Steve Martin, Greta Gerwig (20th Century Women), Maggie Gyllenhaal (Crazy Heart), Peter Sarsgaard ("The Killing"), Maura Tierney ("The Affair"), Lili Taylor ("Six Feet Under") and Broadway legend Debra Monk; former US senator Bob Kerrey; and Sirius radio personality Vin Scelsa.

The special performance will feature legions of ERS artists, pulled from every era of the company's history, including Obie-winning actors Scott Shepherd (Bridge of Spies, "The Young Pope") and April Matthis (On the Levee); authors James Hannaham (2016 PEN/Faulkner Award winner for Delicious Foods) and Kate Scelsa (young adult novelist Fans of the Impossible Life); playwright Rinne Groff; and many other ERS regulars, including acclaimed actors Susie Sokol, Vin Knight, Pete Simpson, Ben Williams, and over a dozen more.

The festivities continue as JoNathan Jacobs, aka The Vintage DJ (DJ for 84th Annual Academy Awards Governors Ball) spins original vinyl from the 1920s to the 1970s.

Elevator Repair Service is a New York City-based ensemble that has been making original theater since 1991, under the direction of Artistic Director John Collins. The company has achieved national and international recognition with its extensive body of work, and has influenced a generation of theater-makers. The company's works have been presented in Europe, Australia, Asia, South America, and across the United States. The company has been recognized with many awards, including an Obie Award for Sustained Excellence, a Foundation for Contemporary Arts Grant, and a Lucille Lortel Award and an Elliot Norton Award for Gatz. For more information visit elevator.org.

Stephen Colbert is best known as the host, writer and executive producer of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on CBS. His long-running Emmy and Peabody Award-winning series "The Colbert Report" aired on Comedy Central from 2005 to 2014 and was nominated for 40 Emmys, winning a total of 6. The show was also twice honored with the prestigious Peabody Award for Excellence in Broadcasting.

Oskar Eustis has served as the Artistic Director of The Public Theater since 2005. He served as Artistic Director at Trinity Repertory Company and the Eureka Theatre Company, and as Associate Artistic Director at the Mark Taper Forum. Eustis is a Professor at New York University, and has held professorships at UCLA, Middlebury College, and Brown University. Eustis has directed the world premieres of plays by Rinne Groff, Paula Vogel, Tony Kushner, Philip Kan Gotanda, David Henry Hwang, Emily Mann, Suzan-Lori Parks, Ellen McLaughlin, and Eduardo Machado, among many others.

DJ JoNathan Jacobs is a staple of the theater and performing arts scene in New York City. As The Vintage DJ, he has headlined events for an array of renowned cultural institutions and companies, including The MacDowell Colony, Citigroup, Brooklyn Museum, Gawker, The Public Theater, Bard Summerscape Festival, The Moth, Swarovski Crystal, and the 84th Annual Academy Awards Governors Ball.

Auctioneer Stephanie Landess has served as Auctioneer and Emcee for a broad variety of national and local organizations such as UNICEF, The School of American Ballet, The Nature Conservancy, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Urban Pathways, Jacobs Pillow, Art Walk, Hedge Funds Care, The Browning School and many others.

IF YOU GO:

Elevator Repair Service 25th Anniversary Gala

Tickets: Tables for ten start at $5,000. Individual tickets start at $500.

Where: Tribeca Rooftop, 2 Desbrosses St, New York, NY 10012

When: Monday, May 22, 2017 at 6:30PM

Purchase: www.elevator.org/gala | 212-254-3137 | benefit@elevator.org

Proceeds from the gala will support ERS in the development of new plays, the remounting of works from the repertoire, and educational programs. Elevator Repair Service Theater is recognized under the Internal Revenue Service Code 501 (c)(3) as a not-for-profit organization, and therefore in-kind contributions are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law.

Elevator Repair Service Board of Directors: Doug Curtis (Chair), Steve Bodow (Vice Chair), Zoe E. Rotter (Vice Chair), Lucy Mallett (Treasurer), John Collins (President), Clay Ballard, David Gilbert, Mindy Goldberg, Fritz Michel, Nicholas Quinn Rosenkranz, Greig Sargeant, Bill Stasiulatis, Anne Stringfield, Scott Watson, Robert A. Wilson, Jr.