TDF Hosts Special Performance of THE HEIDI CHRONICLES to Benefit Open Doors Today

Today, April 18th, TDF will host a special reception and performance of The Heidi Chronicles to celebrate the show's Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Wendy Wasserstein, and to raise funds for the arts education program she co-founded, TDF's Open Doors. Open Doors, now in its 17th year, is the first arts education program to be awarded a special Tony Honor for "Excellence in the Theatre."

"Wendy was a tireless advocate for the arts," said Victoria Bailey, TDF's executive director. "We shared her belief that it was the birthright of every New Yorker to attend the theatre. With that conviction, we created Open Doors in 1998. Since then, the program has grown in size and scope. We now have 24 groups, each mentored by a group of theatre professionals giving generously of their time and passion, and reaching across New York City middle and high schools. Since its inception, over 2100 students have participated in the program."

The afternoon on Saturday, April 18 will consist of:

12:00 pm: lunch reception at West Bank Cafe (407 West 42nd Street, between 9th and 10th Avenues) that the stars of the show, Elisabeth Moss, Jason Biggs and Bryce Pinkham plan on stopping by on their way to the theatre.

2:00 pm: matinee performance at Music Box Theatre (239 West 45th Street, between Broadway and 8th Avenue)

Tickets for this special benefit event are $250 each. To purchase tickets online go to: www.tdf.org/heidi. For more information write to: events@tdf.org

TDF's arts mentoring program, Open Doors, pairs groups of New York City middle and high school students with distinguished theatre and dance professionals. Together, they attend six live performances throughout the school year, and after each performance, they reconvene to discuss their experience over lunch or dinner. Founded in 1998 by Wendy Wasserstein and her long-time stage manager Roy Harris,

For the 2014-15 season there are 24 Open Doors groups. The current TDF Open Doors mentors are: Adam Bock, playwright; Alan Eisenberg, former President of Actor's Equity; Alex Dinelaris, playwright/director; Aubrey Lynch, dancer/choreographer; Caitlin O'Connell, actress; David Henry Hwang, playwright; Leigh Silverman, director; David Zippel, composer/lyricist; Derek McLane, set designer; Dominique Morisseau, playwright; James Lapine, writer/director; Joe DiPietro, playwright; Joe Mantello, director/actor; Kathleen Chalfant, actress; Kathleen Marshall, director/choreographer; Scott Landis, producer; Keith Randolph Smith, actor; Kenny Leon, director; Kirsten Childs, composer/lyricist/playwright; Marc Platt, producer; Mark Brokaw, director; Michael Mayer, director; Miguel Gutierrez, choreographer/dancer; Peter Friedman, actor; Rachel Chanoff, producer/performing arts programmer; Natasha Katz, lighting designer; Dawn Chiang, lighting designer; Robert Longbottom, director/choreographer; Scott Ellis, director; and Tom Schumacher, producer and President of Disney Theatrical Productions.