TDF's Holds Open Doors Graduation Today, 6/11

Over 350 guests including current and past New York City high school students, and the performing arts professional mentors who have participated in TDF's Open Doors, the theatre arts mentoring program that TDF founded in 1998 with playwright Wendy Wasserstein, will attend this year's graduation at 5:30pm tonight, June 11 at The Pershing Square Signature Center – Irene Diamond Stage (480 West 42nd Street, NYC). This year has been Open Doors' biggest year ever with a total of 23 mentors and 7 guest mentors working with 22 groups of students from New York City high schools.

TDF's Open Doors is the first arts education program ever named for a special Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theatre. The Tony Honor will be presented at a special Tony Awards reception this Saturday evening, June 9, the night before the 2012 Tony Awards ceremony. In addition to the 2012 Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theatre for their Open Doors Program, TDF also received a 2011 Mayor's Award for Arts and Culture. For more information, go to www.tdf.org.

Open Doors operates on the belief of its co-founder, playwright Wendy Wasserstein, that "theatre going is the birthright of every New Yorker." In Open Doors, dedicated theatre and dance professionals each mentor eight underserved New York City high school students and bring their groups to six Broadway and/or Off Broadway performances over the course of an entire school year. These performances are followed by lively post-performance discussion. The students also keep a journal of their theatre experiences over the course of the year.

These talented mentors understand the importance of live performance in the cultural education of today's youth and engage their groups in lively, in-depth post-performance discussions. Open Doors has proven that, through this personal and dynamic interaction, it fosters a deep appreciation of theatre and an understanding of its relevance in the students' lives.

After the ceremony, which will feature a short talk from a mentor, Thomas Schumacher, two current Open Doors students and a video montage of reminisces from former Open Doors graduates and teachers, graduating students will each receive three $50 TKTS gift certificates to help ensure the students' future theatre going.

2011-12 Open Doors Mentors and Guest Mentors:

TDF Open Doors Mentors 2011-12

Adam Bock, playwright
Mark Brokaw, director
Kathleen Chalfant, actress
Rachel Chanoff, producer/performing arts programmer
Kirsten Childs, composer/lyricist/playwright
Graciela Daniele, choreographer/director
Alan Eisenberg, former President of Actor's Equity
Scott Ellis, director
Miguel Gutierrez, choreographer/dancer
David Henry Hwang, playwright
Scott Landis, producer
James Lapine, writer/director
Robert Longbottom, director/choreographer
Aubrey Lynch, dancer/choreographer
Joe Mantello, director/actor
Kathleen Marshall, director/choreographer
Derek McLane, set designer
Lynn Nottage, playwright
Marc Platt, producer
Frank Rich & Alex Witchel, journalists
Tom Schumacher, producer and President of Disney Theatricals
Rachel Sheinkin, book writer/producer/educator
Tracey Scott Wilson, playwright
David Zippel, composer/lyricist

Guest Mentors 2011-12

Lemon Andersen, actor/poet
Vanessa A. Jones, actress
Tom Fontana, producer
Robert La Fosse, choreographer/dancer
Keith Randolph Smith, actor
Theresa Rebeck, playwright
David Stone, producer